The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 30

Alpha Darius found Alpha Efrein, Luna Beatrice, Michael, Kathy, Beta Richard, and Elaine’s mother and brother gathered in the hallway outside Elaine’s hospital room. They were speaking in low voices with the doctor, who looked tense and uncomfortable.

Darius stopped just a few feet away, observing silently for a moment. He didn’t miss the way Efrein’s stance shifted, his aura pressing forward as though preparing to Alpha–command the doctor for information.

The doctor’s words echoed in the hall.

“She… she said she doesn’t want any of you inside. I must respect her wishes.”

Before Efrein could open his mouth and issue the order, Darius stepped forward, his presence instantly dominating the space.

“Alpha Michael,” Darius said, his voice cutting through the air like a blade, “I need to speak with you about Elaine transferring to my pack.”

Every head turned, shock rippling across their faces. The tension was palpable.

“What?” Kathy whispered, clutching Michael’s arm.

“Alpha Darius, we can talk about this in my office.” Efrein said stiffly, his jaw tightening.

Darius’s gaze snapped to him, hard and unyielding.

“No. There is nothing for us to talk about. Elaine will be leaving with me in a couple of hours. I will not allow her to remain in this pack–a pack that abandoned her, betrayed her, and left her to suffer alone.” His words rang like a sentence of judgment, his glare fixed squarely on Michael and Kathy.

Michael swallowed, struggling to hold his composure. “Alpha Darius, I don’t know what Elaine told you, but I assure you, nothing like that happened here. We all love and care for her. She belongs here, with her family, with her pack.”

“Loved and cared for?” Darius’s voice dripped with disdain. He stepped closer, his towering presence forcing Michael to take an involuntary step back. “Is this what you call love and care? To spit on the Moon Goddess’s gift? To discard your true Luna as though she were nothing?”

Michael flinched. Kathy lowered her head, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. Even Beta Richard looked away, shame evident in his eyes.

None could meet Darius’s gaze. They all knew his reputation–calm, controlled, but when provoked, his wrath was something no wolf wished to face. The sheer force of his wolf pressed down on them, thickening the air until most felt the urge to bow. Only Alpha Efrein managed to resist, though his face was tight with the strain.

Darius’s voice cut through again, sharp and absolute. “Elaine will leave this pack today. My Beta is already preparing our departure. As soon as everything is ready, she goes with me.”

“No,” Efrein growled, squaring his shoulders. “You cannot take her, Alpha Darius. Her family is here. This is her home.”

Darius’s face darkened, his eyes flashing with the dangerous edge of his wolf. His patience was thinning, and the hall seemed to hum with the raw energy of his power.

“Try to stop me, Alpha. I dare you. Or perhaps you’d rather we take this matter before the Council? Shall we tell them how your heir spat on the Goddess’s blessing and rejected his true mate? Shall we tell them how his rightful Luna was cast aside and abandoned–not only just by her mate, but by her parents, her Alpha, her entire pack?”

Silence swallowed the hall. Even Efrein faltered at the threat. Darius’s words were not empty. They all knew the Council would see rejection of a fated mate as a grave transgression, one that could strip Michael of his position as future Alpha.

“We want to speak with her,” Elaine’s mother, Lucille, said suddenly, her voice wavering but determined. She took a small step forward. “I am her mother. I deserve to see her, to know how she is.”

Darius’s gaze turned on her, and his words cut like knives. “Mother? What kind of mother allows her pup to be torn apart like this? What kind of mother turns a blind eye while her child is betrayed by her mate–by her own sister? No. Elaine does not wish to see any of you, and as her new Alpha, I honor her choice. She will not be forced into your presence.”

Lucille’s lips trembled, her eyes filling with tears. His words struck deep, each one undeniable, each one tearing at the fragile excuses she had clung to. She lowered her gaze, unable to argue.

Kathy finally spoke, her voice soft, broken. “Alpha Darius… I’m not sure if Elaine told you everything. There were reasons–good reasons–for the choices we made. I never meant-”

“Reasons?” Darius’s eyes flared, his wolf pushing forward again. His anger was palpable, radiating through the corridor. “The only reason that matters is the one the Moon Goddess herself decreed. And someone–whether through selfishness or weakness–interfered with Her will. There is no reason in this world, not even for a pup, that justifies spitting on a true mate bond.”

His voice thundered, echoing off the walls. “No reason.”

The weight of his fury left everyone trembling, unable to respond.

Just then, Beta Marcus stepped up beside Darius, bowing slightly. “Alpha, everything is in order. The cars are ready. We can leave at your command.”

Darius gave a curt nod, his decision final. His eyes swept once more across the group, cold and unyielding.

“I will take Elaine from this place. If you try to stop us, I will bring the full matter before the Council. And we all know what they will say–rejecting the Goddess’s gift is a crime no pack can excuse.”

Without another word, he turned on his heel, the Beta at his side, and strode toward Elaine’s room.

The others were left in silence, drowning in their shame and fear, as the strongest Alpha alive came to take away the one they had cast aside.