Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zara Fen POV

For a moment after Alpha Lir turned away, the hall went completely silent.

Then the noise returned all at once and whispers spread through the crowd like sparks in dry grass. Wolves leaned toward each other, voices low but sharp. No one bothered to hide it anymore. There was nothing left to protect.

“She was rejected.”

“By the Alpha himself.”

“A cursed wolf really thought she could become Luna.”

I stayed where I was. “I just can't believe it, fate can be so cruel.”

My chest burned and my legs felt locked in place.

The bond raged inside me, raw and furious, refusing to loosen. As if it wanted to make sure I would never forget what had just happened.

The priests recovered first and took one step forward and struck his staff against the stone floor. The sound echoed through the hall.

“The ceremony is concluded,” he announced. “Return to your places.”

No one moved.

Another priest glanced toward Alpha Lir. When he saw that Lir had already turned his back, his shoulders stiffened.

“Zara Fen,” the first priest said.

His voice had changed to something harder and colder.

“Step forward.”

My feet felt heavy, but I obeyed. Every step toward the platform felt like walking deeper into judgment.

“You have been rejected by your fated mate,” he said. “Do you deny this?”

The question was pointless.

“No,” I said.

Murmurs rose among the people again.

“Under pack law,” the priest continued, “a wolf rejected by an Alpha must face Council review.”

My stepmother stepped forward immediately.

Her face was arranged into perfect concern, but her eyes were bright.

“This is most unfortunate,” she said softly. “We did everything we could. But Silvercrest cannot ignore the will of fate, Zara.”

She did not look at me.

The priest nodded. “The Council has already discussed this possibility.”

Already?

“If a wolf fails to bond after two ceremonies,” he continued, “she is declared unfit for union within the pack.”

The word settled over the hall like a stone.

“And what happens afterwards?” someone asked from the crowd.

The priest did not hesitate.

“She loses pack protection.”

A quiet ripple moved through the hall.

That was worse than banishment.

My stepmother inhaled sharply, pretending surprise.

“Surely there can be exceptions.”

“There are none,” the priest replied. “Not in this case.” he sighed. “We understand Zara's situation but the Alpha rejected her, we cannot do anything anymore.”

Alpha Lir never turned around.

“Elara Fen,” the priest called.

Elara stepped forward immediately. Her hand rested lightly on Alpha Lir’s arm. She looked perfectly calm and pleased.

“The ceremony will resume with you,” the priest said. “Silvercrest cannot allow one failure to overshadow its future.”

Elara inclined her head gracefully.

Just like that, it was over.

I was dismissed.

“Escort her out,” the priest ordered.

Two guards approached. They did not touch me, but they stood close enough to make their meaning clear.

I was no longer free to stand where I wished.

I turned toward the exit.

This time, the crowd did not move aside politely. Their judgemental eyes watched me openly now.

“She should have known better.”

“A curse doesn’t disappear just because fate feels generous.”

“Disgusting. If I wasn't the AlphaIwould have rejected her too.”

The doors glided open, cold night air rushed inside, sharp enough to steal my breath.

I stepped outside and the doors shut behind me.

Music started again almost immediately.

They had already moved on.

The guards stopped just outside the entrance and said. “You are no longer permitted inside,” one of them said. “You must leave Silvercrest territory before sunrise.”

Before sunrise.

No time to prepare.

No time to think.

I nodded because there was nothing else to do.

They turned and walked back into the hall.

I stood alone on the stone path and the bond burned beneath my skin like an open wound. The moon hung high above the courtyard, pale and distant.

The same moon that had just marked me as unworthy.

My legs gave out.

I dropped to my knees, my hands catching against the cold stone. My chest tightened painfully and tears blurred my vision, but I did not wipe them away.

I had been rejected.

Declared unfit.

Cast out.

And still bound.

Headlights suddenly cut through the darkness and a car screeched to a stop beside the path and the door flew open.

“Zara!”

Emily, my only friend ran toward me.

Her face was pale with anger and fear. She dropped beside me without hesitation and grabbed my shoulders.

“I heard what he did?” she said.

My throat closed before the words could come.

“He rejected me,” I managed finally. “In front of everyone.”

Her jaw clenched. “I knew it.”

She pulled me to my feet, wrapping an arm around me as if daring anyone to stop her.

“I have nowhere to go, Emily. Silvercrest cast me out.”

Her expression hardened instantly.

“Then we leave now. You're not alone. That's what friends are for.”

She tugged my arm, we were halfway to the car when raised voices drifted from the hall behind us.

Then Elara’s laughter rang out.

Bright.

Unrestrained.

The sound cut deeper than the rejection.

Emily shoved open the passenger door and pushed me inside before sliding behind the wheel.

“You’re not going back there,” she said. “Not ever.”

The engine roared to life.

The car sped away from the ceremony hall, Silvercrest lights faded behind us as the road stretched forward into darkness.

The bond burned steadily beneath my skin.

Silvercrest had taken everything from me.

And as the last lights of the pack disappeared behind us, one heavy truth settled into my chest.

Whatever waited beyond the border would decide whether I survived this.