AFTER REJECTION: THE OMEGA RISES

The door creaked open, and the dim light from the hallway spilled into the room as I stepped inside. The scent of pine and lavender immediately hit me—a nauseating combination that made my stomach churn.

My wolf stirred uneasily, her claws scraping at the edges of my mind. The perfume clinging to him was Grace’s, unmistakable and infuriating.

“Busy day at work? You’re home late,” Darius said, his voice calm and casual, as if nothing had happened.

My hands clenched into fists, nails biting into my palms. Work? Did he mean the job I’d put aside for our mating ceremony? The same ceremony he canceled without warning, then flaunted his betrayal for the world to see? My heart pounded, anger and disbelief simmering beneath my skin. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to lash out, but I forced myself to stay composed.

At this point, I didn't know if I could keep the promise I made to my mother.

I slipped off my shoes, trying to steady my breathing. My voice was icy as I asked, “Why are you here?”

He strode toward me, his movements as smooth and confident as ever. But now, those graceful steps felt predatory, like a wolf closing in on vulnerable prey. “I had a business dinner nearby,” he said nonchalantly. “Thought I’d stop by to check on you.”

Check on me? The laugh that bubbled in my throat was bitter and humorless. My mind raced, replaying the images I’d seen earlier. The headlines, the photos, the voice recording—all of it undeniable evidence of his betrayal. Yet here he was, standing before me as if nothing had changed.

My vision blurred with unshed tears, but I blinked them away, refusing to let him see my weakness.

When he got closer, the scent of Grace grew stronger, entwined with his own. My wolf growled, a low rumble that echoed in my chest. She wanted to act, to tear him apart for his lies.

My instincts screamed at me to put distance between us, and I obeyed, taking a step back as he reached for me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked lightly, his tone infuriatingly unaware or deliberately ignorant of the storm brewing within me.

“Nothing,” I replied stiffly. My voice betrayed none of the chaos inside. “Well, you’ve seen me alive and breathing. You can go now.”

His confident smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a soft chuckle. “Nia, I’m sorry about canceling the mating ceremony. I got wind of some news about potential rogue attacks. I didn’t want to put you in harm’s way.”

Lies. His words tasted like ash, leaving a bitter residue in my mouth. I clenched my jaw, swallowing the urge to scream. My wolf’s agitation intensified, her fury boiling over at his blatant deceit. How could he stand there and spew such nonsense when I’d seen the truth with my own eyes?

The image of him on stage with her burned in my mind. The way they kissed, the way he held her, like she was the center of his universe. The audience had applauded, blissfully unaware of the destruction he’d left in his wake.

I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and cutting. “Rogues?” I repeated. My voice trembled with suppressed rage. “You canceled the ceremony because of rogues?”

Darius’s brows furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. “Yes,” he said cautiously. “I didn’t want to take any risks with your safety.”

“My safety?” I echoed, my voice rising. “Don’t insult my intelligence, Darius. If you truly cared about my safety, you wouldn’t have…” I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. The memory was too raw, too painful.

He stepped closer, his expression softening. “Nia, what’s really bothering you? You’re upset about more than just the ceremony. Did someone say something to you?”

I stared at him, incredulous. Was he truly that dense, or was this another act? My chest tightened, the weight of everything threatening to crush me. A single tear escaped, sliding down my cheek before I could stop it.

Darius’s eyes widened. He reached out, his hand brushing against my face to wipe the tear away. “Nia,” he said softly, his voice tinged with panic. “Why are you crying? Tell me who hurt you. I’ll take care of them.”

The irony of his words stung like a slap. I stepped back, evading his touch. My voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of my anguish. “What if the person who hurt me was you?”

For a moment, he froze. The mask slipped, and I saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual facade of calm control. “Nia, you know I would never…”

My memories of our childhood couldn’t help but surface.

When we were still young, I was one of the pack bullies, but more of the good pack bullies. I hated seeing other people being bullied, so in turn, I bullied the bullies, giving them a taste of their own medicine.

It had always been that way until I met Daruis.

Daruis had seen me bullying a bully once and had confronted me about it and we fought. I ended up getting the most injuries, to which I was taken to the pack doctor, who had to call our parents.

Our families had berated us, to which the misunderstanding we had between us was cleared.

He became my protector and shield, and we always went about doing mischievous things.

He had always been my backer, until Grade 12, when we saved a weak girl from one of the school bullies.

The weak girl was none other than Selene Darkmoor.

Selene had always been weak, to be precise, she was always ill. Every little thing could send her into the hospital.

I had to be careful around her, to avoid impairing her health, but Daruis showed her the most care that it started becoming grating to my eyes, especially since I had fallen in love with Daruis.

I didn’t want to think much about it, since I trusted that Darius wouldn’t leave me for a frail girl. Maybe I had been overconfident.

Slowly, the bond between Darius and me got weak, and I hated it.

My friends warned me but I didn’t take it to heart, but to be cautious, I decided to ask Selene about it, to which when I went to her class, I noticed that she wasn’t around, so I could only wait for her on her seat.

That was when I saw her diary, where she described Daruis as her knight in shining armor and the likes and that she had fallen for him, but that was not the same for Daruis.

According to the diary she had written, it was that she asked Darius out and he rejected her, telling her that he likes me.

I was beyond happy reading that part and didn’t bother to check the rest of the pages, since I was already infringing on her privacy. Maybe, if I had continued to read it, I wouldn’t have found myself in this web of lies and deceit that had been weaved around me by Daruis.