Chapter 5

Fuck! The pain hit me like a wave, very sharp and quick. I gasped, holding the ground as if it would keep me from falling apart. But literally I was actually falling apart my vision kept blurring and I could feel my nose bleeding.

Probably because Jaxon was an alpha,he didn't seem to feel most of the pain i felt. Instead he just stood there with a frown on his face.

I wanted to scream, to cry—anything to release the tightness in my chest. But I couldn’t. I swallowed back tears, refusing to break in front of him. He already thought I was pathetic, breaking down in front of him would be proving him right.

Jaxon glanced at me one last time before walking away, leaving me behind.

For what felt like ages, I stayed on the ground, my heart aching with a pain I didn’t think I could feel. Slowly, I sat up and wrapped my arms around my knees, burying my face in my thighs.

Fuck! It only takes few minutes for one's whole perception of life to be ruined. All my life had never thought I would find my mate. I had no hopes for it. Nothing in me ever thought Jaxon of all people would be my mate.

And once upon a time even if a part of me—the naive part—had wanted of feeling that of true love my parents had been till date. That dream was long gone now,Jaxon had made sure of it.

The pain I felt made me wish I could go back in time and stop myself from ever coming here. Because If I didn't step a foot in the mating ball. I wouldn't have gotten rejected by a mate I didn't even want in the first place.

I wish I had rejected him instead, maybe I wouldn't feel like I had lost a part of me. Like I wasn't worthy enough to be the mate of someone I hated.

I don’t know how long I sat there, staring at the stars, until I heard footsteps. The scent of smoke reached me before I saw him.

Carter.

He was dressed in his usual black leather jacket. Like who the hell wears a leather jacket to a ball. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips. His messy dark hair fell over his forehead as hooked my awful state

“What are you doing out here?” he asked with sarcasm.

"Shut up, Carter. I’m not in the mood.”I mumbled

He took a drag from his cigarette and said “I can see that.”

I wiped my eyes and sniffled. “Jesus, you look terrible, Maeve,” he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

I didn’t respond, just kept looking at the stars, trying to forget the ache in my chest.

Carter studied me for a moment before offering me the cigarette. “You probably need this more than I do.”

I glared at Carter. "You know you're going to get lung cancer someday, right?"

He chuckled, taking another drag. “Yeah, well, we all gotta go somehow."

I hesitated but I eventually took the cigarette from him. I needed something to take my mind off things. My first drag ended in a cough, and he laughed softly, shaking his head.

For a while, we sat there in silence, passing the cigarette back and forth, staring at the stars. That little peace seemed to be all i needed because my tears stopped.

"I got rejected by a mate I didn’t even want," I muttered.

Carter took a slow drag, exhaling smoke into the night. “Oh.” He glanced at me. "The pain… it gets better, you know."

I rested my head on my knees. “I didn’t want a mate in the first place, especially not someone I hate.” I gave a bitter laugh.

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Sometimes the Moon Goddess throws us curveballs, giving us a mate when we least want one, or with the person we least expect.”

I scoffed. “What, you sound like you’ve got experience with mates or something.”

“Some things are better left unsaid, Maeve. Some memories are better left forgotten."

He seemed fine but I could see it in his eyes—there was more to his story than he was letting on. I decided not to push him. Instead, I tried to lighten the mood.

"I thought you don’t do mating balls," I said, using air quotes. "And no sarcastic remarks today? That’s a first."

Carter gave me a dry laugh. “Don’t get used to it.” He flicked the cigarette, watching the ash fall. “I hate mating balls. They’re... pointless.”

"You seem like you’ve got something on your chest. Better let it out before you blow up. Don’t worry,no will believe me anyways... after all, I’m the pathetic omega who just got rejected by the mate she didn’t want." I said

He glanced at me but he didn’t laugh this time. Instead, he looked up at the stars. I had only spoken to him once but I could tell that he wasn't himself tonight.

“You ever think maybe the whole mate thing is a curse? Not a blessing?” Carter took a drag from his cigarette.

I raised an eyebrow. “Now you sound even more bitter than I do.”

“Maybe I am. But at least I’m not pretending it’s all some fairytale. Mates don’t fix anything.”He smirked

I looked down at the ground. “Yeah, well... I don’t exactly want to be ‘fixed’ anyway.”

He looked over at me, and for a second, there was something softer in his eyes, but he looked away just as quickly. “Guess we’re in the same boat, then.”

Before I could respond, I heard Ava's voice “Oh my god, Maeve! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

I turned just in time to see Ava running toward me. She pulled me into a tight hug. “I was so worried when I couldn’t find you! But guess what? I found my mate! He’s perfect!”

“That’s great, Ava.”I smiled weakly, trying to match her excitement

Ava didn’t seem to notice my lack of excitement. She rambled on, “He’s strong, and sweet, and you should see the way he looks at me. It’s like... I don’t know, like he’s known me forever.”

Carter’s eyes met mine for a split second.Then, without a word, he walked away,leaving me standing there with Ava.

Ava didn’t seem to notice, too wrapped up in her own happiness. "Maeve, you should see him. He’s perfect! I’m so lucky."

I forced a smile. "That’s great, Ava. Really." But my mind wasn’t on her mate at all.

Ava kept going on about her mate, her voice full of excitement. "He’s the kind of guy you dream about, Maeve! And when our eyes met, I just knew. You know what I mean? It’s like everything clicks, and suddenly, nothing else matters."

I nodded absentmindedly, not really paying attention. The sadness from earlier was back and I felt a lump in my throat as Ava’s happiness only seemed to make me feel worse.

Ava finally noticed my silence and paused "Maeve? Are you okay? You’re really quiet."

"I... I found my mate." My voice was barely a whisper

Ava’s eyes widened, a huge smile came on her face. "Oh my god! Maeve, that’s amazing! Who is he? Is it someone I know?"

"It doesn’t matter. He... he rejected me."I shook my head, trying to keep my voice steady.

And for a moment, Ava didn’t say anything. Her face fell, the excitement disappeared immediately "Oh, Maeve... I’m so sorry." She reached out and put a hand on my arm. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner?"

I looked down, trying to fight the tears that threatened to fall. "I didn’t want to talk about it. It all happened so fast, and... it’s not like I wanted a mate either?"

Ava pulled me into a tight hug, and for a moment, I let myself feel the comfort in it. I hadn’t realized how sad I felt until I said it out loud. The rejection. The feeling of being unwanted.

After a few moments, I pulled away from Ava, wiping my eyes quickly. "Can you... can you take me home? I just need to get out of here."

"Of course. Let’s go."Ava nodded. Her eyes were filled with concern.

She didn’t ask any more questions, and I was grateful for that. Tonight had been exhausting as hell.