Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Mate.”

That single word shatters everything. I freeze, unable to even blink. Aiden Blackwood is my mate?

A flicker of something close to disbelief crosses his face, but before I can say anything, before I can even take a step toward him...

Everyone begins to laugh. It’s loud, sharp, and mocking. Aiden’s friends exchange glances before one of them barks out a laugh.

“No way. You’ve got to be kidding.”

“The future Alpha… mated to an omega?” another one sneers.

“No, no—a maid. That’s even worse.”

The words hit me like a slap. I shrink into myself, gripping the plates tightly, my knuckles white.

Aiden doesn’t move. His jaw clenches, his entire body going rigid.

I wait, wait for him to say something. To stop them.

To acknowledge me.

Instead, his expression turns cold. Then, in a voice that cuts deeper than any insult, he growls, “I cannot be mated to a filthy omega. A maid at that.”

My stomach drops.

The flicker of hope I held onto just moments ago vanishes into the wind. I was destined to suffer.

Aiden steps back, looking away as if I am nothing more than an unfortunate inconvenience. As if this moment, the bond the Moon Goddess herself created, means absolutely nothing.

Pain ripples through my chest, sharp and suffocating. My wolf, the one I had only just awakened hours ago, whimpers inside me. I barely had time to feel her presence before this… before him.

And now, she is just as broken as I am.

My fingers tremble around the plates I’m still holding. My vision blurs, not from tears, no, I refuse to cry. But from the shame of the rejection pressing down on me.

Aiden doesn’t look at me again.

Instead, he turns to his friends, a forced smirk tugging at his lips as if this is some kind of sick joke.

“You really think the Moon Goddess would mate me with… that?” he scoffs, shaking his head.

They begin laughing again, sharp and even more mocking.

I can’t move, can’t breathe. It’s as if my feet are deeply rooted in the floor. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

Mates were supposed to love, cherish, and protect each other. Mates were supposed to be a blessing.

Not this. Not a humiliation.

My wolf whimpers again, but I shove her down, shoving down everything I feel because I know if I let it overwhelm me now, I will crumble. And I can’t afford to break. Not here. Not in front of them.

Aiden’s friends are still laughing, but one of them sneers, nudging him. “Go on, Alpha. Reject her properly.”

Aiden’s smirk falters. His fists clench.

I see it, the hesitation in his eyes, the flicker of something almost like doubt. But then, it’s gone just as quickly as it came.

He shakes his head. “No need.” His voice is cold. “She’s nothing to me. Never will be.”

I flinch hard, and that’s when I know, he’s not rejecting me. Not yet. He wants me to suffer. He’s an alpha and I a lowly omega. The bond will hurt the weaker one, and that’s me.

“Pick up those plates and get out of my sight,” he orders, his voice sharp with authority.

I can’t move.

Aiden takes a step closer, towering over me, his hazel eyes fixed on me. “Did you not hear me, Omega?”

The way he says it, like I am filth, like I am nothing. It cuts deeper than I thought possible.

Slowly, I kneel, gathering the plates stiffly. I keep my head down, forcing myself to swallow the lump in my throat. After I finish, I stand, holding the plates tightly, and without another word, I turn and walk away.

The moment I step into my small cot, the tears I’ve been holding back finally break.

Silent sobs rack my body as I sink onto the thin mat, my arms curling around myself. My chest aches, physically aches. It’s like my heart is being torn apart from the inside.

Because maybe it is.

I don’t know how long I sit there, shaking, but when I hear the soft creak of my window, my breath catches. I freeze. The omega quarters are locked at night.

The familiar scent of warm cedar and spice fills the air. My heart stutters and I turn, and there he is. Aiden.

Standing in my room, his body tense, his hazel eyes dark and on me.

I scramble to my feet, confusion swirling inside me. “What are you doing here?”

His gaze sweeps over me, lingering on the way my shoulders shake before he steps forward, closing the distance between us.

“I want you,” he confesses.

My eyes widen, his words slamming into me, knocking the air out of me.

I shake my head, taking a step back. “But you…” My voice cracks. “You rejected me.”

His jaw clenches. “I had to.”

I stare at him, unblinking. “You had to?”

Aiden exhales sharply, running a hand through his dark hair, frustration clear in his eyes. “My friends, everyone. Do you know what they would’ve said? What my father would’ve thought if I just accepted an omega as my mate in front of them?”

I feel sick. “So you humiliated me instead?”

“I was stupid,” he says quickly, stepping even closer. “I shouldn’t have done that. But I had to make them believe you were nothing to me. At least for now.” His fingers reach for mine, but I pull away.

“You made them believe it. You made me believe it.”

“I know,” he breathes, frustration flashing in his eyes. Then, softer, “I know, Emma. But you are my mate. The Moon Goddess gave you to me. And I don’t care what anyone says. I want you. I’ll be proud of you.”

I squeeze my eyes shut, the words making my head spin.

“Tomorrow,” he continues, his voice dropping low. “I’ll tell my father and mother. We’ll make it official.”

My breath hitches.

Official?

I want to believe him. Desperately. I want to believe that this moment, this change is real. That he means it. That my mate, the man who humiliated me just hours ago, now wants to claim me.

But I’m afraid.

Aiden must see the hesitation in my eyes because his expression softens. “Don’t hold back, Emma.”

Then his lips are on mine. Warm and insistent.

I gasp against him, but he doesn’t stop. He deepens the kiss, his hands gripping my waist, pulling me flush against him.

I should push him away.

I should.

But the moment his fingers dig into my hips, the moment his mouth moves against mine with desperation, my body betrays me.

I don’t push him away. I melt into him.