MasukNORA’S POV
I was stunned to my bones, too stunned to move. I gaped as the drama unfolded around me. My heart bled like someone was ripping it out of its cage.
For a few minutes, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. The world was spinning around me, and everyone seemed to be okay.
I was rejected in the same second, my best friend was pronounced the new Luna of Riverstone pack.
A lump gathered around my throat. “Celeste…”
Her signature gentle expression wore off. She rested one hand against her waist, and the other on her lower abdomen. “What do you think?” She began. “That, I’ll leave my man for you, because of some mate bond?”
“We’re best friends,”
Celeste snickered. Her calm demeanor rolling off. “Best friends don’t take what belongs to their best friend,” She spat. “Nora, you’ve always been a bad choice for Aiden, and I’m glad he realized it pretty fast,” she giggled, wrapped her hands around Aiden’s neck, and pulled him into a deep kiss.
Aiden smiled sheepishly, like a teenager in love. I was his wife, and fated mate, and the closest I’d seen him smile was a devious smirk, right before he did wicked things to me.
He was tossing me out, like a cheap distraction. Like I never mattered. Like the fated bond we shared was an illusion.
Celeste scrunched her nose. “Guess what, we’re having a baby!” She squealed.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Everyone rushed to them, almost knocking me over me. I watched with blurred vision as they congratulated the new couple.
Broken. Scared. Rejected. Betrayed. Weak.
All in a split second. My heart felt like it was getting ripped out of my ribcage. I spun around on my feet, with what was left of my strength, and started making my way out of the hall.
“Nora!” Aiden cried.
I stopped in my tracks, but didn’t turn to face him. I couldn’t let him see how broken I was. “One last thing, before you move to the maids quarters,” he said. “Sign this.”
“Don’t let us argue because of a mere signature,” Beta Austin snarled. He handed me a pen, and held out the file to my face.
Another round of heartbreak spread like poison through my blood, as my eyes scanned the content of the document.
DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS.
On the same day he’d rejected our bond. The pen trembled violently, as I scribbled my signature onto the paper. My tears dropped on it, earning me a low growl from Aiden.
“One more thing Nora, you have to move to the room down the hallway on Alpha Aiden’s floor,” Celeste began, “You cannot imagine how stressful it is to be pregnant with an Alpha pup. I need all the help I can get.” she added with a strained sigh.
Doris snickered. “She’s good for nothing,” she said, and quickly added. “You heard your Luna. She needs the help of an Omega, and you’re the perfect fit.” her tone was demeaning.
I simply turned, dragged my heavy legs towards the exit. My body numb, from the shock it’d been put through. For years, I’d endured the pain, and humiliation of a wolfless Orphan, in the same pack that once doted on me.
Enough!
I wasn’t going to stay back, and watch these traitors walk over me. I wiped the tears off my eyes, and made my way straight to Aiden’s suite.
I looked around the room, memories of Aiden etched like a nightmare in my brain. This was the room he made me a woman. He was going to share it with someone else.
I ran my hand over the king sized bed we shared every other night.
The sex had been rough, heck! A punishment to me. He relished in subduing me, even though I succumbed easily to his wolf.
Aiden derived pleasure in breaking me shred by shred. I was done this time. I was done lurking around a pack that avoided me like a plague. I turned my head sideways, staring at my reflection in the full-length mirror.
I ran my hands over my scar. It was ugly, but it didn’t take away my person. Who I truly was. Aiden might’ve dropped me like I was trash, to him I was.
It didn’t matter anymore. He made his choice.
I let out a laugh— a soft sound filled my empty heart. I ran my hands over the scar on my face, and my heart sank. I wasn’t going to stick around, and take in the disgrace.
I was done being hopeless. It was time to take powers into my hands. I shoved a few clothes into my bag.
“Goodbye ex-husband,” I said out loud even though I was the only one in the room.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Aiden’s steely voice entered my ears. I stopped in my tracks, clutching my hands tight against the strap of my bag.
Deafening silence stretched the air between us.
I had a thousand things to say. More than anything, I wanted to curl my hands into a fist, and hit him so hard until he bled out.
‘Pleaseee. You’re too weak to stand up to an Alpha,’ ’ a voice echoed in my head.
Alpha Aiden Reynolds rounded me, and stood in front of me. His face contorted in amusement. “Aha! It seemed the caged bird finally decided to spread her wings.”
A vein pulsated in my neck. Instead of fear, and my lungs fighting for oxygen, anger spread like venom in my bloodstream.
Aiden Reynolds reached for my hair, and tugged at it. I pushed his hands away. His face was pale red, it was obvious he was still suffering from the bond that had snapped dead.
He groaned, “Nora, if you walk out of the borders of the pack tonight, you know what that means,” he growled. “If no pack takes you in before the next full moon, which I’m pretty sure of…” his voice trailed off.
My breath hitched. “I become a rogue.”
A flicker of shock touched his eyes, and died an instant death. “Nora, you won’t survive that, and you know it. No pack will take a subdued in.”
I locked contact with him, my eyes and a quality mix of pain, regret, and resignation. “Let that be my hell to burn in.” sidestepped him, and walked straight to the borders of Riverstone pack.
Every memory of my childhood, and the love I thought I would live, faded away with each step I took. The warriors that manned the borders looked at me with scorn.
The moonlight casted shadows against the warriors faces, obscuring half their faces. “She’s not gonna last for long, before she comes running back.” one said amidst laughter.
“We’ll pick her body up, and bury her ruins beside her parents.” another jeered.
I pressed my lips together. “I’ll be back…” I held my breath. I stepped past the borders of the Riverstone pack.
I was going to rewrite my fate, this time Aiden Reynolds and the entire Riverstone would collapse on their knees.
KAI’S POV You’ve got to be kidding me. A stray. A fucking stray that had tinges of rejection all over her. To make it worse, she was wolfless. My eyes hovered all over her, and my heart boiled with a mixture of disgust. Why on earth would the moon goddess think she could link us to a stray as a second chance mate? This frail thing could’ve been part of the people who were punished for trespassing. My gaze landed on the crowd that had come to witness the sacrilege. The frown etched on their faces was enough to tell me what I needed to know. Yes, there was a curse. One that could bring us to our very knees. But this stray wasn’t the remedy we needed. Not her. Not her. Because I was going to make her pain for the moon goddess’s approval of the bond. Emrys' lips parted into a grin. “I suppose you know this is just for formalities,” she began, “You’re only a Luna on paper. And that’s as far as it goes.” Her tone was clipped, brooking no opposition. My wolf snickered in disapproval
HALIL’S POV I clenched my hand around the edge of the Ebony table, as surges of electric current splintered through my chest. Fucking hell! A devilish smirk lined the corner of my lips. “This might just be our chance at easing the grief.” I spat. Kai grunted, and didn’t say a word. My Gamma Chief warrior who patrolled the borders, had given me a notice that a stray was caught breaking rules. Kai cleared his throat. “It’s time for a little show.” Kai’s words carried no streak of remorse. Everyone, even surrounding packs, knew what happened to strays that trespassed into the Blackcrest pack. Kai Virelli, my twin brother and second Alpha of Blackcrest pack shared the same sentiments with me in almost everything. Little surprise why it was easy for us to rule Blackcrest pack like it was a walk in the park. The vein at the side of my neck throbbed with indignation. I took heavy steps up and down the length of the room. Anger sliced through my chest, a weird hunger dripped through my
NORA’S POV I was stunned to my bones, too stunned to move. I gaped as the drama unfolded around me. My heart bled like someone was ripping it out of its cage. For a few minutes, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. The world was spinning around me, and everyone seemed to be okay. I was rejected in the same second, my best friend was pronounced the new Luna of Riverstone pack. A lump gathered around my throat. “Celeste…” Her signature gentle expression wore off. She rested one hand against her waist, and the other on her lower abdomen. “What do you think?” She began. “That, I’ll leave my man for you, because of some mate bond?” “We’re best friends,” Celeste snickered. Her calm demeanor rolling off. “Best friends don’t take what belongs to their best friend,” She spat. “Nora, you’ve always been a bad choice for Aiden, and I’m glad he realized it pretty fast,” she giggled, wrapped her hands around Aiden’s neck, and pulled him into a deep kiss. Aiden smiled sheepishl
NORA’S POV “Don’t worry, there’ll be no need for that anyway.” I pulled away, as the maid tried to cover the scar on my face with makeup. The maid didn’t say anything, yet the glaring question was all over her face. A soft knock sounded against the door, “I’ll take it up from here, you may leave.” The door swung open, and I saw Celeste’s reflection walking towards me from the mirror. “Happy anniversary, best friend!” Celeste squealed. I managed a grin. “Thank you so much,” she pulled me up, and gestured for me to do a three-sixty. “You look amazing.” I sighed. “Thank you,” I said softly. “I wish my husband would see the same thing.” Her face turned forlorn. “Nora, you shouldn’t worry yourself about Aiden. He’s your fated mate afterall,” I simply nodded. Celeste wasn’t done. “Look, I hate to say this. Aiden cannot afford to be with a wolfless Omega,” Her tone was clipped. “Meanwhile, I think he’s silly for treating you with disrespect. You’re his mate, his wife!” “Hmm. I sh
NORA’S POV My heart stomped against my chest as I made my way to the lavish waiting area that led to Alpha Aiden’s office. I grabbed my clutch in one hand, my other hand trembled lightly. His secretary walked out of his office, her expression inscrutable. “He’s busy…” Her voice came out indifferent. A sad smile etched over my lips. ‘He’s busy,’ which meant only one thing; my goddess fated mate was in the arms of another woman. Invisible metallic blades slashed through my chest. My knuckles turned white, as I tightened my grip on my clutch. My insides churned, as if it was going to collapse any moment from now. With each promise of our mate bond, Alpha Aiden broke, I got punished. The mate bond was a sacred promise of the moon goddess to two souls. To Aiden, it was another distraction that didn’t matter to him. “You’re too ugly to be loved by me,” he'd said, on the night he’d scented me out. “This is just for formalities, Nora. I don’t love you, never will.” He said, a minute b







