Chapter 5

 Seravyn POV

I stayed on my knees, tears still sliding down my cheeks. “I apologize…”

Caelrix didn’t even look back. He just walked out with Thessaly tucked against his side like she belonged there. The door shut with a soft click that felt louder than any slap.

Naryvex’s voice came gently in my head. “Even if it means walking away from this pack for good?”

I swallowed hard and nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Yes.”

The words hurt, but they also felt… freeing. Like something tight in my chest had finally snapped.

I pushed myself up, wiped my face, and started throwing clothes into an old bag. Today was supposed to be their perfect wedding. 

The woman who destroyed my family was about to stand beside Caelrix as Luna, and the thought made my stomach turn. 

But underneath the anger, something else was growing, a quiet, stubborn decision.

I wasn’t going to stay here and watch it happen.

Later, in the old cabin deep in the woods where Caelrix and I used to hide when we were kids, I stared at my messy reflection in the cracked mirror. 

I looked wrecked. Red eyes, tangled hair, the whole mess. I ran my fingers through my hair, then slipped into the sleek black dress that hugged my body like it was daring someone to look. A little makeup helped hide the worst of it.

“Are you ready for this?” Naryvex asked softly.

“More ready than they are,” I muttered, a small, bitter smile tugging at my lips.

The Moonlit Grove was beautiful when I got there. Lanterns glowing, white roses everywhere, the scent of pine and incense in the air. 

Caelrix stood tall on the raised platform in his formal black and silver, looking every bit the Alpha everyone expected. Thessaly was next to him in a flowing white gown, smiling like she’d already won.

The officiant’s voice carried over the crowd: “…honor and acknowledge Thessaly Van Everhart as your Luna…”

I slipped through the back and stepped up to the edge of the platform before I could lose my nerve.

“Can I borrow the microphone for a second?”

Everything went dead quiet. The officiant froze. Heads turned. Thessaly’s eyes went wide with fury, and Caelrix’s gaze snapped to mine with surprise, and sudden unease

“Seravyn,” he growled under his breath, a clear warning.

I took the mic anyway, my heart pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat.

“I’m Seravyn Toussaint Ashveil,” I said, letting my voice carry. 

“The Omega most of you have spent years feeling sorry for. The one your new Alpha rejected as his fated mate in front of the entire pack.”

Whispers exploded around me. Some people looked uncomfortable. Others looked excited for the drama.

I kept my eyes on Caelrix. 

“I, Seravyn Toussaint Ashveil, accept your rejection, Caelrix Zander Hendrix. I release you from whatever bond the Moon Goddess thought we had. From today, I’m done with this pack. I won’t beg, and I won’t look back.”

The silence that followed felt heavy. Then the murmurs started again, shocked, amused, judgmental.

Thessaly stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists. “Get this pathetic girl out of here! She’s ruining everything!”

Caelrix held up a hand to stop her, but his eyes stayed locked on me. For a split second, I thought I saw something flicker there like anger, maybe even regret but it disappeared too fast.

I gave Thessaly a cold little smile. “Don’t worry. I’m leaving. Go ahead and enjoy your alliance marriage… and enjoy wearing the title that cost my parents their lives.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Thessaly looked ready to shift and tear me apart right there.

Before anyone could grab me, I dropped the microphone. 

I turned and walked away without looking back, not at Caelrix, not at Thessaly, not at any of them. My heels clicked steady on the stone path. 

For the first time in days, my hands weren’t shaking.

“You did it,” Naryvex whispered.

I had nothing left here anyway.

A branch snapped somewhere behind me.

I stopped.

“Seravyn…” Naryvex’s voice tightened. “Don’t turn around.”

My heart kicked hard. I kept walking anyway, faster now.

I heard another snap but closer.

“Seravyn, stop.”

I turned around. I saw nothing but moonlight and shadows between the trees. 

The wedding lights looked too far away already.

Then the smell hit me… thick, metallic, wrong.

“Naryvex…” My voice came out shaky. “What is that?”

She didn’t answer right away. 

When she did, her words were low and urgent.

“Something’s out there. And it’s not from the pack.”

My stomach dropped. I took one more step backward.

A low sound rolled through the darkness.

“Seravyn,” Naryvex said, panic creeping in. “We need to go.Now!.”

I swallowed hard. “Go where?”

The sound came again, closer this time. 

Leaves rustled like something big was moving just out of sight.

Naryvex’s voice cracked.

“Run.”