Chapter 5

Romy pov

“Did… did she just reject him?”

“Did she reject Alpha Rowan?”

“Is she crazy?”

“Wait… she’s the Alpha’s mate?”

The frantic, horrified whispers of the crowd swept through the grand reception hall like wildfire.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes darted between me and the towering Beast of Flames standing only a breath away.

A slow, dark smile appeared on my lips in absolute satisfaction.

I had humiliated him. The Supreme Alpha of Stormveil, the most feared man on the continent, publicly cast aside by a bridesmaid.

The urge to leap forward and bury my fangs into his perfectly sculpted, arrogant face was a living, breathing thing inside me.

It hurt worse than the memory of the fire and it burned hotter than the night I watched him pull a silver blade from my sister’s chest.

The Goddess forbade the man who slaughtered my family turned out to be my fated mate. The Moon Goddess must be absolutely silly to play such a sick, twisted joke on my life.

I waited for the mythical, soul-tearing agony that lore promised came with rejecting a fated mate. But there was no tearing of my spirit, no collapse of my mind.

Instead, there was only the vicious, searing heat of the cursed mark pulsing beneath the raven tattoo on my neck.

I had no idea why the mark was reacting so violently to his presence, but the phantom fire only fueled the venom in my blood.

I didn't want to stay in his face for another second. I had until the early hours of the morning to make him beg for death.

I clutched my phone, the one he had just picked up from the floor, and turned on my heel to walk away.

His voice, cold, low, and laced with absolute command, stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Rejection isn't something I accept little Raven…"

Raven.

The breath violently left my lungs and my chest seized.

He had called me Raven.

I turned back slowly, my eyes snapping up to his face, searching frantically for any sign that he'd recognized me.

Did he know?

My mind violently dragged me back when I was six up until my family died. I remembered him playing with me in my wooden treehouse.

I remembered begging him and Alina to let me tag along on their walks and I surely remembered Alina ruffling my hair with a bright smile, calling me her stubborn little Raven.

I stared into his gray eyes, waiting to see the realization that he was looking at the survivor of the family he had massacred.

But his gaze held nothing but cold, dark amusement and an infuriating indifference.

He didn't know who I was. To him, I was just a rogue, defiant female who happened to be his mate. I tilted my chin, swallowing the lump of ash in my throat.

"...It's my thing to do." He completed.

Without giving me another second of his time, Rowan simply turned away.

He adjusted the cuffs of his tailored suit and casually walked toward the far side of the room, heading straight for the groom's father and Amy's parents as if I hadn't just insulted him in front of hundreds of people.

The crowd instantly parted for him, but their eyes stayed glued to me. Everyone was looking at me like I was a rabid, crazy bitch who had just signed her own death warrant.

A hand grabbed my wrist and yanked me hard.

"Romy, what is wrong with you?" Kathy hissed, pulling me toward the bridal entrance, her face was pale. "Stop looking at the Alpha like you want to murder him and get in line before Amy dies of anxiety!"

My phone vibrated against my palm and I pulled it up, glancing down at the encrypted screen.

Xry: Abort mission. Target is Alpha Vexley. DO NOT ENGAGE.

I expected this. Cowards.

I scoffed, sliding the phone back into the slit pocket of my dress. Abort? There was absolutely no way I was letting him slip away. Not after thirteen years.

The rest of the wedding ceremony passed in a suffocating blur. Rowan took a seat near the front, his presence commanding the entire room.

I knew he had come here for a reason, something I couldn't specifically put my finger on. The Beast of Flames didn't just attend random weddings.

With his identity now revealed to the underground, I wondered who he was really here for.

As expected, the reception was dominated by whispers about my audacity.

"She just wants the attention," Camellia whispered loudly to one of the other bridesmaids, her eyes green with envy as we stood near the edge of the dance floor. "She's playing hard to get and it’s okay she rejected him, honestly. The Alpha is way too great for someone like her anyway. If anything, he should have been the one to reject her."

I ignored her, my eyes drifting back to the Alpha's table. It was undeniable how terrifyingly handsome he had grown.

He possessed a larger-than-life body, his broad shoulders stretching the fabric of his dark suit, radiating a lethal, untouchable power.

Although I was no stranger to how he currently looked. Back at my apartment, I had a hidden "blue room"—a locked office bathed in the glow of monitors.

The walls were plastered with blurry surveillance photos, red string, and newspaper clippings of his pack.

I looked at his face every single day and I ground his features into my mind to keep my hatred sharp, to never forget the monster beneath the skin.

Now, standing in the same room with him in the flesh, while my agency frantically declared an aborted mission? I would not let tonight pass. This was my only chance.

Before I could strategize my next move, Amy found me. She looked absolutely stunned, her white gown rustling as she pulled me into a quiet circle with Mrs. Waxman, Mr. Waxman, and Erica trailing nervously behind her.

"Romy," Amy breathed, her eyes wide. "That's... that's Rowan. Alina's Rowan."

"I know," I said, my voice dangerously quiet.

"How is it even possible that he has another mater? And it turned out to be the sister of his late ex?" Amy muttered, rubbing her temples.

I sighed. "Tell me about it," i muttered.

She looked up at me, her eyes pleading. "Romy, you have to apologize to him. I know you loathe him but he's no ordinary person. You rudely rejected a Supreme Alpha in public.”

“What?” I questioned, stunned.

“Yes” Erica chipped in. “Even if he didn't formally accept the rejection because you don't know the proper rites, you have no idea what a man like that can do to our family."

Mrs. Waxman nodded vigorously, wringing her hands. "Please, Romy. Your rejection will cause a massive rift. The Alpha's wrath is not something we can survive."

I clenched my jaw. I was stubborn and I was an assassin. Bowing to him definitely made my blood boil, but I looked at Amy—the woman who had clapped a hand over my mouth and dragged me away to save my life.

I would do nothing but protect my sister, plus, I actually needed to be in close proximity with him. I pressed the little tracking device in my hand.

I've never been anywhere without them and I'm thankful I didn't make today an exception.

"Fine," I gritted out and they gasped.

I smoothed down the silk of my dress and headed across the room. Rowan was standing near the head table, talking to the groom, Draven and the groom's father, Marcus Thorne.

As I approached, Marcus quickly thanked Rowan for coming, offering a nervous apology for the disruption, before scurrying away.

The groom followed suit shortly after, leaving Rowan and me entirely alone in a bubble of dangerous tension.

He turned to face me, his hands resting casually in his pockets.

"I was told to apologize," I stated, keeping my voice flat.

He tilted his head slightly. "For?"

"For humiliating you publicly by rejecting you," I replied, meeting his cold stare. "I understand the Alpha suffers no rejection."

Rowan scoffed, a dark, arrogant sound. "So, are you really sorry, little Raven?"

"Isn't that what I'm doing?" I snapped.

"Ohh," he mocked softly, clearly enjoying my forced submission.

"I could buy you drinks to properly apologize," I offered.

I didn't sound convincing at all, but I didn't care. I just needed an excuse to close the distance.

He raised a dark brow, his gaze dropping to my lips before snapping back to my eyes. "Why? So you could easily poison me?"

My heart stopped as the air vanished from my lungs. Did he somehow find out who I truly was?

Before my panic could fully set in, Rowan let out a low menacing grunt. "Not like you can," he added smoothly.

I exhaled a sharp breath, masking my shock with a sneer. "Well then. Good day... Alp...ha."

The title tasted like ash on my tongue. I hated him, and hiding it was becoming impossible.

I turned sharply to leave. As I pivoted, I purposefully crossed my ankles, letting my four-inch heel slip against the polish marble. I let out a soft gasp, stumbling backward.

Exactly as I planned, he moved with supernatural speed and Rowan caught me before I hit the floor. His massive, warm hand clamped firmly around my waist, pulling my back flush against his solid chest.

The moment his fingers pressed into my skin, the mark on my neck flared to life again. It breathed hot—a violent, undeniable pulse of electricity that shot straight down my spine.

I blinked rapidly. That was the second time today.

There was no ignoring the overwhelming, physical sensation of his touch.

"Careful there, little Raven," he murmured, his breath brushing the shell of my ear.

I hastily pulled myself up, ripping myself from his grip. I forced a tight, polite smile, bowed slightly, and quickly walked away, feeling the heavy, burning weight of his gaze tracking my every step.

My heart was thudding violently against my ribs, but a real, sinister smile finally touched my lips.

Despite the erratic pulse of my cursed mark, I was glad.

My perfect stumble had worked, and slipped seamlessly into the inner lining of his expensive suit jacket, was a micro-tracker.

By 1:30 AM, I would track him down, and I was going to make sure the Supreme Alpha kissed the earth in the most gruesome death he had ever seen.