Page 41 of My Fated Mate

But the truth, the truth that she isn’t the prophesied mate, the truth that she isn’t strong enough to face the coming darkness with me—that truth is a weapon I can't bring myself to wield.

"Is it me?" she whispers.

Shame burns in my gut, a searing fire fueled by my own cowardice. But the lie that protects her from the harsh reality is all I can offer.

The words rip from my throat. “This can't happen, Elowen. There is no bond. You are not my mate."

"But you said—” her expression collapses. “So that’s it? I'm… rejected?" The question is raw.

Before I can stop myself, I say. “I hereby reject you, Elowen, as my mate, now and forever.”

I need to do the right thing.

A primal growl rips from her lips. It's a sound of pure, agonizing pain, a raw echo of a she-wolf's rejection.

Elowen crumples to the floor, and stays there, her hands fisted, her forehead pressed to the floor.

I try to help her, but then I can only watch, horrified, as a dark, jagged mark spreads across her back—the undeniable mark of a rejected mate.

But then, something impossible happens. As the mark of rejection pulses with a malevolent light, another symbol flickers to life beside it – a radiant golden insignia, the unmistakable mark of the fated mate.

What?

No.

No!

The world seems to tilt on its axis. My breath hitches in my throat. It can't be. The prophecy… has to be wrong. Elowen can't be both.

Agony rips through me, a different kind this time – a soul-crushing regret. I have just rejected my fated mate, the very woman destined to fight at my side.

The weight of my lie, the monstrous truth I'd tried to shield her from, crashes down on me with the force of a collapsing mountain.

Elowen lies there, unmoving, the two conflicting marks blazing on her back like a cruel joke.

The joyous chatter from outside continues, oblivious to the tragedy unfolding within these walls. In that moment, I'm not just a liar and a coward. I'm a fool who has gambled with fate and lost everything.

I have losteverything. And I don’t think I can ever get it back.

Chapter 12

ELOWEN

The world swims before my eyes, a kaleidoscope of blurred colors and disoriented sound.

The joyous chatter of my friends and the rustle of silk against my skin are all muted, drowned out by the deafening roar of rejection echoing in my soul.

Thorne. My supposed fated mate. The very man who ignited a fire within me with a single, searing kiss—has just doused it with a single, cruel sentence.

Rejected.

The word hangs in the air, heavy and suffocating.

Sharp tendrils of pain snake their way through my body, a physical manifestation of the emotional turmoil tearing me apart. I crumple to the floor, and hot, angry tears spill down my cheeks. I vaguely hear Thorne’s words and then the door closing.

My friends rush towards me with concerned faces. Anya's worried frown and Finn’s hand reaching out to comfort me do little to pierce the thick fog of despair that has engulfed me.

They don't understand.

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