Chapter 3 Aftermath of Rejection

Chapter 2

SERENA POV

"Well done, my child."

I recognized my mother's voice immediately.

"I knew you would never disappoint me. I raised you well enough. You always know what we want, and you always know how to satisfy us. Good job, my daughter."

Despite the pain crushing my chest, despite the agony burning inside me, I turned around and smiled. I made myself look calm, composed, as if nothing had happened. As if my heart hadn't just been torn apart.

"Good evening, Mother," I said softly. "What are you and Father doing here?"

"Nothing," she replied lightly. "We only wanted to see what you and that little mate of yours were up to." Her lips curved into a pleased smile. "But you did well. You made us very happy today. You proved to me that I raised you properly. You never forgot our teachings."

My stomach twisted.

"What- you know about him?" I asked, forcing surprise into my tone. "Mother, Father, trust me. I want nothing to do with him. I just rejected him. I was only playing along to see how a mate bond feels."

Every word hurt, but I had no choice.

"We know, Serena," my father, Alpha Asher, said calmly. "We were watching. We saw everything that happened."

My mother nodded in approval. "And you did well by rejecting him without us having to tell you or take action ourselves. That is how an Alpha's daughter should behave. You need someone of status. Never forget, you are meant to be with the Alpha King. That boy was nothing but a rogue."

"Yes, Father," I said quietly. "I know my duty. I will never forget it."

"That's good," my mother said, satisfied. "We'll be leaving now."

They turned and walked away.

Even after they were gone, their voices carried back to me. Werewolves had heightened hearing, and unfortunately, I heard everything.

"Didn't I tell you to relax?" my mother said proudly. "She would never defy us. I know the daughter I raised. She will always obey."

"I know," my father replied. "I should have trusted you. Now stop talking. Enough bragging."

Their footsteps faded.

I sank fully onto the damp forest floor, my body trembling as if I had run for miles. My hands shook, fingers scraping the soil as I tried to anchor myself. Every heartbeat felt like a hammer striking my chest. Breathing was heavy, ragged, shallow.

I tried to stand. I really did. But my legs buckled beneath me. The forest spun, leaves blurring into streaks of green and gold. My head throbbed, splitting with every thought of him, of what I'd done.

Artemis growled in frustration inside my mind. You're weak, Serena! Stand! Fight! He's out there, our mate!

I shook my head, tears streaming freely. My body felt like it belonged to someone else, so fragile, so breakable. I had been told all my life that I was destined for strength, for leadership. Yet here I was, crumpled on the cold earth like a child.

A shiver ran down my spine, not from the cold but from the raw, unrelenting ache in my chest. My mind was screaming, my heart bleeding. Every instinct, every fiber of my being screamed to reach him, to call him back. But my body refused.

When I finally reopened the mental barrier I had placed between Artemis and me, her anguish poured into me like a tidal wave.

I had blocked her when my parents were there. She had wanted to take control, to fight them, to claw at them for making me have no choice but to reject our mate.

And she was right.

I rejected him because of them.

As soon as the connection reopened, Artemis surged forward, her pain crashing into mine. She howled inside me, furious and broken.

Why is my life like this?

Why are my parents like this?

Every other parent wishes for their child's happiness. They protect them. They listen. They care.

But mine never did.

All they ever cared about was power. Position. Pack alliances. What could make the Crescent Moon Pack stronger.

To them, I am nothing but a tool. A bargaining piece. A daughter born only to be traded to the Alpha King of the Werewolf Kingdom to secure protection, favor and provide a male heir of royal blood.

Because in their eyes, I am weak.

A woman.

Someone unfit to rule or protect the pack on her own.

My dreams mean nothing to them. My feelings mean nothing. My happiness is meaningless compared to their ambition.

Is it so wrong to crave their affection? Is it wrong to want them to love me as their daughter, not as a future queen or political shield?

"You are nothing but a coward, Serena," Artemis snapped inside me, her voice sharp with fury. "I told you to let us confront them. To challenge them. But you said no because they are our parents."

"Yes," I whispered brokenly. "I am a coward."

My chest tightened, and tears streamed freely now, soaking into the earth beneath me.

"I had no choice," I cried. "I let our mate go to protect him. I had to."

Artemis softened, her anger turning into pain. "I know," she said quietly. "And I didn't mean it like that. But we can't keep obeying them forever. Our mate was supposed to be our refuge. Our strength. The one who would complete us and make us whole."

Her voice cracked.

"But because of them, we were forced to reject him. And it hurts. It hurts so much."

I clutched my chest, feeling the ache pulse with every heartbeat.

"We can't keep suffering just to be a good daughter," Artemis continued. "To them, we aren't really their child. We're someone meant to follow orders. Someone who must never complain. Never resist."

I knew she was right.

But knowing didn't change anything.

"They're my parents," I whispered weakly. "What am I supposed to do?"

But the truth was already there.

They were hurting me. Breaking me. Slowly, deliberately.

The pain Artemis and I were going through was unbearable. It wrapped around my heart, crushing it, until even breathing felt difficult.

I had never known pain like this before.

Nothing hurts more than emotional pain. It seeps into every part of you. Even my body ached as if I had been beaten, even though no physical blow had been struck.

And it all started the moment I met Jayden.

The moment I laid eyes on him one week ago, I knew.

He was my mate.

I fell for him instantly. Completely. He carried an oppressive, restrained aura around him that didn't match an ordinary rogue at all. Even without his ability to shift, his presence was powerful. Commanding. Dangerous.

He felt like someone with a past. Someone with secrets. Someone far more than what he appeared to be.

And yet, he was gentle with me.

He did everything he could to make me smile. To make me feel seen. Safe. Wanted.

That one week we spent together was the happiest time of my life.

For the first time, I forgot about my parents' expectations. Forgot about duty. Forgot about being an Alpha's daughter.

Artemis and Zion got along easily, like they had known each other forever. Even though Jayden couldn't shift, his wolf was still there. Strong. Present. Connected.

Even now, I could still feel the mate bond.

It hadn't shattered. It hadn't disappeared.

It felt... hidden. Buried. Waiting.

I had promised to take him to my parents today.

I had been so happy. So hopeful.

Until I accidentally overheard my parents' conversation last night.

That was when everything changed.

That was when I realized I could never choose myself.

And that was when I knew.

Loving Jayden meant losing him.