You Rejected Me. Remember?

“I, Miles Walter, the future alpha of the 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 packhouse.

“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! b***h! 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 have 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 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 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 behind. 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 in 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 packhouse. 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 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 have 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 out of their way. 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 older than 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 have 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.