The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 82

The fire had burned low, its orange glow flickering across the room and casting long shadows on the walls. Outside, the forest whispered softly – the rustle of leaves and distant howls of wolves weaving into the night’s calm rhythm. Roselyn sat curled on the couch, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, deep in thought. The silence between us was comfortable at first, but it slowly thickened with the weight of her unspoken worries.

Finally, after a long moment, she looked up at me, her eyes uncertain but searching.

“What do you think I should do?” she asked quietly.

—

Her voice was soft – almost fragile as though afraid that saying it aloud might make her decision too real.

I sighed, meeting her gaze gently. “That’s up to you, Roselyn. It will be your decision, and whatever that is, Darius and I will support you completely.”

She nodded slowly, though the uncertainty didn’t leave her expression. “No other advice for me?” she pressed, almost hopefully – as if she wanted someone to make the decision for her, to ease the burden resting on her heart.

I leaned back against the couch, thinking. My eyes wandered toward Darius, who sat quietly in the armchair nearby, his steady presence grounding me as always. The way he looked at me calm, loving, loyal – made my heart swell. His gaze held all the reassurance I needed to remind me what love could be when it was chosen freely.

–

After a deep breath, I said softly, “Do you remember when I decided to give a chance to what Darius and I were feeling for each other?”

Roselyn blinked, surprised by the memory. “Yes,” she said slowly. “I remember you told me about that time. You weren’t even sure if it was the right thing to do.”

I smiled faintly. “Exactly. We didn’t have a fated bond, not in the way others do. But there was something there – something deep and real. I didn’t know if it would last or if it would be enough, but I decided to trust it. To give us a chance.”

I could still remember that night the nervous flutter in my chest, the way the moonlight had touched Darius‘ face when I told him I wanted to try.

“I even asked Darius to attend the Mating Ball for three consecutive years,” I continued, my voice thoughtful, “just to be sure – to give fate one last chance to lead him to his fated mate. I told him that if he found her, I would understand. That I didn’t want to stand in the way of destiny.”

Darius smiled faintly at the memory, his eyes soft with warmth.

“But do you know what he said to me that night?” I went on, turning back to Roselyn. “He promised me that even if he did find his fated mate, he would reject her because he had already chosen me. He said that love wasn’t just fate, it was a choice. And he chose me.”

The words lingered in the air, heavy with emotion.

–“If I had let fear control me back then,” I said quietly, “if I had convinced myself it was safer to stay away from him – I would never have known this happiness, Roselyn. Sometimes all we can do is take a leap of faith and pray to the Moon Goddess that we don’t tumble when we land.”

Roselyn stared at me for a long moment, her eyes glistening in the firelight. “So… you want me to give Calvin a chance?” she asked hesitantly.

I smiled softly. “As I said, that’s your decision to make. But if you do decide to give Calvin a chance, you don’t have to worry about our friendship. Nothing will change between us. I will always be your friend your sister. And I can visit you here whenever you want.”

Roselyn’s lips parted in surprise. “You’d do that? You’d be willing to come here, even if I chose to stay with Calvin?”

“Of course,” I said, without hesitation.

Her eyes softened, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. For a moment, I saw hope flicker in them the fragile kind that comes after a long storm. But then, her voice dropped again, quieter this time.

“Elaine…” she began cautiously. “Have you… forgiven them?”

The question hung in the air, sharp and heavy. I looked down, letting the words settle before I answered.

“Forgiven?” I repeated softly, almost tasting the word. “No, Roselyn. I haven’t forgiven them.”

Her brows furrowed slightly, but I continued, my voice calm but steady. “What they did… it’s not something that’s easy to forgive. The betrayal, the abandonment – those things leave scars that never truly fade. But I’ve accepted it. I’ve made peace with it, because if all of that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

I turned my head toward Darius, who was watching me with quiet pride. “If they hadn’t abandoned me, I wouldn’t have found Darius. And Roselyn, I am happy with him. Truly happy. I know now that I would never have been this happy with Michael, even if he had accepted me before.”

Roselyn’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How can you say that?” she whispered. “You were his fated mate.”

I smiled, though there was a trace of sadness in it. “Because he chose Kathy, Roselyn. And if what Michael feels for Kathy is even half of what I feel for Darius, then I know I would never have been content with him. I would have spent my entire life proving that I was enough – trying to convince both him and myself that I was the right choice.”

I exhaled slowly, feeling years of old pain slip away with the breath. “I would have lived with constant doubt, wondering if he still thought about Kathy, or if he regretted losing her. That’s not love, Roselyn. That’s a life spent chasing reassurance.”

I looked down at my hands, then at Darius, who reached out and took one of them in his. His hand was warm, strong grounding me completely.

–

“But with Darius,” I continued, smiling softly, “I don’t have to prove anything. I don’t have to question whether I’m enough. I just am. He chose me, every single day, and I choose him. And that’s why I’m happy – truly happy and content.”

Roselyn watched us, her eyes shimmering with emotion. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, very quietly, she whispered, “You really love him.”

“I do,” I said simply, squeezing Darius‘ hand. “More than I ever thought I could love anyone.”

The room fell silent again, filled only by the soft crackle of the dying fire and the steady beat of our hearts. Roselyn leaned back, her expression thoughtful, as though the walls she had built around her heart were slowly beginning to crack.

“Maybe,” she said softly, almost to herself, “maybe I should stop letting fear make my choices for me.”

I smiled faintly. “Maybe you should.”

Darius’s deep voice rumbled quietly from across the room. “You’ll know what to do when the time comes, Roselyn. The heart always does – if you’re brave enough to listen to it.”

Roselyn gave a small, trembling laugh, wiping at her eyes. “You both make it sound so simple.”

I chuckled gently. “It’s not simple. It never is. But sometimes, it’s worth the risk.”

–

And as the firelight dimmed to a soft glow, the three of us sat there bound by love, by pain, by choices that had changed everything – and for the first time, I saw a glimmer of peace settle over Roselyn’s face.