7 days till Heartbreak
Day 1 - Sunday

Sunday - 9:00 am - 7 days until rejection finalizes

Willow hummed as she placed the kettle on the stove. There was just something about making tea from a kettle that made the drink taste better. A part of her wanted to go get coffee from the nearest cafe but it was her day off, and she just wanted to stay inside. As if on cue there was a noise coming from above a soft thudding against her roof. Rain. With a small grin she strode over to the back porch sliding glass door, pulling it open she breathed in.

The smell of cool crisp rain filled her senses and it was beautiful, especially because it was the perfect weather for sipping her drink in the dining room enjoying the cool breeze. A distant muffled knock sounded on her door and she turned, her brows furrowing, no one visited her out here, she was purposely put in the cabin closest to the human village and away from the pack. It bothered her at first but had grown fond of begin near the humans, they were welcoming and kind. She was also content with being far away from them.

Her heart thumping she moved towards the door as she got closer her wolf began to stir within her mind. A werewolf then, she placed a hand on the doorknob when her wolf began to whimper. _Somethings wrong_ came the whisper, her wolf on edge was a strange thing. Ever since the day of rejection her wolf had retreated whimpering at the wounds and howling at the fact that she was not good enough for her mate’s standards. She wondered if it was just patrol checking on her as they did once a month, but the last patrol came by a week ago so that did not make sense.

She pulled her door open, “Can I help you?” Her eyes made contact and she felt her body freeze as her wolf whined immediately putting up more walls to prevent her mate’s intrusion. She felt a nudge telling her his wolf had tried to enter her mind to greet her wolf. It was met with a mental block denying him access. Swallowing she looked at her mate who stood on her porch. Despite the rain dampening it, she could still smell his scent, chocolate, and raspberries. It was mouth-watering and made her want to go get that coffee she was thinking of earlier. His brown hair laying messy and slightly wet atop his head, his blue eyes looking at her with a glimmer she couldn’t recognize. Ignoring the pounding in her chest she lowered her head with respect. “Alpha, I did not expect you.”

He stayed silent for a moment, finally, he spoke his voice as heart-tugging as she remembered. “Can I come in?” He phrased it as a question but she had a feeling it wasn’t, he could very well come in no matter what but he was being polite. It was weird but she brushed it off and nodded “Come on in. Is something the matter, Alpha?” She kept her tone polite, as they moved further into the house. The kettle began to whistle loudly causing her to wince she saw him cringe behind her. “Do you want tea?” She asked as she traveled towards the kitchen removing the kettle from the stove and grabbing a cup from the cabinet. “No, thank you.”

Willow nodded and prepared her drink as she heard a small intake of breath. “I haven’t seen you at pack meetings.” She flushed “I was under the thought that I was permitted to miss them?” The decision had been made in their best interest after the rejection. She just couldn’t look at her fellow pack members, all of them knowing that they were mates, all of them knowing of his decision. “You are, I just didn’t realize you’d never come to them again.” His voice was soft and seemed to be a lot closer than before.

That’s when she felt it his breath on the back of her neck, she shivered turning around letting out a small squeak of surprise as she noticed how close he was. His hand lifted touching underneath her chin with his finger and resting his thumb under her lip. His touch brought electricity but it also bought pain. She felt like he was setting her on fire her wolf whining in the back of her head. How could a single touch feel so amazing yet so painful at the same time? “Alpha.” Her voice now a whisper, he began to lean in and Willow was now convinced this was a dream it was something she begged for had dreams about, him being here so close, almost kissing. In heaven.

However, those dreams ended a year ago. “This isn’t appropriate.” She needed to get away from him before something happened to embarrass her further. But she found herself trapped by those mesmerizing blue eyes, which were staring at her with such a softness she was almost convinced this was a dream. He spoke gently as if he was afraid she would run. “I needed to speak with you, that is why I have come today.” She tilted her head at him in confusion, his fingers remaining persistent on her face. “About what?” He uttered words that made her heart stop. “The mate bond. Our mate bond.”

“Oh.” It was all she could say, oh, what more did they need to speak about? Saturday would be the last day of their bond, The goddess had ensured them of that. They would be free to mate with other mate-less wolves who were not granted a mate or had their mates killed. It was a small pool of people but a pool nonetheless. “Did you replace another to take my place?” His eyes glowed and there was a flash of something in his eyes. “No. I have not, nor do I plan to.” She blinked up at him, “I wish for us to stop the separation of bonds.”

That did it before she knew what she was doing she had shoved him away the words felt like a whip upon her soul. No. No. He couldn’t he wouldn’t. Her breathing turned heavy, dream. She had to be dreaming yet she knew she was wide awake. Swallowing she moved far away from him into the corner of her kitchen. Placing a hand over her heart trying to ignore the shuddering it was doing. “We have 7 days until the bond is broken. And, and you choose now to say something?!” Her voice came out in disbelief she sensed him take a step towards her, Willow held up a hand silently asking for him to not come any closer. He respected her decision and let out a small sigh.

“I think, I think, that this is just your wolf talking. We are near the end the goddess warned us of this. You are simply feeling the effects of the bond ending, you will regret accepting me.” His voice interrupted her gently.

“Willow-”

“Alpha Drayn, with all due respect. We were warned of this, the goddess explained that we would get desperate the closer the day came. It is just a reaction to the bond ending. We have to stay strong, we only have a week left.”

It felt like poison dripping from her lips, how long had she waited to hear those words? How long had she wanted to be wanted? But he wasn’t here because he wanted her, he was here to ease the pain of the bond breaking. The very pain that caused her to scream at night, the same torture that made her sob until it was over. No. He wasn’t here to take her back because he cared about her, he was here to take her back to soothe his pain. If possible this stung worse then his cruel words during the rejection.

“What will happen after the bond breaks, Willow? Do you plan to stay here?” His question threw her off balance as she looked at him in surprise. “I.. Alpha Drayn, didn’t you get my papers?” He tensed up, “What?” Confusion filled her. “My papers, I filled them out to leave the pack? I did it when your father was Alpha. He agreed. After the bond is broken I leave to neutral territory.” She had been saving up for it these past three years. She had enough to cover transportation and had already purchased an apartment in the area. Her move-in date was next Monday.

Something changed in his demeanor and he let out a snarl. “I must go.” He stormed towards the back door which was still open, Alpha Drayn stopped for a brief second. “I will come to visit you tomorrow, we have a lot more to discuss.” “I work tomorrow.” She blurted it out before she could stop herself. His voice came out angry and strained. “Tuesday then.” “Okay.” She whispered, and he was gone a moment later leaving the door open.

~ Alpha Drayn POV ~

His wolf was angry, to say the least. That entire encounter and her wolf blocked him out, not wanting to face the one who thought her unworthy years ago. His body shook with such force as he bolted to the forest behind her house. Her, his mate he could still smell her scent lavender, she had looked beautiful, her black hair tied up in a messy bun. Her green eyes looking at him, with so many emotions in them it was hard to decipher.

A growl escaped his lips as he headed home, the trees rushing by. His father dare hide this from him? Not tell him his mate would leave him? She won’t be your mate much longer came the whisper inside him. His heart twisted, he had made a mistake years earlier, a terrible one. And he lived through the torture. It took him longer then he’d preferred to come to the conclusion how much he needed her. How much he craved her.

He reached his parent’s house shifting back into human form and throwing the door open. “Father!” His voice echoed throughout the home as he slammed the door behind him, the anger in his veins increasing with each moment. A moment later his parents appeared at the bottom of the steps, “Drayn? Is everything all right?” He ignored his mother, focusing solely on his father. “Why didn’t you tell me?” The demand in his tone was strong. “Why didn’t you tell me she was leaving?!”

His father had a look of understanding on his face, knowing where his son had gone it was rather easy to connect the dots, he placed a hand on his forehead sighing, “She came to me after it happened, right after, the girl was in tears. She asked to leave the pack, she didn’t want to stay and I didn’t see a reason-” “She is my mate.” He hissed out feeling his wolf come to the surface. His father straightened his back and narrowed his eyes. “You rejected her last I recall, which was plenty of reason to let her leave. I am surprised she is even still here. But she was insistent on waiting until the bond broke to leave.”

Drayn snarled at his father and ran his fingers through his hair. Did she go that quickly to him? She was ready to be rid of him that quickly? 7 days. He had 7 days to convince her to not give up on him, but a part of him felt as if she already has, and he would spend the rest of the week trying to get her to give him a chance. One that he would not fail at. He turned to leave the house, pausing in the doorframe as he remembered the last sentence of his father’s words. “You said she was insistent on not leaving until the bond was finished?” His father nodded. “Do you know why?” Blue eyes matching his own met his gaze. “I believe she was hoping you would change your mind.”