Chapter four:

Unknown POV 

The pain was no longer just heartache; it was a devastating, magical agony. Noah’s rejection had felt like a lightning bolt—quick, brutal, and completely annihilating the spiritual core of her being. The mate bond she had accepted, the one she had mistakenly believed in, had been violently snapped. Now, she was left with a cold, empty echo where a lifeline should have been, a profound sense of loss that no amount of tears could wash away.

She  pushed herself up from the floor, ignoring the sharp, glistening shards of the shattered vase that surrounded her. Maya's triumphant, cruel smile and Noah’s utterly cold eyes were the final images seared into her memory before she turned and ran.

She ran blind, through the opulent hall, past frozen faces, and into the nearest service corridor. She didn't care where it led. She  just needed out. She needed to escape the suffocating air, the whispers, the pitiless knowledge that every person in this pack now knew she was the one who was not enough.

The blue emerald gown, meant for a momentous night, felt like a pathetic costume, its sparkle mocking her broken spirit.

She scrambled up a narrow, dusty service stairwell, her breath tearing in her  lungs.

She  burst onto the rooftop.

The sudden blast of the cool night air hit her, a brutal slap that momentarily cleared her head. Above her, the Flower Moon, full and mocking, hung like a spotlight on  her shame. It was supposed to sanctify her union; instead, it illuminated her rejection.

She stumbled toward the edge, gripping the cold, high railing. Her body was shaking, a primal vibration of shock and incandescent fury.

“A liar! A coward! A title-obsessed bastard!” she screamed, the words swallowed by the vast night sky. She was going to throw herself off the roof and climb down to the forest, disappearing into the dark woods—where no one knew the wolf-less girl who was publicly discarded.

“Arianna.”

The voice was low, deep, and familiar. The scent was a sudden, jarring change: the sharp, minty coldness of the Alpha, Liam. His presence was so dominating, so utterly different from Noah's fading scent, it stopped her trembling.

She spun around. Liam stood there, his Alpha eyes—the famous, intense blue—fixed on  her with a startling mix of concern and simmering rage.

“Go away, Alpha Liam,” she  whispered, clutching the torn front of her dress. She  felt shame return, crushing her  under its weight. “Go back to the party. Go back to your brother.”

He ignored the command, taking slow, deliberate steps toward me. "I was looking for you. I heard the commotion." He stopped just out of arm's reach. "Noah is… he made an unforgivable mistake."

"Don't be sorry for me," she snapped, her voice rough. "It was just a bet. I was the wolf-less fool who believed the Gamma would give up his title for a defect."

Liam’s jaw clenched, and his eyes flashed with true Alpha displeasure. "You are not a defect. You are Ariana Wilson. And my brother is a dishonorable idiot."

He reached out, and this time, she didn't flinch away. His hand gently cupped her face, his thumb meticulously wiping away the smudged makeup and fresh tears. His touch was warm, solid, and impossibly calming.

"I can't be here," she repeated, her  voice cracking with desperation. She was already climbing over the low railing, ready to make the reckless jump to the roof of the adjacent wing. "I have to leave. Tonight."

"Arianna, stop this!" Liam lunged, his Alpha speed closing the distance in an instant.

He grabbed her arm and hauled her back, spinning her  violently into the solid, unmoving wall of his chest. His arms wrapped around her , locking her in place. The minty scent of him was overwhelming, a tidal wave of comfort and raw, untapped power. She buried her face in his jacket, clinging to him like a lifeline in a shipwreck.

And then, it happened.

It wasn't the slow burn of attraction she felt for Noah. It was an explosion. A powerful, electric wave surged from the point where his hand rested on her back, spreading through her veins like liquid fire. It wasn't pain; it was the abrupt, violent, glorious activation of something ancient and true. The air around them crackled, heavy with pure, raw spiritual energy.

His scent... it's not just mint. It's ice and deep pine and something wild—it’s home.

Her head snapped up. She looked at him, herheart hammering a furious beat against his ribs. The urge was irrational, overwhelming, and utterly instinctive. She moved, her  mouth finding his. She  captured his lips in a desperate, searching kiss, a primal reflex fueled by instinct, not thought. It was an anchor she didn't know  she needed until she found it.

Stop! This is insane! He’s the Alpha! Noah just rejected me! I’m still wolf-less! The rational thought tried to claw its way out, but it was drowned out by the sheer, electric rightness of his mouth on hers.

She managed to pull back, gasping for air. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. You are an Alpha, and I just… I don’t know what came over me…” I stammered, her face blazing with heat.

His eyes were no longer just blue; they were glowing, intense, filled with a dangerous possessiveness that thrilled her  to my core. Before  she could stumble further, his strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling her tight, while his other hand clamped behind her neck. He pushed her gently but firmly against the cool stone wall of the rooftop structure, deepening the kiss with a devastating thoroughness that wiped every other thought from her  mind.

When he finally pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, his voice was a low, guttural murmur that vibrated deep in her soul.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked, her  voice barely a tremor. “I mean, you are the Pack Alpha. Your mate has to be perfect. And I'm just… I’m a wolf-less nobody who was just rejected by your brother.”

He pulled back fully, his expression intensely serious. The Alpha command was palpable.

“Don't ever say that again, Ariana Wilson. You are the kindest, fiercest soul I have ever known. And you are so much more than what that pathetic boy tried to tell you.” His hand slid down her thigh, a powerful, possessive caress that made her  moan involuntarily.

He dipped his head again, trailing warm, worshipful kisses down my throat to her collarbone, his breathing ragged. He inhaled her scent deeply, like a drowning man finding oxygen.

“Your smell, your taste… it’s intoxicating. It’s what I’ve been looking for my entire life. If you want me to stop, tell me now, because I swear I can't hold back much longer.”

“Don’t hold back,” she breathed, the words trembling with a sudden, beautiful desperation.

His arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her into a crushing, secure embrace. He pressed several warm, soothing kisses on her hair, enveloping her  in his power.

Then, with a final, irreversible surge, it happened. His hand, resting on her wrist, brushed the bare skin. The powerful, electric wave returned, a glorious, undeniable force. A golden, glowing bond, visible only to mates, wrapped itself around them  like twin chains of destiny. It solidified in a flash of light, a stunning declaration written in magic.

“You are my mate!” He  shouted, his  jaw dropping in synchronized disbelief, the revelation shattering the silence of the night. 

Her heart exploded with a sudden, fierce love that eclipsed the rejection.

“How can you be my mate?” she  asked, her voice high-pitched with awe and confusion.