I was mortified as her words struck me. For a moment, my mind refused to believe them—rejected? Me? No. My wolf snarled in protest, a feral sound clawing inside my chest, demanding that it was a mistake. But when the bond cracked, when the sharp pain tore through me, reality dawned in the cruelest way. She had rejected me.
The pain settled deep, heavy and raw. My wolf howled in agony, thrashing against the confines of my control, and I clutched at my chest, gritting my teeth. It burned, the severing of something I had chased so relentlessly.
I looked at her, and the sight stole what breath I had left. She spun in a dizzy manner, pale as snow, and then collapsed with a soft thud to the floor. Unlike me, she couldn’t withstand the force of the rejection. Her body surrendered under the weight of it, fragile in a way that made my anger wrestle with concern.
I scooped her up into my arms. She was weightless, her head rubbing against my chest. Anger and worry tangled inside me. Angry that she had thrown my effort, my search, my sacrifice back at me. Angry that the scent I had chased across the packs, the scent I had memorized, was wasted. But worried, too. Worried that her collapse meant more than temporary weakness. Could she survive the damage of a rejection?
They rushed to take her from me, hands gentle but hurried, and I let go, even though every part of me wanted to hold tighter. "She wasn’t feeling well and collapsed." I lied.
I watched as they carried her away, her dress slipping slightly from her shoulders, before a maid adjusted it back. I watched as they carried her away from the dining hall. I joined Alpha Reynolds at his dining table. My appetite was ruined and I could barely eat or engage in their conversation.
As the dinner was over, I heaved a sigh of relief.
"Give this to your father. It’s a little token from me." Alpha Reynolds smiled as he handed a big brown heavy envelope to me.
I took it from him with thanks. People definitely knew how to be sycophants around my dad. I couldn’t blame them, after all, the old man held a lot of power and had a lot of resources that they needed.
"We would be leaving." I alerted Alpha Reynolds.
"Why so soon? It’s late already. Spend the night with us."
"Yes, Triton, it’s good we spent the night here." Sam, my beta interfered.
"We can’t. My father has requested my presence."
"Alright then. Send my regards to him." Reynolds said as he wished us goodbye.
Sam instantly knew something was wrong. He had been my beta since I had my wolf. I wore a deep frown on my face, refusing to smile throughout the departure.
"Is something wrong? We planned to stay at Veilwood? Why are we travelling all the way to Lycanthia at this time?"
I threw a quick glance at Sam’s direction and ignored his question.
"You found your mate. What happened?" Sam probed further. At the dining hall, I had told him through the mindlink that Maria was my mate.
I gritted my teeth and my wolf couldn’t contain the pain any longer. I curled my fist into balls and punched the rock that was in front of me multiple times, until I bled from my knuckles. Sam had to restrain me.
"Can you imagine?" I shouted at the top of my voice. "She had the guts to reject me. After all the search I did for her. She’s ungrateful." I spat, my chest rising and falling as anger brewed within me.
I reached out to the rock to punch it again, but Sam and my other men held me. "Anger wouldn’t solve anything. You just have to move on. She doesn’t deserve you." Sam comforted me.
I still breathed heavily, finding it hard to steady myself. "After all I’ve done, all I’ve searched, she throws me away? I begged her, Sam. I begged her. Do you know how many men I’ve begged in my life? None. Not one. But for her, I—" My voice broke down.
Sam led me to sit on a rock, while the men began setting up tents that we would camp. We couldn’t reach Lycanthia tonight, and I didn’t want to stay in Veilwood any longer.
Sam offered me water and I gulped it down in an instant. My ragged breathing stabilized a bit. I stared at the sky, directly at the full moon. I tore my shirt, allowing my claws and hairy muscles to be visible as I half transformed to my wolf. I looked towards the moon and howled loudly. My wolf unleashed all the pain it felt. Google seaʀᴄh N()velFire.net
"It’s okay, Triton." Sam held my shoulders as I knelt on the ground after howling.
The men had finished setting up the tent. I washed my sweaty face with water before entering. I lay down, looking at the ceiling of the tent and lost in thought.
I took a deep breath, still trying to wrap my head around why Maria would reject me. I was sure that my looks could kill, and the way I pleaded with her for a second chance, I had never done that before. I was always commanding my subjects and never begged. Why would she bruise my ego this way? Did I have any undesirable traits? During our first meeting in the room, she never wanted me to reject her, so why did she suddenly want it?
I closed my eyes in an attempt to sleep, but all I saw was an image of her. This time, I had seen her without the veil and I recognized those hazel eyes. I recognized her flowery scent, and that was what led me to knowing that she was my mate.
I closed my eyes and for the first time in a long while, tears slipped out of my eyes, maybe I didn’t handle the rejection better.