The urge to write this hit me like a fever dream. It’s the werewolf phase, you see. And frankly, I’m tired of reading rejected mate stories that all end the same way. So, I’m switching things up. A *lot*. + 

I’ve got another werewolf book going, but right now, I’m just… obsessed. I hope you enjoy this one. + 

“I, Axel Stark, Alpha of the Ice Moon pack, reject Nyx as my mate and Luna,” he said, his gaze locking onto mine. + 

I let out a laugh, a harsh, brittle sound. The whole performance felt… pathetic. Did he really think I gave two shits about his rejection? + 

He was wrong. So, so wrong. + 

“I, Nyx Stone, accept your rejection.” The words tasted like ash in my mouth. + 

Nyx was… unusual. Eighteen years old, but looking like a kid barely past thirteen. She was different, and that’s why she’d been an outcast everywhere she went. A shadow, flitting between the cracks. + 

But what happens when they finally discover what she *is*? What happens when they finally understand the power they've been dismissing? + 

Axel stared, his expression a mask of controlled contempt. He probably expected tears. A breakdown. Something dramatic. He didn't get it. I watched him watch me, trying to gauge how much he'd miscalculated. + 

I felt nothing. Not anger, not sadness, not fear. Just… a cold, quiet satisfaction. He'd rejected the wrong girl. The girl he thought she was, anyway. + 

The rejection ritual was done. He was done. Now it was my turn. + 

It was time to show them what I was capable of. It was time to show them what I was. + 