Weight of Rejection

Killian.

My house feels lonely. Maybe it was because it was always empty, but right now, my house looks like a pathetic and gloomy place. Sometimes I think that this house has always been such a haunting house because it never looks bright.

Grabbing my bag from the car, I slammed the car door and started walking to the front door of my house. It was already getting dark, probably because I went to the gym after school. Since the time spent exercising wasn't as much as I usually get during practice, I had to somehow make up for it.

As I fiddled with my keys, trying to find the right one, I glanced over at Elena's house. It was heartbreaking, knowing that she would not understand. Every time I looked at her face, I could feel the sadness she was feeling. She would never understand, and neither would my wolf, but it was for the best.

I couldn't sleep anymore. My nights were filled with a sense of tossing and turning as if my restless wolf was begging me to come back to my senses. Sometimes I even almost listened to him, as I walked downstairs and stopped in front of the door.

Turning around from her house, I let out a weary sigh and then walked towards my house and opened the door. Dan, my pet dog greeted me at the door, panting happily. Putting down my backpack, I knelt down and rubbed his fluffy fur. I let him lick my face, before walking into the living room.

The layout of the living room seemed simple. Upon walking into the room, there were stairs in front of you, and a hallway leading to the back of the house. On the left was the living room and a small office, and on the right was the kitchen and dining room. It was a big house, too big for one person.

I took off my coat and shoes, letting out a sigh while sitting on the couch. Dan instantly leaped onto my side and then snuggled up next to me.

We sat like that for a few minutes, before I decided to stand up and get a beer. Dan just sat and watched me getting up, leaving my comfortable seat that I knew would be abandoned as soon as I left.

My kitchen has a lot of windows, which overlook Elena's house. Usually, I keep those windows closed, as it seems like a strange invasion of privacy, but today they were open.

Her house was lit up like the light of fireworks. They had nice big windows, and I could see the light shining from all of them. Even the windows that had curtains were bright with the light behind them.

I grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened it as I looked at the house, curiosity overwhelming me. Taking a sip of the drink, I reached for the window and closed the curtains tightly, then turned around.

Walking back to the couch, I took a seat, patting the sleeping Dan. Before I could sit down, my doorbell rang. It was one of those cheerful doorbells, so it lasted quite a while.

Normally I would just let it ring, but I decided to be friendly. Sighing, I got to my feet and walked towards the door. When I opened it, I was surprised by what I saw.

There was Mrs. Brown, with her face looking flushed and full of worry. Meanwhile, her son stood beside her, Zayn, if I remember correctly. He resembled his father at a glance, tall with light brown skin and wavy hair.

As I traced down the direction of her arms, I easily could recognize that it was Elena, in spite of her face being slightly turned away. Her long hair covered her face, but when her hair was flicked back, she showed a look of pain on her face.

In that instant, my stomach twisted in fear that she would get hurt, and I immediately reached out, taking her from Zayn's arms. Despite that Zayn didn't want to, he somehow let me, and I held Elena to my chest. She let out a sigh of relief and tried to get closer, which caught me by surprise.

"She is in heat, and we are out of ice. Cold water doesn't even work anymore," Elena's mother said tearfully, while I held Elena in my arms, fully realizing what was wrong. Really, I had completely forgotten that it was the price of being rejected.

At that moment, Zayn looked at me curiously, before looking towards the stairs.

"Do you have any ice cubes?" He asked as if masking his curiosity, and I nodded, pointing towards the kitchen.

"I have a pack of ice in the freezer, just take as much as you want and I will put it in the bathtub," I told them and headed towards the stairs. Meanwhile, Elena's mom stayed downstairs and went into the kitchen with Zayn.

Running up the stairs, I hugged Elena tightly and headed for the bathroom. Once we were in the bathroom, I lowered her to the floor so I could turn on the bathtub.

It was not long before she moaned, shaking her head as she blindly stretched her arms out towards me. She was not completely conscious, but it seemed like her body was the one that had reacted.

"I'm sorry, Elena," I apologized as I laid her gently on the tiles, reaching for the faucet knob. She would have made a scathing comment if she could focus, but now she was just being quiet. Elena wrapped her arms around my legs. The only way to ease the heat is to be close to your mate so that the bond will start to recover.

Kneeling on the tiles, I let Elena cuddle me, which tried to ease the pain. Once her mother came, then I would leave, which meant she would be in even more pain. Elena was almost limp in my arms, all her movements slow.

We stayed like that for a while, before I heard Zayn's loud footsteps coming up the stairs. Then, I slowly pulled away from Elena, got to my feet, and headed off. Despite her protests.

"I have got the ice," Zayn said as he poured ice into the bathtub, not long after which Elena's mother came in, and poured a bowl full of ice. After that, her mother quickly shooed Zayn and me out of the way, closed the door behind us, and started to undress Elena.

I could hear Elena's cries from my bedroom, and as her cries became more and more intense, my chest started to feel tight. With a sigh, I left my room and walked downstairs.

Dan was still fast asleep on the couch, snoring softly. Rubbing my face sleepily, I sat down on the couch and grabbed a beer. Later Zayn joined me by taking a seat nearby.

We sat together in utter silence, with our minds filled with all sorts of thoughts. He looked up at me, a brooding expression on his face.

"She is your mate, isn't she?" He blurted out finally, and I froze in my tracks. Elena didn't tell him that, I knew. He had just come to a conclusion, I guess.

Taking a sip of beer, I remained silent, trying to think of an answer. Should I say, Yes, I'm sorry I broke your sister's heart?

He looked impatient, so I just simply decided to nod, looking away from him. The air in the room felt even hotter as he grew angrier.

"You don't understand," I said, trying to calm him down, carefully setting down my drink. His eyes seemed to be starting to change color, a sign that the wolf inside him was starting to come out. Even if he has strong alpha blood, somehow, I could easily take him down. And yet, I had no desire to come to that, because I knew I must not make myself even more disliked by Elena.

"What don't I not understand? You are clearly rejecting my sister from the one thing she has always wanted!" He growled, then he got to his feet. So I also get to my feet, raising my hands up in the air.

"Look, it was for the best," I told him, walking into the kitchen. He followed me, tugging my shoulders back as we reached the hallway.

"What do you mean?" His hands tightened on my shoulders, but I didn't let go.

"What's best for your sister, is not me," I answered simply, and I felt his grip loosen. It seemed like I was finally starting to get through to him.

"Do you get what you have done to her?" He said quietly, looking towards the stairs. Elena was probably still in the bathtub, in pain.

I sighed, rubbing my face. I knew more than they both did. "I know."

We both sat in silence. He had calmed down, his wolf under control. I knew he would always be upset, but he also wanted Elena to be safe. If that meant not being with me, then he would take that chance.

The atmosphere changed, and all the negative energy disappeared. I turned my back on Zayn and went to the kitchen, looking for a glass. After pouring some water into it, I left Zayn and walked upstairs to my room.

The bathroom door was still closed, but I could still hear Mrs. Brown's voice soothing Elena. There was a loud gurgling sound as Mrs. Brown pulled Elena from the bathtub.

While walking to the drawers, I pulled out one of my clothes to put on Elena. I guess Mrs. Brown could tell by the state of her underwear...

I knocked on the bathroom door, and once Mrs. Brown's face met mine, I handed her the shirt. She thanked me, before slamming the door in my face. As I backed away, I made my way back downstairs, heading straight for the couch once again.

This time Zayn was playing with his phone, not paying attention to me. We sat in silence for a few minutes, before soft footsteps drew our attention to the stairs.

"Elena's asleep, I put her in your bed, I hope you don't mind," Mrs. Brown said, almost embarrassed.

"That's fine, she can stay there tonight," I said, and I could hear Zayn's disapproving grunts from the corner of the room. Mrs. Brown smiled as she said thank you, and went over to her son, hugging him.

"You can stay in the guest room overnight if you like," I told them, looking at their tired faces. Mrs. Brown readily accepted the offer, while Zayn said that he would be back to his home.

After I showed Mrs. Brown the guest room, I walked back to my room, opening the door as quietly as possible. Elena was fast asleep, her chest rising and falling every second.

I pulled out a chair to sit beside her, tucking the blanket around her before sitting down. She looked so peaceful in her sleep as if nothing had just happened.

There was a seed of grief brewing in my gut as I watched her scoot. As I approached, I brushed her hair away from her face, to get a better look.

If only she knew how much pain I was in. I wish she knew that I was not some bastard who would not care about her.

I rejected her because I care about her. I didn't want anything to happen to her. I wasn't good enough for her.

My hand fell to her side on the bed, near her stomach. As time passed, I started to feel tired, my eyelids started to close as I tried to get myself up.

In no time, I could no longer stay awake anymore, and I fell into a deep sleep by her side.