Chasing back his Rejected Mate

Tension permeated the air, a tangible buzz that clung to the Alpha's chamber walls. I was positive, Zane could hear the pounding in my chest. I attempted to maintain a steady breathing pattern while I stood in front of him, but every part of me ached. This was meant to be our union's night, the one when everything came together. I had been getting ready for hours, mustering all of my strength to enter this chamber and take ownership of our link. However, the aloof and frigid expression in Zane's gaze made my skin crawl.

I stood opposite him and murmured, "You don't have to do this." My voice was barely steady. "It was meant to be." The words, when I said them, sounded hollow. I could feel a storm of dread building inside of me that would eventually destroy me. His stillness unnerved me, and with every second that went by, the weight of it crushed me even more. At last, Zane gave me a stare that cut through the gloomy room light. His lips were squeezed into a tiny line, his jaw stiff. There was simply a severe, unforgiving resolve—neither warmth nor tenderness.

"Nixie, we're not meant to be.”

The words struck me as hard as a forehead smack. I drew back, blinking quickly as if I concentrated hard enough; I could simply make the sound of his rejection disappear. But it was too genuine to be agony. Too piercing. I tried to say something, anything at all, but the words escaped my lips. With a slight scratch of his boots against the stone floor, Zane moved forward. His smell turned from being enticing and alluring to making my stomach turn. His eyes were harsh, almost vicious, and I strained to meet them, looking for the man I thought I knew.

"You need to comprehend," he stated in a tone that was as cold and impersonal as if he were making a business pitch. "It's not about you,”

With a sharp swallow, I felt a knot form in my throat. "What is this about, if it's not about me?"

A shadow of a smirk played across Zane's face as his lips quivered, but it never made it to his eyes. "The pack is the focus. It's important to act in everyone's best interests.

As he spoke, my mind raced, trying to process what he was saying. Ideal for all parties involved? How could it possibly benefit the pack if he rejected me, his mate? For us? I murmured, scarcely raising my voice above a whisper, "I don't understand." "Zane, we are destined to be together. You are aware of that.

I sensed it as soon as we— "Dead?" With a tone full of contempt, Zane cut in. "Nixie, do you think fate is in control of me?"

My heart was pounding a little harder as I looked at him. This was not taking place. This was not possible. It was meant to be me, his Luna. It was our task to guide the Crescent Moon pack alongside each other. All my life, I had dreamed of this moment, but now that I was standing here, it was falling apart in front of my eyes.

As he went on, Zane's visage tightened and his words cut through me like a dagger. "Nixie, you're not cut out for Luna. You never were. You're overly emotional and weak. The pack wants someone who can withstand hardship rather than someone who will give up easily.

The charge pricked me. His words were like poison, soaking into every muscle in my body while I forced myself to stand my ground.

I tried to maintain my composure by clenching my hands at my sides. "That's not what you mean. I have repeatedly shown you who I am. I've battled to keep this pack. I put up a fight for you.

Zane's eyes briefly darted back and forth. That same icy detachment had replaced any vulnerability that had been. "Nixie, that is the issue. You fight nonstop, yet it never seems to be enough. You will always fall short.

It felt like the floor fell away from under me. It seemed as though I was adrift in an ocean of incredulity, with my heart plunging farther and further into nothingness. This man was meant to be my partner and my other half, but instead, he was here, destroying every aspect of who I was.

Trying to harden myself, I drew a hesitant breath, but the tears were coming. I would not let them go. Not in his line of sight. Not with him standing there, witnessing my collapse.

It took all I had to choke out, "You're wrong." "Zane, you don't get to determine my value." With a dark, humourless laugh that made my skin crawl, Zane laughed. He moved closer, his presence smothering me as it towered over me. Yes, but I do, too. Nixie, I'm the Alpha. I make the decision that's best for both me and this pack. That implies that I'm rejecting you right now.

The inescapable finality of his words struck me like a tsunami. The earth beneath me threatened to give way, but I forced myself to remain tall even though my knees felt weak. It was unbelievable to me. I felt like I was being rejected by him. He was denying the relationship that was meant to be between us in front of the whole pack. I bit down on my lip and felt the metallic taste of blood fill my mouth as I swallowed hard.

"You'll regret this, Zane," I stated in a trembling but defiant tone. "Dismissing your partner? It will obliterate you.

A menacing gleam flickered in Zane's eyes as he narrowed them. His breath was hot against my ear as he came in closer. "Nixie, no. Having you around is the one thing that will destroy me. And with that, he moved away, as though brushing me off was as easy as swiping away a particle of dust. Without even a sidelong glance, he pivoted on his heel and moved in the direction of the door. I sensed the pack's gaze bearing down on me, and the whispers began to fly across the room like wildfire. They had witnessed everything. They had seen how humiliated I was.

But a low growl came from the shadows before Zane could walk away before he could put the last nail in the coffin of whatever was left of us. A tense moment spread throughout the room as everyone turned to face the sound. Then I noticed her, Nora.

She stepped forward, her presence dominating the room in a way I had never seen before, her eyes blazing with rage. She stayed away from me, her eyes were fixed on Zane, and the way she was looking chilled me to the bone. "Zane," she whispered in a hushed, menacing voice. "What are you doing?”

Zane stopped and turned to look at her, his expression non-existent. "What I must do." Nora's jaw tightened, and I saw something in her that I had never seen before—rage—for the first time in my life. A betrayal. And then there was something else that gave me the knots in my stomach.

"This isn't correct," she growled. "You are aware of it." With a menacing tone in his speech, Zane stepped closer to her as his expression hardened. "Nora, get out of here. You are not involved in this at all. But all I needed to know was from the expression in her eyes. This was entirely related to her.

“Does it not? She retaliated, her voice barely audible above a whisper, but it was enough to startle everyone in the room. As the reality slowly and painfully dawned on me, my breath seized in my throat.

As the puzzle pieces started to fit together, the tension in the air surrounding us increased. This wasn't about me alone. It was all about her. Concerning them. With the reality engulfing me like a tsunami and trying to submerge me, I looked at Nora. She wasn't merely defending me.

She was advocating for her rights. For her relationship with Zane. And the world I had believed I knew broke totally in that instant.