The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 91

The following morning, dawn spilled through the guesthouse windows in soft streaks of gold, painting the room in warmth that almost–almost–felt like farewell. Elaine zipped up the last of their bags, her movements slow and deliberate, as though each item tucked away was a memory she was leaving behind.

Nathan bounced on the bed, excitement radiating from him like sunlight. His small wolf energy filled the room with life, his laughter echoing off the walls.

“Are you excited to go home, love?” Elaine asked, her voice gentle, her smile tender as she watched him struggle to fold his favorite shirt.

“Yes, Mommy!” he chirped, his eyes bright and wild with joy. “I want to see Grandpa and Grandma and tell them everything! About the airplane, and the wolves here, and-” He paused dramatically, lowering his voice as if sharing a great secret. “And that you and Daddy are mates now!”

Elaine’s heart melted. The memory of last night–Nathan’s endless questions, his innocent confusion–floated back, sweet and precious. They had sat together by the fire, Darius beside her, explaining as best they could what “second chance mates” meant.

“But Mommy,” Nathan had said, frowning in deep concentration, “you and Daddy are already together.”

“Yes,” Elaine had told him, smoothing his hair. “But now, the Moon Goddess blessed us with a fated bond. It means we were always meant to find each other, even if it took some time.”

Nathan had blinked. “But Daddy said the Moon Goddess brought us to him. Did Daddy lie? Did the Moon Goddess not brought us to him–but the airplane did?”

Darius had coughed, trying and failing to hide his chuckle. Elaine had elbowed him lightly before answering, “No, love. Daddy didn’t lie. The Moon Goddess brought us to him–but it was a secret between me and Daddy. Now everyone will know She brought us all together.”

Nathan had gasped, eyes wide in wonder. “Oh! So it’s like a secret before, but now we can tell everyone?”

Elaine smiled now, recalling how proudly he’d said it. “Yes, my love,” she’d answered, “exactly like that.”

A pair of strong arms slipped around her waist, drawing her gently from her thoughts. Darius’s breath brushed her ear, his voice low and warm. “What are you smiling about, love?”

Elaine leaned back into him, her smile soft. “Nathan and his questions about mates,” she said, laughing under her breath.

Darius’s answering chuckle rumbled against her back. “He’s got your curiosity,” he teased.

“Or your stubbornness,” she shot back playfully.

“Everything’s ready,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Everyone’s waiting at the pack house to say goodbye.”

Elaine nodded once, exhaling deeply. “Then let’s not keep them waiting.”

Her gaze lingered on the room–the walls, the view, the faint echo of her past. Silverblade Pack. Once her home. Now, just a chapter closed.

At the Pack House

The air outside carried the crisp scent of pine and morning dew. The pack house stood before them–grand and familiar–its stone façade glowing beneath the rising sun. Waiting at the steps were Michael, Roselyn, and Calvin.

Kathy was nowhere to be seen. Elaine didn’t ask why. She didn’t need to.

Roselyn approached first, her steps quick, her eyes bright with emotion. She pulled Elaine into a tight embrace, holding on as though the distance between them hadn’t already begun.

“You decided to give him a chance?” Elaine asked softly when they pulled apart, her gaze shifting briefly toward Calvin.

Roselyn nodded, though there was a steel edge to her voice. “Yes. But there are conditions. We’ll stay here and try to make it work. But if it doesn’t, he’ll step down as Beta and come with me to Crescent Moon. And…” Her expression hardened slightly. “I won’t serve as Beta female for Kathy. I can’t serve someone I don’t trust.”

Elaine nodded, her respect evident. “I understand,” she said simply. “We’ll miss you, Rosie. Make sure to call often, all right? Especially Nathan–he adores his Aunt Rosie.”

Roselyn smiled through the sadness welling in her eyes. “I will. I promise.”

The two women lingered in their embrace, the air thick with unspoken love and the ache of goodbye. Roselyn’s heart twisted; she was staying behind to chase her own chance at happiness, to build something new, uncertain, and fragile. But she was not one to back down -not from love, not from fate.

Nathan, who had been clutching Darius’s hand, suddenly wriggled free and ran toward Roselyn. “Aunt Rosie! I’ll miss you!” he said, his lower lip trembling as he threw his little arms around her neck.

Roselyn bent down, her voice breaking as she held him close. “I’ll miss you too, young Alpha. But I’ll call you, and you can tell me everything you do, okay?”

“Okay!” Nathan puffed his chest proudly. “I’ll tell you all the things I do as Alpha!”

Elaine laughed softly, the sound bittersweet. But when her gaze lifted, she froze. Michael was watching–his eyes fixed on Nathan, something deep and painful swirling in his expression. Was it regret? Yearning? Bitterness? Perhaps all three.

He had made his choices. And this was the consequence–he had lost the right to moments like this. The bond of a father and son was a privilege he had surrendered.

When Michael noticed her gaze, he forced a small, sad smile, then lowered his eyes, stepping back slightly as if accepting his exile from this kind of happiness.

Elaine turned to Darius, extending her hand. Without hesitation, he reached for it, his fingers threading through hers with quiet strength.

“Let’s go, love,” Darius said softly.

“Yes,” she answered, her voice firm yet gentle. “Let’s go home.”

A New Dawn

As they walked toward their car, the breeze carried the scent of rain and pine through the air. Elaine turned once more to glance back–not at the pack house itself, but at the people she was leaving behind. Roselyn waved through tears. Calvin stood beside her, his arm protectively around her shoulders. Michael lingered by the steps, his figure framed by the rising light, his once–proud aura now faded into something quieter… almost humble.

Elaine’s heart did not ache this time. Only peace remained.

Darius opened the car door for her, his every movement gentle but sure. Nathan climbed into the backseat, already chatting about how he’d tell Grandma and Grandpa about “Mommy and Daddy’s Moon Goddess secret.”

Elaine smiled at that–at his innocence, his lightness. The Moon Goddess had taken much, she thought, but She had given back more.

As the car pulled away, sunlight broke fully through the clouds, bathing the road in gold.

Elaine leaned against Darius’s shoulder, feeling his warmth, his strength, his steady heartbeat beneath her cheek.

“We’re really going home,” she whispered.

Darius turned slightly, his eyes on the horizon. “Yes,” he murmured. “Home.”

And as Silverblade faded behind them, Elaine didn’t look back again.

The past was sealed in its rightful place.

Ahead of them lay freedom, family, and the promise of peace the Moon Goddess had always meant for them to find.