Emerging from the woods to the pack house, Chloe was sweating and panting. She had taken her usual morning run alone and was returning for work. Several heads turned towards her as she strode past them, and she saw the look of disdain on their faces.
She was already used to the stares and whispers from the pack members. She had been enduring them since her eighteenth year birthday.
She had been excited to become eighteen as it was the age she could meet and bond with her mate. Fortunately, she did find her mate on her birthday. Unfortunately, he rejected her.
Chloe had followed the unfamiliar attraction, which pulled her like a magnet to Liam Fletch, the Alpha's son and future Alpha of the pack. But he wasn't pleased.
Her heart churned with misery as she remembered the disgust on his face when he saw her. She recalled how he rejected her within a minute. She had waited eighteen years to meet him, and he rejected her in a minute.
"I, Liam Fletch, Reject You, Chloe Watson As My Mate—"
She could never forget his words that day and the way they made her feel. She could never forget how he almost ruined her and caused her wolf to remain silent for months. He had nearly broken her.
'No. Don't show your emotions. They make you weak,' She mustered to herself as she continued to walk. That had been the very reason Liam rejected her. She was too emotional, impulsive, and human in every way. Also, she was an Omega, and he desired a strong Luna. One like his girlfriend, Emily.
Without a mate, she would be alone for the rest of her life. She would have no chance of happiness, and her wolf may eventually become silent forever.
"She is hideous to look at..." She heard a familiar voice say to her friends as she walked past them. Claire. She had always known she was a fan of her misery. She didn't, however, give them the satisfaction of hurting her feelings.
"I wonder if she's ever going to find a mate.." She overheard another whisper.
"Poor girl, I would kill myself if my mate rejected me..." A woman added.
Chloe's face was impassive as she strode past the curious eyes and sympathetic looks. She couldn't tell when she would stop being the topic of every discussion, but she hoped it would come soon. It had been four months since Liam rejected her. Why couldn't everyone move on?
Her door burst open as she walked into her small apartment. Although it wasn't grand, she still loved that she could afford a decent home. Jobs and work positions were allocated based on rank. It had been pretty hard to land the position of a store assistant as an Omega. She still believed they had only accepted her because she was rumored to be the Alpha's son's rejected mate.
Grabbing a bottle of water from her refrigerator, she downed the content impatiently. Then she rushed over to her bathroom to have her bath.
She exhausted barely ten minutes to bathe and hurriedly picked an outfit for the day. That had to be one of the least exciting things she did. It was hurtful to have no one to admire her.
She crossed over to the side of her room, only stopping when she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes were hidden behind a layer of eye bags, and her hair was styled into a messy bun. She heaved a heavy sigh as she realized that she might be really hideous to look at. But she didn't care, and neither did her mate.
A sudden knock on the door disturbed her thoughts as she focused on whoever was at her door. She dashed speedily out of her room to the sitting room. Upon opening the door, a pair of emerald eyes caught hers, and her breathing stopped. She remained frozen as she gawked at her unexpected guest.
"Are you going to let me in?" Liam asked her, and she snapped out of her thoughts. She turned a light shade of pink.
She turned slightly to give him room to enter. "Ummm—Yeah—Sure," she stammered, fighting to utter the right words.
"I'm happy I caught you early." he voiced immediately after the door clicked.
"I was just about to leave."
She watched as his eyes danced all over her body and wished she had worn something more attractive. Whatever he thought about her dress, he didn't show it, as his expression remained blank. Her heart dropped with the painful realization that he didn't desire her.
He shifted slightly from his position. "I've come to speak to you about the ceremony coming up soon."
"Oh. Which ceremony?"