Chapter Two

Elma

“Wait, Liam, what are you”

The door slammed shut, cutting off my words.

A mistake.

Panic and a sickening wave of betrayal forced me into motion. I scrambled off the bed, my hands shaking so violently I could barely pull the torn fabric of my dress over my curves. I didn't bother with my shoes. I threw open the cabin door and sprinted barefoot into the freezing morning mist.

"Everyone to the Great Hall!" a loud voice echoed through the pack grounds. It was Nathaniel, the newly appointed Beta. "Gather immediately! Alpha Liam has an official announcement!"

My heart is thumping so fast. I ran down the dirt path, ignoring the sharp stones cutting into my bare feet. I pushed past the lingering festival crowds, desperately weaving through the sea of wolves migrating toward the towering stone steps of the pack house.

I shoved my way through doors just as the massive hall fell into silence.

Liam stood at the center of the raised dais. He looked immaculate. Powerful. His father, the former Alpha, stood a few feet away, beaming with absolute pride.

"Last night, the Moon Goddess blessed our borders," Liam’s voice boomed, rich and commanding, showing zero trace of the man who had just whispered my name in the dark. "I have officially taken my place as Alpha. But a strong pack cannot survive without a strong Luna."

I stopped at the edge of the crowd, my chest heaving as I tried to catch his eye. Look at me, Liam. Please.

"I need a Queen who reflects our power," Liam continued, his cold gaze scanning the crowd before landing on the front row. "Belinda. Come up here."

The air left my lungs.

Belinda, wearing a perfectly tailored crimson dress that hugged her slender frame, smirked. She glided up the steps and immediately wrapped her hands around Liam’s arm.

Liam looked at the crowd. "I have found my chosen mate. Belinda will be crowned your new Luna."

The entire hall erupted into cheers and howls of approval.

"No!"

I trembled, tears spilling over my cheeks as I stepped out from the crowd. "How can you do this, Liam? How can you stand there and say that?"

Liam’s jaw locked.

"Elma. You are interrupting a sacred pack ceremony. Guard your tongue."

"Guard my tongue?!" I sobbed.

"You claimed me! You took me to the cabin! You marked me last night, Liam!"

Gasps rippled through the packed hall. Whispers broke out instantly. Belinda dropped Liam’s arm, her perfectly manicured hands flying to her mouth in mock horror.

Liam didn't flinch. He stepped to the edge of the dais and looked down at me with pure disgust.

"Last night was a mistake," Liam stated, his voice booming so every single wolf could hear his venom.

"A disgusting lapse in judgment. You seduced me, Elma."

"Seduced you?" I gasped, shaking my head frantically. "No! The bond snapped! You told me I was yours!"

"I told you nothing," Liam sneered, his lip curling. "Look at yourself, Elma. Look at your body. Do you honestly think the Moon Goddess would curse an Alpha with a plus-sized burden like you? Do you think I want a pathetic pig struggling to keep up with the pack?"

I staggered back, wrapping my arms around my stomach. The crowd started to sneer, laughing in low, mocking tones.

"I am an Alpha," Liam continued ruthlessly. "I need perfection. I need a woman who commands respect. I want Belinda. I love Belinda. And you? You disgust me."

Before I could even process the absolute destruction of my soul, a blur of crimson rushed down the steps.

Smack!

Belinda’s palm collided across my cheek and snapped my head to the side. Before I could regain my balance, her other hand swung wildly.

Smack!

I fell to my knees on the hard stone floor, my ear ringing.

"How dare you try to reach for what isn't yours!" Belinda shrieked, standing over me like a vengeful goddess.

"You are quite dreamy and ambitious, Elma, but to stoop so low? To try and trap an Alpha with your massive, sweaty thighs? It’s condescending. It’s pathetic. Did you really think a few extra rolls of fat would keep an Alpha warm at night?"

"I didn't trap him!" I cried out, holding my burning cheek. I looked up at the dais. "Liam, tell them! Tell them the truth! You dragged me into the woods!"

"She's lying!"

The crowd parted. My blood ran cold as my stepfather, Carlos, marched into the center of the room. He looked directly at Liam and bowed his head.

"Alpha, forgive my stepdaughter," Carlos announced loudly, his voice dripping with fake sorrow. "She is deeply disturbed. She has been obsessed with you for years. I didn't want to bring shame to my house, but I searched her room this morning when she didn't come home."

"Carlos, what are you doing?" I pleaded, staring at the man who was supposed to be my family. "Stop."

"I found empty vials under her mattress," Carlos lied smoothly, raising his voice over my pleas. "Black market aphrodisiacs and synthetic pheromones. She drugged the Alpha to force a false bond!"

The hall exploded into furious roars. Wolves bared their teeth at me.

"No! That's a lie!" I screamed, desperately trying to stand, but Nathaniel, the Beta, stepped forward and shoved me hard back onto my knees.

Nathaniel looked down at me, his face twisted into a pathetic, condescending grimace. "Just stop, Elma. You've embarrassed yourself enough. Have some dignity and confess."

"There is nothing to confess!" I sobbed, looking back up at Liam. "Liam, you know my scent. You know it wasn't a potion. How could you let them do this to me?"

Liam walked down the stone steps slowly. He stopped right in front of me.

"I, Liam of the Silver Moon pack," he began, his voice devoid of any warmth, any mercy, any humanity. "Hereby formally reject you, Elma, as my mate."

The final thread of the bond snapped. A physical agony tore through my chest, so intense I violently threw up onto the stone floor. I clutched my heart, screaming in absolute agony as my wolf was violently ripped away from his.

"Furthermore," Liam said, turning his back on my bleeding, shaking form. "You are a danger to this pack. I hereby banish you. If you are found within Silver Moon borders by sundown, you will be hunted and killed as a rogue. Take her away."

Two massive pack guards immediately grabbed me by my upper arms, dragging me roughly across the floor.

"Wait," I choked out, my voice ragged and broken.

The guards paused, looking to Liam for a command.

I used the last ounce of my strength to rip my arms out of the guards' grip.

I stumbled forward, closing the distance until I was standing inches away from the Alpha who broke me.

"You chose this."

"One day, Liam... I promise you. I will make you pay for this."