The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 15

Elaine needed time–time to still her racing heart, to push down the storm threatening to break inside her. Her chest felt tight, every breath shallow, but she forced herself to pause just long enough to gather her composure.

She could not stay away for long. If she lingered too much outside, if she returned late, the whispers would only grow sharper. Attention was the last thing she wanted. Already, her very existence seemed to provoke curiosity, pity, or worse–scorn.

On the way to the dining hall, Alpha Darius had spoken to her as if nothing had been amiss, his presence commanding yet strangely comforting. But he hadn’t noticed, or perhaps he chose not to notice, the way every eye followed them as they walked.

She had. The weight of their stares pressed against her back like a thousand needles. She could almost hear the unspoken judgments, the half–formed rumors spilling from mind to mind. They didn’t need to say the words. She already knew what they thought of her.

Goddess, how she wanted to be anywhere but here.

Just a few more days, she reminded herself desperately. A few more days until the mating ceremony concluded, and then she could be gone.

That mantra was all that kept her steady: hold on a little longer, then leave. Only then could she finally start to move forward.

But even that wasn’t so simple. To leave, she couldn’t just walk away. She would have to resign from her work first, sever every tie. And beyond that, she would need Alpha Efrein’s approval. Without it, she would be branded rogue–an outcast stripped of protection, forced into a life on the fringes.

She had seen rogues before, their hollow eyes and restless movements. Wolves driven by desperation and loneliness, snapping at shadows until their minds broke.

That was the last fate she wanted for herself. Yet if left with no choice… she would take it.

Still, a tiny ember of hope flickered in her. Perhaps another pack might take her in, though she knew it was unlikely. Few dared to defy Alpha Efrein, not when the Silverblade Pack stood as one of the most influential in the region. He had allies everywhere. To leave his pack was to risk isolation, suspicion, or worse.

When Elaine finally entered the dining hall, she kept her gaze low, her steps measured.

The air was thick with the clamor of conversation, the scent of roasted meats and warm bread filling the high–ceilinged room. Long tables lined with guests buzzed with energy, and at the far end, where the head table stood raised above the rest, the invited pack leaders laughed and conversed easily with Alpha Efrein, Luna Beatrice, and the future Alpha and Luna. The Beta couple stood proudly at their side, basking in the glow of belonging.

Elaine moved with quiet purpose, slipping through the throng until she reached the food. She gathered her plate quickly, then sought her usual place–tucked away at the very end of the hall, the last spot where no one ever lingered long. From there, she could see everyone, but remain unseen herself.

Her eyes flickered toward the Beta female–her mother.

The woman’s radiant smile faltered when their gazes met, her expression softening into something almost pained, her eyes shimmering with unspoken words. It was a look that asked for understanding.

Understanding for what, Elaine didn’t know. For their betrayal? For the way they had stood by and allowed her world to crumble?

Whatever it was, Elaine looked away quickly, her heart hardening. She could not give them what they sought.

A hush fell as Alpha Efrein rose from his seat, moving down from the dais to mingle among his pack.

Elaine’s fingers tightened around her fork. She prayed with all her might that he would pass her by, that he would see her as nothing more than another face in the crowd.

But fate, as always, had other plans.

“How are you today, Elaine?” Alpha Efrein’s voice carried, calm yet weighted with authority, drawing the attention of those seated nearby.

Elaine’s spine straightened instinctively.

“Good, Alpha,” she replied, her tone measured, respectful.

“Everyone is still speaking of the party last night,” he said, his smile polite, unreadable. “It was a great success, and we have you to thank for that.”

Her throat tightened. She forced her voice steady. “Just doing my job, Alpha.”

That was all it had ever been to her. Her duty. Her work. Nothing more.

She couldn’t understand why he was saying this now. To mock her? To remind her of her place? Or to make an example of her before the others?

Whatever his intentions, she didn’t care to find out.

“Is there anything else, Alpha?” she asked, her words clipped. A subtle edge of defiance threaded her tone, though she knew it skirted the line of disrespect. But she had no strength left to bend, to pretend. She wanted nothing more than to distance herself from them, to remind them she did not wish for their company.

Her skin prickled as she felt the eyes of the Luna, the Beta couple, and the future Alpha and Luna upon her. Their scrutiny was suffocating.

What did they want from her? Could they not see that all she wanted was solitude, to be left untouched by their schemes and expectations? To her, they were not family, not leaders, not figures of admiration. They were the very source of her pain–her cage, her heartbreak, her undoing.

And no matter what mask they wore, Elaine would never forget that.

The silence that followed her words seemed to stretch far too long. Elaine could feel the pause ripple outward, spreading through the hall like a ripple on still water.

Forks clinked softly against plates, voices dropped to hushed whispers, and eyes shifted- first to the Alpha, then to her.

Alpha Efrein’s smile did not waver. If he noticed her clipped tone, he chose not to show it. Instead, he let out a quiet chuckle, a sound that made her stomach tighten.

“Direct as always,” he said, his gaze resting on her in a way that made her feel both cornered and invisible. “It is… admirable, in its own way.”

Murmurs stirred along the tables. Some wolves leaned closer to one another, whispering behind cupped hands, their expressions darting between curiosity and thinly veiled disdain.

Elaine caught fragments of it, the words not fully formed but their meaning clear enough-

Unmated… unwanted… still here…