Chasing back his Rejected Mate

The distant murmurs of the woodland were carried by the wind as it sliced through the trees. My restless thoughts were mocked and taunted by the dancing shadows in the moonlight.

My heart was racing with a pain unrelated to my physical injuries as I sat by myself on the ragged rock at the edge of a tiny clearing.

The frigid emptiness within me was far more intense than the night's coldness that crept into my skin. Have faith. The word was heavy, impossible, and bitter.

I traced the small scars that conveyed stories I thought I could forget, the lines on my palm. My life had been filled with unfulfilled promises and strained relationships that were severed before they had a chance to develop.

A familiar stifling grasp constricted my chest, reminding me of every lie and betrayal. It felt like jumping from a cliff, and I hoped the air would catch me when I trusted, but It didn't.

I became rigid at the sound of rustling leaves. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as my senses went into overdrive. With every muscle clenched for battle, I turned to see Alpha Neon Wayne standing there with an unreadable face in place of a threat.

I could still see how his eyes softened just a bit as they met mine, even if the shadows were playing tricks on his face.

"Had trouble sleeping?" His voice was low and somewhat harsh but not cruel as he inquired.

Dry-mouthed, I swallowed. He always made me feel uneasy and forced me to think about topics I didn't want to think about.

I answered, my voice cautiously steady, "I haven't been on good terms with sleep for a while."

His footsteps were quiet on the forest floor as he approached. Even in silence, he exuded a certain aura of quiet might that said volumes.

"Nightmares?" he said, pausing a short distance away. Even though I couldn't force myself to open up, there was real curiosity in his voice. Staring at the floor, I said, "More like memories." "Items that refuse to let go."

He remained silent for a while, but not in an awkward way. Nevertheless, it made me want to withdraw inside myself and keep him away before he could approach me too closely.

Alpha Neon made me feel things, dangerous emotions, like optimism and the prospect of something greater, and that was what was so special about him.

The sound of my forced laugh was hollow and brittle. "Isn't it funny? How the past continues to haunt me in new ways.

Neon's eyes remained fixed. He remarked quietly, "The past has a way of doing that." "However, you don't have to deal with it alone."

At that, I tensed up, each wall I had laboriously constructed over the years growing stronger. With a harder tone than I meant, I snapped back, "Alone is safer." "People disappoint you. When things become difficult, they depart.

My comments were a harsh echo of my broken trust, and the truth hung between us. I tightened my jaw and glanced aside, not wanting to see the sympathy in his eyes.

Never again could I afford to have faith in anyone. It was too painful.

But Neon shocked me rather than arguing. He moved cautiously closer like he was going up to a savage animal that was about to run away.

He whispered, "I know you've been hurt, Nixie." "I am aware that trust is difficult.

However, occasionally, taking that chance His voice lowered as he hesitated. "It's the only way to heal sometimes."

There was a part of me that wanted to believe him, to let his words smooth over the rough edges of my heart. But the memories were too raw, the scars too deep. With the possibility of breaking again hanging over me, I couldn't allow myself to be exposed.

The moonlight caught the shadows in his eyes as I stared up at him. "What makes you concerned?" With a voice hardly audible above a whisper, I challenged myself. "Why don't you let me solve this on my own?"

He maintained eye contact with me, an unspoken exchange taking place. He explained, "Because I understand what it's like to be broken." "And I understand what it's like to be saved as well."

I wasn't prepared to face the emotional impact of his statements. A rapid stir came from the trees before I could react and comprehend the vulnerability he had just exposed. My instincts ignited at the sharp, startling noise. Neon's body suddenly changed position, acting as a shield in front of me. His voice was a directive I couldn't ignore:

"Stay behind me." It wasn't a renegade wolf or any other animal I knew, but a shadow appeared from the bush. It was a man in dark robes, his presence smouldering with a malevolent force that choked the air.

The man drewled, a twisted smile curving his lips. "Ah." "I finally found you."

Neon stiffened, reaching for the dagger beside him. With a voice as deadly and frigid as the blade he wielded, he shouted, "Who are you?"

A jolt of fear rushed down my spine when the stranger's eyes, which were a deep, unnatural red, locked onto mine.

"Not who," he said, grinning broadly. "However, why am I here?"

I was immobile and unable to think since the man's eyes appeared to pierce my very being. There was something so wrong with him that my wolf shrank back in terror.

Neon took a step back and extended his hand to touch mine. He muttered,

"Run, Nixie,"

With a level of desperation, I had never heard in his voice. "Now." However, the air left my lungs as a crushing force struck us before I could move. My senses erupted with pain, and everything became unmanageable. My bones shook when I struck the ground with force. I was stunned and breathless as I looked up to discover the stranger had pinned Neon, and the robed figure was radiating a dark, unnatural force. Even though Neon fought, the man's might was unmatched by anything I had ever witnessed.

I felt a chilling, paralyzing fear. Something else, too, blazed behind it-a primal, urgent impulse to defend, to fight.

The world tilted around me as I pushed myself up, my heart pounding. Neon's voice was strained as he gasped out, "Nixie." "Go!"

But I was unable to abandon him. Not in this manner. Not when my inner voice was urging me to do anything at all to save him. The stranger's eyes met mine, and his face contorted into a triumphant smile.

"Oh, tiny wolf," he moaned. The key is you, aren't you?

His words shot a shockwave through me, even though I had no understanding of what he meant.

Dark energy swirled around his fingertips as he lifted a hand before I could respond. My vision became blurry, and I sensed an unseen force holding me in place as I was drawn toward him.

"Give her up!" The veil was broken by Neon's voice as he yelled. All the stranger could do was laugh, and the sound reverberated in the shadows. "Alpha, it's too late," he mocked.

"This is only the start." Then everything turned black.