After Your Rejection Novels & Stories

“That’s it?” Reid shook his head. “No. That’s the beginning.” He straightened, adjusting his watch like he was bracing himself for impact. “Refusal doesn’t mean stop. It means slow down. It means I don’t get to demand forgiveness on my timeline.” James let out a low whistle. “Wow. You’re really doing this the hard way.” “The only way that counts,” Reid replied. James shifted the flowers in his arms. “And if she throws these at me?”

The truth stabs deep, cold and unrelenting, as she takes in the sight before her. The tears she had fought to hold back finally slip down her cheeks, a silent testament to the pain clawing at her heart. A numbing sensation spreads through her body, freezing her in place, rooting her to the spot as if trapped in a twisted nightmare. She can’t look away from him, even as he breaks away from the kiss. Even as he turns, flashing that same smile, the same charm, towards others, never sparing her a second glance. Her lips tremble against the gag, a choked sob desperate to break free. Her mate… has just rejected her. Silently. Openly. Unforgivably.

I didn't see myself being with anyone else. I'd be damned if I just rolled over and let that bitch called Ashley have him. If I couldn’t have him, then she wouldn’t have him either. The smile got wiped clean off my face when, as if on cue, another email popped up on my phone. To my not-so-great surprise, it was another rejection email from the latest company I applied to. The email read, "Dear Ms. Anderson, we appreciate your interest in joining our team. Unfortunately, we have decided to move on with another candidate. We wish you the best in your future endeavors."

I took it thankfully and proceeded to wipe my coffee drained hair, and my tears soaked face. “I am so sorry about this, Hailey. For what it is worth, we all know that Nina and Hayden are jerks.” I coughed out a laugh, grateful that she was trying to cheer me up. “Thank you, Claire. But this one is on me.” “You are stronger than you think. You should go home.” “What? No…” “Go home. A rejection is not just something you get over in a few minutes. The pain will be there until the next day.”

The owner, a big guy with a loud voice, greeted me with a skeptical look. “You’ve been fired often,” he said bluntly, checking out my résumé. “I’ve made mistakes,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “But I’m hardworking and—” “We don’t need a liability,” he cut me off. “Next!” I just stood there for a moment, stunned, before turning and walking out. When I finally got home, the weight of rejection felt like a heavy blanket smothering me. Each “no” felt like another door slamming shut, reminding me I was out of options.

~Tamara~ I sighed as I stared at my phone, reading the rejection message repeatedly. It was a message from all the companies I had applied to and short and direct rejections. “Miss Tamara, sorry, we are not hiring, but when we do, we will contact you.”

Please open this on our pup's tenth birthday. The date was from that morning ten years ago. Axel felt like something had lodged in his throat. Even his breathing tasted of blood. He tore open the envelope with trembling hands. Her familiar handwriting, carrying warmth from ten years ago, crossed the boundary between life and death. It leapt into his eyes. [My dearest Axel, if you're reading this, ten years have passed! By now, you must be a dignified but long-winded father, right? Hey, don't get mad. Even when you're old, you'll still be the most handsome wolf on this wasteland.

Lenny's Pov The rejection came at 9:04 in the morning. I was sitting at David's kitchen table with Shadow on my feet and a cup of coffee going cold beside me when my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen. The subject line said “Thank you for your application” which always meant no. Companies that wanted you didn't thank you. They called. I opened it anyway. “After careful review of your application and qualifications, we regret to inform you…”

“Do you think it would work, though? He doesn’t feel the bond. Would a rejection work? And if I reject him… do I need to do it in his face?” Ice eyed her. Well, there are two ways you can reject someone. Both causes immense pain the moment you declare your rejection. If the other person rejects you as well, the pain would stop as the rejection is complete and mutual. But if that other person doesn’t reject you, or if you reject them without them knowing, all you can do is wait for the next full moon. When it elapses, the rejection is deemed to be completed. Only then would the bond and the pain stop.

I clenched my jaw, staring at the long polished table in front of me, pretending to focus while my mind drifted somewhere else entirely. Two weeks ago, I heard she was getting married. She got married the next day after the rejection. It didn't make any sense. And to Tarek of all people? It felt like the ground opened and swallowed my soul whole. The curse mate bond won't stop hitting my chest. If the moon goddess has favourites, my name surely wasn't in the list. I didn’t even understand it. I had rejected her. That should’ve been the end. But it wasn’t. Because no matter how hard I tried, no matter how many times I told myself it was done... I still felt her.