Cruel rejection

Selina’s POV

I should’ve known better. The icy night air bit into my skin as I crossed the courtyard, the gravel crunching beneath my boots. My fingers clutched my phone so tightly that the plastic casing dug into my palm. The words on the screen were burned into my mind.

“Meet me in the courtyard. We need to talk.”

I’d been waiting for those words for days, desperate for an explanation, some reassurance that the distance between us was nothing but paranoia. That the man I’d given my heart, soul, and body to wasn’t about to shatter me.

But deep down, my instincts screamed otherwise.

Everything about Lucas had changed. The coldness in his gaze, the restless energy coiled beneath his arrogant composure, and the clipped tones of his voice whenever we spoke. And then there were the rumours. Nasty little whispers slithered through the pack about how the future Alpha of the Blackwood Pack was expected to mate with someone of power and prestige. Someone worthy of his name.

I’d ignored them, clinging to the intensity of our bond because Lucas was mine. I’d felt it in my bones, in the savage way his lips claimed mine, the possessive growl in his throat when he’d pull me close like he couldn’t bear to be without me.

But now…

I stopped in the middle of the courtyard, breathless, my chest tight with a mix of anxiety and hope. Shadows stretched across the stone pathways, the silence too heavy, too oppressive.

“Lucas?” My voice echoed in the darkness, sharp and trembling.

He emerged from the shadows like a nightmare given form. All dark, predatory grace and icy command. His suit was tailored to perfection, the kind of luxury that reeked of power. And his expression… cold, detached, so unlike the man I’d once known.

“What’s going on?” I forced my voice to remain steady, even as panic twisted my insides. “You’ve been avoiding me for days. If something’s wrong, just tell me.”

His gaze swept over me, a flicker of something raw and pained flashing in his eyes before it was smothered by iron resolve.

“Selina, this—” he gestured between us, his voice low and hard. “—was a mistake.”

It felt like the ground split open beneath me. My mouth went dry, my heart hammering painfully against my ribcage. “What… what are you talking about?”

He clenched his jaw, eyes as cold as the night itself. “I should’ve ended this sooner. I can’t… I won’t be with you.”

The words crashed over me like a tsunami, each syllable sharp enough to bleed. “Why?” My voice cracked, the single word a desperate, wounded plea. “Lucas, we’re—”

“Mates?” he cut me off, his laugh cruel and jagged. “You think that matters? You were a distraction, Selina. A reckless indulgence I should’ve never allowed myself. My father made that very clear.”

My breath hitched. “Your father?”

“Yes. And the pack. The elders. Everyone who actually understands what it means to be Alpha. You think I can throw everything away for some… childish obsession?”

Obsession. That’s what he called it. The nights spent tangled in each other’s arms. The confessions whispered in the dark. The promises I stupidly believed.

I lifted my chin, refusing to let him see me break. “You’re lying.”

His eyes narrowed, the hardness returning. “No, Selina. I’m choosing my duty over a pathetic fling.”

The words were knives, cutting me to pieces, my soul shredded under the weight of his betrayal. My wolf howled in agony, the bond between us straining until it threatened to snap.

I took a shaky step back, the air thick and burning in my lungs. “So that’s it? You’re just throwing me away because some power-hungry old men think I’m not good enough?”

His silence was the worst betrayal of all.

“Get out of here, Selina.” His voice was as cold as his eyes. “And don’t ever come back.”

“Did you lie about your feelings for me, too? Why? Why did you make me believe you loved me? You took my virginity, and that meant nothing to you?”

“I wanted to see what it felt like,” he snaps, eyes blazing with mockery. “What it felt like to be with a mate. The pull, the pleasure. But you? As my Luna?” He laughs, a harsh, grating sound that rips through me. “You’re not fit to stand by my side. You never were.”

The world spins, my breath torn from me by the brutality of his words. “So… I meant nothing to you?”

“Less than nothing,” he growls, his gaze locked on mine, daring me to break. “Just a distraction. A curiosity. That’s all.”

Tears blur my vision, but I refuse to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of these people. “You’re lying.” The words tremble as they leave me, but the fire in me refuses to die. “You cared. I felt it.”

His eyes narrow, his hands clenching into fists. And then he steps forward, grabbing my arm and shoving me backward with enough force to send me stumbling. “Get it through your head, Selina,” he spits. “Whatever you thought we had was never there; it was all in your head. Get out, leave this pack and never come back.” 

I stared at him, my chest aching as if my heart had been ripped from my body. I wanted to scream, to rage, to claw my way through his defenses until he admitted this was all some twisted lie. 

But I saw it in his eyes. The truth. He was pushing me away. For good. The elders started laughing with approval. Their laughter echoed in my ears, and it felt like someone had just twisted a dagger in my heart.

The pain was blinding, but pride was a merciless shield. Without another word, I turned and walked away, my footsteps echoing through the courtyard like a death march.

I didn’t dare look back.