#Chapter 5 ept the rejection, swap a little blood


    "I can''t believe she''s pregnant! I''m so, so sorry, Rachel!"


    I trembled from the force of my emotions. My tears washed away years'' worth of stress and frustration


    and pain. I felt myselfing alive again as my sadness melted away to reveal hope for a different


    future for myself.


    No one had ever told me a mate could cause so much unhappiness to their supposed ''other half.''


    Be led me to the sofa where I copsed into a corner, kicking off my shoes so I wouldn''t dirty her


    cushions. I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. I thought maybe if I


    could make myself small enough, I could contain part of my feelings or at least shrink them down to a


    more manageable size.


    "I thought The Model was just supposed to be a cover story for the events you ''couldn''t'' attend?"


    I rubbed my eyes with the heel of my hand as Be''s air quotes surprised a chuckle out of me as my


    tears dried.


    Tyler had made plenty of excuses over the years as to why his mate "couldn''t" attend events with him.


    His disgust with me was enough we had never married in the human way; I was not featured in the


    papers as his mate.


    I hadn''t cared.


    I didn''t need publicity to solidify my knowledge of myself.


    Jenny Wand was a human model of astonishing beauty. Tyler took her to all the functions he was


    expected to bring apanion. She looked as if she belonged with him in the photos taken by the


    press or paparazzi.


    A rumor had started a year ago saying House Wright was being slow to announce their future Luna


    because Alpha Tyler was mated to a human.


    Jenny the Model made no effort to dissuade people from the belief she was the human mate Tyler was


    going to introduce.


    "I thought so too," I sniffed, taking a tissue from the box on Be''s coffee table, "I thought it was only


    dancing and drinking. I thought I''d know if he did more. Shouldn''t I have felt it if my mate cheated?"


    Be gave me a worried frown, "I don''t know. I could ask my mother. You''re the only one I know whose


    mate isn''tpletely obsessed with them."


    In the early days of everything, I would have broken down at a mention of how awful things were in my


    mate bond.


    Now I was used to it.


    "I know. My mating was a mess. I pretended to be pregnant only for my mate to knock up his human


    girlfriend! Hello, Irony, I have only myself to me!"


    "I know Patrick needs to be med! If he hadn''t gotten buried under his gambling debt, you wouldn''t


    have needed to ask Tyler for ransom money. You did what you had to do. For Ethan. What choice did


    you have? Let your brother die?"


    I shrugged while I wiped my face. We had gone over this same argument so many times I was tired of


    it. I wanted to stop the conversation before it went any further.


    "It doesn''t matter. None of it does. Jenny showed me her pregnancy test. It was positive. She actually


    showed me the word ''Pregnant'' on the screen right in the middle of the department store while I was


    shopping for Tyler''s anniversary gift."


    "That''s insane! Who has that kind of luck? I can''t evene up with the odds of her running into you."


    Be made a good point. Had Jenny known where I would be?


    Tyler stepped out with several women on a regr basis. Models, singers, and even movie stars had


    appeared on his arm at parties or awards ceremonies or fundraisers.


    Content ? N?velDrama.Org 2024.


    I''d never appeared in public as his mate, but Tyler had taken out plenty of other females besides Jenny


    the Model. The only courtesy he showed our mating was never using another wolf as his escort.


    He had spared me and my wolf, Rayne, that one indignity at least though I thought it was more likely


    his wolf, Wynd, who''d refused to allow him to betray his mate more than any kindness on Tyler''s part.


    Wynd and Rayne were going to be the ones to suffer from the rejection. Their mating had not been


    burdened by the betrayal Tyler and I shared. For our wolves, their mate bond was the gift it was meant


    to be from the Moon Goddess.


    "Do you think Tyler told her? Did you leave a note for him?"


    I shook my head, "No, I didn''t leave a note. I texted him. She may have seen his phone."


    "She was---with him then? All night?"


    Be sounded shocked though I wasn''t sure if it was because she couldn''t believe Jenny the Model


    would stay the night with my mate or that Tyler betrayed his mate bond. My casual shrug in response


    was enough of an answer for her. What was I supposed to say? My mate felt only hatred and


    resentment for me?


    "It doesn''t matter now. None of it does. He can have as many models as he wants. I gave him my


    rejection. Rayne is sleeping it off. She won''t be happy, but she''ll survive. She''s strong."


    "What about Wynd? How did he take it?"


    I shrugged again, "I don''t know."


    "Well, what happened when Tyler said it back?"


    "Nothing."


    "Nothing?" Be asked, confusion clouding her expression, "What do you mean nothing? I''ve never


    seen a formal rejection, but I know it''s supposed to be intense for both mates."


    "No, Tyler didn''t say it back. He''ll do it when he''s ready."


    A formal rejection was a serious mark of shame for a wolf. I wasn''t surprised Be knew little about the


    specifics of the act. Most wolves would never even say the word ''rejection'' much less ask how to go


    about performing one.


    "Yes. I went to Alpha Wright and asked for his help to be certain I did everything the proper way. I didn''t


    want to mess it up. I want to spare us both what pain I can from here on out."


    Be reached across the couch to squeeze my arm. Her friendship was more than I deserved. I was


    lucky to have her in my life.


    "He was really happy to help, too."


    "Alpha Wright?"


    "Yes," I murmured, thinking back to my meeting with Tyler''s father, "He has hated Tyler mating me from


    the beginning. It''s bad enough Tyler came from an omega mating, but to have a mate of his own from


    an omega family? His pride couldn''t stand it. He told me we had to exchange the words then we''ll have


    to break the seal with a blood exchange."


    "Alpha Wright has only ever looked out for House Wright. He''s the reason Tyler never announced you


    as his mate."


    I disagreed immediately, "No. Tyler never formally announced our mating or married me in the human


    ways because I betrayed him. I tricked him into our mating for his money. Alpha Wright wouldn''t have


    had to tell him to be quiet about me."


    "Who said he had to tell him? Maybe he just wanted to?"


    Rachel rolled her eyes and startled anotherugh out of me.


    She wasn''t wrong.


    I noticed her touching her neck and found myself enthralled with her mating mark.


    Be had found her mate Jack recently. Theirs was a whirlwind mating, but most were when it came to


    fated mates. She was still in the stage where everything was lust and love and building a life together.


    Jack was looking for them a ce to share since both lived in apartments too small to share


    moved in with Jack.


    Busying myself with my phone, I sent a text to Tyler asking him to finish his side of the rejection. I could


    still feel him in my mind as a buzzing nuisance.


    "Tyler, please finish your side of the rejection ritual. I''ll meet you wherever you choose to do the blood


    exchange."


    No reply came and I was getting a headache from the partially severed bond.


    I called his number for the first time in months only to go directly to voicemail.


    "Tyler! I need you to ept the rejection. I am getting a headache and I doubt you feel much better.


    Reject me then meet me to do the exchange and that''s it! You''ll never have to see me again.


    Guaranteed."


    Be looked at me in confusion as the phone cut off on me.


    "I don''t know. All he needs to do is ept the rejection, swap a little blood, and it''s over! He''s never


    wanted to be with me. Why isn''t he jumping at this chance?"


    "I don''t know, Rachel. Maybe he''s thinking? Or he''s---busy."


    I caught the way Be looked away from me before pointing out Tyler could be ''busy'' and it urred to


    me he might be with her.


    "Jenny."


    Be nodded, biting her lip and covering her mate mark with her hand as if she wanted to spare me the


    pain of seeing it.


    I went back to my phone with a new wave of fury. He could celebrate with his model after he rejected


    me! I deserved my rejection.


    Dialing Tyler again, I put the phone on speaker so Be could hear only for the call to cut off with a


    message from the phonepany!


    "We''re sorry, but your call cannot bepleted as dialed. Please check your number and make your


    call again."


    I stared at the phone in shock. I had just called that number! It was his personal line! I hit his contact


    name again only to get the same message. I let out a sound of pure rage as I realized what it had to


    mean.


    "He blocked me!"