Fated To Three, Betrayed By All… Until She Rose novel Chapter 53

**Healing Slowly But Surely**
By R. Joseph

Rejection.

Kael.

The air crackled with unspoken tension as Leilani and Zevran faced each other. It was a palpable force, one that made it glaringly obvious that something significant had transpired between them. I didn’t need a crystal ball to see the embers of a deeper connection burning in their eyes.

Their gazes locked, and I could feel the intensity radiating between them. Leilani’s eyes, bright and fierce, would occasionally flicker to the mark adorning Zevran’s cheek—a vivid reminder of whatever had passed between them. Each time her gaze fell on that red imprint, I noticed her expression shift, a fleeting shadow of guilt or perhaps regret crossing her features. It was unmistakable; she must have been the one responsible for it.

For the first time in my life, a wave of jealousy surged within me, fierce and unrelenting. How could it be that Zevran and Leilani shared something that I was completely oblivious to? The thought gnawed at me, a bitter taste that lingered in my mouth. I was consumed by envy that it was his face that bore her marks, not mine.

09:47

1/11

And it stung even more that despite her evident anger directed at him, she still leaned in his direction, as if drawn by an invisible thread that tied them together.

The jealousy coursed through my veins like a wildfire, igniting a spark so intense that I felt it might actually burn through my shirt. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the two of them, noting the strange awkwardness that hung in the air, the electric charge that crackled between their bodies.

With a resigned sigh, I pushed myself to my feet, determined to play the role of a mediator. I stepped forward, placing myself strategically between them to create as much distance as possible.

No one had the right to get close to her before me…

I drawled, my voice steady but laced with an underlying tension, “Leilani, what Zevran is trying to convey is quite simple. He wants you back in the pack because he doesn’t want you to continue living like a lone wolf. He genuinely cares about you… and I understand that may be hard for you to accept, but…”

Just then, a derisive scoff from behind me cut through the air, pulling my attention back to Caelum, who had been lurking in the background. He pushed forward, nearly shoving me aside, his voice dripping with disdain as he spat,

“Are you two out of your minds?!”

I was momentarily taken aback. “What?”

“Are you seriously begging the murderer to return to our pack? Have you both forgotten that she’s the same girl who almost caused us to lose everything?!”

His words struck me like a blow, silencing me instantly. Even Leilani appeared momentarily stunned, confusion flickering across her features. She opened her mouth to speak, but the moment had passed, and the tension in the room thickened.

Something deep within me hardened, a wall rising where there had once been openness.

I turned to Leilani, but this time, my admiration had been replaced by an emotion I struggled to define—something akin to resentment.

I shook my head slowly. “We didn’t forget.”

“Then why are you asking her to come back with us?” Caelum challenged, his voice rising. “What makes you want her back in the pack?”

Throughout our heated exchange, Leilani remained silent until now. She stepped back, distancing herself from us as if we were toxic, and muttered, “For control. You all want me to return so you can control me. But that’s not why we’re here, is it?”

My throat felt constricted, and a heaviness settled in my chest.

“Leilani…”

“We’re here to put an end to this madness, aren’t we? To reject ourselves and move on, right? So let’s stop overthinking and just do it.”

That was the final straw. Leilani’s expression shifted, as if a realization had struck her, and she began to speak, her words sharp and cutting.

“We’re done here. I’m not returning to the pack because I do not wish to come back. Alphas Kael, Zevran, and Caelum Stormborn, I, Leilani Blackthorne, now known as Leilani Sinclair, hereby officially reject you three as my fated mates. From this day forward, I sever all ties with you… and I want nothing to do with you in the foreseeable future.”

As her words hung in the air, a heavy silence enveloped us. I had always believed she couldn’t live without us, not after all the years she had spent caring for us. My eyes widened as the truth hit me like a freight train: I was utterly mistaken. I swallowed hard, my chest constricting painfully. It felt as if my heart was being torn apart, shredded into countless pieces.

I glanced at my brothers, catching the uncomfortable expressions etched on their faces.

They were clearly suffering as much as I was.

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The searing ache in my chest, the sensation of my heart being ripped apart, was not mine alone; it resonated with them too.

I closed my eyes briefly, letting out a shaky breath. Despite the turmoil within, my voice emerged firm and resolute. “I reject your rejection!”

As soon as the words left my lips, I was taken aback by their weight, echoing in voices that didn’t belong to me. I realized, with a jolt, that my brothers had echoed my sentiment too.

Even Caelum, the one who had been the most reluctant, had joined us.

We all shared a knowing look before turning back to a stunned Leilani, our voices united as we repeated, “We reject your rejection.”

And that was that.