Rejected (Werewolf Levi x Witch Reader Soulmate AU)

Chapter 4: Levi

Even though Levi had resolved to reject the bond, one might have said that he was dragging his feet about it. The bond had to be rejected verbally and in-person, and Levi was using the excuse that he never crossed paths with the witch, given that she lived in the next town over. He told himself that he was too busy to make the trip, that he would simply wait until the next time she flew in to buy herbs.

In the week following their encounter, Levi felt more alone than ever. The wolf inside him whimpered almost non-stop, begging him not to reject his mate. But Levi couldn't give in to instinct now – he had made his choice. He had to follow through, for the good of the pack.

He had been more on-edge than usual, and today was no exception. He snapped at the guards who were patrolling the northern perimeter, and strangely, their meek obedience only made him feel more frustrated. Except for Erwin, Mike, and their mates, everyone in the pack always tripped over themselves to follow his orders, clearly terrified that he would beat them into the ground if they didn't. No one ever challenged him, or even replied with a snappy remark. This might seem like every Beta's goal – to have such unwavering obedience from his subordinates – but to Levi, it was getting rather old. And it was isolating, because everyone was too frightened to get to know him – except for the more ambitious females, who only wanted him for his strength and not who he was as a person.

A mate had been his one chance at changing things. But even that – the most sacred of relationships – was denied to him. And it was only a matter of time before he made that rift official.

While he was returning from the northern perimeter, Levi picked up her scent – sooner than he was expecting, and sooner than he was prepared for. The instant that the pleasant aroma of lavender caressed his senses, his heart leapt in his chest. She was here. His mate. His mate.

But once he reminded himself of what he had to do, his heart plummeted into his stomach. It didn't matter, though. It was for the best. And as Levi continued to the edge of town, he kept reminding himself of how much he cherished his position as Beta, how much he cared for the pack. He had to do this. He had to.

Once he was close enough, he shifted and dressed in his human clothes. Just as he finished pulling his shirt over his head, his keen ears picked up on the far-away sound of the herb shop's doorbell. And there was that scent again – growing stronger. The witch was coming this way, to leave under the cover of the trees, as she had promised the shopkeeper last time.

The whimpering of his instincts seemed to grow louder – begging him not to do this. Levi shoved them back down, but his hard-won control was difficult to maintain. He just had to get it over with fast, like ripping off a bandage.

But, by the stars, the witch was slow. It seemed to take forever for her to reach the seclusion of the forest. Objectively, she was probably walking at a normal pace, but every second that she took was another second that Levi had to battle with his instincts.

For the pack, he told himself, appealing to the only other impulse that might be strong enough to get him through this. The pack. The pack. The pack.

After what seemed like ages, she stepped around a tree, coming into his view. She was alone – apparently having left her familiar at home this time. All the better, as Levi didn't want an audience, especially a prissy feline one.

"Oh!" she gasped, surprised but not at all frightened. "Hello again!"

Levi knew what he had to do, but his tongue felt as heavy as lead in his mouth. He growled in frustration – a growl audible to the witch, whose brows drew together.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.

Levi nearly laughed at her stupidity. Here she was, confronted with a growling werewolf, and yet, her only concern was for him?

But...she was concerned for him. His mate was concerned for him, without even knowing about their bond. By the stars, she must have been a kind person.

In that moment, Levi's mind filled with a perfect image of how things could be. He would tell her everything, lay all his worries at her feet. And she wouldn't balk, or laugh, or think him weak. Instead, she would open her arms to him. She would hold him close, run her fingers through his hair, and whisper soothing words that made him forget why he was even upset to begin with. She would be his safe space, his home in the form of a person. All he had to do was accept the bond.

But he couldn't.

Just say it! he commanded himself, gritting his teeth with the effort. He took a deep breath, gathering strength. At last, he forced himself to look her in the eyes and declare, "I, Beta Levi Ackerman, reject you as my mate."

The witch's confused blink was her only reaction. She didn't appear to be in pain, or even to understand what had just occurred. Meanwhile, Levi felt an unyielding ache in his chest, as if his heart had physically snapped in two. He could barely manage to keep his expression blank, to act like he was still strong and in-control.

He had to get out of there.

He made himself walk – walk, not run, because running would convey that he was distressed – out of the forest. He was so focused on not screaming in agony that he barely registered where he was putting his feet. Because of that, he rammed into the witch's shoulder rather roughly on his way out.

"Hey!" she called after him, clearly perturbed. "Look, I said I was sorry for running into you last time! You don't have to act like a jerk about it!"

If Levi had been able to process her words, he would have realized that this was the first time in decades that anyone other than Erwin had dared to scold him. But he couldn't think right now. All he could do was walk, and pretend like everything was normal. He was the Beta, after all. He could not show weakness, not to anyone, and certainly not now.

Somehow, he managed to make it back to his mansion without alerting any of the other werewolves to his misery. It would have been easier to shift into wolf form and run through the forest rather than walking through the town, but Levi knew that if he changed now, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from racing to the witch and taking it all back. The wolf inside him was crying.

For once, he was glad that his house was empty, glad that no one was around to see or hear. He shut himself in his bedroom and sank into the farthest corner – but not before grabbing a pillow. He needed something to muffle his screams with.

And by the stars, he screamed. He screamed until he lost his voice, until his throat was raw and burning. Even then, the screaming didn't stop – it just turned silent. The agony of his soul still needed to come out, even if it physically tore him apart in the process.

Finally, in the dark, early hours of the morning, the pain had diminished to something manageable. By then, Levi was utterly exhausted, in both body and soul. He just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep – sleep so long that he never woke up. However, he didn't even have the strength to pull himself up onto the mattress, so he collapsed on the floor.

But she was still there, in his mind. The brightness of her eyes. The smoothness of her skin. The curl of her smile. Even now, even after enduring the utter torture of rejecting the bond, he couldn't get her out of his head.

As he lay there, hurting and completely drained, a single tear slipped down his cheek.

The pack, he reminded himself wearily. I did this for the pack. It's my duty. Beta. Protect the pack.

At long last, those wispy, broken thoughts caused the lingering remnants of the witch to disappear. And Levi finally slipped into the sanctuary of oblivion.