ELISE’S POV

I didn’t sleep that night.

After Kade walked away into the darkness, leaving me alone by the border, I just stood there. I didn't even know what to call this. It felt worse than if he’d cut me with claws. I didn't know how long I stood there but eventually I knew I had to go back.

The walk back to the pack house was miserable as I kept feeling the pain of the rejection. It should have stopped hurting by now but it didn’t. Instead it got worse.

Mia was waiting outside my room. Her hair was messy, her eyes red from worry. “Elise! Where were you?”

I lowered my eyes in shame. “At the border.”

“With him?” Her voice rose, breaking on the last word.

I swallowed hard. “He was there. I didn’t mean to see him.”

She let out a shaky breath. “Did he reject you properly?”

I shook my head. “No. He just told me to go home.”

Mia rubbed her forehead. “Elise… this bond won’t break unless he rejects you properly. Or unless you do it first.”

“I know,” I whispered.

She touched my arm gently. “Then why don’t you do it? Just reject him. End this pain.”

My wolf whimpered deep inside me. Just the thought of speaking those words, I, Elise, reject you as my mate, made my chest tighten so badly I couldn’t breathe.

“I can’t,” I admitted. “Not yet. It still hurts too much.”

Mia’s eyes softened, though her mouth stayed tight with worry. “Promise me you’ll think about it.”

I nodded, forcing a smile. “I will.”

She pulled me into a hug. “Come on. Alpha Nolan wants to see you.”

My stomach dropped. “Why?” Did he find out that I had gone to the border without permission? Did he figure out that I was with the enemy?

“I don’t know. But you should hurry.” Mia said.

The pack house felt colder than usual when I walked inside. Wolves stood in small groups, whispering. When they saw me, some looked away quickly. Others just stared in curiosity.

No one said a word to me but I could tell what they must be thinking.

The Omega who was mated to the enemy Alpha. The one who got rejected.

I kept my head down and walked into Alpha Nolan’s office. He sat behind his big wooden desk with papers scattered everywhere. His dark hair was tied back, and worry lines cut across his forehead.

“Elise,” he said in a low voice that sounded tired. “Sit.”

I hesitated for a moment and then sat in the chair across from him, my hands twisting in my lap.

“You know why I called you,” he began.

“Yes, Alpha,” I whispered. “About what happened earlier today.”

He nodded. “Alpha Kade rejecting you publicly was... unexpected. But as long as the bond stays unbroken, it’s a weakness.”

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“I know,” he said softly. “But it happened. And Bloodfang is our enemy. If you don’t reject him, he could use you to get to us.”

“He hates me,” I said, my voice cracking slightly. “He doesn’t want me, alpha. I don't think that would be an issue.”

Alpha Nolan’s eyes softened for a moment. “Even so, the bond is powerful. And some alphas would rather claim an Omega mate than let her be free for fear of them being used as a weakness against them. We don't know yet what Alpha Kade is planning.”

My heart pounded painfully. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to think carefully,” he said. “You can reject him yourself. End it before it causes more pain for you and danger for the pack.”

My wolf stirred uneasily. The idea of rejecting Kade felt like tearing something out of my chest. Even though he hated me, the bond still tied us together.

“Will you think about it?” Alpha Nolan asked.

I swallowed heavily but nodded anyway. “Yes, Alpha.”

He leaned back in his chair, letting out a sigh. “You may go. And Elise… I’m sorry this happened to you.”

“Thank you, alpha,” I whispered, standing up and leaving the room.

Outside, it was almost dawn. Wolves still watched me, some with pity, others with suspicion.

I hated it. I hated being looked at like I was broken or dangerous. Or worse, like I was some kind of traitor. Mia walked beside me silently. After a while, she asked, “What will you do?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Part of me wants to end it. But another part… can’t.”

“Because of your wolf?” she asked.

“Yes,” I whispered. “She still wants him. Even after everything.”

Mia looked away, her mouth pressed into a hard line. “He doesn’t deserve you, Elise. He's a monster. You know this.”

“I know,” I said softly. “But it doesn’t stop the bond from hurting.”

******

Later that day, when the sun was slowly rising, I went to the woods alone. The forest had always felt like the only place I could breathe. The trees didn’t care that I was an Omega. The wind didn’t whisper behind my back.

I sat on a fallen log, running my fingers over the rough bark. My wolf was restless inside me, pacing around. She wanted to see him again, even if he hated us.

"Elise__" Rya started.

“No,” I told her firmly. “We can’t, Rya. It's not right.”

But the bond kept burning in my chest, a reminder that fate had tied me to my worst enemy.

"But he's our mate." She insisted.

"And also an enemy. Remember?" I reminded her.

A twig snapped behind me, and I spun around, my heart leaping into my throat. And there he was again. Kade.

He stood a few feet away, half-hidden by shadows, his arms crossed over his chest. His grey eyes locked onto mine, and I sighed in frustration.

“What do you want now? What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“I could ask you the same,” he shot back, his jaw tightening.

“This is my pack’s land,” I snapped. “You have no right to be here.”

“I needed to see you,” he said through clenched teeth as if I was to blame for him being here.

My heart skipped painfully. “Why?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer, and my wolf whimpered, wanting to be closer to him.

“I thought it would fade,” he said quietly, almost to himself. “The bond. But it hasn’t.”

“So?" I asked, suddenly feeling angry at his words.

His eyes flashed with something, anger, pain, maybe both. “You should reject me.”

I frowned. “Why me? Why won't you do the honors? Why does it have to be me? I'm not doing it, Kade."

His face twisted. “Why not?”

“Because it hurts,” I said truthfully. “Because even if you hate me, the bond still means something to my wolf.”

“And what about you?” he asked, stepping even closer. “Do you hate me?”

I swallowed hard and my mouth felt dry. “Yes.”

Something flickered in his eyes, something that looked like hurt. But it was quickly hidden behind coldness. “Good. That makes this easier.” he said through clenched teeth.

“Then reject me,” I said, trying to keep my voice shaking. “Do it properly. End this.”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. His jaw clenched, his hands curling into fists.

“Kade,” I whispered. “do it"

He turned away sharply, his shoulders tense. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” My voice rose in frustration. "Why won't you just do it, Kade, it's really not that hard!"

“Because as much as I hate you, rejecting you feels… wrong,” he spat, almost like he hated himself for admitting it.

My breath caught painfully. For a moment, neither one of us spoke.

“Then what do you want from me?” I whispered.

“I don’t know,” he growled, running a hand through his dark hair. “I don’t want you. But I can’t let you go either.”

“That’s not fair,” I said, my voice trembling. “You can’t keep me chained to you if you hate me.”

“I never asked for this bond,” he hissed.

“Neither did I!” I shouted back. “But you’re the Alpha. You could end it.”

He looked at me, his eyes growing soft for a heartbeat. “And you? Could you say the words?”

My chest tightened painfully. “No.”

His lips pressed into a thin line. “Then we’re both trapped.”

I looked away, blinking back tears. "What are you going to do with me?"

He didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped closer. My wolf whined softly, wanting him near even as my mind screamed at me to run.

“Stay away from the border,” he ordered in a low voice. “It’s not safe.”

“Why do you care?” I shot back.

“Because you’re mine,” he said, in almost a growl.

“Don't give me that. I thought you don't want me,” I whispered.

His eyes darkened. “It doesn’t matter what I want. The bond is still there.”

Pain twisted in my chest. “That’s not love, Kade. That’s just fate.”

“Oh, trust me, I know,” he growled. “And I hate it.”

I swallowed and nodded “So do I.”

We stood there, breathing hard, staring at each other like enemies ready to go for each other's throats. After a moment, he turned away. “Go home, Elise. Don’t follow me.”

“Will I see you again?” I asked before I could stop myself.

His back stiffened. “You shouldn’t want to. Believe me, you don't."

And then he was gone, disappearing into the trees again just like last night.

I stood there for a long time, my heart racing and my wolf howling softly inside me.

As I walked back to the pack house, the bond still burned in my chest, a harsh, cruel reminder that even hate couldn’t break what fate had written.

Maybe Mia and Alpha Nolan were right. If he wouldn't reject me, then maybe I should do it. Maybe I should reject him and get this nightmare over and done with.