The Rejected Mate (Elaine and Michael) novel Chapter 121

Rowan’s voice cracked through the chamber like a bolt of thunder.

“Alpha Michael! Control your wolf!”

The command echoed against the obsidian walls, vibrating through the burning blue torches. But Michael didn’t respond. His entire body trembled, muscles pulling and twisting beneath his skin as if something inside him clawed to break free. His breathing turned ragged—half human, half beast—each inhale cutting the air like broken glass.

His lips peeled back in a soundless snarl, wolf fangs pushing down, threatening to puncture through human gums.

“Michael,” Kathy whispered, barely audible. She reached toward him, fingertips shaking. “Please… please stop. You’re scaring everyone.”

But her alpha… her mate… the father of her son… didn’t even hear her.

He was blind to the tears streaming down Kathy’s cheeks, the panic etched on Calvin’s face, and the council members shifting uneasily, preparing to restrain him if necessary.

In that moment, Michael’s world narrowed down to two figures standing defiantly before him.

Elaine.

And the child she cradled protectively—Nathan.

His wolf surged within him once more, this time with an intensity that felt like a volcanic eruption. Claws burst forth from his fingertips with a sickening crack, tearing through flesh as they elongated. A primal growl erupted from deep within his chest, a sound filled with raw agony and an insatiable longing.

Before any guard could react, Elaine stepped forward, her resolve unwavering.

Alone.

The hall collectively inhaled, a stunned silence falling over the crowd as she left Darius’s side, crossing the chasm that lay between them—the rift separating sanity from the wolf who had once been her destined mate.

“Michael,” she called softly, her voice a soothing balm amidst the chaos.

The single word struck him like a whip, snapping his attention to her with an almost supernatural speed. His dark eyes widened, a tempest of fury, despair, and an aching need for the bond that had been severed.

Elaine raised her chin, a gesture of defiance and strength. “You need to control your wolf. This has to stop.”

Michael’s breathing hitched, claws scraping against the cracked stone floor, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil.

“You blame your father for what happened,” Elaine pressed on, her voice steady despite the rapid thumping of her heart, “but you are not blameless. How many times must I remind you—you chose to follow him. You did not fight for me. You did not fight for our bond. You made those choices, Michael.”

A tortured growl erupted from his throat, a sound that reverberated through the chamber, filled with pain and regret.

Then, as if two souls were warring for dominance, the wolf spoke through Michael’s mouth, its voice thick and distorted.

“I did not choose to leave you, mate,” the wolf snarled, anguish seeping into every word. “I was battling my human side, clawing, howling, begging him to choose you. The emptiness… the loneliness… it is consuming me, my mate.” His chest heaved, eyes glistening with a sorrow only a wolf deprived of its bond could understand. “I just want it to end.”

The raw pain radiating from him enveloped the entire chamber, an ancient sorrow that even the most seasoned alphas felt in their bones, causing them to shift uncomfortably.

Elaine’s voice softened, though her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. “I understand your pain, wolf. But what is done… is done. We must move forward, accept what is, and not cling to what should have been.”

“No.” The wolf’s snarl reverberated, shaking dust from the ceiling. “I will not accept it. You are my mate. My fated mate. You are my Luna. And Nathan is our son. He is ours—”

But he never finished his thought.

Claws slashed through the air, fangs gleamed dangerously, and stone shattered beneath the force of their blows. Darius moved with the precision of a storm, cold and unyielding, while Michael fought with the desperation of a cornered animal, anguish driving every attack. Yet, he was no match for the seasoned warrior alpha who had devoted his life to mastering the art of combat.

Darius’s claws raked across Michael’s chest, eliciting a howl from his wolf as he stumbled back, pain coursing through him. Another strike. And another. Until Michael collapsed, blood soaking through his shirt, breath coming in shuddering gasps.

He lay broken upon the obsidian floor, the weight of defeat pressing down on him.

At last, Rowan’s voice broke through the chaos, finding its strength. “Alpha Darius! Control yourself!”

The command resonated with centuries of authority, echoing through the chamber.

Darius did not even glance back, his chest rising and falling with the rhythm of a wolf still half-shifted. “Why should I?” he replied, his voice low and dangerous. “Elaine is my fated mate. I am her second-chance mate. And according to the law, I have the right to fight for what is mine. As an alpha. As a mate.”

The chamber fell into stunned silence, shock rippling through those present.

Rowan exhaled heavily, the burden of the situation etched deeply into the lines of his face. “We understand, Alpha Darius. But what we are witnessing in Alpha Michael is not entirely his doing. His wolf is reacting to the severed mate bond. He is not in full control. His wolf is sick with the pain of an unfulfilled bond.”

Darius’s aura pulsed with intensity, but he did not waver, his gaze fixed on the fallen Michael.

Behind him, Elaine knelt beside Nathan, whispering soothing words, trying to shield him from the sight of two alphas prepared to kill each other over bonds twisted by fate, betrayal, and love.

The hall held its breath, hearts pounding in anticipation, waiting for the next move in this deadly game of power and primal instinct.