The Rejected Mate by Lhainey Novel

Retain 113 Summary Michael is left alone in the corridor after Alpha Darius slams the office door shut behind him, the sound echoing like a final judgment. The silence that follows is heavy and suffocating, filled with Michael's internal turmoil. He feels the sting of humiliation from Darius's harsh grip and wrestles with the conflicting emotions stirred by his wolf-the primal part of him that is furious and grieving over the past. His wolf reminds him of the humiliation and betrayal they endured, especially regarding Elaine and their lost bond with Nathan, their son.

Michael struggles with guilt and regret, recalling how he obeyed the Alpha's orders and chose Kathy over Elaine, abandoning the mate and pup he loved. This decision haunts him deeply, as he confronts the pain of having failed both Elaine and himself, while Nathan now looks to another man as his father. Michael's grief is compounded by memories of Elaine's heartbreak and his own cowardice in prioritizing duty and fear over love and loyalty.

He acknowledges the life he has with Kathy and their son Leo but cannot shake the feeling that Nathan, his true son with Elaine, belongs to him and his wolf. The wolf's mournful voice presses Michael to fight for what is rightfully theirs, despite the risks involved. As Michael contemplates the consequences, he realizes that challenging Darius could destroy him and the pack. Yet inside, his wolf grows restless and defiant, determined to claim Nathan and reclaim the bond lost to past mistakes.

Michael is torn between his role as Alpha, protector of the pack, and the primal, emotional pull of his wolf's love and loss. The chapter ends with Michael standing alone, surrounded by silence and the ghosts of what might have been, recognizing that the confrontation with Darius was not an end but the beginning of a reckoning. His wolf's whispered words-"He was ours first"-signal the deep, unresolved conflict simmering within him, setting the stage for rebellion and the pursuit of a truth long denied.

Chapter 113 The heavy oak doors of Alpha Darius's office slammed shut behind him, the sharp sound reverberating down the long corridor like a judge's gavel marking a final verdict. The echo lingered, deep and commanding, wrapping around Michael in a suffocating silence that felt almost alive. The air thickened with an oppressive weight-dominance, shame, and the bitter aftertaste of power that wasn't his to claim. The hallway seemed to swallow all sound, leaving only a heavy, condemning stillness. Michael stood rooted to the spot, his body rigid, shoulders tense.

His chest heaved in short, shallow breaths. His fingers tingled painfully where Darius's grip had briefly but harshly seized him-an imprint of humiliation burned into his skin. His breath trembled, caught somewhere between a growl of anger and a gasp of disbelief. Inside him, his wolf stirred restlessly. *We were humiliated,* it snarled, pacing the dark corners of his mind. *He touched us. Threatened us. Disrespected us.* Michael clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth ached. "No," he murmured, voice low and unsteady.

"He protected what's his." The words left a metallic taste in his mouth, harsh and bitter. His wolf growled deep within, claws raking across his soul. *He calls Nathan his. Our pup. Our blood. Flesh of our flesh. The Goddess did not give him to Darius.* Michael's eyes closed, and behind his eyelids, memories bloomed-painful, tender, relentless. Nathan's face. Dark hair, bright eyes, Elaine's nose. A reflection of himself, and of her. A piece of him. A piece he never got to hold.

*We should have fought,* the wolf said, voice breaking-not with rage this time, but with a grief so profound it shook him to his core. Michael swallowed hard. "We were Alpha-ordered," he whispered, the words fragile and pitiful in the empty corridor-excuses too brittle to bear the weight of truth. *We could have resisted.* He clenched his fists tighter. "We didn't know then." *We knew Elaine was ours,* the wolf growled, voice low and aching. *We felt her. We loved her.* Michael's breath caught and snapped out in a ragged exhale. He slammed his fist down on the nearest table.

The oak cracked violently beneath his strength, splinters flying and embedding themselves into his knuckles. Sharp pain flared up his arm, but he barely noticed. "We were young," he rasped, voice rough, almost breaking. "We listened to our Alpha. We protected the pack." *We abandoned our mate,* his wolf hissed, venom and sorrow thick in its tone. *We abandoned our pup.* Those words cut him deeper than any wound. A flash of memory struck like lightning-Elaine's face the day he chose Kathy.

The way her eyes had glazed over with unshed tears, the forced smile she wore before turning away, hiding heartbreak behind a wall of dignity he did not deserve. And he had stood there. Silent. Obedient. Afraid. Afraid of losing his title. Afraid of defying his father's command. Afraid of what might happen if he followed his heart. Coward. That word whispered over and over by his wolf, by his own conscience-the ghosts of his past decisions hitting harder than any blow Darius could have dealt.

Michael leaned forward, both hands braced on the shattered table, breath ragged, forehead nearly touching the splintered wood. "We did what we thought was right," he said hoarsely. His wolf responded with a growl laced with bitter laughter. *Right for who? The pack? Or your fear?* Silence fell again, heavier this time, filled with a truth he could no longer escape. He had not only failed Elaine. He had failed himself. Failed the mate bond the Goddess had carved into his very soul. And now... a child born of that bond looked to another man when he said the word Father.

A child who had been raised safe. Loved. Protected by an Alpha who cherished his mate- Where Michael had not. His wolf whimpered softly inside him-not from weakness, but mourning. *He should have been ours.* Michael's voice cracked as he spoke. "He still is. I am his father." *By blood,* the wolf snarled. *Not by heart. Not by honor.* The words pierced deeper than claws. His knees nearly buckled beneath him. "I didn't know," Michael whispered. "We all thought Elaine had a miscarriage." His chest tightened painfully. He pressed a hand over his heart, as if trying to hold it together.

He had believed it-wanted to believe it. It made the guilt easier to bear. He was an Alpha. He wasn't supposed to cry. But the tears burned anyway-unshed, unacknowledged. Because beneath the title, beneath the crushing weight of duty, he was still a mate. A father. A man. And all three parts of him were breaking. "I always wonder..." he began, voice barely a whisper. "What would our life have been if..." His wolf edged closer to the surface, its presence wrapping around him-loyal, wounded, ancient. *We will always wonder, for the rest of our lives.* The admission tore him apart.

Michael exhaled shakily. "We have a son with Kathy. We have a life now." *We have a mistake,* the wolf said quietly, mournful. *We love Leo. He is still our son. But we should have fought.* Michael's throat tightened painfully. He pictured Kathy's face in his mind-not cruel, not heartless, just... weary. Trapped by the same chains he was. She had played her part in obeying the Alpha's orders, just like him. But Elaine had paid the highest price. He dragged his hands down his face, fingers scraping against his skin.

"We can't undo the past." His wolf's growl softened into something almost like a sigh. *But we can choose who we become now.* Michael's gaze drifted back toward the office door-the one Darius had passed through, leaving him alone in the hollow aftermath of their confrontation. His wolf stirred again, low and deep, but this time not in defiance-rather, in understanding. Darius was right. If he pushed this- If he let his guilt consume him- Darius would destroy him. And no one would stop it. No one would mourn him. "We can't challenge him," Michael said quietly, his voice final.

His wolf fell silent inside him-not submissive, but grieving. *We do not want Elaine hurt. We do not want Nathan afraid. But I lost my mate because of your choice. Must I lose my son too?* Michael's eyes burned with unshed tears. "I thought I was doing the right thing." The wolf's reply came softer than ever before-so gentle it shattered him. *You thought wrong.* Michael's breath caught sharply. *Why do I have to suffer for your cowardice?* the wolf whispered. *I begged you to choose her. I begged you not to obey your father. But you turned from your mate, from me.* Michael's hands trembled.

"Kathy was with our pup. The pack needed stability. Unity. If we didn't obey, everything could have fallen apart." He swallowed hard, voice almost pleading now. "We have Leo. Our son. Our pack." *Leo is our son,* the wolf admitted. *But Nathan... Nathan is ours. My bond to him runs deeper. He is the son of our fated mate. And I will not rest until I have what is mine.* Michael's head snapped up, eyes wide. "What are you saying?" *I will challenge Darius,* the wolf growled. *I will claim my blood.* Horror flooded through Michael's veins, freezing him in place. "Are you out of your mind?

We are Alpha-we protect, we lead. Our pack must come first!" The wolf said nothing. It retreated into the shadows of his mind, leaving only the echo of its heartbeat-wild, mournful, defiant. Michael pressed a trembling hand to his chest, struggling to steady his ragged breathing. But the bond between them was fraying-the wolf pulling one way, the man another. Ever since Elaine. Ever since he uncovered the truth about Nathan. His wolf had been slipping-unpredictable, uncontrollable, consumed by a love and loss Michael had tried to bury long ago.

Now, that love blazed anew-fierce, primal, and dangerously consuming. Michael stood alone in the corridor, surrounded by silence and the ghosts of what might have been. The scent of oak and faint smoke lingered in the air, mingling with the sharp tang of blood on his knuckles. He had thought the closing of that door behind Darius marked an ending. But as the echo faded into stillness, he realized it was only the beginning-of reckoning, of rebellion, of a truth too long denied.

And somewhere deep within him, his wolf whispered, almost tenderly- *He was ours first.* Sara Lili Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland's breathtaking cold.