
Bittersweet Rejection
jamjessica20 · Ongoing · 67.3k Words
Introduction
I pulled away. "You have a wife."
He didn't listen. He cornered me in the garden, forced his lips on mine, and hissed, "Kiss me back."
I bit him until I tasted blood.
Then a dark shadow ripped him off me. Alpha Casper Lyall—the grumpy widower with the adorable five-year-old son who asked me, "Why were you crying?"
I told the truth. "I miss my mate."
Now the wrong Alpha wants me back, my family thinks I'm broken, and the only man who stepped up to protect me is the one with a permanent frown. But when he handed me his jacket and said, "I'm happy to extend my protection," I felt something I thought was dead.
My wolf.
Chapter 1
I sit and look at the two suitcases on my bed.
I contemplate zipping them up or just folding all the clothes back into my closet.
I can’t go back… not to their pitiful gazes and the possibility of seeing him again. He should be there since he’s an Alpha now.
“Oh God, I can’t do this,” I mutter.
My family may have no problem coming to see me, but I can’t go there. It’s been far too long, but Father requires all his children by his side, and I’ve been avoiding this for four years. Besides, I limited all forms of communication and visits from my family for over a year to avoid this conversation, but somehow I was convinced.
The Summer Alpha Gala week is going to begin tonight, and I don’t think I could put up an indifferent front if I see him today. I can’t put on a smile, as expected of me, while he parades around with his mate.
I have everything packed, and I stare at the suitcase lids, trying to find the courage to zip them up and haul the suitcases downstairs. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before exhaling the doubt away.
I go over to my bed and hurriedly zip up the suitcases before I change my mind, sealing my fate. I pick up my red handbag and then drag the suitcases out of my room, down the stairs, and out of my apartment. I enter the elevator with the bags and push the button for the ground floor.
“The driver is waiting, Miss Adalwolf,” the doorman says as I walk out of the elevator.
I just nod at him, trying and failing to drag my suitcase behind me, and he stops me.
“Let me.”
“Thank you,” I mutter and walk ahead.
I need to keep myself busy, so I just play with my fingers. I am nervous as hell—screw it, nervous is an understatement. I was scared, nervous, doubtful, and just plain unsure. Was I going to get through this okay?
Another doorman opens the door for me, and I step out, exposed to the sun and the mildly humid breeze. I see the black BMW that’s meant to pick me up.
I walk down the short flight of stairs towards it as the driver steps out immediately.
“Good to see you again, Miss Adalwolf,” he acknowledges as he opens the door for me.
“How are you, Derek?” I ask and smile at him.
“I’m doing great, miss.”
I murmur out a thank you, and he simply replies with a soft-spoken “you’re welcome” as he shuts the door after I enter the car.
The doorman with my suitcase comes out of the building, and Derek opens the boot of the car and eases my suitcases into it.
Derek shuts the boot and enters the car, and soon we’re zooming off.
“How are the preparations for the SAG?”
“They’re going really well. The castle is looking beautiful.”
I smile.
“And my sisters?”
“You know your sisters,” he breathes out a laugh. “Your mother is adamant on Faye wearing a dress as usual. Quinn is taking care of the palace while Faye and your mother are constantly fighting.”
I chuckle at the last bit.
My heart squeezes at the mention of my sisters, and I manage to squeeze out the last question.
“And Noel?”
“He found his mate last year. Alia. A very nice redhead that can control your strong-headed brother,” he chuckles softly.
I smile and try not to let tears fall. I didn’t even contact my twin brother. What kind of person am I? And all they’ve ever done is look out for me.
My family was so beautiful before I moved, and hopefully, it still is. Noel was the first, and he was the best big brother anyone could ask for growing up, even though we were the same age. Faye, the tomboy and wild child of the family who hated dresses and who I loved pranking people with, and finally my youngest sister, the last sweet child, Quinn. She was the most respectful, the sweetest, and the most innocent. We all protected her when she was little, and she was—is—the baby of the house, no matter how much she protests.
But they would all be grown up now. Twenty-four doesn’t suit me, so I wonder how it’ll suit Noel, and I can’t imagine how huge he’d look. I’m sure Faye is quite the troublemaker at nineteen, and I can’t believe baby Quinn will be eighteen in a few months.
“Everyone misses you,” Derek says out of nowhere.
I just nod because I know, and I’ve missed them too.
“And we were all so sad that you stayed away for four years. We hope you stay longer this time,” he continues.
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need for that because everyone is so happy about your arrival. The castle may be preparing for the upcoming celebration of the SAG, but you are the main reason for the festivities.”
He gives me a reassuring smile from the rearview mirror.
After a ride of over six hours, we finally go through the gates of the Adalwolf castle.
The car stops in front of the castle, and I look at it through the window. Derek steps out.
I’m scared to step out. Even though Derek said they were so happy that I was coming, I just can’t help but wonder if they hated me or were at least pissed at me.
Derek opens my door and holds out a hand for me with a reassuring smile. I hesitantly take his hand.
Immediately I step out, I hear my name.
I turn around, and I see only gold before the air is knocked out of me as I stumble a bit.
“We missed you,” Faye mutters.
“So very much,” Quinn continues.
I hug them back, ignoring the fact that I can hardly breathe, and this encourages them because they hug tighter.
“Can’t breathe,” I manage to wheeze.
They pull back, and I’m met with two blondes giving me bright smiles.
They look so different but also the same as when I left them. I feel my heart squeeze at the thought of missing them for four years.
“I didn’t expect you to come, Odetta,” Quinn says.
“Neither did I,” I admit, and I can’t help it, the tears start to fall.
“I missed you so much. I’m so sorry.”
I hug both of them as my voice cracks.
They hug me back, and when we pull away, Quinn’s blue eyes are filled with tears while Faye is smiling at me.
“Odetta, my baby, my goodness,” my mum shrieks as she runs down the stairs and flings herself at me.
I hug her back. “Hi, Mom,” I mutter.
She strokes my head, and I want to cry because I’ve missed the feeling. “I missed you so much. Why didn’t you call? We didn’t want to bother you,” she says as she pulls back.
Her brown hair is in a bun, and her brown eyes are teary. Her eyes crinkle, showing her age, as she pulls her lips into a small smile.
She holds my cheeks in her hands. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing well. I missed you,” I whisper.
“Oh, my baby,” she exclaims and hugs me again.
I ignore the fact that she’s blocking my airflow, and I inhale her sweet, homey scent.
“Let me have a go at my daughter, Kat,” I hear my dad’s booming voice before I see him.
Mum reluctantly lets go as my dad sweeps me into a hug. He lifts me up a bit and spins me lightly.
“Dad, I’m twenty-four,” I groan while lightly laughing.
“Fuck being twenty-four. You’re still my sweet little girl,” he exclaims.
“Ben, language,” my mother scolds, but there’s no heat to her words.
He places me on my feet and pulls away, inspecting me before pulling me into another bone-crushing hug.
“How are you doing?” he asks, wiping away my tears.
“Um—good, I guess. I—I’m just so happy to be here,” I say, trying not to cry anymore.
My father is a tall man with piercing blue eyes that could strike fear even in the toughest of men, but those eyes soften at my words.
“Odetta, meet Alia,” Mum says eagerly as I meet the redhead Derek was talking about earlier. Mum gives her a light push in my direction as she introduces her.
“I see you’re the fiery mate keeping my brother in check,” I smile at her, and she smiles back. I’m sure she was trying to pick her words, which is understandable because we haven’t met before.
“You wouldn’t believe how respectful and obedient Noel has gotten,” my mother giggles.
“I’m Odetta,” I say, and she surprises me with a hug. She must have been holding that one in.
“Noel talks about you all the time—well, everybody does, and I’m so happy to finally meet you.”
“Thank you,” I say and smile again.
“I can’t wait till Noel sees you. He’ll be so happy,” she gushes.
“Where is he, by the way?” I ask, trying to crane my neck behind her.
As if on cue, I see him.
I’m about to walk—screw it, run—into his arms when he holds up a hand, halting my movements.
I look up and meet his steely gaze. They don’t soften or let up when they meet mine, and I know he’s not so happy to see me.
Last Chapters
#43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43
Last Updated: 9/17/2026#42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42
Last Updated: 9/7/2026#41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41
Last Updated: 8/24/2026#40 Chapter 40 Chapter 40
Last Updated: 8/3/2026#39 Chapter 39 Chapter 39
Last Updated: 7/16/2026#38 Chapter 38 Chapter 38
Last Updated: 7/7/2026#37 Chapter 37 Chapter 37
Last Updated: 7/7/2026#36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36
Last Updated: 7/7/2026#35 Chapter 35 Chapter 35
Last Updated: 7/7/2026#34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34
Last Updated: 7/7/2026
You Might Like 😍
Chosen By The Lycan King
“Burn those who burned me!”
Burn those who burned me is an anthology book circulated on truth; justice; and REVENGE!
Story #1 The Ballad of Rabena Price.
Story #2 The rebirth of Clara Granger
Story #3 The violin of Graceland Teague
Story #4 The list for Josie Taylor
Story #5 COMING SOON!
The Billoniare's Fake Husband
Quin is wealthy, controlling, and desperate to keep his inheritance, so he offers Tyler a deal: stay married until he clicks thirty and get paid. Tyler doesn’t trust him, but he needs the money Quin was offering, so he agrees.
What starts as a fake marriage soon turns into something messy and real. Feelings begin to get involved and walls start to crack. Suddenly Tyler is risking his heart for a man he swore to hate.
Now, with secrets coming out and time running out, they both have to decide—is this just a mistake… or something worth fighting for?
Tango with the Alpha's Heart
“He met her at the Alpha training camp,” he said. “She is a perfect suitor for him. It snowed last night, indicating that his wolf is happy with his choice.”
My heart sank, and tears made their way down my cheeks.
Alexander took my innocence last night, and now he is taking that thing in his office as his Luna.
Emily became the laughingstock of the pack on her 18th birthday and never expected the Alpha's son to be her mate.
After a night of passionate love, Emily finds out that her mate has taken a chosen mate. Heartbroken and humiliated, she disappears from the pack.
Now, five years later, Emily is a respected high-ranking warrior in King Alpha’s army.
When her best friend invites her to a night of music and laughter, she never expects to run into her mate.
Will her mate figure out it is her?
Will he chase after her, and most of all, will Emily be able to keep her secrets safe?
The Unbreakable Oath
The Vampire King's Feeder
Emory: I was born to be the Alpha of my pack, my father's first born daughter. But now... I am here, in the castle of our greatest enemy, the Vampire King. I should hate Kane Alexander, but the more time I spend with him, the more I long for him in ways I cannot understand. I am not here to be his lover, though. I am here to be his feeder. But even before his lips graze my skin the first time, I know I would give myself to him in every way imaginable if only he should ask. Kane: I long to taste the wolf shifter, but not her blood, her body... her essence. I want her in every way imaginable. But I'm already betrothed to marry another blood-born vampire, and if I call that off, I have resigned my kingdom to yet another war. There has to be a way to keep Emory Moonraker as my feeder but not claim her in my bed. I just haven't figured it out yet, and every time I look into her jade eyes, I forget everything and everyone but her. But I have enemies, and every moment she spends here in my home, Castle Graystone, she's in danger.
Tempted By The Enemy
She escapes to Preston Island to attend the wedding without informing him only to collide with Lucas’s hot, fiery and arrogant brother, the twenty-three-year-old, Nicholas Donnelly. Sparks immediately fly between them but Alyssa refuses to acknowledge them fearing her brother's wrath.
The wedding is over and Alyssa tries hard to forget the mysterious Nicholas Donnelly but can he forget her? Can he ignore the attraction he feels for her, feelings that have resurfaced after ten years?
What will Allyssa do when she is stalked by the man who has been invading her dreams since the day she met him? What will she do when she is whisked away to a deserted island by the unpredictable Nicholas Donnelly? Can she tame her heart or surrender to sinful temptations? Read to find out!
Part of the Temptation Series. Can be read as a standalone.
The Family Books 1-3 (A Mafia romance)
The saint to my sinner. with her innocent eyes and devilish curves.
A Madonna that was meant to be admired but never touched.
Until someone took that innocence from her.
She left.
The darkness in my heart was finally complete.
I avenged her, I killed for her, but she never came back.
Until I saw her again. An angel dancing around a pole for money.
She didn’t know I owned that club. She didn’t know I was watching.
This time I won’t let her escape.
I will make her back into the girl I knew.
Whether she likes it or not.
2/ Judge and Jury- I can’t stop watching her.
I’m not even sure I want to.
Taylor Lawson, blonde, beautiful, and totally oblivious to how much dangers she’s in.
She’s also the one juror in my upcoming murder trial that hasn’t been bought.
The one who can put me behind bars for a very long time.
I know I should execute her.
After all that’s what I do.
I am the Judge.
I eliminate threats to The Family.
And Taylor is a threat.
But I don’t want to kill her.
Possessing her, making her love me seems like a much better plan for this particular Juror.
3/ Rags and Ritches-
Offside Temptation
Ethan Ryder was a disaster waiting to happen. Hot-headed, reckless, and constantly one bad decision away from ruining his career. I was supposed to hate him. Instead, I memorized him. I learned exactly how to push his buttons on the ice just to see the fire in his eyes.
When he grabbed my jersey in that locker room and kissed me in front of twenty cameras, it wasn't a mistake. It was the moment the line between hatred and obsession finally snapped. The media called it a scandal. They called us a divorced couple. But they didn't see the way Ethan trembled when I cornered him in the hallway afterward.
"You're staring again," he whispered, his back hitting the wall.
"You're still here," I replied calmly, stepping close enough to feel his erratic pulse.
He thought I was cold. He thought I was controlled. He didn't realize that every time he looked at me, I was fighting the urge to completely destroy the distance between us.
Now, the league is forcing us to live together, train together, and smile for the cameras to fix our public image. But the more time we spend alone in my apartment, the harder it is to pretend I just want to play hockey...
The Billionaire's Mask (A Dark Steamy Romance)
Bella and Her Beast
.
Locked in her frozen tower, Bella dreamed of warmth, of touch, of freedom and of love. Cursed with the power of ice and snow, she’s spent her life alone. A secret they tried to protect the world from. Her only escape comes in the form of the books she reads. Stories of heat, desire, and the kind of love that could melt even her frostbitten heart.
Damien is the Beast. A dragon King with a temper forged in flame and a soul hollowed by duty. The world fears him. The people call him a monster. But beneath the scales and the rage lies a man who has never been touched by love.
When frost meets fire, the world shatters. She was never meant to leave her tower. He was never meant to find her. But destiny doesn’t bow to kings or care for cages and now the question burns through them both: Can Bella have her Beast? Or will the girl of snow melt in the heat of his desire?
.
"I’m keeping her."
"What?"
Before I can react, he scoops her up. Her small body fits easily in the cradle of his talons. For a split second, she looks startled, but not afraid. Her hand rests against one scaled finger, and she stares up at him with that same curious wonder, as though she’s already forgotten she was ever meant to fear me.
"Put her down," I try to command, panic threading through my thoughts. "You’ll hurt her."
"She’s ours," the beast insists, possessive and fierce. "Our snowflake."











