Stella pov

I woke up to a sterile white room, the faint beeping of a heart monitor was the only sound that broke the heavy silence. My eyes fluttered open, and the harsh fluorescent lights above me made me squint. My head felt like it had been run over by a truck, my limbs heavy, and my chest still tight, as if I couldn't take a full breath.

I still sensed him, but it was faint now. I turned my head and saw him.

Alexander Calum.

He was sitting on a chair beside the hospital bed, scrolling on his phone and looking like he was bored out of his mind. His jaw was tense, as his eyes flickered to me and remained fixed on me with an unreadable expression. His presence hit me like a brick wall, powerful, suffocating, and I felt that damn pull again, deep inside me, as if my body was telling me that this was the man I had been waiting for before he rejected me.

I didn't understand why, but I couldn't deny it.

"What... what am I doing here?" I croaked, my voice barely a whisper. I felt the dry scratchiness in my throat, my mouth feeling like cotton.

He looked at me, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flash in his eyes. Something close to regret, maybe? But then, it was gone, replaced with that cold indifference I hated. The one he had when he told me that I'd never be his mate.

"You're pathetic," he said, his voice sounding low and harsh. "You couldn't even handle rejection. How the hell are you going to handle being my mate?"

I blinked at his words, still struggling to make sense of them. Mate? The word echoed in my head, and suddenly I remembered everything. The pull, the words he said to me at the club. But this? This was... different.

I opened my mouth to speak, but I couldn't get the words out. I felt like my brain was overloaded with everything that had happened, the pain, the confusion.

"I'm leaving," he continued, not waiting for a response. "Your best friend is on the way, she called."

Just as he stood up, ready to walk out of the room like he hadn't just torn my world apart, I grabbed his wrist.

"Wait," I whispered, my voice shaky. "Why did you bring me here? You have rejected me, you should have just let me die."

He stopped, his hand still on the doorknob, and turned to face me. "Let you die? You are joking right?" he laughed, like I had just said something insane but I wasn't joking.

"No, I mean it. First the stranger I see in my dreams comes into my life and rejects me. Then he brought me to the hospital for treatment and now he wants to leave without dropping his name."

He looked like he was about to say something else, but instead, he sighed, as if I were the last person he wanted to deal with.

"Alexander Calum. Now if you want death, you can go and find it elsewhere but your blood won't be on me." he said shortly, his eyes narrowing. "Now, if you'll excuse me..."

But before he could leave, Celine rushed through the door. "Stella? Oh my God, you're awake!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with concern. She looked at me first, then Alexander, confusion flooding her face.

"What happened? Why is she here? Who-"

Alexander cut her off, his voice sharp and clipped. "Let her rest. If you have any questions, ask the doctor," he said, brushing past her with that same cold air, leaving the room before either of us could get another word in.

I couldn't believe it. He had been sitting right next to me, watching me wake up from some kind of weird, life-altering dream, and then he just... left. Like nothing happened. Like I meant nothing.

"Stella?" Celine's voice pulled me back from my thoughts. "What the hell happened? Are you okay?"

I rubbed my temples, the memory of everything still fresh and overwhelming. "I... I don't know. I'm not okay, Celine. I don't understand what's happening to me."

Celine sat down beside me, her face creased with worry. "What do you mean? What happened between you and that guy?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting out a shaky breath. "He is the same guy from my dreams. I saw him today at the club and he said I was his mate. But then, he rejected me, Celine. He said I was weak, and that I couldn't handle being his mate because I'm human."

Celine's eyes widened. "Wait. Mates? What does that even mean?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. But the way he said it, the way I felt... It was like I was supposed to be with him, like I belonged to him. But then he just turned around and rejected me." I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat, "He called me weak and went back to his seat."

Celine was quiet for a moment, absorbing what I said. "That sounds insane, Stella. Mates? Like... like soulmates? Supernatural stuff?"

I nodded slowly, still unsure of what to make of it. "I don't know, Celine. But it felt real. The way he looked at me... it was like he knew me. Like I belonged to him. And then..." I couldn't finish the thought.

Celine shifted in her seat, pulling her phone out. "I'm going to look this up," she muttered, her fingers flying over the keys. "Maybe there's something about this mate stuff online. Something to make it make sense."

I watched her type quickly, my mind still swirling from everything. She was probably going to find some wacky fan fiction, and I could laugh it off and forget about it.

But what if she didn't? What if she found something real?

A few minutes passed as Celine scrolled, her face becoming more serious with every second. Finally, she looked up, showing me her phone. "Okay, I found something."

I raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess. Werewolves and 'mates'?"

"Yep," she said, pointing at the screen. "It's some kind of lore about werewolves. Apparently, mates are soul-bound, like a deep connection that can't be broken. It's fate, Stella. That's what it says. And if you're a werewolf... your mate is the one person you can't live without."

I frowned, trying to shake off the bizarre feeling crawling up my spine. "Celine, that's just fantasy stuff. That's... ridiculous."

She stared at me, her gaze searching. "I don't know, Stella. The way you've been acting... and the way you reacted when you saw him? It doesn't sound like just some coincidence."

I turned away, feeling my heartbeat quicken. "I don't know what's happening. It's all too much. I'm just human, Celine. This can't be real."

Celine looked at me, still unconvinced. "I don't know. But we have to figure it out. You deserve answers."

I nodded numbly, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Alexander. His rejection. His words. But also... the pull. The bond I felt in my bones.

As I sat there, lost in thought, I glanced into the mirror above the sink. I froze.

My eyes.

For a split second, they weren't brown anymore. They were silver.

I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and looked again. They were brown again. But what I saw, what I felt...

What if there was more to this than I was ready to admit?

I stared at my reflection, heart pounding in my chest. What was happening to me? The doubts in my mind began to grow. What if I wasn't human at all?

Alexander's POV

I stood outside her hospital room, hands clenched at my sides, fighting the rage that churned in my gut. Stella. The human who somehow managed to find her way into my life and into my soul in a way no one else ever had. The bond snapped into place the moment I laid eyes on her.

She was mine, and I couldn't escape that pull.

But I couldn't have her.

I had to reject her immediately. I couldn't risk allowing the bond between us to grow stronger, because she was weak and that was the truth.

And yet, as I turned and walked away, the pull tore through me, clawing at my insides, dragging me back to her. Every step away from that hospital room felt like walking through fire. I wanted to run back inside, grab her, and never let her go.

But I had to leave. Because she couldn't handle this world. She wouldn't survive it.

I'm protecting her, I told myself. She's just a human and she doesn't deserve to get hurt.

I mean, I'm a monster and she is a human. We don't belong to the same world.

"I'll never see her again. Never," I muttered under my breath, trying to convince myself.

But every time I shut my eyes, I saw her face. Her voice echoed in my head. "You said I'm yours, right?" I saw her vulnerability, her question, her hope.

I saw recognition in her eyes, like she had been waiting for me her whole life, just waiting for me to come and sweep her off her feet.

And maybe she had been. But instead, I came and broke her heart.

I cursed under my breath. The worst part? I couldn't even drive. My hands were shaking too badly, my wolf was too close to the surface, fighting me for control, demanding I go back to our mate. The steering wheel would snap in half if I tried.

I pulled out my phone and dialed Seth. I needed him to drive me out, to anywhere. Anywhere far away from her. Because the more I stayed, the more she clouded my mind, the more my resolve weakened.

"Yeah?" His voice came through the line, calm, but I could hear the underlying concern. Seth always knew when something was wrong.

"Come and pick me up," I ordered, my voice sharper than I intended. "I need to get out of here."

There was a pause. "Where are you?"

"Memorial Hospital. Just... get here."

"On my way," he replied, not questioning me further. He never did when I used that tone.

It only took fifteen minutes before Seth's black SUV pulled into the hospital parking lot. He stepped out, tall and broad-shouldered, his dark eyes scanning me immediately. Seth had been my beta for years, but more than that, he was my best friend. The only person I trusted completely. He had a way of reading me that no one else did, seeing through the walls I put up.

He didn't even wait for me to speak. He could see it in my eyes, in the tension radiating from my body.

"You look like hell," he said bluntly, walking toward me. "What happened?"

I didn't respond right away. Instead, I pulled open the passenger door and got in, the cool leather seat feeling like an anchor. Seth climbed in after me, starting the engine but not pulling away yet. His eyes were on me, patient but expectant.

"Drive," I muttered.

"Where to?"

"Anywhere. Just drive."

Seth pulled out of the parking lot, merging into traffic with practiced ease. The silence stretched between us for a few minutes, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Seth knew when to push and when to wait.

Finally, I broke. "I found her."

His eyes flicked to me briefly before returning to the road. "Her?"

"My mate."

The car swerved slightly before Seth corrected it. "Your mate? Alexander, that's... that's incredible. Why do you look like someone just died?"

I let out a harsh laugh that held no humor. "Because she's human, Seth. She's human and she has no idea what she's gotten herself into. She doesn't even know what I am."

Seth was quiet for a moment, processing. "And you told her?"

"I rejected her."

The car swerved again, harder this time. Seth pulled over to the side of the road and put the vehicle in park, turning to face me fully. "You did what?"

"I rejected her," I repeated, my voice hollow. "Told her she wasn't what I needed. Told her she was weak. That she couldn't be my mate."

Seth stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "Are you out of your fucking mind?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You felt that bond, didn't you? You felt it snap into place. That's not something you can just walk away from, Alexander. That's fate. That's the moon goddess herself telling you this is your person."

I clenched my fists, feeling my claws threatening to extend. "She's human, Seth. Do you understand what that means? She can't shift. She can't heal like we do. She can't defend herself against the enemies I have, the threats that come with being my mate. I'd be signing her death warrant."

"Or you'd be giving her a chance at something extraordinary," Seth countered. "You don't get to decide what she can or can't handle. That's her choice."

"She doesn't even understand what's happening! She looked at me like I was insane when I said the word 'mate.' Our world is still so strange to her."

Seth ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "Then you explain it to her. You don't just reject her and walk away like a coward."

The word 'coward' hit me like a physical blow, and my wolf snarled in response. "Watch yourself."

"No, you watch yourself," Seth shot back, unafraid. "I've known you for ten years, Alexander. I've seen you face down rival alphas, take on entire packs, make decisions that would break most men. But this? Running away from your mate because you're scared she might get hurt? That's the most cowardly thing I've ever seen you do."

I wanted to argue, to defend myself, but the words wouldn't come. Because deep down, I knew he was right.

"You don't understand," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper. "I saw her collapse, Seth. The moment I rejected her, she collapsed like I'd physically struck her. The bond... hurt her. And if just a rejection does that, what happens when she's caught in the crossfire of pack politics? What happens when my enemies find out about her and use her to get to me?"

Seth's expression softened slightly. "So you're saying you'd rather she suffer from the rejection than risk her getting hurt in your world?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." I pressed my palms against my eyes, feeling the weight of it all. "All I know is that I can't think straight. She's all I can think about. Her face, her voice, the way she looked at me with such hope before I crushed it."

"The bond won't let you forget her," Seth said quietly. "You know that, right? Rejected or not, she's still your mate. That connection doesn't just disappear because you want it to."

"I know," I admitted, hating how defeated I sounded.

Seth started the car again and pulled back onto the road. "Where does she work?"

"Club Imperium."

He nodded slowly. "And where are we going now?"

"Your place," I decided. "I need to clear my head. I need to think about anything other than her."

Seth glanced at me skeptically but didn't argue. "Alright. But Alexander? Running from this isn't going to work. The bond will only get stronger. And the longer you fight it, the more it's going to hurt. For both of you."

I didn't respond because I didn't have an answer. All I knew was that every mile we drove away from that hospital felt wrong. My wolf was clawing at me, demanding I turn around, that I go back and claim what was mine.

But I couldn't. I wouldn't.

For her sake, I had to stay away.

Alexander's POV

We arrived at Seth's apartment twenty minutes later. It was a sleek, modern space in the heart of the city. He grabbed two beers from the fridge and handed me one without a word.

I took a long drink, hoping the alcohol would dull the ache in my chest. It didn't.

"Tell me everything," Seth said, settling into the chair across from me. "From the beginning."

So I told him. About seeing Stella at the club, about the instant recognition, the pull. About how I'd approached her and felt the bond snap into place with such force it nearly brought me to my knees. About her confusion, her questions, and my rejection. About how she collapsed and I couldn't leave her there, how I'd brought her to the hospital and sat by her bed for hours, watching her breathe, feeling like the worst bastard alive.

Seth listened without interrupting, his expression growing more serious with each detail.

"She dreamed about you," he said when I finished. "Before she ever met you, she was dreaming about you."

"She said that, yes."

"That's not normal, even for mate bonds." Seth leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Usually the bond doesn't manifest until you meet in person. Dreams before meeting? That's... that's something else. Something stronger."

A chill ran down my spine. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe she's not as human as you think she is." Seth's eyes were sharp, calculating. "Or maybe the bond between you two is stronger than a typical mate bond. Either way, this isn't something you can just walk away from, Alexander. This is bigger than you, bigger than your fears."

I wanted to argue, but doubt crept in. What if he was right? What if there was more to Stella than I realized?

"It doesn't matter," I said, but the words felt hollow even to me. "I made my choice. I rejected her. It's done."

"Is it?" Seth asked. "Because from where I'm sitting, you're falling apart. And if you're this much of a mess, I can only imagine what she's going through right now."

The image of Stella lying unconscious on that hospital bed flashed through my mind, and guilt twisted in my gut. Seth was right. The rejection would be hurting her just as much, if not more.

"I don't know what to do," I admitted, and the confession felt like failure.

Seth stood and walked to the window, looking out over the city. "You have three options," he said finally. "One: you go back to her, apologize, and accept the bond. Help her understand what she is to you and what this world is. Two: you maintain the rejection but keep your distance, let her move on with her life while you suffer in silence. Three: you find a middle ground, watch over her from afar, protect her without claiming her, and hope that's enough."

"None of those are good options."

"No," Seth agreed, turning back to me. "They're not. But they're the only ones you have. Because like it or not, she's your mate. That's not going to change. The only question is what you're going to do about it."

I drained the rest of my beer, the weight of his words settling over me like a shroud. He was right. I couldn't escape this. I couldn't escape her.

The only question was whether I was brave enough to face what that meant.

"I need to think," I said finally.

Seth nodded. "Take all the time you need. But Alexander? Don't take too long, for both of you."

I stood to leave, but Seth's voice stopped me at the door.

"One more thing," he said. "If you decide you can't do this, if you really want to let her go... make sure it's for the right reasons. Not because you're scared. Fear is a terrible reason to lose the best thing that could ever happen to you."

I left without responding, but his words followed me all the way home.

Back in my apartment, the silence was deafening. I paced the floor, my wolf restless and angry, demanding I go to her. Every instinct I had screamed at me to return to the hospital, to reclaim what I'd rejected.

But I couldn't.

Could I?

I poured myself a drink, then another, trying to drown out the bond that pulled at me like a physical tether. But nothing worked. She was there, in every thought, in every breath.

I grabbed my keys. I needed to get out, needed to do something, anything to prove to myself that I could function without her. That the bond didn't control me. That I was still in control of my own damn life.

The club. I'd go back to Club Imperium. Maybe seeing where we met, where everything went wrong, would help me figure out what to do next.

Or maybe I was just a masochist.

Saturday morning was quiet at the club. The energy was different from Friday night, almost empty.

The moment I walked in, I felt her absence like a physical wound. She wasn't here. Of course she wasn't. She was probably still at the hospital, or at home recovering, hating me.

As she should.

I headed straight for the bar, needing something stronger than the beer I'd had at Seth's. That's when I saw a red-haired woman sitting alone with a drink. She looked up as I approached, her eyes lighting with interest.

"Rough night?" she asked, her voice smooth, inviting.

"Something like that," I muttered, signaling the bartender.

She shifted on her stool, angling her body toward me. "Want some company? You look like you could use it."

I should have said no. I should have finished my drink and left. But the bond was clawing at my insides, my wolf was howling for a mate I'd rejected, and I was desperate for anything that might shut it up for even five minutes.

"Sure," I said. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"Of course you can." She smiled sweetly, sliding closer.

We drank together, making small talk about nothing important. Light things. Surface things. She laughed at my half-hearted jokes, touched my arm, leaned in close enough that I could smell her perfume-something floral and cloying that made my wolf recoil.

Wrong. All wrong. Not our mate.

I ignored it and ordered another round.

From there, things happened fast. First we were talking over drinks and next we were in a room, her hands on my jeans..

She kissed me roughly and I kissed her back, trying to lose myself in the sensation.

But she wasn't Stella.

"You're tense," she murmured against my mouth, her hands working at my zipper. "Let me help you relax."

She freed my cock from my pants, Her hand wrapped around it, stroking with practiced efficiency, and I let my head fall back, closing my eyes.

But the moment I closed my eyes, all I saw was Stella. Her face in the hospital bed. The way she'd looked at me at the club before I rejected her.

"Fuck," I muttered.

"Mmm, yes," the redhead purred, misinterpreting. She dropped to her knees, taking me into her mouth.

The sensation felt good. Her mouth was wet, tongue skilled that should have had me hard on seconds. But my body wasn't just cooperating. My wolf was snarling, rejecting every touch that wasn't from our mate.

I tried. God, I tried. I gripped the back of her head, tried to focus on her mouth on my dick but my mind kept drifting to Stella.

My phone buzzed on the table, stopping us short as I grabbed the phone. A message from my grandmother: Come home, Alexander. We need to talk.

I exhaled, finally I could stop torturing myself to enjoy this.

I typed back: On my way.

"Sorry I have to leave." I said sharply, watching her pout.

I pulled out my wallet, threw some bills on the bed for her time and the insult. She snatched them up without a word, and I left the room before she could say anything else.

I had to brace myself for what was coming because I knew what my grandma wanted to discuss and it had everything to do with her.