The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 110

The morning of the Luna Ceremony dawned soft and golden, sunlight spilling like molten honey across Crescent Moon territory. The pack house sat quiet but humming with preparation, every corridor threaded with hushed excitement. This was not just any ceremony – it was the formal crowning of their Luna, the heart that steadied the Alpha. And every Alpha attending knew that even on a day of celebration, power never rested. Not when wolves gathered. Not when dominance hung in the air like a storm.

Michael stood at the window of the visiting suite, jaw tight, thoughts sharper than the mountain air drifting through the cracked glass.

When Beta Marcus arrived to escort him to a private Alpha-only meeting, not a word of pleasantry was exchanged. The two men simply nodded, and Michael followed, shoulders straight, eyes fixed ahead.

Even today, especially today, Alphas would measure Alphas.

Inside the suite, the remaining silence felt thick. Kathy exhaled slowly, tension still clinging to her spine from the moment her mate walked out with that simmer in his eyes.

Calvin leaned against the table, every muscle alert, while Roselyn adjusted her dress and brushed imaginary lint away – nervous energy disguised as perfection.

Marcus had told them someone would arrive later to escort them to the ceremony grounds, a lush garden that would host the celebration from afternoon until late evening. Roselyn had explained the early start with a proud sparkle in her gaze.

“Nathan wanted to be out there with Darius and Elaine,” she’d said with a soft smile. “He’s excited to stand beside his mother on her big day.”

That single sentence carried warmth – and weight. Nathan, the future Alpha pup. The living truth of a bond Michael had once rejected. A reminder always present, always fragile.

A knock broke the silence.

Roselyn was up in a heartbeat, her steps quick and light across the marble floor. She opened the door – and her face broke into pure, unfiltered joy.

“Evan!” she gasped, and before anyone could blink she wrapped him in a fierce hug, laughter bright and emotional. “I didn’t see you at all when you went to Silverblade Pack with Elaine – you disappeared the moment you arrived!”

Evan snorted, squeezing her once before pulling back with a grin. “How are you, beautiful? Has your mate not had enough of you yet? No complaints? No running back here in tears for a rescue mission?”

He teased the way only someone who had known her since childhood could – the one who used to shadow her on shopping trips, drag her away from trouble, and report every single escapade to Darius with smug loyalty. It was the kind of friendship carved in childhood, scolded into discipline, and tempered by pack duty.

Then a growl ripped through the room like a blade dragged across stone.

Roselyn froze mid-laugh. She turned slowly.

Calvin stood by the window, eyes glowing, posture a coil of lethal tension. His wolf had surfaced, jealousy spilling from him in waves so thick the air vibrated with it. His nostrils flared, his veins pulsed.

Evan lifted his brows in amused satisfaction – as if he had predicted this reaction the moment

Roselyn leaped into his arms.

Roselyn stepped away from Evan at once, fingers brushing Calvin’s chest, her touch calming, claiming. “Evan. Behave,” she warned, half glancing over her shoulder. “Come in. Let me introduce you to my mate.”

Evan obeyed, strolling in with lazy confidence.

But the instant his gaze landed on Kathy, his expression flickered. For one heartbeat, his eyes hardened- a flash of something raw, hidden, and unbearably painful – before he forced his gaze away. Calvin didn’t notice.

Roselyn didn’t see it. But Kathy did. Her breath stilled, her palm curling at her side.

“Calvin,” Roselyn said brightly, “this is Evan – Darius’s Gamma. And my best friend growing up.”

Calvin’s posture loosened slightly, pride settling where jealousy had flared. He reached out and shook Evan’s hand. Evan shook it firmly, politely. Two dominant wolves sizing each other without a word.

“And this is Luna Kathy,, Roselyn added.

Evan didn’t offer his hand. Instead, his voice went neutral – controlled, too controlled.

“We’ve briefly met in Silverblade,” he said. ”

When Darius requested to speak with Alpha Michael… after Elaine decided to complete the rejection.”

“Oh – I didn’t know,, Roselyn murmured, glancing at Kathy. Kathy smiled thinly, her composure immaculate, but her eyes flickered – the slightest hint of nerves, of history, of unspoken things pressing against her ribs.

Silence.

Evan inhaled once, steadying himself. Then, quietly, he asked:

“Luna, are you ready? I’ll take you to your Alpha.

The words were respectful – but beneath them ran frustration, resignation… grief. Like someone forced to stand beside the person they could never touch again.

Kathy’s voice broke before she could cage it. A whisper of longing, raw and ragged:

“Evan.”

He stopped moving.

Neither looked at the other.

Two wolves. Two hearts. One unspoken truth sealed under mating vows and duty that could not be undone.

For one second – one dangerous, trembling second – the air between them held everything they had never allowed themselves to say.

Then Evan stepped back, spine straight.

“Luna,” he murmured, tone returning to formal steel, “the garden awaits.”

Kathy swallowed, smoothed her dress, and nodded.

And together – silently – they started to walk toward a ceremony built for love, while dragging behind them the ghosts of the bond fate had denied them.