Rejected again

Rejected again
The courtyard was silent after Nick’s footsteps faded into the shadows, save for the restless stir of wind that still circled Erin. She stood frozen, her fists clenched so tight that crescents of blood welled where her nails cut into her palms.

She had told him to go. She had been cruel—cold, sharp, heartless. And he had listened.

The moment the last trace of his scent vanished, Erin sank to her knees, the storm collapsing around her in a rush of air. Her chest heaved as the tears she’d held back finally broke free.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered into the stone, her voice breaking. “I’m sorry, Nick. I can’t—I can’t let you die for me.”

Every part of her rebelled against the words. Her wolf howled for him, her veins burned with the bond pulling her closer, yet Henry’s scroll still loomed in her mind. A cursed Alpha. A hybrid mate. Death the moment they claimed each other.

It was a prison she couldn’t break free from, so she built walls instead.

Above her, a faint clap echoed as Lena descended the staircase. The Demon Princess’s red gown trailed over the stone like flowing fire, her eyes glowing faintly in the dusk. She didn’t smirk this time. She didn’t tease. She simply walked over and crouched down beside Erin.

“You’re terrible at hiding what you feel,” Lena said softly, though her voice still held its sly undertone.

“Go away,” Erin choked out, swiping furiously at her eyes.

Lena tilted her head, crimson hair spilling over one shoulder. “You think being cruel protects him? That pushing him away makes him safer?” She gave a humorless chuckle. “Trust me, Erin, I know exactly what it means to shove someone out because you’re afraid they’ll be destroyed by being near you.”

Erin lifted her head, her tear-streaked face etched with raw pain. “What choice do I have? If he marks me—if we… if I let myself—he’ll die. I can’t carry that. I won’t.”

Lena’s gaze softened in a way Erin had rarely seen. She reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from Erin’s damp cheek with unexpected gentleness. “And yet, you’re already carrying it. Look at you.”

Erin bit her lip until it bled, shaking her head. “He deserves someone who isn’t cursed. Someone who won’t destroy him.”

Lena sighed, settling beside her on the ground. “You love him so much it’s eating you alive. That’s not weakness, Erin. That’s power. But you’re bleeding yourself dry pretending you don’t care.” She glanced up at the crimson sky. “I’ve worn that mask before. It doesn’t end well.”

Erin buried her face in her hands, her body trembling with the weight of all she held back. “It hurts, Lena. Every time I look at him, it feels like the bond is breaking me apart.”

For once, Lena didn’t tease. She simply placed a steady hand on Erin’s back, warmth seeping through the fabric of her training tunic.

“Then don’t carry it alone,” Lena said softly. “I can’t fix your curse, but I can keep you from shattering under it. Lean on me when you can’t lean on him.”

For a long time, Erin stayed silent, only her quiet sobs filling the space. Then, finally, she leaned into Lena’s side, letting the Demon Princess hold her while the storm inside her heart raged on.

Lena smirked faintly, but this time it wasn’t sharp—it was protective. “You wolves think you’re so strong on your own. But even storms need somewhere to land.”

Nick walked the jagged paths of the Demon Realm with fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened. The ash-laden air burned in his lungs, but it was nothing compared to the fire tearing through his chest.

Her words replayed again and again, sharper than any blade.
“You don’t belong with me.”
“Just go back, Nick.”

The wolf inside him snarled and howled, refusing to accept it, but Nick’s human heart… it was bleeding.

He had expected Erin to be afraid. He had expected her to lash out. But the coldness in her tone, the way she wouldn’t even look at him—it had carved a hollow in him so deep he feared nothing could fill it.

He stopped at a ledge, staring out over the Demon Realm’s twisted skyline. Red lightning arced across the clouds in the distance, and the fortress-spires of obsidian glowed faintly in the heat of the horizon. He’d broken through to this hell because his heart refused to stay away from her, because his curse be damned, Erin was his mate. His everything.

And she had turned him away.

Nick exhaled shakily, bracing his palms against the rough stone ledge. “Why, Erin?” he whispered into the wind. “Why can’t you just let me in?”

The wolf inside growled low, restless, pacing. Mate. Ours. She’s hurting. She’s lying.

Nick’s jaw tightened. His wolf was right. He’d seen the cracks in her mask—the tremor in her voice, the way her shoulders shook even as she stood tall. Erin was breaking inside, but she wouldn’t let him see.

She was pushing him away to protect him.

Nick’s heart ached with both fury and fierce love. She thought his curse made him fragile, doomed, a ticking clock. But he wasn’t some fragile thing she could shield. He was Alpha. Her Alpha.

And no curse, no prophecy, no lie could change that.

Nick turned his gaze upward, letting the red lightning illuminate his features. “You can try to shut me out, Erin,” he murmured, his voice low and resolute, “but I’ll tear down every wall you build. I’ll fight your storms, your fears, even your own heart if I have to. You’re mine, and I won’t let fear steal that from us.”

He straightened, resolve burning in his golden eyes. His wolf quieted, soothed by the fire of determination.

Nick wasn’t leaving this realm without her. He’d fight Lena if he had to, fight Alfonso, fight the entire Demon Council—whatever it took. Erin belonged at his side.

And if she couldn’t see it yet, then he would prove it to her.