Chapter 1: The Rejection

Maya pov

The music throbbed through the air, mingling with the buzz of conversation and laughter. Ladies and gentlemen from other cities gather for the full moon party, a celebration where each person gets the chance to be mated. 

My gaze darted around nervously, hoping to catch a glimpse of him- Alpha Simon Shane, the man I had admired from afar for years. 

I moved through the hall, trying to blend in while my heart thundered in my chest. As I edged closer to the central dance floor, my eyes landed on him. Alpha Simon stood tall, broad shoulders and commanding presence undeniable. For a second our eyes met, and I felt the air shift. 

My breath hitched. Could it be? Could he have felt it too?

I felt the familiar pull in my chest, that primal, unexplainable bond drawing me towards him. The world around me blurred as I walked closer, the noise faded into the background. My wolf stirred up inside of me, recognizing him, calling out to him. 

“He's the one, our mate.” 

My heart soared, the realization crashing over me like a wave. This was it. This was the moment I had waited for my entire life. All the lonely nights, the quiet yawning for someone to complete me. 

“Alpha Simon…..” my voice came out in a breathless whisper , barely audible enough to hear over the music. 

He stared at me, his face unreadable, I took a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak again. 

“I think we're bonded, you're my….” My words were caught shut by the cold look in his eyes. 

“Your what?” He interrupted, his tone sharp.

My heart sank, this wasn't the reaction I had expected. I swallowed hard trying to keep my voice steady. 

“Your mate.” 

Simon stared at me for a moment longer, then laughed at a low cruel sound that sent shivers down my spine. 

“My mate, you've got to be joking.”

My stomach twisted as the blood drained from my face. “What are you talking about? You felt it too. I know you did.”

Alpha Simon's expression turned hard, his eyes darkened with disdain. “You think someone like you will be my mate? Look at yourself Maya, you're nothing. You were a mistake.”

I felt the weight of his words slam into me like a physical blow. “I'm nothing? But the bond…”

“The bond meant nothing, Maya,” Simon snapped, cutting me off again. He stepped closer, towering over me, and I could feel the entire room on us now. “I choose who I want. And guess what? I chose her.”

He turned slightly, motioning to the stunning lady behind him. Emma Silas, his childhood friend. I know the bitch but haven't thought for a day that he would be thinking of getting married to her after spending years with her without proposing the motion of making her his Luna. 

The lady stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. “Did you think you stood a chance against me Maya?” Her voice was dripping with mockery. 

I could barely breathe. “This can't be happening.” I whispered, my vision blurry as I blinked back the sting of tears. 

“Oh, it's happening,” Simon said, his voice cold. “I reject you, Maya Luka. You are not my mate.”

I gasped, feeling the sharp pain of rejection slam through me, my wolf howled in agony., the bond severing like a torn thread. Every instinct in me screamed but that wasn't right. That this wasn't how it was supposed to be. 

“You can't just….reject me like that.” I said, my voice barely audible. My hand trembles by the sides, helplessly in the face of this nightmare. 

Simeon gave me a cold, dismissive, final look. “Watch me.” He turned on his heel, pulling Emma close as he disappeared into the crowd. Their laughter echoed in my ears. 

“You should leave,” a voice murmured from behind me, it was a fellow pack member, her eyes were filled with pity. Before it gets worse. 

“I…I need to get out of here.” I whispered feeling the walls close in on me. 

Without another word, I turned and fled. The shame burned my chest as I pulled through the crowd. 

Hours later I found myself at a dimly lit pub on the outskirts of the town. The kind of place where no one asks questions. I slammed onto a barstool, barely recognizing my own reflection in the mirror behind the bar. My eyes were red from unshed tears. My hair tangled mess from running through the streets. I didn't care, I just wanted to forget. 

“What can I get you?” The bartender asked, barely glancing at me.

“Whatever's strangest.” I muttered, rubbing my temples as I tried to push the memories of Simon's rejection out of my mind. The bartender slid a glass towards me, and I downed it in one gulp, the burning of alcohol doing little to numb the ache in my chest. 

“Rough night?” A deep voice from the next stool next to me. 

 I turned, as I tried to focus on the figure beside me. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with dark hair and piercing brown eyes. 

“You could say that.” I replied, my voice hoarse. 

The man smiled, a slow predatory grin that sent shivers down my spine. “Care to talk about it?”

I shook my head. “No, I'd rather just forget.” 

He chuckled at his gaze, never leaving mine. “Forgetting isn't always easy. Sometimes, it's better to let go.”

I felt my walls crumbling, I had nothing Left to lose. “Maybe”

The man leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. Then let me help you forget. 

His words blurred into the haze of alcohol, and before I knew it, I was following him out of the bar. The last thing I remembered was the feelings of his hand guiding me into the night. The slamming of his car doo

r and then the humming sound of his car before it finally zoomed off into the night.