The Warrior's Second Chance Mate

Chapter Three: The Painful Rejection

Cassian

“What?” I shouted at her, ignoring my wolf who whimpered inside me as he heard her words.

My heart cracked a little, but I couldn’t believe it just yet. No, it was not true. She just slept with me! She just used me for her own pleasure and now she wanted to dispose of me?

“Yes, I am going to reject you.” She told me resolutely, her eyes were suddenly cold and harsh, as if no life was there anymore, all the warmth disappeared from her chocolate-brown eyes. She could very well start to throw icicles at me.

“Whhhy?” I croaked and I hated that my voice sounded so weak.

I wasn’t weak physically, but it seemed my emotions had just reached their peak. My heart was pumping slowly inside my body with a painful echo beating against my chest, yet I didn´t feel anything but pain. The anguish and ache spread through me as her emotionless eyes regarded me with digest written all over her once pretty face.

“Simple really,” she said, as if we were discussing the weather and not breaking our bond, “your rank is not good enough for me.”

The words registered in my mind, taking all the air left in my lungs away, as I could literally hear my heart cracking more and more every damn second I was standing there looking at the she-wolf destined for me, telling me I wasn’t good enough for her.

We just had s*x for fuck´s sake!

Her once beautiful face morphed into a strange ugly scowl as she huffed, running her fingers through her long dark messy hair. The pain that was quickly spreading through my body was antagonising, with expectation of what was to come.

“I want more, I deserve more!” she said to me, all the beauty of her disappearing into the thin air as I was able to see her true colours.

The mate bond was still pulsating between us and the strong urgency to hold her and kiss her was still embedded into my soul, but not so strong as just a mere minutes ago. It was slowly escaping as her true nature was revealed to me.

“I deserve to be Luna!” she shouted at me angrily, her hands on her hips as the fire burned behind her eyes.

She was still a pretty woman with a hideous personality and a loathsome heart.

“You are just a loser! Fourth in command!” she shouted angrily, her eyes throwing draggers in my direction as if it was my personal decision that we were mates.

Her words were like knives, cutting my heart open, leaving it bleeding. Her words knocked the air out of my lungs, as my knees were shaking and my legs wanted to give up. I never felt so humiliated in my life. The one person who should love me for who I was, was now tearing my heart open, ripping my soul into pieces, not caring about my feelings in the slightest. She was making me doubt myself and that was the most terrible thing. I always loved myself for who I was.

Cade was whimpering inside my mind saying that her wolf disagreed with her, that she wanted us, but her human was just another power-hungry b*tch! I felt so angry at that moment, when I realised that she was just the same as the others. My hands fisted as I fought the urge to break something, to release the frustration, but I would never hit a woman even if she deserved the sl*p from reality.

I took deep breaths trying to calm myself a little bit as the rage and hatred was slowly creeping through my every pore, overtaking my whole being. The pain and anguish took my breath away for a second, but thankfully I was able to find my voice soon. I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing me broken and beaten on the ground.

No, I would be standing still, proud with my head held high.

“If you deserved to be Luna, the Moon Goddess would give you an Alpha as a mate,” I told her with a low voice that was shaking slightly from all the hurt and anger I was feeling.

I took a deep calming breath, the fresh air and the smell of pine trees mixed with the now disgusting odor of apple and cinnamon filling my nostrils. I had found my voice looking deep into her eyes that were not cold and empty.

“The truth is, that you don’t deserve to even have a mate! You are an ordinary power-hungry, self-centred b*tch!” I spit at her, seeing her eyes go wide with the strength of my words, the power that was emitting off me in massive waves catching her unprepared.

My Head Warrior power was not the strongest in the pack, but it was definitely not weak or ineffective. No, I was not powerless, and I wouldn’t let anyone demean me. Not even my fated mate!

“You want to reject me?” I asked with newfound power in my voice, showing her that I was no coward or weakling.

She was standing there, frozen in her spot. I guess she expected me to break and crumble to my knees begging her not to do it, but I would never give her the satisfaction of seeing me weak. She would regret her words and action for the rest of her miserable and pathetic life.

“Fine,” I said, pretending like I didn’t give a damn, even though my heart was breaking into pieces with every single syllable that came out of my mouth, Cade scratching the surface begging me to not do it, but I would never be the second choice or last resort.

I deserved more!

I deserved to be the first choice!

I deserved someone who would want me as I was!

“I, Cassian James Donovan, the Head Warrior of the Crimson Shadow Pack, here by reject you Veronica Arthur as my Goddess given mate and I am breaking the bond between us forever!” my voice was harsh and cold and with every single word I felt a sharp, pulsating and suffocating agony spread through my body as the words left my lips, the bond between as shattering into million pieces that could never be put together anymore.

She had made her decision and I had accepted it, but that didn’t mean I would be the rejected one. Her eyes filled with tears, probably from the physical pain that surrounded the breaking of the bond, ripping our hearts out of our chests. I was sure it couldn´t be a heartbreaking pain for her as she had no heart to break, she was a manipulative, selfish and soulless person.

She lifted her chin, the sick rueful smile spread on her lips as she whispered meekly, “I, Veronica Arthur, from the Crescent Blue Pack, accept your rejection, Cassian James Donovan, the Head Warrior of the Crimson Shadow Pack, to break our bond forever.”

I didn’t understand why the Moon Goddess would give me someone who thought my rank wasn’t good enough for her. Why would she hurt me so much? Why would she let me be disgraced as such? The anger filled me more and more, as I felt it mix with the fury that my wolf felt from her disgraceful words. It made us livid.

I was seeing red!

Why would I want to be mated to someone who thought I wasn’t good or powerful enough?

I was the one who deserved more!

Not her! Definitely not her!

The spray of colourful words describing her perfectly went through my mind, but even through all this I was a gentleman and I would never abuse or berate a woman, even if she deserved it!

I stepped closer to her, seeing as she stiffened a little bit, my eyes cold and hard and my voice merciless and freezing cold, laced with my wolf´s one as I made her one last promise.

“Let me get one thing clear between us Veronica,” I told her lowly, my voice steady even though my body was shaking, “you just threw away the best thing that ever happened in your miserable life and I promise you here and now that there will be not a second in my life that your ugly personality and lying face will ever cross my mind ever again!” I said to her through gritted teeth with strong voice that showed her who I really was.

Powerful warrior and wolf!

With that, I turned around and left, taking a long powerful stride away from her apple and cinnamon scent that was still even through the broken bond driving me crazy. I had to leave before I did something I would regret.

When I was already far away from her, I stripped out of my clothes and changed into my massive dark brown wolf with black paws as I started to run fast through the empty and silent forest. The questions were swirling inside my mind without the answers.

What did I do wrong?

Why was the Moon Goddess punishing me?

I was a good person, a dutiful son and a respectful pack member, a strong and loyal warrior. I did all the right things and said the right words. I never disrespected my parents and elders, never laid a hand on innocent people, never bullied or mistreated anyone.

So, why me?

Was I really not good enough to find a mate who would accept me for who I was?

Where was the happily ever after that others had promised after finding their mate?

The betrayal I felt was making me physically sick to my stomach, the anger filling the gap between pain and desperation. I wanted to scream and shout about the injustice and wrongdoing.

´Do you hate me?´ I asked my wolf Cade.

´No, Cassian. You did the right thing, she didn’t deserve us!´ he told me, making me feel a little bit better knowing that he was at my side.

´But now we don’t have a mate anymore!´ I whimpered through the link, realising what I had done.

What would I do now?

Mates were our everything. Without your mate, your wolf would be condemned to isolation, unfulfillment and emptiness. Werewolves needed a mate, a soul to connect to, a partner to walk with through life, a shoulder to lean on. We were lost without our mates, going feral and eventually losing our sanity and humanity.

´No, but better have none than an ugly and unworthy person like her!´ he spat through the link as he ran even faster through the forest, jumping over the logs and avoiding the trees.

´You´re right,´ I told him, ´thank you for standing behind me.´

´Always,´ Cade sent through the link.

´And who knows, maybe the Moon Goddess will show her mercy on us and grant us a second chance,´ he said with hope in his gruff voice, and I scowled over the thought.

Another rejection and disappointment?

´I don’t want to think about that now,´ I said back, closing our link as I focused on running.

The pain was still very much present inside me, the heart-wrenching, soul-destroying kind. I have never thought that my heart could ever hurt so much, but it seemed with every meter I put between us it was better, but a void in my heart that was left after the rejection. I didn’t know if it could ever be fixed again.

My biggest regret was that I slept with her. I gave my first time to the woman who crushed my heart into pieces, tossed it aside and walked over it not caring about me or my feelings the slightest.

I had promised myself at that moment, looking up at the bright sky where the moon was shining, that I would never ever let myself be fooled by any woman again.