The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 75

“Yes, Elaine suffered. We all saw it, we lived through it,” Kathy said softly, her voice trembling as memories flooded her mind. “And the worst part was… we were never given a chance to make it right.” Her eyes clouded with guilt and grief. She could still remember the way Elaine’s face crumbled when she found out about her and Michael’s mating. The anguish in her sister’s eyes was something that would haunt Kathy for the rest of her life.

They had all witnessed Elaine’s devastation. Her pain was raw, uncontainable–a wound that spread like wildfire. And knowing that they, the very people she trusted most, were the cause of it–it destroyed them. But they couldn’t show it. They weren’t allowed to. They had to pretend that everything was fine, that the Alpha’s decision was just and necessary.

Goddess, Kathy thought bitterly. The pain of not being able to stand by her sister’s side, of not being able to protect her from the heartbreak, was unbearable. Elaine had always been her protector, her confidant, the one who stood between her and the world, even though she is younger than Kathy. When Kathy was scared, it was Elaine who fought for her. When she was lost, Elaine guided her. And yet, when it was Elaine’s turn to need someone, Kathy had been forced to turn away. That guilt had become her shadow–always present, always whispering that she had failed her sister when it mattered most.

“What do you mean you weren’t given a chance to make it right?” Roselyn asked, her brow furrowed. Her tone was calm, but her eyes reflected confusion and a hint of disbelief.

Michael exhaled heavily before he spoke, his shoulders sagging as if the weight of years pressed down on him. “The previous Alpha–my father, Alpha Efrein–was set in his ways. He believed the future of the pack depended on strength, stability, and appearances. When he found out Kathy was already pregnant with my child, he demanded–no, he ordered–that the mating proceed.”

Roselyn’s eyes widened slightly, but she stayed silent, allowing him to continue.

“We told him the truth,” Michael said, his voice breaking slightly. “We told him that I’d found my fated mate. That I couldn’t, wouldn’t, be with Kathy anymore. That Elaine was my fated, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. Kathy even agreed–she was willing to step aside, to raise our pup without forcing a mating bond that shouldn’t exist.”

He ran a trembling hand through his hair, his expression one of exhaustion and regret. “We thought that if we could just explain it, if we could tell Elaine ourselves, she would

understand. She was strong, selfless. She would’ve listened. But my father… he forbade it. He alpha ordered us to remain silent. He said the pup, the pack’s future, came first. And that disobeying him would bring ruin.”

Michael’s voice lowered, heavy with remembered pain. “We had no choice but to watch her break. To see her heart shatter because of us.”

“And my father,” Kathy said bitterly, her voice rising as her emotions cracked through the fragile composure she’d been clinging to. “The Beta–he didn’t do anything! He followed his Alpha without question.”

Her tone turned sharp, almost trembling with fury. “How could he just stand there and do nothing? Both his daughters–his own blood–needed him. We needed his protection, his support, but he just stood there like a stone. He didn’t fight for us. He didn’t even try. He just bowed his head and followed the Alpha’s command. How could he do that?!”

Her voice echoed off the walls, thick with rage and anguish. Michael reached over, gently taking her trembling hand in his, grounding her as tears welled in her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to regain control of herself.

“My father demanded our cooperation,” Michael continued quietly. “I pleaded with him to reconsider–to let us handle it differently. To let me and Elaine at least speak before any decisions were made. But he refused. He wouldn’t even explain why. He just said it was for the good of the pack.”

He swallowed hard. “The day of the mating ceremony… it didn’t happen the way it was supposed to. My father forbade Elaine and me from rejecting each other before the ceremony. He feared Council Lucius would discover that Kathy wasn’t my mate. To cover it up, he ordered us to proceed as if everything was normal. It was also decided that Kathy and I would not mark each other that night–to spare Elaine from the pain. Kathy and I made that one condition, and he agreed.”

Michael’s voice cracked as he continued. “But during the ceremony, Council Lucius demanded that tradition be followed. He insisted we mark each other publicly, to seal the union before the pack. We were cornered, Roselyn. If we refused, my father would lose his standing. Something my father would never want to happened. So… we did it.”

Silence filled the room. The air felt heavy, suffocating.

“And Elaine paid the price,” Michael said, his voice a mere whisper now. “She lost our pup. The shock, the pain–it was too much for her. Knowing that I was the cause… that my choices, my weakness, led to the death of our pup–it kills me every single day.”

Tears glimmered in his eyes, but he didn’t wipe them away. “I hated my father for what he did to her, to us. For what he forced us all to become. So, the moment I became Alpha, I exiled him–and Kathy’s parents as well. They live at the edge of our territory now, far from the pack house. We’ve had no contact since Elaine left. They have been trying to connect with us again, but we couldn’t do it”

No one spoke for a long while. The only sound was the faint crackling of the fire and the steady rhythm of breathing. The weight of the truth hung thick in the air, pressing down on all of them.

Roselyn finally turned her gaze toward Calvin, who had been silent all this time. “What about you?” she asked quietly. “Why didn’t you do anything?”

Calvin flinched slightly, guilt flashing across his features. He lowered his eyes. “I wasn’t in the pack when it all happened,” he said slowly. “When I returned, I found out what had happened -how Elaine had been forced to watch everything–and I was livid.”

He looked up, shame darkening his expression. “I confronted Alpha Efrein. I wanted to challenge him for what he did. But just like Michael and Kathy, I was given a direct order to stand down. An alpha command. I couldn’t disobey. Even now, I can still feel the weight of that command.”

Calvin’s hands clenched into fists on his knees. “I failed her too. We all did. And no matter how much time passes, I don’t think any of us will ever forgive ourselves for that.”

The room fell silent again, thick with unspoken regrets and the ghosts of the past.