I don’t accept your rejection

“What are you doing? Where are you going?” Ethan’s wolf, Kyle, demanded as Ethan hurried away from the restaurant’s entrance, headed for the parking lot. Ethan shook his head and kept going. This couldn’t be happening. It had all happened so fast, and his first instinct had been to get the hell out of there. He didn’t even know her, but he knew she wasn’t the one he wanted. “She is our mate!” His wolf was excited. While Ethan wanted to run away, Kyle wanted to go back and claim her. “She is ours.” Ethan heard footsteps behind him then, and he turned to find the woman following him. His entire body went alive again, the way it did a few moments ago inside the restaurant. He felt an invisible, strange force drawing him to her. A force he couldn’t fight, and he hated it. He had never given much thought about finding his mate. At least not after he met Eleanor. The idea of being with another woman, mate or not, never occurred to him. And now, when there was a chance he could get closer to her, this happens? He stood glued to his spot as she got closer when all he wanted to do was run away. Kyle on the other hand wanted to run to her and mark her. “You are my mate,” she said when she got close enough and came to a halt. “I felt it. You did too, right?” He swallowed and looked from her to the ground. But only for a moment. Sucking in a deep breath, he looked at her, veiling his emotions and giving her a cold look. “It doesn’t matter. There’s someone I like.” Her face fell. He could tell right away she wasn’t as put off by this discovery as he was. Which was why he had to put a stop to it all as soon as possible. “What’s your name?” he asked. Sophia had always dreamt of the day she would meet her mate. She had imagined it would be a magical moment, and they’d both be happy to find each other. But from the moment she saw the horror on his face when their gazes connected inside a while ago, she knew this was going to be nothing like she had imagined. Now here he was, saying he liked someone and asking for her name. She knew what he wanted to do with her name. He wanted to reject her. He didn’t know anything about her, but he was determined to break the bond between them without a second thought. “Don’t you think you should at least try to get to know me before rejecting me?” His gaze was unwavering. “I have someone that I love, so getting to know you will not change anything.” The connection between them was strong, and she took advantage of it to pry into his mind. He shut her out right after, but not before she sensed out his thoughts. Eleanor was the woman he loved. Well, that was too bad because Eleanor did not return his affections. The sooner he accepted that, the better. “I’m happy to meet you,” she told him, looking him straight in the eyes. “You are my mate, and I like you, and I don’t accept your rejection.” He clenched his jaw, clearly displeased. He hadn’t expected she’d insist when he clearly expressed his disinterest. “Eleanor is not our mate,” Kyle pointed out, “and she doesn’t even see you in that way. How about you don’t throw our destiny away just because you’ve got a hopeless crush?” Ethan ordered him to shut up. “Well, I don’t like you,” he told her. “Let’s not waste each other’s time and get this out of the way.” “I don’t consider this a waste of time,” she told him. “I’ve waited a long time for you, and I’m willing to wait longer until you figure things out before deciding whether or not to reject me.” Figure things out? He didn’t need to figure anything out. At least not concerning her. There was only one woman he was interested in, and it wasn’t her. If she insisted on getting in his way, it would be such a bother. She didn’t sound like she was going to give up soon, and the bond between them wasn’t helping matters. That’s why he wanted to reject her as soon as possible. If he didn’t, the connection between them would just end up ruining everything. Sophia tried to not feel down as she waited for her mate’s response. He looked distressed, as if this was such a horrible thing to happen to him. How could it be? Didn’t he feel what she felt when the connection between them came alive? She didn’t know him, but she felt with every fibre of her being that he was the one she was meant to be with. That’s how it was supposed to be. That’s what he should be feeling about her. She figured he must like Eleanor a lot if even that feeling was not enough to make him want to give her a chance. She had never liked a person so much that the idea of finding her mate seemed like an inconvenience. You had to love someone so deeply that you were willing to reject your fated one to stay with them. Were his feelings for Eleanor so deep that he didn’t even want to imagine being with her, even though he’d naturally want to care for her and protect her? She knew of werewolves who had rejected their mates in pursuit of power and status. So maybe it wasn’t a wonder that they could also reject them because of love for another. It made her think of Eleanor and Thomas’s situation. That’s when she realised that if Thomas truly treasured Eleanor, he’d not entertain anything that would come between them. If Eleanor was in Thomas’s shoes, she’d do what Ethan wanted to do. Sophia wanted him to want her as badly as he wanted to be with Eleanor. She wanted to feel that kind of love, and she wanted it with him, her mate. “Take your time,” she told him, giving him a small smile. “There’s no need to rush into making a decision. There’s plenty of time.” They had just found out they were mates, and he looked to still be in a state of shock and panic. Right now, all he could think was that she was an obstacle. It would be best for both of them if he thought about it when he was calmer. She reached forward and took his hand. She expected him to pull away instantly, but he didn’t. It was probably because he was still in shock, but she was glad he wasn’t repulsed by her touch. “Let’s go back,” she told him, “they must be wondering where we disappeared to.” When she held his hand, a jolt, like electricity but soothing in a way, shot through Ethan. He couldn’t pull away. He let her lead him back into the restaurant, and when she threw him a small smile before they went back inside, he knew it was going to be hard to get rid of her.