Chapter 3

•MALLORY•

“Good evening, Alpha, Luna. We saw Sonia arrive and summon Ace. What’s the matter?” Ace’s father, Beta Andrew, asked, and my father looked at his Beta and sighed.

“Mallory accused Ace of sleeping with her in her room. Is that true, Ace?” my father demanded, and Ace’s parents gasped.

“What? Ace, tell me it’s not true,” his mother, Lady Fiona, asked him.

Ace looked away from his parents, his fists clenched as he stared at me.

“Say something, Ace, and know that you cannot lie to Alpha Bruce. Did you touch Mallory? You know she’s a useless she‑wolf. She has no wolf, no scent, and seems like an ordinary human. How can you mate with a curse like her?” Ace’s father questioned him, and my fists clenched.

“I am not a curse!” I screamed, hating it whenever they called me that.

“Shut up, Mallory! You killed your mother! Because of you, ex‑Luna Comfort died on the hospital bed. What else do you want to do? Ruin our pack and my son’s life?” Beta Andrew snarled at me as he glared down at me.

“I did not kill my mother. I did not ask to be born without a wolf or to be different from others. I never asked for any of it. I did not ask Ace to come into my room. I am not the one who created myself but the result of what my father gave my mother!” I screamed and cried, and Beta Andrew lunged to attack me where I knelt, but my father stopped him.

“That’s enough, Andrew. It’s not Mallory’s fault that she was born differently, but what I want to know tonight is if Ace is the man who mated with my daughter,” my father demanded, his voice stern, and the large hall fell silent as all eyes shifted to Ace.

Ace lowered his gaze and replied, “Yes, Alpha.”

“What?” Everyone in the hall gasped, including the guards who respected Ace, and they looked at him with disappointment.

I felt sorry for Ace, because of me, he was going to be banished or lose his future position as our next Alpha.

“Why, Ace?” his mother asked him tearfully. “Among all the beautiful she‑wolves in our pack, why would you choose to sleep with Mallory? Why?” she sobbed, rushing to grab Ace by his shirt.

“Why, Ace? Why would you do this? I thought you loved me?” Sonia sobbed, clutching her mother for support as tears poured from her eyes.

Ace lowered his head and confessed, “Mallory is my mate and I cannot resist her. Forgive me, Alpha Bruce. But if you want me to reject her, I will do it. Please forgive me. I cannot fight the mating bond between us. Please…”

Ace dropped to his knees before my father, who stood there silently, looking at us.

“Ace…” my father hissed, his voice filled with anger and disappointment.

“You disappointed me. Why didn’t you reject Mallory when you found out she was your mate? How can you be attracted to her when she has no scent or wolf?” my father asked Ace angrily, and everyone watched him, waiting for his answer.

Ace lowered his head and replied, “I blame the Moon Goddess, Alpha Bruce. Mallory is beautiful in my eyes and she scents like jasmine. I don’t know why others cannot perceive her scent, but she has a lovely scent and I can smell her.”

“Shut up!” my father thundered, his cold voice booming through the grand foyer.

“I see that you are beginning to lose yourself because of Mallory. I will overlook your sins for tonight because you have proven your worth, that you can lead this pack well, and you have never been defeated in any battle. But you must reject Mallory as your mate. I will not have you mated to my first daughter, and Mallory shall be expelled from this pack. Fail to do so, and you will be expelled with her, as I cannot risk putting all our pack members’ lives in danger,” my father concluded, and tears welled in my eyes.

“No, Father. You cannot force me to reject my mate. It's my birthday. I cannot reject Ace!” I cried, as I loved and wanted Ace too.

“Shut up before I cut off your tongue! You had better get ready to accept Ace's rejection unless you want me to do what I ought to have done after you killed my mate!” my father accused, and I looked at him with tears in my eyes.

“I didn’t kill Mom. The Moon Goddess knows that I am innocent. Someone else killed Mom so she wouldn’t rule them as your Luna, and not me. How could I do such a thing?” I asked my father, but he marched up to me and grabbed my long blonde hair.

“One more word from you and I will snap your head off your neck. Go on, Ace,” my father snarled, letting go and looking away from me because I resembled my mother. Dad hated to look at my face. He believed I was the one who killed his beloved mate.

“Please don’t do this, Ace,” I tried to mindlink him, begging him not to reject me, but I knew he had the entire pack to protect and lead.

“Ace…” I cried, not wanting him to reject me, and he closed his eyes and uttered those hurtful rejecting words.

“I’m sorry, Mallory. I, Ace Lennox, the Beta’s son of the Bright Moon Pack, reject you, Mallory Adonis, as my mate,” Ace said, and my heart burned from the pain of his rejection.

“Accept his rejection, Mallory,” my father ordered, and I knew he was not joking about killing me.

With tears in my eyes, I shut them and accepted, “I, Mallory Adonis, accept your rejection, Ace.”

As I spoke those painful words, I passed out.