The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 14

Elaine stood up, brushing the leaves from her skirt, and glanced at the dark–haired alpha beside her. The sun had climbed higher, its light breaking through the canopy and scattering golden beams across the forest floor.

“It is time to come back, Alpha Darius.” She said softly.

Darius turned his head, as if reluctant to end the quiet moment they had shared near the falls. Then, with a small smile, he nodded. “Ah, yes. I’ve been out for quite a while. Alpha Efrein said he expects me at breakfast.”

Elaine returned his smile faintly.

“Ah, yes. It’s something of an unspoken rule here in our pack. Everyone eats breakfast together every morning. That’s why our dining hall is much larger than most packs.” She paused, then added almost absently, “At least, according to everyone who’s visited other territories.”

“That’s a good tradition,” Darius replied thoughtfully. “It can strengthen bonds within the pack -improve relationships.”

They began walking side by side, their steps quiet on the worn forest, path. Neither suggested shifting into their wolves to cut the distance; instead, they matched each other’s pace as though an unspoken agreement bound them to walk as they were. The silence between them wasn’t heavy, nor was it empty. It was… easy.

For Elaine, that was confusing. Once upon a time, she had known this kind of peace with others with her sister, with her friends. But all of that had shattered. Betrayal had stolen it away, leaving her to carry loneliness like a cloak.

And yet, beside this alpha–a stranger from another pack–she felt the faint echo of what she had lost. It startled her.

It almost hurt to realize how much she missed it.

“The party last night,” Darius said at last, breaking the silence, “was a success for your pack, wasn’t it? Your future alpha and luna look good together. They seemed like a strong match.”

He glanced at her with an easy smile. “Looks like your pack is in good hands. I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous. Michael and I are the same age, but while I’ve already taken the title of alpha, I still haven’t found my mate.”

The words hit Elaine like a knife twisting deep in her chest. Her breath faltered, though she Moon pain?

She had been enjoying this rare, simple connection with Darius–two strangers walking like old friends. But the mention of Michael and Kathy dragged her back to reality. To the truth she couldn’t escape.

Her hands clenched at her sides. What did I ever do to deserve this? Why must even an outsider see them as perfect? Why can’t I breathe without being reminded?

Beside her, Darius noticed the shift. One moment, she had been smiling faintly, her laughter still echoing in his mind from earlier. Now, her expression had shuttered. Her presence dimmed, as though she had stepped away without moving an inch. It was the same hollow look she had worn at the party the night before. A mask. A doll’s face.

His brows furrowed. What did I say?

Elaine forced herself to answer, her voice steady though it cost her everything to keep it that way. “Yes… They are a good couple. Our pack is lucky. Blessed by the Moon Goddess.”

She turned her gaze away from him, fixing it on the trees ahead. She couldn’t let him see her eyes. If he looked too closely, he’d see the storm hidden behind them–the grief, the betrayal, the jagged wound that still bled every day.

Darius slowed slightly, studying her profile. “Did I say something wrong?”

His tone carried genuine concern, not the authority of an alpha but the earnestness of a man who cared to understand.

“No, Alpha.” She gave a quick shake of her head, not daring to meet his eyes. “Everything you said was correct. Our pack is fortunate to have such a strong match for our future alpha and luna.”

She hesitated, forcing the corners of her mouth upward into something resembling encouragement. “But… you don’t have to feel jealous. You’ll find your fated too. The Moon Goddess hasn’t forgotten you.”

Her words were kind, but they carried a distance he couldn’t ignore.

The rest of their walk stretched out in silence, but it wasn’t the peaceful quiet of before. The air between them felt heavier now, thick with something unspoken.

Elaine’s walls were back up, and no matter how Darius tried to shake the sense of it, he couldn’t find the right words to bring her back to where she had been before.

For Elaine, the moment of peace was gone. For Darius, there lingered only confusion–and a gnawing curiosity about the woman who could laugh so freely one moment, then disappear behind her mask the next.

The forest path widened the closer they came to the heart of the Silverblade territory. The faint murmur of voices carried on the breeze, mixed with the scent of cooking food drifting from the pack house kitchens. It reminded Elaine of the world she’d been trying to escape- the routines, the noise, the endless eyes that never stopped watching her.

“There it is,” Darius said lightly, his voice breaking the silence. He gestured ahead, his expression thoughtful. “Strange, it feels like we’ve only just started walking.”

Elaine offered him a small smile, polite but muted. “Yes. The falls aren’t so far, really.”

Elaine slowed her pace even more. The thought of stepping inside–into that hall full of eyes -made her chest tighten.

She turned to Darius, giving a respectful dip of her head. “You should go ahead, Alpha. They’ll be expecting you.”

He looked at her, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “And you?”

“I’ll come in later.” She straightened, her voice calm, carefully neutral.

“Thank you for the walk,” she added softly. Then, with a polite bow, she turned and slipped into one of the side corridors that skirted the pack house.

Within moments, she was gone–swallowed up by the familiar shadows she seemed so comfortable disappearing into.

Darius stood where she had left him, the noise of the dining hall pulling him forward. Yet his eyes lingered on the direction she had gone.

He couldn’t explain it, but something about her unsettled him. Not in a threatening way, more like a puzzle that refused to fit neatly into place.

One moment, she laughed with the ease of someone who’d known him for years. Next, she carried herself like a ghost, fading before he could get close enough to understand.

With a faint shake of his head, he forced his attention back to the present. He was an alpha on another pack’s land, and breakfast awaited. Still, as he stepped into the dining hall, he realized he was thinking less about the gathering and more about the quiet girl who had already vanished from it.

And that, somehow, felt strange.