1. Fierce Rejection

Diana POV

“Why are you doing this, Darren? For God’s sake, we were best friends, and you. What did you say to Charlotte—that I’m your mate? Is that right?” I fell on my knees, crying and sobbing. 

The man standing in front of me didn’t flinch. I was wailing my heart out, but it felt like all my cries fell over deaf ears.

“Oh, come on, that was in the past. I just pitied you all these years,” he uttered leisurely.

“However, two years ago,” his eyes became darker.

“I found you as my mate.” He clenched his fist, hurling daggers at me.

“I hate that the moon goddess chose you as my mate.” His words pierced right across my heart, slicing it apart.

How could he be so cruel? He wasn’t like this. I had to get my old Darren back. He couldn’t hate me like this. I instantly clutched his leg and begged.

“Please, Darren, you know how much I loved you all these years. You and I.....” The tears flowed down my cheeks as these words left my mouth. I looked pathetic just because of him. He loved me all my life and made me dependent upon him, and now, when I couldn’t imagine surviving alone, he was leaving me.

I hiccuped. “I love you, Darr –,”

But before I could complete my sentence, Darren grasped my jaw firmly and pronounced.

“Alpha, call me Alpha,”

I winced in pain because his grip was way harsher, but my heart bled over his demeanor. “Why are you doing this, Darren?” I tried to ask, helpless in front of him. The king of my heart was tarnishing me and my soul in the worst possible way.

“I said Alpha,”

He gritted his teeth. “It’s Alpha for you, little Diana.” He commanded, tightening his hold around my jaw. I felt immense pain like my teeth and jaw would break. I endeavored to free myself while refusing to give in to his command

“Darr–” I again tried to call him, bearing all the pain, just to awaken him. He was my everything, but he growled at me, using his alpha command.

“Alpha,”

Suddenly, I felt my shoulders heavy because of his tone's assertiveness. I attempted to revolt against his command. However, I was nothing in front of the invincible alpha, Darren.

My shoulders bent at the concession. “Alpha,” I said.

Darren sneered. He enjoyed my pathetic self. How could he?

I was in a hex when he left my chin, and I fell back. Without wasting more time, he turned around to walk away. 

Watching him go away from me jolted something in me, and I gathered myself again for the little hope I had left and ran towards him.

“Please, don’t go,” I back-hugged him.

“I know you still love me. You care for me, so you saved me from those bastards. Please don’t ignore me, If I did something wrong. You can tell me. I’ll do my best to make it correct. But please don’t show me your cold shoulder.” The tears cascaded down my cheeks. I instantly fell over my knees and spoke.

“If you want, I can beg you, but please don’t leave me. You know I can’t live without you.” I didn’t care about dignity or anything because this man was more than anything in this world for me. I tried everything I could to stop him.

And if the Goddess had listened to me, he turned around and looked at me.

“Darren, you’re the only one I have had in all these years. Please don’t leave me. I’d die.” I enfolded my arms around his leg and spoke. Without caring about my visible skin through my torn clothes, I just begged for some mercy, care, and love.

Finally, he spoke, “Anna.” My name came out of his mouth like an icy wind in the heat of summer. I shivered because of the intensity with which he held onto me, and my heart melted for him all over again.

“Look at yourself,” he said lightly. I raised my face and looked into his honey-brown eyes, trying to find my old Darren back, who loved me unconditionally.

“Look at yourself. How can I accept a weakling like you as my mate and Luna?” He yanked my hands off his legs along with all my hopes. 

I fell to the ground and looked at myself; indeed, I looked wretched. The sleeves of my dress were missing along with the portion of clothing on my belly, replacing a print of that bastard’s hand, and there were a lot of visible scratches on my pale white skin. The blood was oozing out of those scratches. However, I didn’t care about these wounds because the internals were more painful.

A lone tear lurched through my eye as I realized Darren was right; if he had not come on time, those two bastards would have ripped me. 

“How can I accept a weakling like you who couldn’t save herself? How can I accept you when you didn’t even get your wolf on your eighteenth birthday? What do you expect from me?” I wasn’t even able to come out of the first trance. He again tossed harsh proclamations toward me that fell right to my heart.

“How do you know?” Only those words left my mouth. Surprised, I looked at him because it was a matter of time, and only I knew about it.

He just disclosed my secret to me. I broke all over again. 

He realized what he had just done or whatever had happened, but at that exact moment, his eyes went a shade darker, from amber to dark orange or more like red. The color fluctuated.

My heartbeat increased. 

“Da-Darren,” I stuttered because it was the first time I saw this color of his eyes.

‘It’s his wolf or,’

Before I could think more, he bent on his knees before me, making my heart skip a beat. I looked amazed when he extended his hand toward my face and caressed my cheek. “I’m the alpha of this pack, Anna. I know about my people as well as you.” His voice was soft and warm. It melted all my worries and started to heal my inner realm, which was damaged and destroyed.

“I know you better than you know yourself.” He added, tugging the strand of my hair behind my ear. And I softened in the warmth he gave me at that moment. A lone tear of happiness lurched from my right eye as I knew my Darren was back.

I lifted my face and looked into his eyes.

His expressions were gentle. He looked like my best friend, Darren.

I raised my hand and put it in his hand.

“Ren,” I hiccuped.

“I-- I love,” I was about to say more, but he retracted his hand with the speed of light and stood on his feet. I looked at him, baffled. His expression changed, and he turned his back to me. I knew my world had collapsed around me, and I screamed.

“Darren.” The pain was visible in my voice. However, he didn’t flinch.

He just clenched his fist and spoke.

 “I, Darren Walker, Alpha of Moonstone pack, reject you, Diana, a mere weak ---“

 “No!” I cried out, putting my hands on my ears.

I didn’t let him complete his rejection and stood up from there.

"No, you can’t do this. I won’t let you do this.” I shouted repeatedly and ran from there.

I didn’t want to listen to that. Darren was mine, so how could he do that? I didn’t stop or turn to look at Darren with the fear that he would reject me. I couldn’t take his rejection. I just ran for my life, for my love.

We were already in the woods, so I just ran a few meters and reached the edge of the ridge. I looked down the cliff, and a shiver crawled down my spine.

 ‘I can't face your rejection. Loving you all these years had made me dependent upon you." 

I looked back from where I had come. However, no one was there.

‘He didn’t arrive for me like he used to do.’ A tear escaped from my left eye. I turned and looked down the cliff again. My heart was screaming in pain and forcing me to jump from there and end every suffering of the last three years.

"Ren," I hiccuped as more tears rolled down my cheek.

"You don't care for me anymore,"

I couldn't believe that he didn't come behind me. He had changed in these years. Still, I thought he may have had some reasons for neglecting me, but today, I knew all my answers. He didn’t want a weak She-wolf like me to be the Luna of his pack. 

“He didn’t want you as his mate.” My thoughts came out of Charlotte's mouth. I looked back. There she was, standing in all her glory. She was indeed a beauty queen. However, being the daughter and sister of Beta gave her more privileges.

"I told you so many times that Darren would never accept you. He's mine, and only I'd be his Luna, but you never accepted, and now see what happened. He rejected you. Even fated to him did nothing good to you." She strode towards me, taking delicate steps. I closed my eyes as if accepting everything she said.

"Don't you think you should just die because it'd be best for everyone?" She said, tilting her head and looking down the cliff as if measuring its depths. 

"Why?" I struggled to speak. 

"Because," she leaned over my ear.

"You're weak, and," she whispered, putting her hands on my shoulders.

"And," I asked. I wanted to know what else she had to say.

"Darren is mine,"

I clenched my fist because even if it sounded real. I couldn't imagine him with anyone else.

Charlotte raised her face and looked into my eyes. Her smile was evil and sinister, but before I could understand, she pushed me.

"Charlotte," I screamed, trying to take her hand to save myself, but all was in vain.

"Goodbye, little Diana," Only her words, accompanied by an evil smile, returned to me as I moved closer to my impending doom.

"Darren," I mumbled, closing my eyes, and felt my body sway down the cliff towards the end. The sad life I had lived flashed before my eyes. Grandpa, Nanny Sophie, and Darren. They appeared in front of me, spoiling me with their love. My Darren was everywhere in my memories. I smiled for the last time when the waves of water hit me hard, engulfing me in the depths of darkness.