Chapter 3: I Don't Want You Anymore

The entire pack square fell into stunned silence.

Not the ordinary kind of silence that followed an unexpected announcement.

This was the kind of silence that came before chaos.

The kind that made hundreds of people forget how to breathe.

The kind that warned everyone that something irreversible had just happened.

I stood in the center of the ceremonial platform, surrounded by hundreds of pack members whose shocked eyes were fixed entirely on me.

Warriors stood frozen in place.

Elders stared in disbelief.

Families whispered among themselves.

Servants looked ready to collapse.

Every person gathered in Moonfang territory had come to witness the mating ceremony between the future Alpha and his fated mate.

Everyone expected a celebration.

No one expected a rejection.

Least of all Damian Blackwood.

Across from me stood the man who had once been the center of my universe.

Tall.

Powerful.

Untouchable.

The future Alpha of Moonfang.

My fated mate.

The man I had died protecting.

The man who had admitted he never loved me.

His silver eyes remained locked on mine.

Cold.

Unreadable.

Dangerous.

For years, one look from him had been enough to make my heart race.

Today, all I felt was clarity.

The High Elder stepped forward and raised both hands toward the moonlit sky.

His voice carried across the square.

"Today, under the blessing of the Moon Goddess, we gather to witness the sacred union between Alpha Damian Blackwood and his destined mate, Lyra Silverthorne."

Thunderous applause erupted.

Cheers followed immediately.

The crowd smiled.

They celebrated.

They believed they were witnessing the beginning of a beautiful future.

None of them knew that in another lifetime, this ceremony had become the first link in the chain that led to my death.

The Elder turned toward me.

A warm smile rested on his face.

"Lyra Silverthorne, do you willingly accept Alpha Damian Blackwood as your chosen mate?"

Every eye shifted toward me.

I felt the weight of hundreds of expectations pressing against my shoulders.

I could feel Selene watching from the front row.

I could feel Damian waiting.

Expecting.

Certain.

Because in my previous life, I had answered without hesitation.

Without doubt.

Without fear.

I had loved him completely.

I had believed he was my destiny.

I had believed he would eventually love me too.

What a fool I had been.

Memories flooded my mind.

The wolfbane dagger.

The poison burning through my veins.

The healer's desperate screams.

Damian's cold voice beyond the door.

I never loved her.

The words sliced through me all over again.

Slowly, I lifted my chin.

The Elder smiled encouragingly.

"Your answer, child?"

I took a deep breath.

Then I shattered fate.

"No."

My voice rang across the square.

Clear.

Steady.

Unshaken.

The world stopped.

A collective gasp erupted from the crowd.

The Elder blinked.

Several people looked as though they had misheard me.

One woman nearly dropped her child.

The Elder stared at me.

"I'm sorry... what did you say?"

I smiled.

The freedom in my chest felt intoxicating.

"No."

The second rejection struck even harder.

Chaos exploded instantly.

"She rejected him!"

"That's impossible!"

"Has she gone mad?"

"She rejected the future Alpha!"

The crowd erupted into confusion.

Whispers became shouting.

Shouting became outrage.

For the first time in six years, I felt something I had forgotten existed.

Freedom.

The Elder looked horrified.

"Lyra, do you understand what you're saying?"

"Perfectly."

His face paled.

"You're rejecting your fated mate?"

"Yes."

The old man looked moments away from collapsing.

"Why?"

The answer seemed obvious.

Because he never loved me.

Because I died for him.

Because he watched me destroy myself and never cared.

Because I refuse to become his victim again.

But I swallowed all those truths.

Instead, I smiled.

"Because I don't want him."

The square exploded.

The mate bond immediately reacted.

A violent wave of energy surged between Damian and me.

His wolf slammed against the bond so hard that I nearly staggered.

For the first time since meeting him, genuine emotion crossed his face.

Shock.

Pure shock.

Damian Blackwood had expected many things today.

Rejection was not one of them.

The ceremony dissolved into complete chaos.

The Elders argued among themselves.

The crowd whispered endlessly.

Selene looked as though she had seen a ghost.

And Damian...

Damian never stopped staring at me.

---

Several hours later, I escaped the manor entirely.

I climbed the cliffs overlooking Moonfang territory and stood alone beneath the endless sky.

The wind swept through my hair.

The scent of pine drifted through the air.

For the first time since returning from the dead, I could breathe.

No ceremony.

No promises.

No future chained to Damian.

A strange peace settled inside me.

"Enjoying yourself?"

My entire body tensed.

I knew that voice.

Slowly, I turned around.

Damian stood several feet away.

His dark shirt stretched across broad shoulders.

His silver eyes remained fixed on me.

Unreadable.

Dangerously unreadable.

I sighed.

"Not particularly."

"You're lying."

"Maybe."

He stepped closer.

The atmosphere instantly changed.

The air grew heavier.

Every instinct inside me recognized him.

My mate.

My Alpha.

My greatest mistake.

"You embarrassed me."

His voice remained calm.

Too calm.

I almost laughed.

"You survived."

His eyes narrowed.

"I gave you everything."

This time I did laugh.

A bitter sound escaped my lips.

Everything?

Everything except love.

Everything except honesty.

Everything except the one thing I wanted.

I folded my arms.

"No, Damian."

Something dark flashed across his face.

"Explain."

The command in his voice would have terrified the old me.

The old Lyra would have apologized immediately.

That girl was dead.

"You want an explanation?"

"Yes."

I stepped closer.

Surprise flickered in his eyes.

Good.

Let him be surprised.

"I spent years chasing you."

His jaw tightened.

"I spent years trying to earn your attention."

His expression remained rigid.

"I spent years loving someone who barely noticed I existed."

Something shifted in his eyes.

Something brief.

Something almost painful.

"That's not true."

I laughed again.

"Really?"

The tension between us became suffocating.

He moved closer.

Now only inches separated us.

My pulse betrayed me immediately.

Curse the mate bond.

Curse fate.

Curse him.

His scent surrounded me.

Powerful.

Dangerous.

Familiar.

For one terrible moment, memories threatened to return.

I crushed them instantly.

His eyes darkened.

"You've changed."

"You noticed?"

His jaw flexed.

"Stop playing games."

"I'm not playing."

The words came out softer than intended.

More honest than I wanted.

"I'm finally telling the truth."

Something flickered across his face.

Confusion.

Frustration.

Maybe even fear.

Then suddenly his hand wrapped around my wrist.

Heat exploded through my body.

My breath caught.

The contact wasn't painful.

It was possessive.

Protective.

Alpha.

"Look at me."

I already was.

Unfortunately.

His silver eyes searched mine desperately.

As if searching for the girl who once worshipped him.

She was gone.

Buried six years in the future.

Buried beneath blood, betrayal, and a wolfbane dagger.

His voice lowered.

"You belong beside me."

Those words once would have made me cry with happiness.

Now they only made me furious.

A cold smile touched my lips.

"Not anymore."

For the first time, fear flashed across Damian's face.

Tiny.

Brief.

But unmistakable.

The realization stunned both of us.

Because Damian Blackwood feared nothing.

Except perhaps losing something he believed already belonged to him.

I pulled my wrist free.

This time, he let me go.

Neither of us spoke.

The silence stretched endlessly.

Then I turned around and walked away.

For the first time in my life...

Damian Blackwood didn't stop me.

That night, gossip consumed the entire manor.

Everyone discussed the rejection.

Good.

Let them talk.

I no longer cared.

The moon hung high above the territory as I entered my room.

Exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders.

Today had changed everything.

Yet deep inside, I knew this was only the beginning.

I walked toward my bed.

Then froze.

A folded piece of black paper rested on my pillow.

My heartbeat quickened instantly.

There was no scent.

No signature.

No indication of who had left it.

Slowly, I unfolded the paper.

Three words stared back at me.

THEY KILLED YOU.

Ice flooded my veins.

My blood turned cold.

The exact same words.

The exact same handwriting.

The message from my previous life.

Someone knew.

Someone remembered.

Or worse...

Someone had always known the truth.

A cold wind swept through the room.

The curtains billowed violently.

Instinct screamed inside me.

I wasn't alone.

Slowly, I turned toward the window.

A dark figure stood among the distant trees beyond the manor walls.

Watching.

Waiting.

Motionless.

Moonlight illuminated a pair of silver eyes.

Eyes fixed directly on me.

Then the figure smiled.

And vanished into the darkness.

Leaving me with one terrifying question.

Who was watching the girl who had returned from the dead?