THE MATE SHE REJECTED

The night was very quiet. It felt heavy on Lysander's chest. He walked slowly to the small wooden house at the edge of the forest. His feet dragged on the dusty path. His heart felt heavy. He felt shame, anger, and confusion. Worst of all, he felt rejection.

Minutes earlier, everything had broken apart.

He still remembered it clearly. Princess Astra had looked at him with disgust and turned away. She rejected him like he was nothing.

What did I expect? he thought. That she would hug me and smile? Welcome me like a hero? He laughed bitterly under his breath. I am a joke. I am a loser who cannot even stand up for himself. I am a burden.

A voice spoke inside his head. It was raspy and dark. "She cannot reject us like that. We need to talk to her. Take me to her."

It was Magnus.

Lysander jumped. He did not want the other half of himself to wake up.

"Magnus, just leave me alone for now," he said out loud.

Magnus went quiet. For now.

Lysander reached the door. He pushed it open gently. It creaked. He did not want to see anyone. He just wanted to go to his room and disappear.

He stepped inside. The house was dark. No lights were on. No sounds. That was strange. He frowned.

He walked forward carefully. His foot hit something hard. It rolled with a heavy sound. He cursed quietly and turned on the light.

The room became bright.

And everything broke again.

"Sage?" he said. He fell to his knees.

His older brother lay on the floor. His arms and legs were twisted. Blood was everywhere. Lysander crawled to him. His hands shook as he touched Sage's arm. It was cold.

"Sage!" he shouted. He shook him. "Sage, wake up! Please!"

No answer. No breathing. Only silence.

Panic filled Lysander. "Mum! Dad!" he yelled. He ran down the hall to their room.

He stopped at the door.

His mother and father lay on the floor. Blood covered their clothes. His mother's eyes were open and empty. His father breathed slowly and weakly.

"No. No no no no," Lysander whispered. He moved closer. "Please do not do this to me. Please, Mum. Dad. Please..."

He fell to his knees. Tears ran down his face.

"Ly...san...der..."

He looked up.

"Dad?" he said. He crawled closer.

His father's face was pale. His breathing was short. But his eyes looked straight at Lysander.

"Run," his father said weakly. "Take Zane with you. He is in the kitchen cupboard. Go now. They will come back."

"What? Who did this?" Lysander cried. He held his father's bloody hand. "Why would anyone do this to us?"

His father did not answer. He reached under himself and pulled out something. It was a bracelet with blue pearl beads. It glowed softly.

"You are not our real child, Lysander," his father whispered. "We found you twenty years ago. You were floating in a wooden box on the river. You were a newborn baby. You had this bracelet with you."

Lysander stared at him in shock.

"We knew someone wanted to hurt you," his father said. "We raised you as our own. We loved you like a son. You are our son. But your real family is out there."

His father took a deep breath and put the bracelet on Lysander's wrist. It felt warm.

"You need to find your people," his father said. "The bracelet will guide you. And Lysander... promise me you will protect Zane. He is your brother. Keep him safe."

Lysander nodded fast through his tears. "I promise. I will keep him safe."

A howl sounded far away. It was close.

"They are back," his father whispered. "Go."

"Dad-!"

"GO!" his father shouted with his last strength.

Then he stopped breathing. His arm fell. His eyes went blank.

"No... Dad!" Lysander cried. He held his father one last time. The howls came closer.

Lysander jumped up. He pushed his sadness away and ran to the kitchen. He opened the cupboard.

"Zane!" he whispered.

His ten-year-old brother was inside. He was curled up. His eyes were wide and full of tears. He was shaking.

Lysander picked him up and held him tight. "It is okay. I have you."

He ran out the back door into the dark woods.

The wind blew loud. Branches scratched him. But he kept running.

Then he heard paws hitting the ground. He looked back for a second.

Wolves. At least four of them. They were black. They ran into the house.

He saw the mark on their sides. It was the crest of the royal guard.

Lysander's stomach dropped. "The Alpha," he said quietly. His heart burned with anger. "He did this. They all did this."

He held Zane closer. "I will make them pay. Every last one of them."

He disappeared into the forest with the weight of his lost family and a new destiny on his shoulders.

---

"What have you done?" Rafa's voice boomed inside Astra's head. It was full of anger and worry. Astra jumped.

Her head hurt. She pressed her fingers to her temples.

"It was not my fault," she said out loud.

"It was your fault," Rafa growled. "You were flirting with another man right in front of him!"

"That man is my boyfriend!" she answered in her mind. "What was I supposed to do? Ignore him just because my mate showed up?"

"You were enjoying it," Rafa said. "You knew he was watching!"

Astra knew it was true. Maybe she had wanted to hurt him. Maybe she was scared of the bond.

"I hate him so much, that Kieran," Rafa growled. "But I hate you more right now."

Astra sat on her bed and stared at the wall.

"Okay. Maybe I was wrong," she said quietly. "But it is done now."

"Talk to him," Rafa begged. "Say sorry. I want my mate back."

Astra laughed bitterly. "You know I cannot do that."

"Then do not speak to me."

Silence.

"Rafa?"

Nothing.

Astra felt empty. "Rafa, come on," she called in her mind.

But Rafa had shut her out. The silence hurt.

Astra lay back on the bed. The room was warm from the sunset.

Her heart felt like it was in a war. She had hurt her mate. The moment their eyes met, she knew the bond was real. But she was not ready. She had made it worse.

A knock came at the door.

Her father, Alpha Wynter, walked in.

"Is something wrong?" he asked gently.

Astra sat up and smiled. "No, Dad. I am fine."

He sat beside her and put his arm around her.

"When your mother first met me as her mate, she hated me for three weeks," he said.

Astra looked surprised. "Really?"

He laughed. "Yes. She thought I was too proud and too strong-headed. But later she saw it was about connection, growth, and forgiveness."

Astra leaned on him. "I think I messed up, Dad."

He kissed her head. "You can always talk to me. And I promise nothing will ever hurt you while I am alive."

She nodded. "Thank you, Dad."

He left the room.

The smile left her face. She felt the guilt again.

She lay back and stared at the ceiling. The room felt cold without Rafa.

"Rafa?" she whispered.

Silence.

Then a small voice: "Fix it."

Astra sat up. She felt new strength. She had made a mistake. But maybe she could still make it right.

---

The moon was high in the sky. It shone silver light through the trees. The forest felt strange and cold. It was past midnight.

Lysander walked slowly. His legs hurt. His heart was heavy with sadness. Zane held his hand tightly. The little boy had stopped crying but he was still scared.

"Stay quiet, okay?" Lysander whispered.

Zane nodded. His lip shook. "Where is Mummy? And Sage? They told me to hide in the cupboard. Why are they not with us? Did something bad happen?"

Lysander slowed down. He did not know what to say. "Mum, Dad, and Sage are..."

A low growl cut him off.

Lysander froze.

Red eyes appeared in the dark. One pair. Then two. Then more.

Wolves stepped out. They were not normal wolves. They were rogues. They looked thin and hungry. Their eyes glowed red.

Zane hid his face in Lysander's side.

The wolves circled them.

One wolf jumped at them.

Lysander grabbed Zane and rolled away. He pushed Zane behind him and fought.

He punched and kicked. One wolf bit his arm. He pulled free and kicked it hard.

Blood was on his shirt. His face was cut. He was getting tired.

But he would not let them reach Zane.

"Stay behind the log!" he yelled. He pushed Zane there.

The biggest wolf charged. Its claws cut Lysander's chest. He almost fell.

Then another wolf jumped from a tree.

Lysander raised his arm to block it.

The bracelet on his wrist glowed bright blue. The light covered his whole body.

He screamed in pain. His bones cracked and changed. His body twisted.

Zane watched in shock.

Lysander's arms grew longer. Fur covered his skin. His jaw became a snout. In seconds, he was no longer a boy.

A huge white wolf stood there. It was massive and strong. Its eyes glowed blue. The bracelet was now part of the fur on its front leg. Its white fur shone in the moonlight. Its teeth were sharp like silver knives.