chapter 2

Jessica’s POV

I slapped his hand away.

A sharp gasp rippled through the crowd as my voice rang through the clearing, loud and defiant.

"I chose Ryan!"

Darius’s jaw tensed, his dark eyes flashing with something dangerous, something that sent a chill down my spine.

Ryan’s grip on my waist tightened, his entire body vibrating with anger, protectiveness… and something else. Relief?

The silence was suffocating.

The Seer, standing between us, gave me a long, unreadable stare before shifting her glowing gaze to Darius.

"Do you reject your fated mate, Alpha Darius?" she asked.

I turned to him, waiting, praying for him to say yes.

To free me. To let me go.

Darius looked at me, his eyes burning with rage and something else I couldn’t place.

Then his lips curled into a cruel smirk.

"I don’t reject her." The world stopped.

I felt my heart slam against my ribs, my stomach twisting into knots.

Ryan let out a low, furious growl. "Darius"

"I don’t reject my mate," Darius repeated, voice firm. "Jessica belongs to me too."

"No, I don’t!" I snapped, my voice shaking.

Darius didn’t even flinch. His gaze drilled into me, unwavering, unreadable.

"You can choose Ryan all you want, Jessica," he murmured, his tone almost... amused. "But the mate bond doesn’t care about your choices."

A wave of hushed whispers swept through the crowd.

The Seer sighed, rubbing her temple like she was exhausted.

"Jessica has already chosen Ryan as her mate. However, rejecting a fated mate is not as simple as words alone," she said, her glowing silver eyes landing on me. "The bond still exists. Unless severed by the Moon Goddess herself, it will remain."

My breathing grew shallow.

"So, what does that mean?" Ryan asked, his voice tight.

The Seer turned to him. "It means... she will always feel the mate bond with Darius, no matter what."

My chest squeezed as if something heavy had settled on top of me.

Darius's smirk deepened.

I hated that look. That smug, arrogant I-own-you look.

"You think this is funny?" I spat, stepping toward him.

Darius lowered his voice, just enough for only me to hear.

"Oh, little wolf…" His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face, making me flinch. "You have no idea how much fun we’re going to have."

My pulse thundered in my ears.

I wanted to scream.

Punch him. Rip the stupid smirk off his face.

But I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he was messing with my head.

Ryan pulled me behind him, his muscles coiled tight like a predator ready to attack.

"Darius, stop," he growled. "If you refuse to reject her, I’ll challenge you for her."

Gasps filled the air.

The challenge. The only way to override a mate is to fight to the death.

But Darius? That bastard only smiled.

"You want to fight me, brother?" he taunted. "For her?"

Ryan didn’t hesitate. "If that’s what it takes."

Darius chuckled. "I’d win," he said simply, and it wasn’t arrogance, it was fact.

Ryan’s jaw locked, but his fists shook.

He knew it too. Darius wasn’t just an Alpha he was a warrior, trained since birth to kill.

If they fought... Ryan would lose.

And I would lose him. The Seer sighed heavily.

"The mate bond must be resolved at another time. Tonight, Jessica has made her choice," she declared, loud enough for the entire pack to hear. "She has chosen Alpha Ryan. The Moon Goddess has bound her to both, but her heart belongs to one."

The ceremony was over.

Ryan grabbed my hand, leading me away before Darius could say another word.

But even as we walked, I felt his eyes on me.

Like a warning. Like a promise.

Back At The Pack Mansion

Ryan shut the door behind us, pressing his forehead against it as he let out a slow, shuddering breath.

I stood in the center of his bedroom, my body still buzzing with adrenaline.

"He’s not going to stop," I whispered.

Ryan turned around, his expression hard, unreadable. "I know."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly cold.

"This bond… It’s not fair."

Ryan stepped toward me, placing his hands on my arms. His touch was warm, grounding me.

"It doesn’t change anything," he murmured. "You chose me. That’s all that matters."

But it wasn’t. We both knew it wasn’t.

A mate bond wasn’t something you could wish away.

I would always feel Darius in the back of my mind, no matter how much I hated it.

"I’ll protect you, Jess," Ryan whispered, resting his forehead against mine. "I won’t let him take you away from me."

His lips brushed mine soft, reassuring, claiming.

I leaned into him, desperate for his warmth, for his love to drown out the chaos in my mind.

Ryan deepened the kiss, his hands sliding down my back, pulling me closer.

For a moment, I let myself forget.

Forget Darius. Forget the bond.

Forget that everything was falling apart. But then

BANG.

The door burst open.

Ryan and I jumped apart as Isabella stepped into the room, a wicked smile stretching across her face.

"Oops," she purred, eyes twinkling with mischief. "Am I interrupting something?"

I wiped my lips, glaring. "Get out."

Isabella ignored me. Her gaze flicked to Ryan, then back to me her smirk deepening.

"Just thought you should know," she said lightly. "Darius is already making his move."

My stomach dropped. Ryan’s face darkened. "What are you talking about?"

Isabella shrugged, pretending to inspect her nails.

"Oh, nothing serious…" Her eyes flickered with something cruel. "Just that Darius has called a meeting with the pack council."

I froze. Ryan stiffened.

"You know," Isabella continued, tilting her head, "the same council that decides who should be Alpha."

My pulse skyrocketed.

No. No, no, no.

This wasn’t happening.

Darius wasn’t just fighting for me.

He was fighting for the pack.

And if he won… Ryan could lose everything.

I barely noticed when my knees gave out.

Ryan caught me before I hit the floor, his grip tight, unshakable.

But his voice? His voice was filled with pure, cold fury.

"If he wants a war…" Ryan whispered, his eyes burning.

"Then I’ll give him one."