The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 35

“So what did Dr. Grey say about Elaine’s health?” Seline asked gently, her hands clasped tightly together on her lap.

Darius let out a slow, weary sigh and sank back into his chair. For a brief moment, the Alpha mantle felt unbearably heavy on his shoulders.

His mother’s eyes searched his face, waiting, bracing herself for his answer.

“Her wolf… and Elaine herself,” he began quietly, his voice rough, “they’ve both lost their will to live. All she did during the trip was sleep, almost as if she were retreating from the world. When I left her just now, she was still sleeping. Dr. Grey said to let her rest for now, to give her body and spirit the time they need.

Tomorrow, he and I will speak with her. We’ll try to encourage her… to remind her there is still life worth living. That here, in this pack, she has the chance to heal… to be happy again.”

Seline’s lips trembled, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

“That is… understandable. I cannot even imagine the pain she has endured. To be cast aside by one’s mate, by one’s own blood… it is a wound that does not fade easily.” She shook her head, voice breaking.”

The cruelty of it… the loneliness.”

The room fell silent, filled only with the soft tick of the old clock on the far wall. Darius’s gaze drifted toward the window, where the night stretched endlessly and darkly over the territory. His chest tightened as he thought of Elaine lying motionless in the sterile white of the hospital bed, her spirit dimmed to embers. He had seen broken warriors before–men and women torn apart by battles or betrayals, but there had always been a spark left in them, something to cling to.

Elaine… she was different. She was fading before his eyes.

“I cannot allow her to slip away,” he muttered, more to himself than to his parents. His voice was low, but the conviction behind it was unyielding. “Not when the Goddess herself tied her fate to another, only for them to betray her. She deserves more than this.”

His father shifted, the scrape of his boots against the floor breaking the momentary stillness. Blaine’s tone carried both authority and warning. “Be careful, Darius. Compassion is necessary, yes–but do not lose yourself in another’s despair. You are Alpha. Your first responsibility is to this pack.”

“I know my responsibility,” Darius replied sharply, his gaze snapping back to his father. His voice carried the edge of command, the growl beneath his words unmistakable. “But part of protecting this pack is recognizing strength when it is nearly lost, and refusing to let it vanish. Elaine has endured the worst kind of betrayal. If she can rise from it, if she can find her footing again, she will not only survive–she will thrive. And in turn, this pack will thrive with her.”

Seline’s tears finally spilled over, but she smiled faintly through them.

“Spoken like a true Alpha,” she whispered. “But even more… like a man who understands the heart of a Luna.”

Her words lingered in the room, soft yet powerful, as if carried by the Goddess herself.

Darius clenched his fists against the desk, his mind turning over his mother’s insight. She saw it already, something he dared not yet admit, even to himself.

Elaine was not simply another pack member seeking refuge. She was something far more significant, though whether she realized it or not, he could not say. The weight of it pressed down on him, yet with it came a strange, burning determination.

He would not allow Elaine to be extinguished. Not while she was under his protection. Not while he had breath in his lungs and strength in his veins. Not when he felt this connection with her. He did not understand it, did not know why. All he knew was that the Moon Goddess had guided him to Elaine, and he would not betray that guidance.

“Tomorrow,” Darius said at last, his voice resolute, “we begin. Dr. Grey and I will speak with her. And if her spirit resists… then I will fight for it. I will not let her surrender to the darkness.”

His mother reached across the desk, laying her hand gently over his. “Then may the Moon Goddess guide your words, my son. For Elaine needs more than an Alpha’s command. She needs someone to remind her of the light she has forgotten.”

Darius nodded once, his jaw set. “Then I will be that reminder.”

Blaine, who had remained silent through his wife’s words, finally leaned forward, his eyes narrowing on his son. His voice was measured, but firm. “Son, you are not her mate. Why do you feel this way?”

The question hung heavy in the air, more than curiosity. It was a challenge, a warning, perhaps even fear.

Darius’s gaze met his father’s, steady and unflinching. “I don’t know, Dad. The moment I met her, I felt… something. A connection I can’t explain. It isn’t the mate bond. I know that. She has a mate, even if he has cast her aside. But I cannot help it. I feel protective of her in a way I’ve never felt for anyone. The Moon Goddess guided me to her, and I cannot ignore that. Whether or not I understand it fully, I will not disobey the will of the Goddess.”

His words rang with a determination that silenced the room. Seline looked at him with quiet awe, while Blaine’s brows drew together in thought, conflict flickering across his stern features.

For a moment, the weight of generations pressed in–the old Alpha’s instincts clashing with the path the new Alpha had chosen.

At last, Blaine exhaled heavily, his jaw tight. “If this is truly the Goddess’s will, then so be it. But mark my words, Darius–such bonds, such… connections, they are not without cost. If you choose to walk this path with her, be prepared to bear the consequences.”

“I already am,” Darius said, his voice steady, his eyes hard with resolve.

The old clock ticked on, steady and sure, as the three of them sat in silence, each lost in thought.

Outside, the night stretched long and cold, but within Darius’s chest burned a quiet fire.