Chapter 4

Four: Forgive Me

EIRA

Cassian rises as I walk in. And everyone does too.

Eyes stare at me, the Beta and the royal Omegas who will serve as witnesses to our joining. The elders stand at the back of Cassian who is flanked by Alpha Eric and Lysandra.

Their eyes follow me, and I shrink into myself but keep my head high. My shoes click against the tiled floors.

Maybe if I portray confidence, Cassian would see that I can be Luna. That I can serve at his side like a Queen.

“Her hair is white?” Someone murmurs. And my heart falls. I hope the color of my hair won’t be a problem.

My breathing shallows as I walk down the long aisle toward Cassian. His familiar scent hits me, my wolf whines. And my lungs expand to greedily inhale him.

“Your majesty.” I bow, baring my neck in submission.

Cassian’s eyes darken, and his fists clench. His body is tense, coiled tight. And his eyes, they flash.

“Eira!” He acknowledges, and steps back. My eyes scan the elders, Alpha Eric and they stop at Lysandra.

Lysandra Orion. I’ve never seen her, but the rumors are false. She isn’t ugly. In fact, she’s the opposite. A blonde bombshell, stunning.

She gives me a blank stare when she catches my eyes, and I look away, embarrassed at being caught.

“You may all sit!” Cassian states, and everyone sits. Being the only one —asides Cassian—standing, I feel exposed, self-conscious. Nervous.

“As you all heard, I found my mate.” Hums of agreement follow. “You may or may not know who she is, so today I present to you…”

Cassian signifies with his eyes that I should face the pack. And I obey.

“Eira Quinn!” He announces. “An Omega by birth, and by right!”

“An Omega?” Someone scoffs. And then, an uproar ensues. The disapproval is evident in their faces, in the words they speak. They don’t accept me. They don’t even give me a chance.

But when Cassian accepts me, and declares me his Luna, they will have to live with it. And so I let their words roll off my back.

My smile is tight, and my heart races as I wait for the announcement. The declaration.

“Silence!” Cassian’s voice booms and the room becomes quiet. Quickly.

“Today, I call you here to witness the rejection of Eira Quinn as my mate. In the presence of the elders, and the representatives of the moon goddess.”

Loud gasps fill the silence. My smile fades and I turn quickly. My heart picks up in my chest, and nausea twists my intestines.

What? What is happening?

“I don’t understand, Your Majesty.” My voice is barely a whisper but he catches it. His jaw ticks and he glares.

I recoil from the intensity of his glare. And my heart breaks as I realize what is about to happen. The humiliation I’m about to face. My wolf whimpers.

“Please,” I beg in a whisper. “Don’t do this. Please.”

A flash of something zips through his eyes. Almost like reluctance. Anguish. But it passes before I can name it. His fists clench at his sides.

“An Omega cannot rule beside an Alpha King. Therefore, I, Alpha Cassian Vael…” Tears spring to my eyes and I brace myself for the rejection.

“..reject you, Eira Quinn, as my mate.”

The impact shoves me backwards and I stagger. Pain spreads across my chest, my stomach. Heat licks at my skin.

I scream. A blood-curdling scream. High-pitched. Piercing. Tears roll down my cheeks and I crumple to the ground, clawing at my heart.

My wolf howls. It’s gut-wrenching. It’s broken. Just like me.

I look up to find Cassian sitting on his throne. A hand rubs against his chest. He looks tired, worn out… almost older than he was a few seconds ago.

His eyes flash when they meet mine, and the pain I see is raw. But it doesn’t last long.

“Forgive me,” he mouths and looks away.

And I wonder why.

Why do this to us?

I wore a black dress today. Maybe something in me had a feeling this would happen.

And so I mourn.

I mourn a love I never got to experience, and a loss of something I had for only a moment.

“Jafeth,” Cassian calls. His Beta appears at his side. “Take her to the pack house.”

Jafeth nods, and he’s at my side in a minute. His hands are cold when they touch my heated skin, and I whimper, shivering.

He holds me up, and drags me away.

“I can’t imagine the pain she’s in.”

“Did she really think she could rule with His Majesty?”

“I wish that never happens to me.”

The words sear into my brain. Humiliation, shame, mortification… they cling to me like a second skin.

Sweat breaks out on my skin and my stomach rolls. It tumbles, twisting and turning. Bile quickly rises to my throat, and I swallow it down.

Wrong decision to make. Before I can think, it rushes up my throat again, and I hunch over.

Right there, in the middle of the aisle, I empty my guts. I puke. A whitish transparent liquid. My throat feels raw, hot.

“Gross,” someone grimaces.

Jafeth looks away, jaw clenched. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

Black dots dance in my vision, my head swims. I feel light-headed. Just before I succumb to the darkness that pulls me, I hear it…

“White hair. A gene of the moonblood line. Cursed. Prophecies surround them.”

It’s a whisper in a foreign language. But somehow, I understand it.

“The rest of them were killed. She’s the last of their kind, she must be killed.”

And I succumb to the blackness. I don’t struggle, no, I go willingly. But just before my mind blanks, I make up my mind.

When I wake up, I will leave Ashbane pack. I will run, and I will hide.

I will survive.