003

(Lana POV)

“M…mate,” he rasped, the word trembling out of him, uncontrollable.

Putting a shock across my face and on the crowd.

Whispers turned to chaos and every gaze flicked from him to me to Amethyst, poor, trembling, beautiful Amethyst, and smiling moments again like a queen. Now, her pained lips quivered.

The horror on her face was almost enough to make me laugh. Almost.

“Diego?” She gasped, gripping onto her down. “What …what did you just say?”

But his wolf had already taken control — Diego's eyes flared, his voice cold and possessive at that. “Mine.”

The word rolled through the ballroom, causing more chaos and gasps among the pack members.

For a heartbeat, no one moved and then came the shriek.

It shocked through the air, loud and sharp — Amethyst's voice, filled with rage. “You Whore! You just came back today! What have you done?!”

She lunged and before I could even react, her jeweled hand struck my cheek aggressively,  hard enough to send sparks across my vision. The room turned and I staggered, but Sapphire's body, my new flesh, steadied itself.

The guards moved instantly, but Diego's snarl froze them in place. His wolf was pacing inside him, torn between protecting me and denying what his soul already knew.

“Amethyst!” He barked. “Enough!”

But she was far beyond reason and a bead of sweat already formed her head.

“She always wanted to ruin me!” Amethyst screamed, turning to the crowd, her eyes cloudy with tears, hate and disgust. “My weak, pathetic sister, she always envied me! She flaunted her cursed beauty and played innocent, but she's nothing but a slut! She might have caused this with black magic. Diego is my mate!” She yelled out.

Her words were blades, meant to cut through sapphire's heart and oh, they did— but not the way she thought because in that moment, the past and present collided.

I remembered Amethyst's laughter the night she first introduced me to Diego. The conspiratorial whisper she gave me when she said,  “He's not like the others, Lana. You'll love him. I have never seen him so interested in someone as he is in you.”

How ironic.

Now her jealousy for her sister even dripped. My maid's earlier warning coursed through my mind: “She's always hated you, my lady. Because you were beautiful in a way she could never be.”

“You're pathetic,” I said softly, a chuckle escaping my lips. “You're jealous, small, and pitiful. You've always been like this since we were young and now I understand. You'd rather destroy what you can't have than face what you truly are— a coward. You call me a slut? But what are you? Let the world be the judge— you are getting married to your best friend, Luna Lana husband, just a month after her death! How's that? No remorse or any sort of pain and yet you stand there and tell me I am a slut? Perhaps you killed her so you can have her man.” I said with disgust in my face as the crowd gasped again, trying to reason out what I had just said. Her face covered in fear and horror as she trembled.

“How dare you… After all I have given you? You dare to think I killed my own best friend? Why are you here? Why do you always ruin my day!”

“Enough!” Diego snarled, stepping between us, but I took a step forward too, refusing to cower behind him again, never again.

The mate bond between us flaunted as we crossed each other but was this even happening again?

Never!

“Amethyst..” he trailed off while Amethyst shook her head like she didn't want to hear his judgement.

“No, don't do this, Diego. Do not pick sides. She can't be your mate….no.”

“I am sorry,”

I watched as they displayed their stupidity. All these for someone who would soon ditch you?

“I'm sorry but this could be my only chance— the moon goddess finally gave me another mate. I can't forsake her. We are not even bound by mate Amethyst. Let's end things here. I lost my wife and I have finally gotten another.”

I gasped at his words, shaking my head in disbelief of how he painted things like he actually felt the loss of me! How despicable!

“You …you can't marry my sister, Diego. You know I love you. I love you, Diego. You cannot leave me. This wasn't even the plan. You can reject her! She's of no good use to you, darling. She's a

I snorted. “Oh, this is new, sister. You have always been in love with your best friend's husband? The plot twist. What are you two hiding? You killed…”

The crowd gasped, murmuring coursing through the ballroom.

“Did she kill her best friend because of him?”

“I thought Lana was weak.”

“Stop! Stop it, Sapphire. You can't say what you know nothing about. Lana was a weakling and Diego announced that she died when they were mating!”

I scoffed at her defensive words. “How so? How so is the truth? I bet no investigation was made. To know if she was poisoned."

I watched as her face drained all black at the mention of vision and a beautiful smile crept on my face.

“I see someone is out of words? You seem drained out just by the mere words of poison. Or do you really have something to do with her death?”

Yes! It was definitely my time to taunt her. Taunt her till she never breathes and she becomes crazy.

“Diego, stop her! She's my sister but she can't be doing this in front of the people! No one will be on her side.” She yelled out, frustration written all over her face.

“Oh, really? No one will be on my side? Shall we test that?”

Diego reached for me, as if trying to get my attention but I jerked his hands off mine in disgust.

“You're getting married to a man who would only discard you once he gets tired of you?”

“No, he can't! He will reject you!”

“I reject you.” I declared coldly before I could stop myself.

A heavy, suffocating silence erupted the whole hall and his eyes widened.

“Sapphire…”

“You love my sister more. Don't get into me because of pity.” I replied but he shook his head.

“I. Reject. You.” My voice shook, but it was steady enough to stone. “I reject the bond, Alpha Diego. And I sever whatever curse the Moon has decided to tie between us. The moon goddess cannot give me a mate that is very complicated.”

The pain came instantly.

It tired through my chest, hot, ripping through my muscle and soul and my knees buckled but it was enough for me.

A strangled cry escaped me as the bond snapped and the invisible thread between us dissolved.

I watched as he roared and answered it.

And I stood, trembling, gasping, but free!

The crowd stood there, pale, speechless and Amethyst watched, shock and hatred warring across her face. Diego dropped to one knee, clutching his chest, his breath ragged.

Good. Let him feel it. Let him feel the pain of being rejected for once! I ruined it all. I ruined their union.

I wiped the blood from my lips and straightened. “You don't deserve a mate,” I whispered. “Not after what you did to Lana.”

I watched as he froze. “What did you say?” He demanded in a low trembling voice.

The crowd murmured again. “She keeps mentioning his late wife Lana over and over again. Is there something hidden about this?”

Amethyst's face was drained of colour. “You ….you shut your mouth,” she hissed, stepping closer, shaking. “You don't know what you're saying!”

“Oh, but I do.” My lips curved into mock. “I know exactly what you did.! Should I start? Shoul….”

But before another word could be said, a horn blew.

A deep, resonant sound, commanding one that silenced the entire hall and the chaos that had befall it.

The guards dropped to one knee instantly and even Diego, still clutching his chest, stilled as his wolf lowered its head in instinctive submission.

Because that sound could only mean one thing. The Alpha Lycan King was approaching.

Ashton Blackthorne

The music was turned on again and Amethyst hastily straightened her gown, trying to erase the chaos from her expression.

“Compose yourselves,” Diego rasped, forcing his voice steady. “The king is coming.”

I stood there, still trembling, still burning from the pain of the rejection bond, but something deep within me stirred.

A shadow passed over the doorway— a command of presence that made even air forget to move.

Then he entered.

Tall, broad shouldered, a power unlike anything I had ever felt before. His very aura bent everything around him, a gravity that pulled everything toward him.

The Alpha Lycan King— the man I had only seen once when we were younger. When his father wanted to join our marriage together.

His eyes found mine and the world fractured.

It wasn't like Diego's bond, it was consuming, wrong, deeper and older.

It was as if my soul had been waiting for this moment since the beginning of time, as if every heartbreath, every breath, every ounce of pain I had ever endured was leading to this.

The moment our eyes met, the noise of the hall vanished, my breath seized and my heart stopped beating.

And when those eyes found mine, the world fractured.

The Lycans king paused mid-step, his nostrils flared as if catching a scent and I watched as his gaze sharpened, turning into disbelief.

And then, softly, dangerously, he whispered, “Mate.”

This was the beginning of something dangerous.