Page 23 of Rejected By My Stepbrother Alpha
My heart dropped to the ground, and with that one word, I was in danger of breaking apart.
Could he be…rejecting me? That wasn't possible, right? I'd never heard of anyone rejecting their Fated Mate before. The Moon Goddess said we were destined to be together. How could Asher question her? Didn't he realize we were meant for each other?
My vision blurred, and cold sweat ran down the back of my neck.
No, I couldn't panic yet. All hope wasn't lost. Asher hadn't officially rejected me yet.
I stumbled toward him, ready to beg for him not to do this. My hand was trembling as I reached out for him. For a moment, our eyes locked and I saw a fleeting look of hesitation cross Asher's face. Hope flooded through me and I rushed to close the distance between us.
But right before I could touch him, Asher’s hazel eyes darkened and he gave me a cold look as he sidestepped me and faced his pack.
My heart slammed against my chest as I ran up to him and grabbed his hand.
“Asher—” My voice was shaking almost as much as my hands.
“Let go of of me,” he snarled. He ripped his hand away, and glared at me.
His expression was filled with so much hatred, it made me stumble back, and I tripped slightly on my long dress.
Asher seemed to steel himself and he lifted his strong chin.
“The Moon Goddess has made a mistake,” Asher yelled to his pack and held his left hand up to showcase his bleeding wound that was identical to mine. “I refuse to accept a mate who is dishonorable to her pack.”
His cruel words hit me like a punch to the stomach.
There was a collective gasp and whispers all along thecrowd as the pack processed this new development. My mother took a step forward, her eyes narrowed and her expression dark.
I let out a shaky breath and shook my head slowly as I faced the entire BloodMoon pack. My eyes scanned the shocked expressions. Some were filled with pity, a few with scandalous glee. Hot fear mixed with embarrassment washed over me. I opened my mouth to try and defend myself, but no sound would come out.
Asher turned to me, his face closed off, his mouth set in a straight line.
Tears began to form in my eyes, but I refused to allow them to fall. “Asher…don’t,” I uttered, unable to say anything else.
But he didn't even pause to think. His expression remained firm as he looked down at me.
“I, Asher Callahan, the future Alpha of the BloodMoon Pack, reject you, Ivy, as my Mate,” he said in a cold, emotionless voice.
No!
Pain exploded in my chest like a bomb had gone off in my body. My ears rang, and black dots appeared in front of my vision. Was I dead? I had to be dead to experience this kind of pain.
Miraculously, I could still breathe through the agony happening inside my chest.
Asher had a hand over his heart, and his eyes were closed like he was experiencing the same torment as I was feeling.
But was it possible for him to be in the same kind of excruciating pain?
He’d been the one to reject me.
The pack kept whispering around us, growing louder as they watched the worst moment of my life happening right in front of their eyes.
My hands began to violently shake, and when I looked up, Asher was staring down at me.
“What have you done?” I whispered.
Before he could answer or before my mother—or anyone from the pack—could intervene, I spun around and ran away.
I stumbled at first, tripping over my long dress. But I hiked it upand sprinted away from Asher, the judgmental whispers…from everything.
