Rejected
“I, Miles Walter, the future alpha of dark howl pack reject you, Cassandra Williams as my Luna and mate.”
He spat at me. I felt my heart shatter to a million pieces as my uncontrolled sobs got louder, echoing in the blocked room of the pack house.
“Accept that damned rejection and NEVER come in front of me again. You disgust me human! Your ‘parents’ should have just left you alone to die in the woods. Why did they save you? Perhaps I would have been gifted with another mate!" The amount of disgust he had towards me made my heart rip apart.
I didn’t know what hurt the most. His rejection or the fact that he just said that it would have been better if I died. I clenched my blouse in my fist as I bent over with pain.
Rejected. He rejected me. Never in my life had I thought that I actually would have to live through this. I may be a human, yet being rejected was just too painful to bear.
“I said, accept that stupid rejection! Let me live my life. I want a strong Luna. Not a weak human like you!” he growled as he ruthlessly grabbed my hair and pulled it back. I screamed in pain. But that wouldn’t make any difference to him.
“I...I accept....” I stuttered through my gasps of breath.
“Not like that! ! Accept it properly!” his menacing growl echoed in the air.
He had made sure that the entire pack was busy with the annual barbecue before he invited me inside so that no one would hear us. At first, I thought he was finally going to accept our bond. We had found out that we were mates a month ago, on his nineteenth birthday. I knew he was disappointed. But since he never rejected me I had always kept my hopes high. However, he never really accepted either. He kept avoiding me so I had never told anyone that we were mates.
And today when he called me and asked if I could meet him separately, I was ecstatic, thinking that he finally wanted to accept me as his mate. But I was wrong. I was utterly wrong.
I flinched as his grip tightened around my hair, making the pain intensify. I knew he would just hurt me more so I decided that it would be best if I accepted the rejection.
“I... Cassandra Williams, accept your rejection.” I gasped and he let me go.
“Good. Now leave before anyone sees you here. My parents might come back from the open ground. And by that time I want you gone.” He spoke through the gritted teeth and stomped out of the room.
I felt ruined. This was worse than my fifteenth birthday. That was the day I realized that I was different from others in my pack. The day I found out that I was not the real child of my parents. That day, I discovered that I was nothing but a human.
When my wolf didn’t surface, my parents decided to finally answer my questions. The questions I had been asking since childhood. Why did the other kids have a better sense of hearing and smell? Why could they run faster? Why were they way more active than I was? And why no matter how hard I tried, they seem to excel in sports and studies while I seem to lag.
That day, my heart broke into a million pieces when they revealed that I was a child that they had found abandoned in the woods. I was wrapped in a pink blanket and put in a basket. They took me in and with the permission of alpha Sam, Miles' father, they looked after me as their own. I got accepted into the pack and blended in well. I made friends despite being worse at literally everything when compared to them.
I had cried my heart out that day. If it hadn’t been for my besties, Sarah and Olga, I would have run away. And if it hadn’t been for Nolan, the one whom I saw as a brother, I would have succeeded in escaping. They had managed to make me understand that my parents would be heartbroken if I left. Besides they threatened to sniff me out and drag me back to the pack if I ever fled. So I stayed back. At least I had great friends and a loving family, though they weren’t related to me.
I thought nothing could be worse than finding out that I was the odd one of the pack. But I was wrong. Being rejected by your mate is worse. It feels like your heart is ripped out of your chest and thrown down a cliff.
I slowly got up and made my way out of the pack house. It would be best that I leave. I don’t want to find out what Miles might do if he finds me here when he comes back. I knew the whole pack would be rejoicing and celebrating the full moon tonight. I also used to enjoy it with my family and friends every year. However, tonight I just need to be alone.
I strolled into the woods, skilfully avoiding the low lying branches and fallen logs. The moonlight was enough for me to see through the not too dense part of the woods. Since I was just a human, I didn’t have the gift of night vision. So I had to fully rely on the moonlight. I walked until I reached the huge cliff that was a fifteen-minute walk away. I stared at the breathtaking natural beauty. The soft breeze and the sound of gushing water from the waterfall nearby had always brought peace to my heart.
Not this time though. My soulmate had rejected me. What could be worse than that? Who would want to live with a weak human? Perhaps I should leave this pack. They would be better off without me. I had seen numerous times my parents struggle to keep me safe during rogue attacks. My sniffles and sobs slowly got easier to control as I realised that they would find it easier to survive without me.
Then, they would be stronger with me gone. When the weakling of the family is forever gone.
Miles was right. I should have died. My parents should have left me to die instead of bringing me here to live in a pack. I turned around. I saw the orange light from the bonfire. I knew they would be rejoicing. I smiled. I was blessed to have experienced the love of a family and have great friends. This pack was very helpful and inclusive, except for the few bullies who chose to pick on me. I always had someone to stand up for me. Either my besties or Nolan, the real son of my parents, who is elder to me.
Thank you mom and dad for all the love and care. Thank you Nolan for the brotherly love. Thank you, Sarah and Olga. You are the best friends I could have ever asked for. Thank you for standing by my side. And thank you all for the awesome memories. But now it’s time for me to leave.
I sniffled and swallowed a gasp of breath in an attempt to be brave. They had done so much for me. And now, it is my turn to make their lives easier. My heart thudded in my chest as I took timid steps back until I finally started to fall off the cliff.
I felt the cold night air all over my skin. The starry night sky was somehow smiling at me. I knew I would land in the cold water of the river. And perhaps this fall would be brutal enough to erase the problems of those who cared for me.
Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye mate.
2. It couldn't be .....
Miles POV
How pathetic it was that the weakling turned out to be my mate. Ever since I found out that she was a human four years ago, I had been hoping that she was not my mate. However, being the next alpha in line meant that I would have to treat all the members of the pack with equality. So I had treated her with respect, despite her being a human.
I had successfully hidden my detest towards the lower ranked wolves. They didn’t cause me any trouble anyway. But I just didn’t like them. I would consider my entire school life a success. I had stayed away from flings and led a respectful life, just like dad wanted. He had always told me that being alpha not only meant immense power. It also meant a lot of responsibility. And he was not going to tolerate me being a man .
So no girls and I patiently had to wait for my mate.
I didn’t have any problem with that. But when I realised that Cassandra was my mate, I just lost all hope. I had seen so many times, my mother fighting beside dad. She had been that powerful kick-ass Luna and I had always looked up to her. To me, she was the most suitable kind of Luna.
I also had always hoped that I also would get a strong Luna. But fate had other plans for me. I was mated to none other than the only human in our pack. The one who couldn’t protect herself during a rogue attack. What could she do during the war?
I had seen so many times her so-called family try to protect her, just to keep her safe. There were numerous times that the rogues seem to be interested in her. As if they just wanted to get rid of her and finish her off. And all of us would have to work together to keep them away from her, although we never really understood why they would want to kill a mere human.
What was she? She wasn’t even worth any of that. I felt that it was such a waste of energy. It would have been so much better if she was not there at all. I just couldn’t understand why we had to work to keep someone who couldn’t do anything for us safe.
However, no matter how much I hated her and loathed the fact that I was mated to her when she accepted the rejection, I felt the feeling of my heart being ripped. The pain of being rejected. Of course, she wouldn’t feel it. She was human for f*fuck's sake! How could she feel anything related to the sacred bond of mate hood?
I hate it. Why was it that only I had to feel it? I wanted her to feel the pain too. So I hurt her as much as I could with my words. Though I didn’t mean any of it, I did tell her that it would have been better if she died. I know it was just downright rude, and perhaps not what my dad wanted me to be. But I couldn’t care less. I was infuriated. This bond was just unacceptable.
I kept taking heaving breaths as I stomped out of the pack house, towards the garden. After spending some time controlling myself, I made my way towards the bonfire. I halted a few metres away so that I could mask my true emotions. After putting up a happy face, and stretching my lips in a fake smile, I joined my group of friends, among them, was Nolan, Cassandra’s ‘brother’.
I felt a little bad that I had just made her cry. But I was upset. Wasn’t that a good enough reason?
“Hey, man!” he greeted, giving me the brotherly hug we always greet each other.
I patted his back a couple of times, but I was too overwhelmed by emotions to reply to him.
“Hey, man, congratulations. Your dad is going to announce you as alpha.” Castor, one of our friends, congratulated me.
“Really?” I exclaimed, slowly forgetting what I was worried about.
“Yeah. He just announced that he would hold the alpha ceremony this weekend. You better find your mate dude!” Nolan chuckled, grinning mischievously at me.
“Yeah. What is an alpha without his Luna?” Castor added, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
“Yeah ...just be mindful about PDA.” Nolan wiggled his eyebrows.
Both of them burst out in laughter as they high five.I sat down beside them, silently, not knowing how to react to their playful exchange. Normally, I would have slapped their backs or given them a friendly shove.
However, right now, I was just too shaken up. How would they react if they knew that I had found her? That she was Cassandra, the human girl. And how would Nolan feel, that I had hurt the girl whom he had seen and loved like a little sister? He most probably would never forgive me for rejecting her. And if he ever found out that I had told her that death would be better than her being alive, he would want to murder me.
I managed to let out a nervous laugh as I sat down in response. The two exchanged confused glances. Of course, they would know any change in me. They were the best friends I had all my life since we were little pups.
“You okay man?” Castor asked. I could sense both pairs of eyes on me, searching me for answers to their questions.
“Yeah.....” I inhaled deeply.
“Yeah. I’m just... overwhelmed. Being alpha is big.....” I trailed off.
That was not the real reason. But I just couldn’t say it out loud. Not to them. Especially not where Nolan was. Perhaps not to anyone. I most probably would have to live with this weird feeling for the rest of my life.
“Okay, man. If you say so.” Nolan paused for some time.
“But we are always here for you. Okay?” He smiled and patted my back.
Offering a force smile, I nodded. My heart thudded in my chest like crazy. As if something was not quite right. I had this gut feeling that nothing was going the way it should. That everything just took the wrong turn.
“Dude....you look white!” Castor sounded worried as he handed me a drink.
“Here. Maybe this would help?” he said.
“Thanks,” I muttered as I downed the entire shot in one go.
It burnt my throat, but it didn’t bring any consolation to my frantic heart. But I tried my best to mask it from everyone. I must say cool. I told myself as I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees.
“Nolan!”
His mother sounded frantic.
“Have you seen Cassy?”
My head shot up at once when she asked about my mate... No, my ex-mate. However, my heart fluttered at the mention of her. I shook my head.
No. I shouldn’t be excited about her. She was rejected and I don’t want her. Perhaps, I would get another mate instead.
“No...why? I thought she went to get something from the pack house...” Nolan looked at her, clearly worried about Cassandra.
“You also came back from the pack house right? Did you see her?” he asked and I felt as if I could just be swallowed by the earth.
“N...no....I. I didn’t.” I stuttered.
“Where could she be? She is not even in the pack house now. And her scent is also very faint. She surely wouldn’t take two hours to go to the pack house and come back.”
Nolan’s mother was now on the verge of tears. Her voice quivered. Two hours? Two hours had passed since then? I sniffed the air, trying to catch the alluring scent of roses that my nose seemed to recognise her by. She was right. It was no longer there.
But I blamed that on our broken bond. She must be somewhere close by. Perhaps hiding in the trees and crying. I thought.
“Let’s go look for her?” I suggested.
“Yes. We must.” Nolan agreed.
Soon all three of us were rushing through the trees. His parents and Cassandra’s two friends also joined us in the search. They stopped now and then to sniff through the air. Our wolf senses had made it easy to trace anyone.
I started to feel irritated once again. This human, why in the world did she have to be so sensitive? Such a joyous night is being ruined by her. Here we are, instead of rejoicing with the rest of the pack, we have to run around in the woods to look for her. Stupid human.
“Her scent is leading towards the cliff.”
Nolan’s father informed in urgency and soon all of us were dashing through the forest, towards the cliff. The scent of roses was faint in the air. I sniffed deeply, wanting to be sure of what I was smelling.
Yes. That was her scent. I thought rejecting her would let me stop being affected by it, but I guess that was not the case. My alertness increased and I rushed towards the edge of the cliff. Frowning, I stared at the water below. The white waters of the gushing river shimmered in the moonlight.
I froze on my spot. Did she......
“Look!” Olga said, picking something up from the dirt.
“Her phone!” she exclaimed, furrowing her eyebrows, worried and concerned about her friend.
“No!” Nolan gasped.
“My Cassy!” his mother whispered, but soon her throat seemed to have blocked.
“No. We are not thinking about anything bad. She is fine. Just... Let’s be positive.” His father wrapped his arms around his mate, who was trying her best to fight against her tears.
“Nolan! Go and check.” He requested.
Nodding, he rushed to check the waters of the river. Not being able to just stay there and do nothing, I too followed him with Castor right behind me. Olga and Sarah also followed us. Since we were all wolves, it didn’t take us much time to reach our destination.
I scanned the area, trying to look for anything, secretly hoping that we wouldn’t find anything here. She couldn’t have jumped off that cliff. There was no way a human could survive that fall.
“Guys?” Castor’s voice caught my attention. He was holding something that had washed onto the shore.
It was a shoe. I gulped.
“No! Cassy.” Nolan’s shaky voice made my heart sink. I looked at my friend’s broken face.
I heard Olga and Sarah gasp when they saw the shoe.
“Why?” he whispered shakily, holding on to the shoe and staring at it, as though it was the most valuable thing he had ever possessed.
Oh no!
3. Gone?
Narrator
“She....she must be still here. She might be in the water.” Nolan’s voice quivered as he spoke.
“She....she might still make it.”
It was obvious that he was heart broken. And though he uttered those words, there wasn’t much hope left in it. His eyes wandered around. Squinting in to the moonlit water, he hoped to catch a glimpse of Cassy. The one who he thought was his sister, even though they were not really related, to him she was his little sister.
However, there was nothing except for the ripples that made the water shimmer under the starry sky and the silver light of the full moon. There wasn’t even the slightest sign that she was there.
“Please.....” he whispered, slowly feeling his heart sink. His voice was hoarse and his heart was already mourning. Mourning for the loss of his dearest sister.
It was obvious that there was no way that a human could possibly survive that fall. Even if she did land in water, the impact would have been bad enough to kill her. If only she was a wolf.....
“Can you still smell her?” Castor asked.
Swallowing the lump that had suddenly blocked his throat, he sniffed the air. No. Nothing. That could only mean that she most probably was submerged in the river water. Or worse. She could be at the bottom of the river. He painfully stared at the moonlit water, wishing for a miracle. Praying that she suddenly jumped out of the river and laugh at him for falling for her pranks, just like she used back at home.
“Cassy!” He shouted, though he knew that she wouldn’t answer him.
“Cassy.... please.” He sobbed. “Come back.”
His pleas slowly reduced in to a mere whisper. Sarah and Olga were already fighting against their own tears. They held on to each other for support, as they tried their best to hold back their own sobs and sniffles.
Miles too sniffed the air. She was his mate. Even though their bond was broken, he still could sense her. The chances of him sniffing her out was the highest, even though they were not aware of it. He was certain that her scent hung in the air faintly. However, it only seemed to get weaker and weaker. He walked along the river, thinking that it was where the scent lead him, until he too lost it.
It was gone. The alluring scent of roses was no longer in the air. Miles froze on his spot. She was gone for real. A sensation of deep regret suddenly invaded his heart. Not because he rejected her and not because he denied their bond.
But because he feared that if his father ever found out what he had done, he might denounce him as the next alpha in line. And there was no way he could let that happen. Not now. Not when his father was ready to hand over the pack to him.
He scanned through the trees and once again looked carefully at the river. It was useless. He knew that she was no longer there. She was gone. And perhaps it was his fault. His heart raced at that thought. Little beads of sweat formed on his forehead which he quickly wiped away.
No! He told himself.
It was not his fault. It was just because she was unreasonably weak and pathetic. She didn’t have to jump off the cliff, just because he rejected her. She was human, how could she feel the excruciating pain of being rejected. She was just being too sensitive. Heaving in a deep breath, he swallowed his insecurities and nodded to himself.
Yes. He reassured himself. It wasn’t his fault. It was only her.
Miles slowly turned around to see his friend mourn at the loss of his sister. Still holding on to the shoe they had found, he sobbed silently. Castor kept patting on his back and giving him his condolences. Sarah and Olga now had their faces streaming with tears.
Miles slowly made his way back to them.
“Now what?” he asked, not knowing what else to say.
There was an awkward silence with no words exchanged between them. The only sound that echoed in the atmosphere was the sound of the little gasps of breath that escaped their lips, as they tried their best not to cry.
“I....” Nolan gulped, and once again stared in the river water, as if he held on to the false hope of finding her alive. That he still wished for a miracle to happen. He looked as though he wished that this was just one of her pranks.
But no. This time she was truly gone. He stepped back without saying a word and shifted in to his dark brown wolf, not caring about ripping his clothes. Right now, he couldn’t care less about anything. When he fully shifted, he raised his head at the moon and let out a heartfelt howl. The howl of pain and agony. The howl that confirmed the loss of a loved one.
Olga and Sarah also followed his suite. Soon their howls filled the atmosphere and it reached the ears of Nolan’s parents, who were waiting for any news on the cliff. His mother’s tear stricken face darkened with fear. Her eyes widened while she felt her heart break in half. Nolan’s father too knew what that meant. He too felt his heart sink in to a bottomless pit. He felt as though the earth had stopped revolving.
She was gone.
The group of youngsters soon returned with what they had found. Cassy’s shoe. Nolan, in his wolf form went straight home, not wanting to celebrate nor talk to anyone anymore. Olga and Sarah too went to their homes. That left Miles to give Cassy’s shoe to the parents.
He watched how their faces contorted in pain when they saw it. He listened to her cries that echoed throughout the atmosphere, as she clutched on to the last piece of memory Cassy had left for them. It was agonising to see a mother mourn for the loss of her child. It was heart wrenching.
That was not really her own child. Miles thought. But it was obvious they loved her like their own.
“I’ll....take your leave....Mr. and Mrs. Williams. Umm....my father must be aware of what had happened...” Miles spoke in a soft manner, and kept his head lowered.
It was hard for him to look at the mourning couple. Though he never wanted her as his mate, he never thought that this would be the outcome of his actions.
“Yes. Please inform him young alpha.” Mr. Williams nodded in gratitude.
Miles paused his lips in a thin line.
“We must still try to look for.....”
“Her body. I know.” Mr. Williams finished.
“I am sorry.” Miles murmured and walked away, with Castor right behind him.
“Man. I am not feeling too good. I think I’ll just go home.” Castor said as they walked side by side.
“Me too man. Me too.” Miles sighed and walked away, leaving the grieving couple behind.
After wallowing and crying for sometime, Mr. And Mrs. Williams too left the scenery to go back to their home. Even though they knew that this night, they wouldn’t be able to have any amount of sleep.
Meanwhile, in the river, Cassy’s body drifted away from where she had fallen. Being submerged in the water had lessened her scent that lingered in the air, until enough time lapsed for it to be gone completely. Slowly, she drifted away and washed on the river bank a good distance away from the water fall near the cliff.
She looked lifeless. She was motionless. Was she dead?
Her scent slowly started to diffuse in the air, and mix with the smell of the dense forest, catching the attention of the lycan king who was strolling in the forest. It was a norm for him to walk alone in the forest every night after a fateful incident eighteen years ago. That was the night he lost his daughter. The fateful night he lost his only pup in the depth of this forest. And every night ever since, he wandered in the trees. Hoping to find her, but in vain. However, as time passed, he lost hope and it became a ritual for him to walk in the forest near the river and remember the night he lost his only child.
When the smell hit his nose, he froze. That scent was way too familiar to him. Wild roses. How could he smell it here at this time of the night? That scent only belonged to the royal females. Bewildered, he followed the scent. It took him to the river bank and to his amazement, he found the lifeless body of a young girl. A girl who was soaked in the river water. The scent definitely belonged to her.
His breathing hitched. Could it be? Gasping, and hysterical, he ran over to her and rolled her over to gaze in to her innocent face. She looked weak and pale. But she was certainly alive. He placed his arms underneath her and frantically ran through the trees, wanting to take her to the royal infirmary.
One question kept nudging his mind. Could it be her? Could it be his long lost daughter?
Stay tuned to my next post!