The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 37

“What are you doing here, Roselyn?” Marcus asked, his tone already carrying that older–brother edge of warning.

His younger sister Roselyn stood in the doorway, chin lifted, her bright eyes flashing with determination. She was dressed in a soft green tunic, her dark hair loosely braided, though several strands had already escaped–clear evidence she had been out exploring again.

She was always restless, never staying in one place for long.

Darius noted, with mild irritation, that Gamma Evan was right behind her, looking worn out. The man’s posture screamed fatigue, as though he had been dragged along through Roselyn’s endless misadventures.

Darius almost smirked. His Gamma had once told him he would rather run ten laps along enemy borders than be saddled with Roselyn for a single afternoon.

“I want to see Elaine,” Roselyn announced without hesitation. “Mother told me about her, but when I went to the pack hospital, Dr. Grey said I needed your permission first.”

She frowned, clearly displeased at being turned away.

Darius felt a small wave of relief. Good thing he had already instructed Dr. Grey not to allow anyone near Elaine without his approval. Elaine needed peace, not visitors bombarding her while she healed.

“Why do you want to see her?” Darius asked, his tone sharp. “She needs rest, Roselyn. Peace. Seeing you will disturb that.”

Her mouth dropped open, scandalized. “How rude! How can you say that to me, your own sister? I only wanted to welcome her and let her know she’s not alone here. I wanted to be her friend.”

Darius sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. His sister meant well, he knew that. But Roselyn’s idea of ” friendship” was often overwhelming, smothering even. Elaine was too fragile right now for that kind of energy.

“She needs rest, Roselyn,” he repeated firmly, his Alpha authority sharpening his voice. “Do not disturb her until she is ready. Do you understand me?”

The invisible weight of his Alpha command pressed down on her, and though Roselyn’s lips tightened as if she wanted to argue, she couldn’t disobey.

With a huff, she crossed her arms. “I hate you. I’m telling Mother.”

She spun on her heel and stalked out of the room, her braid swinging behind her.

Darius let out another sigh, this one heavier.

The last thing Elaine needed was Roselyn’s whirlwind of energy right now. Still… he knew his sister’s heart.

For all her dramatics, Roselyn was kind and endlessly loyal. Once she learned what Elaine had been through, she would fight tooth and claw to protect her. Perhaps, in time, she would be exactly what Elaine needed. But not today. Not when every ounce of strength Elaine had was going toward simply surviving.

Moments later, Gamma Evan trudged in, looking utterly defeated. His normally tidy appearance was disheveled. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hair stuck up at odd angles.

He sank into the nearest chair with the exhaustion of a man who had run ten miles.

“What happened to you?” Darius asked, unable to hide the faint amusement tugging at his mouth.

“Let’s just say,” Evan muttered darkly, “if I had to choose between going to war with another pack or keeping up with your sister, I’d choose war every single time.”

A low chuckle escaped Marcus, and even Darius cracked a smile. They all knew Roselyn too well. Her boundless energy had always been a force of nature, unstoppable and unpredictable. Evan’s suffering was familiar to anyone who had spent more than an hour in her company.

Sympathy aside, there was work to be done. The three men gathered around the desk, shifting the conversation back to pack matters. Together, they combed through reports, weighed alliance requests, reviewed warrior training progress, and discussed border security adjustments.

Darius had only been gone for a week attending the marking ceremony at Silverblade pack, yet his desk looked as though he had abandoned it for months.

Hours passed in steady discussion until. Finally, Marcus circled back to the topic weighing on all of their minds.

“What of Elaine? How is she holding up?”

Darius leaned back in his chair, expression grim. “Dr. Grey says she needs rest above all else. Time. Her body is healing, but her spirit… her wolf has lost the will to live. The trauma she endured left scars deeper than flesh. But Dr. Grey believes, with patience, we can help her move forward.”

Evan shook his head slowly, disbelief in his eyes. “I still cannot fathom how her own pack could be so cruel. To one of their own.”

“I know,” Darius said quietly. His jaw clenched as he remembered the reports, the bruises, the way Elaine’s wolf had withdrawn. “But in their twisted minds, they believe they acted rightly.”

His voice hardened, anger simmering beneath it. “What they did was cruel and unacceptable. Nothing will change that.”

Before either Marcus or Evan could reply, Darius’s eyes glazed over, his body going still as a mind–link opened. Dr. Grey’s voice reached him clearly across the bond.

“Alpha, Elaine is awake now. She is asking for you.”

Darius rose instantly, his chair scraping against the floor. His wolf surged inside him, restless, eager.

“I’ll be in the pack hospital,” he told his Beta and Gamma, already striding toward the door. “Handle matters here until I return.”

“Take your time,” Marcus said, standing as well. “We’ll take care of things.”

Darius didn’t answer. His mind was already fixed on Elaine, every step driven by the urgent need to see her, to make sure she was truly awake.