CHAPTER 2- Rejection

When Lilian woke, the euphoria of the night before was replaced with a deep sense of confusion and fear. She lay in the same bed where she had spent the night with Morgan, but he was already gone. Reality crashed down on her as she stared at the empty space beside her. What had she done?

Her fingers absentmindedly traced the bedsheet, and her heart clenched as she saw droplets of blood stained on it. The sharp contrast of crimson against the white fabric served as the sole evidence of the night she had surrendered everything. She couldn't believe she had given her virginity to Morgan for just one night. It was a moment of weakness and oblivion, yet she did not regret it.

However, when reality hit her, she felt nervous. The weight of what she had realized hung heavy on her heart. She could still feel it—Morgan's touch lingering on her skin, his intense gaze that had seared into her soul, his distinct scent that now filled her senses. He was her mate. The bond she had dreamed of, the one every werewolf longed for, had finally been revealed to her. But instead of joy, all she felt was dread. Because she knew deep down that Morgan would never accept it. What happened last night had been fueled by alcohol, a reckless indulgence in desire, nothing more than a fleeting moment of passion that meant everything to her but nothing to him.

Alpha Morgan was a man of power, ambition, and pride. He had never shown her even a flicker of affection, not once. If anything, he treated her as if she were invisible, just another face in the pack. The thought of him accepting her as his mate seemed laughable. She wasn’t like the others, the she-wolves who vied for his attention—beautiful, strong, and confident. No, she was ordinary, and in Morgan's eyes, she knew that meant she was beneath him.

Her speculation held true when the two of them were summoned by the Wolf Council, two days later. The tension in the room was palpable, the weight of tradition and expectation hanging over them like a dark cloud.

"It's time for you to get married, Morgan. As the Alpha of the pack, you need to have your Luna, who will assist you in leading the pack," Elder Joseph said, his voice firm, leaving no room for argument.

Morgan furrowed his brow, confusion evident in his eyes as he glanced at the council members. "What do you mean?" he asked, his voice tinged with irritation.

"Lilian is your mate, so you need to get married as soon as possible," Elder Ursula added, her gaze shifting toward Lilian, whose heart pounded in her chest.

Lilian’s breath hitched. She had feared this moment but never expected it to come so suddenly. Her worst fear was about to be realized.

Morgan's reaction was immediate and cold, his lips curling into a smirk, his eyes narrowing in disbelief. "No! It couldn’t be! How—Lilian is my mate? Impossible..." His voice dripped with disdain, as if the very idea disgusted him.

The room went silent, all eyes on the Alpha, but Morgan remained unfazed, his posture rigid with defiance.

Elder Joseph cleared his throat, trying to maintain composure. "It’s the Will of the Moon Goddess, Alpha. This bond is sacred and must be honored."

Morgan’s scoff broke the tense silence, his smirk growing into a full sneer. "No. How could I marry a woman like her?" His words cut deep, the insult hanging heavy in the air. He didn’t bother to mask his contempt. To him, Lilian was unworthy, insignificant.

"I reject the mate bond, Elder Joseph," Morgan spoke without a hint of hesitation, his voice cold and final. "I don't love her."

Those words struck Lilian's heart like a dagger. It was as if the ground beneath her feet had crumbled, leaving her standing on the edge of an abyss. His rejection echoed in her mind, tearing apart the fragile hope she had desperately clung to, despite knowing better. She had known this was coming—his indifference, his disdain—but hearing it spoken so plainly, in front of the entire Wolf Council, felt like a public execution of her spirit.

Morgan had no affection for her. Despite what had transpired between them that night, the fleeting moment of passion they shared meant nothing to him. She had foolishly allowed herself to believe, even for a moment, that it could have been more—that somehow he would feel the pull of their bond as strongly as she did. But now, standing there, shattered by his brutal words, she realized just how naive she had been.

The truth, despite her expectations, hurt her in ways she couldn't describe. A deep, raw ache clawed at her chest, each breath more painful than the last. It felt as though her heart was being torn apart, piece by piece, right in front of the council, right in front of him. She wanted to be strong, to hold herself together, but the pain was unbearable. Tears welled up in her eyes, burning as they gathered at the corners, and before she knew it, they began to fall—silent, but relentless. Each tear was a testament to the devastation she could no longer hide.

She felt exposed, humiliated, as though everyone in the room could see her heart breaking. Her vision blurred as the tears cascaded down her cheeks, betraying her attempt to stay composed. She could feel the weight of their stares—Elder Ursula's sympathetic gaze, Elder Joseph’s concerned glance, and worst of all, Morgan’s indifferent eyes that barely acknowledged her pain.

The walls of the council room seemed to close in around her, the air too thick to breathe. Every second she remained there felt like an eternity of suffering. She couldn't stand it anymore—the humiliation, the rejection, the pain.

"Excuse me," Lilian whispered, her voice barely audible, choked with emotion. Her words came out broken, fragile, and before anyone could respond, she turned on her heel and bolted out of the room.

She ran, her heart pounding in her chest, each step fueled by the desperate need to escape. She didn’t know where she was going—she just needed to be anywhere but there. The hallways blurred as she fled, her tears blinding her, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. Her body trembled with the force of her sobs, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.

She finally stumbled out into the open, the cool breeze hitting her tear-streaked face. But even the open sky couldn’t ease the suffocating weight of her heartbreak. She leaned against a nearby tree, her fingers digging into the bark as she crumpled to the ground, her knees giving way beneath her.

The bond, the sacred connection that was supposed to unite them, had been cruelly severed by his words. He didn’t just reject her; he denied their fated bond, the very essence of who they were meant to be together.

And now, Lilian sat there, alone, her tears falling like rain onto the earth beneath her, wishing for nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole, to take her far away from the agony of her unrequited love.