Rejected and banished

Jade

“I, Carter Skyton, reject you, Jade Williams, as my mate and future Luna.”

The words echoed off the high stone walls of the Skyton Pack Hall, turning the air to ice.

I froze in the middle of the crowded room. My breathing stopped. For a terrible, desperate second, I thought I must have misheard him.

Around us, the hall fell completely silent. Every warrior, elder, and pack member stood glued to their spots. Hundreds of eyes stared at the stage. Everyone had gathered tonight expecting to see Carter officially claim me. I am the Beta’s daughter. We had been betrothed since we were children. I had spent my whole life training for this, learning protocol, and preparing to stand beside Carter as his Luna.

Over the last few years, Carter had grown distant and cold, but I never imagined he would pull the rug out from under me like this. Not here. Not in front of everyone.

Then the pain hit.

The mate bond tore apart inside my chest with a physical violence that made my vision blur. It felt like someone had thrust a burning blade into my ribs and twisted it. My knees buckled. I clutched my chest, gasping for air, desperately struggling to remain standing.

Carter just watched me. His eyes were totally empty. No warmth, no regret, no sympathy.

“Alpha Carter, what is the meaning of this?” Elder Thomas shouted, stepping forward from the crowd. “Jade is your fated mate and the daughter of our Beta! The agreement between your families has stood since you two were children!”

“I will not honor that agreement,” Carter said, his voice hard as steel.

“Why?” Elder Thomas demanded, his voice shaking with anger. “Give this Council a reason!”

Carter slowly turned his eyes toward me. He looked down at my body, his face twisted in pure disgust.

“Because I cannot have a Luna who is this fat.”

A collective gasp rippled through the hall, followed by a sickening wave of quiet.

I felt every single eye in the room turn toward my body. The heat burned my skin. A few young wolves near the front covered their mouths and giggled. Whispers broke out like wildfire, people muttering that Carter was finally just saying out loud what everyone had been thinking all along.

“A Luna must be beautiful, graceful, and worthy of standing beside an Alpha,” Carter continued, making sure his voice carried to the back of the room. “Look at her. She embarrasses me every time she steps out in public. She has never even bothered to lose weight, despite knowing she was meant to lead this pack.”

Shame flooded my throat, thick and choking. “Carter, please...” I tried to defend myself. “I tried, I—”

“Silence,” he cut me off coldly. He didn't let me finish. “I have already chosen a woman worthy of the title.”

He turned toward the side entrance and held out his hand.

The crowd parted, and my younger sister, Janet, stepped forward. She wore a tight, beautiful dress that showed off every curve of her slender waist. She walked slowly, her head held high. She didn't look surprised at all.

Carter reached out and took Janet’s hand, pulling her against his side. “Janet will be my chosen mate and the next Luna of Skyton.”

My chest heaved. The way Carter touched her, the casual, familiar way his hand rested on the small of her back shot a terrible truth through my mind. This wasn't something that had just happened tonight. They had been secretly seeing each other behind my back for months. Maybe longer.

“Janet?” My voice cracked. “How long? How long have you been seeing him?”

Janet lowered her eyes, putting on a sweet, fake expression of guilt. “I'm sorry, Jade... but Carter needs a woman who actually suits his position. You should have known he could never be satisfied with someone like you.”

Cruel laughter erupted across the hall.

“Look at the two of them, Carter made the right choice.”

“The rejected fat Luna...”

“Janet was always the prettier sister anyway.”

The insults battered against me like stones. In utter desperation, I looked out into the crowd for my parents. I looked at my father, the Beta of this pack, begging him with my eyes to step in and stop this humiliation.

My father looked away. He kept his mouth shut, too afraid of challenging the future Alpha to defend his own daughter.

Elder Thomas cleared his throat, his face grim. “By Skyton Pack tradition, a female rejected by the Alpha heir cannot remain on pack territory once he selects a new mate. Her presence is a threat to the new Luna.”

Carter looked down at me one last time. “You have until sunrise to pack your things and leave Skyton territory.”

“No...” Panic seized my throat. “Carter, please! Don't exile me. This is the only home I've ever known!”

“Be grateful I am allowing you to leave alive,” Carter said coldly. “Now get out.”

Tears blinded my eyes. Unable to take another second of the pointing fingers and snickering, I turned and ran out of the hall.

I ran all the way back to my family’s house, my chest heaving, tears streaming down my face. I slammed the front door behind me and collapsed against the wall, sobbing. I just wanted my mother. I needed her to hold me, to tell me everything was going to be okay.

Footsteps hurried down the hall. My mother came into view, but she wasn't looking at me with pity. Her face was flushed with excitement.

“Mom...” I choked out, reaching for her. “Carter rejected me. He banished me...”

“I know,” my mother said, stepping back so I couldn't touch her. “I just heard. Janet is going to be Luna! Do you have any idea what this means for our family’s standing?”

I stared at her, horrified. “How can you support her after what she did to me? She stole my mate!”

My mother crossed her arms and sighed, looking at me with cold disappointment. “I warned you, Jade. I warned you about your weight a hundred times. Every single time I asked you to diet, or exercise, or try to look more like a proper Luna, you complained. Carter's decision is painful, but it is completely understandable.”

The blood drained from my face. “Did you know?” I whispered. “Did you and Dad know he was going to reject me tonight?”

My mother went silent. She looked away, refusing to answer.

Her silence was a slap across my face.

They knew. My own parents had sent me into that hall tonight knowing I was going to be publicly destroyed, all so Janet could take my place and keep our family in power.

My father walked into the house then, his face dark. “Don't cause a scene, Jade. Janet becoming Luna secures our family’s position in this pack for another generation. We can't let your bitterness ruin this.”

They had traded me away. They had chosen power over their own daughter.

“Pack your things,” my mother ordered quietly. “Leave before sunrise like the Alpha said. Don't make this any harder on us than it already is.”

Dragging my feet, I walked upstairs to my bedroom. Every step felt like walking on broken glass. I pulled a small duffel bag from my closet and began throwing clothes inside, my hands trembling so hard I could barely grip the fabric.

A quiet knock sounded at my open door.

I turned around and saw Janet leaning against the doorframe. She had already taken off her heels, looking completely relaxed.

“I came to make sure you were packing,” Janet said smoothly. “We don't want you causing any trouble on your way out.”

I clutched a sweater to my chest, my teeth grinding together. “Why, Janet? Why did you do this to me? Why did you steal Carter?”

Janet smirked. She pushed off the doorframe and walked slowly toward me, her eyes shining with pure malice.

She leaned in close to my ear and whispered:

“Carter didn’t start hating your body on his own, Jade. I made sure he did.”