Rejected

Tonight’s gathering is the talk of the pack. Excitement ripples through the unmated wolves, all hoping that this will be the night they find their mate. I stand against a wall, watching as the other single wolves hurry past into the great hall.

Finding your mate is a big deal, but I can’t help worrying that this will be yet another instance where my older brother, Lorcan, shows me up. As the youngest, I’ve always lived in his shadow, finding myself forever stuck in second place.

The great hall fills with the unmated members of our pack and those from two packs to the north of us. It’s not typical that packs get together, but my father is anxious for both Lorcan and I to finally find mates and cement our family’s legacy as pack leaders.

I glance over and see Lorcan talking with a dark-haired woman while several others hang back, each waiting for their turn to speak with him. I’m about to roll my eyes when I feel a strange sensation bloom in my chest.

It spreads slowly through every inch of my body, pulling me like a tether toward the far side of the room. My feet start moving, and with each step, the pull becomes stronger, and my will to fight it quickly diminishes. I finally see her and heat rushes through me.

Tall and toned with medium-length brown hair, she scans the room, and her hazel eyes lock onto mine. She’s not from my pack, but I know immediately that this is my mate.

I close the distance, and she gives me a curious once over. Words catch in my throat as I look at her. She’s beautiful and she’s mine.

“I don’t believe we’ve met,” she says, holding out her hand. “My name’s Leah.”

I don’t know how she can sound so calm and casual when my wolf is frantic, begging to break free and mark his mate. My hand moves of its own accord, taking hers. It feels like a shock runs through me as soon as we touch.

“I’m Liam,” I mumble. My weak introduction makes her smile, and I find myself grinning back. I’ve literally just met this wolf, but thanks to the mate bond, I feel tied to her already. It’s a little terrifying.

“You’re Alpha Lynch’s son, right?”

When I nod, her eyes sparkle with excitement.

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

She doesn’t wait for me to answer, not that I would have said anything but yes, and takes my hand, pulling me through the crowd and out the door. We walk quietly along the sidewalk for several minutes.

“It must be stressful to be the son of the alpha,” she says, turning those hazel eyes to me. “I mean, knowing that someday you’ll take over as alpha and be responsible for the entire pack. I’m sure it’s a lot of pressure.”

She smiles understandably and we stop. She leans against the building, pulling me toward her. Looking at her beneath the light of the moon, I realize that, for once, I’m not jealous of Lorcan’s future.

“Well, that’s actually my older brother Lorcan’s destiny. I’m the youngest, so I won’t have to worry about being in charge of the pack. It leaves me free to focus on…other important things,” I say with a grin.

I lean toward her, but she stops me. The shift in her energy is almost immediate, and her hand releases mine as if it burns.

“Wait, so you won’t become alpha?”

I shake my head and reach for her hand, but she jerks away from me. Confused, I step back. Did I come on too strong? Doesn’t she feel the pull of the mate bond? It’s overwhelming.

“What’s wrong, Leah?” I ask.

Her eyes, filled with excitement only moments ago, are now cold as ice.

“My father was second in line to become alpha, and he died still second in line. I won’t let that be my fate, Goddess be damned! I can’t believe she would pair me with you. I’m meant for more than second best! I, Leah Sanders, reject Liam Lynch as my mate!”

My mind hardly has time to process her words before the sharp pain strikes. The severing of our bond hits me hard, and I drop to my knees. My head spins and lungs heave as Leah turns on her heel and storms back toward the hall.

If the breaking of the bond has any impact on her, she doesn’t show it.

Our father decided it was time to try his hand at retirement shortly after the gathering, making Lorcan alpha.

At the time, it looked like Lorcan had found his mate, only for him to reject her shortly after. He still hasn’t said why, but the thought of it brings the memory and pain of my own rejection back full force, so I haven’t pressed him on it.

The downside of my father’s retirement is that he seems determined to set me up with any unmated she-wolf he can find. He saw Leah’s rejection as an insult to our family legacy, something he just won’t stand for.

Usually, I have Lorcan here to help deflect his focus, but he left last night on a scouting mission after some rogues were spotted in our western territory.

“Liam! Glad I found you, son,” my father says cheerfully as he enters Lorcan’s study. “I have someone I would like you to meet.”

I don’t even bother pulling my attention away from the scouting reports to greet the young she-wolf accompanying him. It doesn’t matter. After Lorcan became alpha, he made me his beta, and hoping to distract myself from the heartache I felt, I threw myself into the task.

“Dad, I know you mean well, I do. But I’m not interested. I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to play matchmaker and let me do my job.”

His loud sigh tells me he’s disappointed but that he’s not going to fight me this time. He softly apologizes to the woman, ushering her out of the study. I wait for the sound of the door closing before breathing a sigh of relief.

I sit back in the chair and continue pouring over the reports until early evening. The sun is just beginning to set when I hear shouting. I reach out over the pack’s link, and the response makes my world fall apart.