REJECTED, HUMILIATED, AND BROKEN

I don't remember how I made it out of Simon's room. I just knew that I was moving, my dress dragging across the floor, heart pounding like thunder, eyes too blurred to see where I was going.

The air outside hit me cold and sharp. Most especially cold. The laughter and chatter from the wedding hall drifted through the open doors ahead. They were happy, clueless sounds that twisted my stomach.

I should've run. Hidden. Screamed. Anything. But I kept walking. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me broken. If I was going to burn, I'd burn on my feet.

When I pushed open the heavy doors of the wedding hall, all eyes turned to me.

Hundreds of them.

The decorations still hung around — flowers, silver ribbons, candles glowing along the walls. But the mood had changed. Loud tension filled the air, the hall charged with tension, whispers rippling through the crowd.

“Did you hear? Alpha Elias has been arrested.”

“Arrested? By Silvercrest?”

“They say Devon himself came for him—”

The words hit like bullets.

My father. Arrested. The rumors were already spreading.

Then I saw Simon.

He stood at the front, already dressed in his wedding suit, looking perfectly composed — like nothing had happened. Like I hadn't just found him naked with my cousin. He was already talking to some elders, shaking hands. When he noticed me, a faint smirk touched his lips.

He lifted his hand and motioned me over.

I didn't move.

My heart was a live wire, my wolf growling low in my chest. He tilted his head slightly, the same fake smile plastered on his face.

When I still didn't move, he sighed, stepped off the stage, and strode toward me. His confidence made my skin crawl.

“Irene ,” he said quietly when he reached me, his voice perfectly even. “Come with me.”

I stared at him. “Get your hands off me.”

He ignored the venom in my voice, took my wrist, and led me toward the stage. I didn't resist — I wanted everyone to see. Let them see the man they were celebrating. Let them hear him for who he truly was.

The chatter died instantly as we reached the center. The hall fell silent.

Simon turned to face the crowd, still holding my wrist. “Everyone,” he began, loud and calm, “there's been a change in plans.”

My wolf clawed at me, begging to break free.

He looked down at me then, his eyes cold. “I, Simon Lawson, son of the Gamma of the Ironfang Pack, reject you, Irene Harvey, as my mate.”

The sound of my slap echoed through the hall. My hand moved before I could even stop it.

The crowd gasped.

He didn't flinch. His head turned slightly from the impact, but his expression stayed the same.

“You'll pay for that,” I said through gritted teeth, my hand trembling.

He wiped his jaw with the back of his hand and sneered. “I can't pay what you can't afford to collect. Your father isn't Alpha anymore. You're no one now, Irene .”

The words sliced through me deeper than any blade would.

Gasps and murmurs filled the hall again. My throat burned, but I refused to cry here. Not in front of him. Not in front of them.

“I, Irene Harvey, daughter of Alpha Theo, accept your rejection,” I said, my voice steady, though my chest ached like it was being crushed.

Silence.

Nothing.

The bond didn't break. I still felt it, that pull in my chest was still there, the faint thread that tied me to him. The mate bond. It was still there.

Simon chuckled, cruel and triumphant. “I told you,” he said, stepping closer so only I could hear. “You're no longer the Alpha's daughter. That's why it didn't work.”

My breath hitched.

I wasn't just heartbroken. I was stripped. Powerless.

Tears burned my eyes again, but I swallowed them down. I wouldn't give him another victory.

“I, Irene Harvey, member of Ironfang Pack,” I said through clenched teeth, “accept your rejection.”

The pain hit instantly — a sharp, tearing agony that ripped through my chest and made my knees buckle. The bond snapped. My wolf whimpered, a sound so raw it echoed in my mind.

Gasps filled the room. Someone cried out softly.

Simon just stepped back, watching me like I was nothing.

It was done.

We were done.

I straightened slowly, ignoring the shaking in my limbs, and walked off the stage. No one dared stop me. Not one person.

My vision blurred again as I pushed through the crowd and out into the corridor. I barely noticed Brielle running after me.

“Irene!“ she called. “Wait—please, what happened? What's going on?”

I didn't answer. My wolf was too quiet. Too hurt. I could barely hear her over the pounding in my head.

I went straight to the Beta's office. The door was half open. Beta Gideon was inside, speaking with two guards, his usual calm expression darkened with tension.

“Out,” I said, stepping in.

The guards hesitated, then left when Gideon gave them a nod. He looked at me with weary eyes. “Irene —”

“What the hell is happening?” I snapped. “Why did Simon say my father isn't Alpha anymore? Why didn't anyone tell me?”

Gideon exhaled, rubbing a hand over his face. “I was going to, after the ceremony. But things… escalated faster than expected.”

“Tell me,” I demanded.

He looked at me for a long second before answering. “Alpha Theo has been accused of orchestrating the Silvercrest massacre last week. Alpha Devon himself led the charge this morning. They took your father to Silvercrest territory. He's being held there now.”

I shook my head violently. “No. No, my father would never, he wouldn't kill innocents, Gideon! He's not that kind of Alpha!”

“I know,” Gideon said quietly. “Which is why I believe it's a setup. But the council's already accepted Devon's claim. They've stripped your father of his title until there's a formal hearing.”

My knees went weak again, and I gripped the edge of his desk. “You have to do something. We can't just sit here while Devon—”

“Irene,” Gideon interrupted, his tone sharp. “Do you think I haven't tried? No one in this pack wants to move against Silvercrest. Everyone's terrified of Devon. He's already threatened war if anyone intervenes.”

I slammed my hands on the table. “Then we'll fight! We're Ironfang wolves—we don't cower before another Alpha!”

His expression hardened. “You're talking like your father. And look where that got him.”

My jaw tightened. “You think he's guilty?”

“No,” Gideon said. “But I think we're cornered. And unless we tread carefully, you'll end up in that cell next to him.”

I took a shaky breath, my hands trembling. “I can't just do nothing. He's my father.”

“I know,” he said again, softer this time. “But until we have proof he's innocent, we can't risk open conflict. Devon's too powerful right now.”

My voice broke. “He framed him. I know he did. That monster killed Baron, and now he's destroying what's left of us.”

Gideon's silence was confirmation enough.

“Devon,” I whispered, feeling the name twist on my tongue. My wolf stirred, growling deep inside me. “Alpha Devon Warner.”

The sound of that name filled my entire being with fire.

He was the one who started this. The one who took Baron. The one who ruined my father. And now, because of him, Simon thought he could humiliate me in front of everyone. And yet, I didn't even know what he looked like.

No.

This wasn't going to end here.

I lifted my chin, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. “If no one else will fight for my father,” I said, voice steadying, “then I will.”

Gideon frowned. “Irene —”

“I mean it,” I cut him off. “You can stay scared, the others can bow to Devon all they want. But I won't.”

He sighed heavily, eyes full of pity. “Be careful. Devon isn't just ruthless. He's strategic. He doesn't move without a reason. If he wanted your father gone, it's because he already planned his next move.”

My lips twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. “Then he won't see mine coming.

I turned and walked out before he could say anything else.

The corridor was empty now, the sounds of the celebration and what was left of it faded behind me. My dress was torn, my hair a mess, and my heart felt like shattered glass.

But beneath it all, one thing burned clear and hot in my chest.

This wasn't over.

Not for Simon.

Not for Laura.

And definitely not for Alpha Devon Warner.

Because I, Irene Harvey, daughter of Alpha Theo, would make them all pay.

Even if it killed me.