Chapter 14

Kai’s POV

“Stand straight.”

My father’s voice boomed through the Alpha Hall, cold and unforgiving like the marble floors beneath our feet. I clenched my jaw tighter, keeping my gaze forward. The moon insignia etched above his throne glinted under the morning light, casting harsh shadows across the hall. Shadows that matched the way his eyes burned as he looked at us.

“So, it’s true.” He leaned back in his throne, his heavy robes rustling as he shifted. “You three have found your fated mate.”

Silence followed his words. My chest tightened painfully at the memory of her face earlier today, eyes wide with confusion and fear, lips trembling as I yelled at her to go away. I forced the image out of my mind.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said, my voice low and cold. “I’ve already rejected her.”

Father’s eyes narrowed. “Rejected her?” He leaned forward, the silver wolf head on his staff catching the light. “Is that what you think is best?”

“She’s weak,” I said, ignoring the flare of pain in my chest as I spoke. “She will only hold us back.”

“Hmm.” He turned his gaze away from me to Riven, who was lounging against one of the hall pillars like he hadn’t a care in the world.

Riven’s POV

I felt Kai’s glare burning into my skin, but I didn’t bother looking at him. I smirked, pushing off the pillar and walking forward, my boots echoing loudly against the marble.

“She’s not weak, Father,” I drawled, tilting my head lazily. “She just needs… guidance.”

Father raised an eyebrow. “Guidance?”

“Discipline.” I flashed a sharp smile. “She’ll learn quickly once she knows who she belongs to.”

Kai growled low beside me. “She doesn’t belong to you.”

I flicked my gaze to him, enjoying the way his jaw ticked in anger. “Doesn’t she, though? I mean, you rejected her. That leaves her free for someone else… someone who actually knows what to do with her.”

“Enough,” Father snapped, slamming his staff down against the marble. The hall vibrated with the force. “Your childish quarrels bore me.”

He turned his gaze to Dax, who stood quietly near the back, his hands clasped tightly in front of him.

Dax’s POV

Their bickering grated on my nerves, but I kept my mouth shut. Father’s eyes landed on me, and my stomach twisted with guilt. I hadn’t even spoken to her since… since everything. I wondered if she still remembered that day by the lake, when she fell asleep beside me with her head on my chest, murmuring about how the clouds looked like wildflowers.

“Dax.” Father’s voice cut through my thoughts. “You’ve been silent.”

I swallowed hard. “I don’t think rejecting her is right.”

Kai scoffed. Riven rolled his eyes.

Father’s gaze hardened. “And what do you suggest?”

“We could… share,” I said quietly. The words tasted strange on my tongue. “It wouldn’t weaken us. She’s our mate. The Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes.”

For a moment, there was silence. Then Riven barked out a sharp laugh.

“Share? Really, Dax?” he drawled, walking towards me with slow, deliberate steps. “That’s your big idea? You think she’d survive being with all three of us? You think she’d survive being with me?”

Kai growled again, stepping forward. “Don’t touch her.”

Riven turned to him with a mocking grin. “Why? You don’t want her.”

“I don’t want you touching her,” Kai spat, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

“Enough!” Father roared, rising to his feet. His power rolled through the hall like a wave, making the air buzz with tension. We all fell silent instantly.

“I don’t care how you sort this out between yourselves,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “But understand this. She will be tested like the others. She will either survive or she will die. And if any of you show weakness over an Omega…” His eyes burned into ours, sharp as blades. “You will lose my favour forever.”

He paused, letting his words sink into the silence.

“Prepare for the Trials,” he said finally, sitting back down with a sigh. “Dismissed.”

Kai’s POV

I turned without another word and stalked out of the hall, my boots slamming hard against the floor. My chest felt tight, my lungs refusing to expand fully. I could still hear Riven’s mocking laugh behind me, followed by Dax’s quiet footsteps. I hated them both in that moment. I hated myself even more.

As I rounded the corner into the empty corridor, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, expecting a message from my Beta about the patrol rotations. Instead, someone had sent me an old picture of her. Keira, sleeping by the lake. Her hair was spread out around her like dark ink in water, her lips slightly parted, her face soft and peaceful.

What the hell....

I slammed my phone face down against the wall, feeling the glass crack beneath my hand. I didn’t need this. I didn’t need her. I didn’t need any of it.

She was nothing.

Nothing.

Then why does my chest hurt so damn much?

Riven’s POV

I watched Kai storm out, his anger dripping off him like acid. Amusing. Pathetic, but amusing. I turned to Dax, who was still staring at Father, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t read.

“You’re too soft for your own good,” I said lightly, clapping him on the shoulder as I passed. “Don’t worry, little brother. If you can’t handle her, I’ll take good care of her for you.”

He didn’t respond, and I didn’t wait for him to. I walked out of the hall with a smile curling on my lips, my chest buzzing with anticipation. The Trials would be fun. Watching her struggle, seeing the fight in her eyes as she realised just how helpless she truly was… I shivered with excitement.

Soon, little mate.

Very soon.

Dax’s POV

When I was finally alone with Father, he let out a sigh, rubbing his temples tiredly.

“She will break them both,” he said quietly, almost to himself.

“She won’t break me,” I replied, my voice firmer than I felt.

Father looked at me then, his eyes softening just slightly. “Be careful with your heart, Dax. She is an Omega. Her fate is sealed.”

I didn’t answer. I just bowed my head, turned, and walked out into the quiet corridor. My chest ached with something sharp and unspoken. As I walked past the windows overlooking the forest, I closed my eyes and prayed silently to the Moon Goddess.

Please… let her survive this.