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DAVINA'S POV

The look in his eyes when he saw me was the same look someone would give a ghost.

Everyone turned toward me. I could hear the curses and whispers spreading through the crowd. I had interrupted the ceremony, leaving the sealing ritual incomplete.

The woman beside him stared at me with pure resentment. The hatred burning in her eyes was impossible to miss, but at that moment, none of it mattered to me. Since it was the full moon, we could simply proceed with the rejection ritual, and Alpha Jasper could continue with whatever plans he had for his precious Luna.

As the noise across the pack grounds intensified, I turned around and walked away.

Heading back toward the infirmary, I fought to hold back my tears. There was no way I was going to waste my precious tears over a man like him.

"Davina, you don't love him. Don't you dare cry," I muttered, scolding myself.

It seemed I had spent too many years surrounded by loyal people. I had almost forgotten what betrayal felt like.

"Davina, I can explain!" His voice rang out behind me.

What a familiar phrase.

That always seemed to be the first line spoken after every betrayal.

I kept walking, ignoring him while trying to gather my thoughts. I wasn't angry because I loved him. I was furious because everyone in this pack had hidden the Luna Ceremony from me. I was furious because he had deliberately kept me in the dark about his plans.

I wanted to know what his real intention was.

"Please, let me explain," he said again.

This time, panic laced his voice.

I stopped walking.

Turning to face him, I laughed bitterly at my own foolishness.

"I didn't seal your lips, did I? Go ahead. Explain."

I looked directly into his eyes, curious to hear what lie he would invent this time. I wanted to see how he planned to justify what I had just witnessed.

But he simply stared at me in silence.

I scoffed.

"What happened? You don't want to explain anymore? Don't tell me you suddenly forgot that I'm your mate."

I tilted my head mockingly.

"Or wait... is she your mate too?"

His expression hardened.

"I can't make you my Luna," he said bluntly. "With your genes, you can't bear me a worthy Alpha heir. You have no status, no background. I'm trying to save you from the ridicule you'd face as Luna."

Wow.

What a proud, arrogant bastard.

His words hit me like brittle eggshells thrown against stone. He was basically telling me that I was worthless.

What hurt even more was that he didn't apologise. He spoke as though he were doing me a favour, as if he were rescuing me from some terrible fate.

If I wasn't fit to be his Luna, then why insist on keeping the mate bond intact?

To toy with my feelings?

If I hadn't discovered the truth tonight, he probably would have returned to the infirmary tomorrow, whispering sweet nonsense about how he couldn't stop thinking about me.

What a jerk.

I bit my lip hard, trying to contain my anger.

"Let's make this easy," I said with a tight smile. "Either you reject me as your mate and return to your Luna Ceremony, or I reject you myself."

"No," he said immediately. "I can't reject you, and neither can you."

I blinked at him in disbelief.

Was this some kind of joke? Who did he think he was?

My brows drew together. "Then watch me."

I opened my mouth to begin the rejection ritual, but before I could speak, he lunged forward and clamped a hand over my mouth.

I struggled against him, trying to pull away, but his Alpha strength was overwhelming. He dragged me farther from the pack grounds until we were hidden from the others.

Only then did he release me.

I glared at him, furious enough to punch him in the face.

He quickly explained what the priestess had revealed—that our mate bond was somehow tied to the lives of everyone in Deep Paw Claw.

I studied his expression carefully, searching for deception.

To my shock, he was telling the truth.

My eyes widened.

How was something like that even possible?

"So you planned to keep me as your mistress?" I asked quietly.

He avoided my gaze, and the guilt in his eyes told me everything I needed to know.

I let out a bitter laugh.

"You really do have a problem with me being plus-sized. You just didn't dare to say it to my face."

"I had no choice," he replied coldly.

"No," I snapped. "You don't get to make decisions for other people. Being an Alpha doesn't give you the right to decide my life for me."

His eyes darkened dangerously.

"Don't speak to me in that tone," he warned.

"I'll speak to you however I want," I shot back. "You've been a pain in my ass since the first day we met. You dared to hide your selfish plan from me, and you still haven't even apologised. Who do you think you are?"

For a moment, he looked genuinely stunned.

"You act as though you're doing me some great favour," I continued angrily. "You're just a selfish Alpha who wants to have his cake and eat it too."

In an instant, he grabbed me by the neck.

"I won't tolerate your insults," he barked. "This is your final warning. Watch your tone."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

The moment he realised how roughly he was holding me, his grip loosened immediately, and he stepped back.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Silence fell between us.

We could both hear each other's heartbeats in the stillness of the night.

Deep down, I knew I had wounded his pride. An Alpha valued his authority above almost everything else, and I had trampled all over it without hesitation.

I rubbed the sore spot on my neck where his fingers had been.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you too," he said more calmly this time. "I'm doing this for my pack. You can't be my Luna."

At least now he sounded less cold and overbearing. He sounded like someone trying to negotiate.

Still, his words stung.

No one seemed to care about my abilities. All they saw was my body size.

Where I came from, being plus-sized was considered a blessing from the Moon Goddess. We valued strength, gifts, skills, and abilities—not shallow appearances.

I took a slow breath.

"There has to be another way," I said quietly. "There's always a way."

He looked at me curiously.

"There must be a way to break the bond without hurting anyone. We don't have to pretend to be in love, and you don't have to claim me privately or publicly. If we find a solution, you'll reject me, I'll regain my freedom, and you'll regain yours too."

He stared at me for several long seconds before finally speaking.

"You'll move into the palace as the Imperial Physician."

My eyes widened.

"What?"

Absolutely not.

Becoming the Royal Den Healer would tie me directly to the Alpha. Treating warriors outside the palace would require his permission, and I wouldn't be able to leave freely without an escort.

He was trying to trap me inside Deep Paw Claw.

Healing people was the very reason I had left my own pack in the first place. I refused to become a prisoner within royal walls.

"I won't accept that offer," I said firmly. "I'm not moving into the palace."

He scoffed, and the cold, aloof Alpha returned instantly.

"You don't have another option," he said darkly. "And if I have to break your limbs to make it happen... trust me, I will."