Rejected Fate Chapter 03
A lazy, elderly voice crackled from the other end of the line.
“Well, my stubborn little she-wolf has finally had her heart broken.”
Though his words held a hint of blame, his tone softened instantly.
“You turned down repeated invitations from the Moonwood Guild of Silverpine Pack in the Northern Wastes countless times for that boy.”
“Now that you’ve made up your mind, you’ll never look back. Go bid proper farewells to everyone here.”
I breathed out a long sigh of relief.
“I will.”
…
Daniel’s birthday arrived soon after.
Presumably told by the former Luna Scarlett, Daniel drove over personally to pick me up.
I pulled open the car door, only to spot Nora sitting in the front passenger seat.
“Isabella, this seat belongs to me from now on.”
I ignored her provocation and slid straight into the back seat.
Daniel shot me a confused glance.
Once, I would have fought for this seat without hesitation. I would even have brought up our fated mate bond to compete for his attention.
But none of that mattered to me anymore.
The car headed for Blackshadow Pack House.
Along the ride, Nora kept asking about the preferences of former Luna Scarlett and former Alpha Ulysses.
“You grew up alongside Daniel, so you must know what his parents like best.”
“Please tell me. I’m so nervous meeting his parents for the first time.”
I caught her taunting stare through the rearview mirror right away.
Before I could reply, Daniel spoke coldly for her.
“She only wastes time carving useless wood pieces. She knows nothing about my parents’ tastes.”
He glanced at me briefly after saying that.
The truth was, I had always been more favored by the old Alpha and old Luna than Daniel himself in the pack. There was no way I would be unaware of their likes and dislikes.
Yet I came here merely to take my leave. I had no desire to argue with him at all.
Seeing my total indifference, Daniel frowned and fell silent.
Upon arriving at the pack house, Scarlett and Ulysses hurried over and pulled me into a warm hug the second they saw me.
“Izzy, you’ve stayed away for so long. Have you forgotten all about us?”
I smiled faintly and brushed off their concern politely.
Plenty of pack nobles and young werewolf members attended Daniel’s birthday banquet.
I sat alone in the corner, waiting for a proper chance to leave quietly.
Nora walked over with a glass of wine in her hand.
“So what if you grew up with Daniel?”
“He belongs to me now.”
She folded her arms across her chest, staring at me with blatant provocation.
“To be honest, I loved watching you chase after him all those years.”
“You looked just like a poor stray dog that gets abandoned yet keeps running back to its master.”
Irritated, I stood up to leave. My eyes fell on the wooden pendant hanging on her chest out of the corner of my eye, and my fingers tightened abruptly.
“How did you get this?”
Nora smiled sweetly and triumphantly.
“Daniel gave it to me, of course.”
“He panicked terribly when I fell ill not long ago.”
“He said this is a protective amulet carved by you, blessed in the Moon Temple.”
“It sounds incredibly powerful.”
My throat closed up.
I recalled the past clearly. When Daniel was poisoned by wolfbane at seventeen, he suffered from a persistent high fever and hung between life and death.
I stayed by his bedside for a full day and night, carved this amulet out of precious moonwood, then rushed to the Moon Temple through torrential rain to pray for the Moon Goddess’s blessing.
I only wished for him to survive and stay healthy.
His fever faded greatly the very next day after he wore the pendant.
He had held me tight and cried like a vulnerable child back then.
He promised me earnestly, “Isabella, I will never let you suffer any grievance for the rest of my life.”
He had cherished this gift more than anything once. But now, he gave it away to another wolf without a second thought.
“Give it back to me.”
My voice rose loud enough to draw countless gazes from surrounding guests.
Tears welled up in Nora’s eyes instantly.
“This is a gift from Daniel. You cannot steal my belongings just because you envy me, Isabella.”
Whispers broke out all around us, every guest watching the drama unfold.
“Why is Isabella still pestering Alpha Daniel?”
“Alpha Daniel has already announced his chosen mate. She is just making a scene on purpose.”
“What a shameless she-wolf.”
“I heard Isabella plans to leave Blackshadow Pack and study moonwood carving formally.”
“I don’t believe it. She loves Alpha Daniel far too much to leave.”
Daniel pushed through the crowd and walked over.
He had no idea what had happened, yet he instinctively stepped forward to shield Nora behind him the moment he saw the tense scene.
“Isabella.”
“This is my birthday party.”
“What are you throwing a fit about now?”
I pointed straight at the wooden pendant on Nora’s chest.
“Why did you give this to someone else?”
Daniel glanced at the pendant casually, his tone filled with impatience.
“It is just a worthless wooden trinket. Is this really necessary?”
I had never expected such cold words from him.
He had treasured this amulet more than his own life once.
I took a deep breath, and all the remaining hurt faded away completely, leaving only utter calm.
I held out the finished wooden snake carving and handed it to him.
“Happy birthday, Daniel.”
With no hesitation, I turned on my heel and left the banquet hall.
Daniel’s angry shout chased after me from behind.
“Isabella! If you walk out now, never show up in front of me again!”
I did not look back even once.
Back at my residence, I packed my luggage quickly.
Right then, my phone rang.
“Izzy, I’ve sent someone to pick you up.”
A knock sounded at the door right after the call ended. I opened it.
A tall, refined man stood outside, carrying gentle scholarly aura.
“Master Sanders sent me to fetch you, Izzy.”
I nodded steadily.
“Before I leave this pack, I need you to help me with one thing.”
