Chapter 3

Rose’s POV

The silence between us felt heavy.

Too heavy.

The stranger’s golden eyes were still locked onto mine, and for some reason, my heart refused to calm down.

The pain from Alpha Sunny’s rejection still burned inside my chest, but something about this man standing in front of me was making my emotions even more complicated.

His presence was overwhelming.

Dangerous.

Like standing too close to a storm.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked quietly.

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he studied my face carefully, like he was trying to read every emotion I was feeling.

“You’re hurting,” he finally said.

It wasn’t a question.

It was a statement.

My chest tightened.

“I’m fine,” I replied quickly.

It was a lie.

A terrible one.

Because the truth was, every breath still hurt.

The rejection wasn’t just emotional.

It was physical.

When a mate bond was broken, it left scars deep inside a wolf’s soul.

I could still hear Sunny’s voice echoing inside my head.

I reject Rose as my mate.

The laughter of the pack.

The mocking whispers.

The look of disgust on his face.

My fingers clenched into fists.

“I said I’m fine,” I repeated, more firmly this time.

The stranger tilted his head slightly.

“You’re a terrible liar.”

I frowned.

“That’s none of your business.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The moonlight filtered through the tall trees, casting long shadows across the forest floor.

The wind gently rustled the leaves above us.

Then suddenly—

“You should be angry.”

My brows furrowed.

“What?”

He crossed his arms, his sharp gaze still fixed on me.

“You were humiliated. Rejected in front of your entire pack.”

Hearing the words out loud made my chest ache again.

“Most wolves would be furious.”

“I’m not most wolves,” I muttered.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“That’s obvious.”

Something in his tone made me uneasy.

“What does that mean?”

Instead of answering, he took a slow step toward me.

“Tell me something, Rose.”

“What?”

“Why didn’t you fight back?”

I blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“When your Alpha rejected you,” he said slowly, “why didn’t you challenge him?”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

“Challenge him?”

“Yes.”

“You must be joking.”

“I never joke.”

I shook my head.

“You don’t understand.”

His gaze remained steady.

“Then explain.”

Frustration bubbled up inside me.

“You saw me, didn’t you?” I snapped. “I’m an omega. I can’t even shift properly.”

Memories of the pack’s mocking voices filled my head.

Useless omega.

Weak.

Embarrassment.

“Even if I wanted to challenge him,” I continued quietly, “I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

The stranger stared at me for a long moment.

Then he slowly shook his head.

“You’re wrong.”

My patience snapped.

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

“Then please explain how someone like me is supposed to challenge the Alpha of the pack.”

His golden eyes gleamed strangely under the moonlight.

“Because someone like you…”

He paused.

“…isn’t what you think you are.”

Confusion spread through me.

“What are you talking about?”

Before he could answer—

A sudden sharp pain shot through my chest.

I gasped.

My hand immediately pressed against my heart.

“What—?”

The pain intensified.

It felt like something deep inside me was pulling.

My wolf stirred restlessly again.

The stranger’s expression darkened.

“So it’s starting already,” he murmured.

“What’s starting?” I demanded through clenched teeth.

He stepped closer, his gaze serious now.

“The Alpha who rejected you…”

“Yes?”

“…is beginning to regret it.”

My eyes widened.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“No,” I said firmly.

Sunny had been completely certain about rejecting me.

He had looked at me like I was nothing.

There was no way he would suddenly regret it.

“You’re wrong,” I insisted.

The stranger didn’t argue.

Instead, he simply watched me carefully.

The strange pulling sensation in my chest slowly faded after a few seconds.

But it left behind an uneasy feeling.

“What was that?” I asked quietly.

“A consequence,” he replied.

“Of what?”

“Breaking a mate bond.”

I frowned.

“But the bond is already broken.”

“Yes,” he said.

“But that doesn’t mean the connection disappears completely.”

I didn’t like the sound of that.

“Are you saying Sunny can still feel something?”

“Possibly.”

A complicated wave of emotions rushed through me.

Anger.

Sadness.

Confusion.

“I don’t care,” I muttered.

But even as I said the words, I knew they weren’t entirely true.

The stranger seemed to notice.

“You still care about him,” he said.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Of course it is.”

I shook my head.

“You don’t understand anything about my life.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Try me.”

I hesitated.

Then the words started spilling out before I could stop them.

“I grew up in that pack,” I said quietly.

“I was always the weakest wolf.”

Memories flooded my mind.

The insults.

The laughter.

The loneliness.

“Everyone looked down on me,” I continued.

“Everyone except Sunny.”

The stranger’s eyes sharpened slightly.

“When we were younger… he wasn’t like he is now.”

I remembered the boy who had once helped me up when I fell.

The boy who had defended me from bullies.

“He used to protect me,” I whispered.

“But everything changed when he became Alpha.”

Power had changed him.

Responsibility.

Expectations.

“I think…” My voice trembled slightly.

“I think he started seeing me the way everyone else does.”

The stranger remained silent.

“So when he rejected me tonight…” I forced a weak smile.

“It wasn’t really surprising.”

For a moment, the forest was completely quiet.

Then the stranger spoke again.

“You’re wrong.”

My brows furrowed.

“About what?”

“Everything.”

Before I could respond, his expression suddenly turned serious.

His head turned slightly, as if he was listening to something far away.

“What is it?” I asked nervously.

He didn’t answer.

Instead, his eyes darkened dangerously.

“Well,” he muttered.

“That didn’t take long.”

My stomach dropped.

“What didn’t take long?”

He looked back at me.

“Your pack.”

My heart skipped a beat.

“What about them?”

“They’re coming.”

Cold fear rushed through me.

“What?”

“Several wolves,” he continued calmly.

“They’re heading straight for this forest.”

My mind raced.

“Why would they—”

Then realization hit me.

Sunny.

The rejection ceremony.

The humiliation.

Maybe the pack elders wanted to make sure I didn’t cause trouble.

“They probably want me to leave their territory,” I said bitterly.

The stranger’s expression remained unreadable.

“Oh, they want something alright.”

“What?”

His golden eyes gleamed.

“You.”

A chill ran down my spine.

“Why?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, his lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.

“Looks like your former Alpha has finally realized something.”

My heart began pounding again.

“What do you mean?”

His gaze locked onto mine.

“Alpha Sunny just discovered…”

His voice dropped into a low whisper.

“…that rejecting you might have been the biggest mistake of his life.”

The sound of distant howls suddenly echoed through the forest.

My blood ran cold.

They were getting closer.

And for some reason…

The stranger standing beside me didn’t look worried at all.

In fact—

He looked almost excited.