The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 61

“Mommy, where is Daddy?” Nathan asked, his big brown eyes blinking up at Elaine with curiosity.

“He is in his office, baby. Working,” Elaine replied gently, smoothing down the stubborn strand of dark hair that always fell across her son’s forehead. Nathan had just turned three, yet he already carried himself with the same stubborn determination as his father. He was a true daddy’s boy–always eager to follow Darius wherever he went. If Nathan had his way, he would spend every moment shadowing his father, whether Darius was training warriors, meeting with elders, or reviewing reports in his office.

Sometimes Darius let him tag along, sitting the boy on his lap and explaining, in the simplest way possible, what it meant to be an alpha and how important decisions were made. Elaine often watched those moments from the doorway, her heart swelling. Darius was such a good father, so patient and so attentive, and she never once regretted her decision to give him a chance.

Her lips curved into a soft smile as she thought about what was ahead. This coming mating ball would be the last one before she agreed to be his luna officially. It was a decision she had not rushed, but with every passing day her trust in Darius deepened. He never forced her hand, never pressured her, always ensuring she understood his choices and that she felt secure in their bond.

Elaine still remembered the first mating ball Darius had to attend after they had chosen to give each other a chance. She had been a nervous wreck that night, pacing their room until her legs ached and her stomach churned. Sleep had been impossible. Roselyn had been by her side, whispering reassurances and keeping her company.

“Darius will never betray you,” Roselyn had told her firmly, her hand squeezing Elaine’s. And she had been right. When Darius returned from that mating ball, he had gone straight to Elaine instead of his office, locking the world out for days. They stayed together in their room, wrapped up in each other, laughing, talking, and healing. His beta and gamma had teased him endlessly afterward, but Darius never cared. He had only cared about showing her where his loyalty truly lay.

The memory warmed Elaine now, a reminder of how far they had come.

“I miss Daddy,” Nathan whispered suddenly, his little lips trembling, eyes glossing over with unshed tears.

Elaine’s heart ached at the sight. She knelt down so she was level with him, brushing a thumb across his cheek. “Oh, baby, I’m sure Daddy misses you too. But remember, Daddy has to be the alpha sometimes, and when he is being the alpha, you can’t stay with him. It’s very important work.”

Nathan sniffled, his lower lip jutting out. “Can’t he be a daddy and an alpha all the time? I can be quiet, Mommy. I won’t disturb him. I just… I just want to stay with Daddy.” His tiny voice cracked with longing.

Elaine swallowed back a lump in her throat. She had wondered the same thing sometimes- how Darius managed to balance everything he carried on his shoulders. She smiled and stroked her son’s hair. “But if you stay with Daddy all the time, then you won’t have time with me. Won’t you miss me?”

Nathan frowned, his little brows furrowing as he thought hard about her words. For a long moment, he stayed quiet, lost in thought, before answering with the seriousness of someone far older than three. “I will miss you, Mommy… but I am a boy. And most of the time, Aunt Roselyn stays with you, and she talks a lot.”

Elaine laughed, the sound bubbling out before she could stop it. Like father, like son. Nathan might be young, but he already had Darius’s straightforward way of seeing the world.

She looked at him, her heart brimming with love. Nathan was smart–smarter than most children his age–and she knew with Darius’s guidance, he would grow into a strong and wise wolf. Already he asked his father endless questions about what it meant to be alpha, and Darius never once grew impatient. Instead, he knelt down and explained things carefully, like every question was important.

Elaine silently thanked the Moon Goddess once more for giving her this life, for giving her Darius and Nathan. Sometimes she believed she had endured all the betrayal, abandonment, and pain of her past just so she could arrive here–to this peace, this family, this love.

No, she thought firmly. She would not trade this life for anything.

With the help of Darius and Nathan, she had slowly learned to heal. She had begun to let go of the bitterness that once chained her, to forgive, and even to forget. The Silverblade Pack and all the pain it represented no longer defined her. Everything that had happened… had happened for a reason. Because without it, she would not be here now, surrounded by warmth and love.

Still, somewhere deep inside, the memory of her old family lingered. Maybe one day, she thought, she would find the courage to see them again. To face what she left behind in Silverblade. She wanted her former pack to know her son one day–but not as Michael’s son, not as the child tied to a past filled with betrayal and pain. She wanted them to see Nathan for who he truly was: her son, the boy she carried, raised, and loved, and the child Darius had accepted and chosen to protect and guide as his own. Nathan was a part of her, but he was also the living proof of the new life she had built, the family she had chosen, the bond she had healed through. But not today. For now, her world was here–with Darius, with Nathan, and with the happiness she never thought she now have.