Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zara Fen POV

The hall stayed silent for a moment after Alpha Lir turned away.

Then the noise came back all at once.

Whispers spread like sparks catching dry grass. Wolves leaned toward each other, voices low but sharp. No one tried to hide it. There was nothing left to protect.

“She was rejected.”

“By the Alpha himself.”

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

I stood where I was, my chest burning, my legs locked in place. The bond screamed inside me, raw and furious, but it did not loosen. It refused to let me forget what had just happened.

The priests recovered first.

One of them stepped forward, his staff striking the stone floor loudly enough to command attention. “The ceremony is concluded,” he announced. “Return to your places.”

No one moved.

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

“Zara Fen,” the first priest said, his tone changing. Harder. More official. “Step forward.”

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

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

The question was unnecessary.

“No,” I answered.

Murmurs rose again.

“Under pack law,” the priest continued, “a wolf rejected by an Alpha is subject to Council review.”

My stepmother stepped forward immediately. Her face was carefully arranged into concern, but her eyes were bright.

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

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 said, “she is declared unfit for union within the pack.”

The words landed cleanly. Practiced. Final.

Unfit.

My knees weakened, but I forced myself to stay upright.

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

The priest did not hesitate. “She loses pack protection.”

That was worse than banishment.

My stepmother inhaled sharply, as if surprised. “Surely there can be exceptions.”

“There are none,” the priest replied. “Not in this case.”

Alpha Lir did not turn back.

“Elara Fen,” the priest said next.

Elara stepped forward immediately. Her hand was still on Alpha Lir’s arm. She looked composed. Victorious.

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

Elara inclined her head graciously.

That was it.

I was dismissed.

“Escort her out,” the priest ordered.

Two guards approached. They did not touch me, but they positioned themselves close enough to make it clear I was no longer free to stand where I wished.

I turned toward the exit.

This time, no one moved out of my way politely. Wolves watched openly now, their expressions stripped of courtesy.

“She should have known better.”

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

“Disgusting.”

The doors opened.

Cold night air rushed in, sharp and unforgiving. I stepped outside, my breath catching as the sound of the hall closed behind me.

The music started again almost immediately.

They had already moved on.

The guards stopped just outside the doors.

“You are no longer permitted inside,” one of them said. “You are to leave Silvercrest territory before sunrise.”

Before sunrise.

No time to prepare. No discussion.

I nodded because there was nothing else to do.

They turned and went back inside.

I stood alone on the stone path, the bond burning under my skin like an open wound. The moon hung above me, pale and indifferent, the same moon that had just marked me as unworthy.

My legs gave out.

I dropped to my knees, my hands braced against the cold stone as my chest tightened painfully. Tears blurred my vision, but I did not bother wiping them away.

I had been rejected.

Declared unfit.

Cast out.

And still bound.

Headlights cut through the darkness.

A car screeched to a stop near the path. The door flew open.

“Zara!”

Emily ran toward me, her face pale with fury and fear. She dropped beside me without hesitation, grabbing my shoulders.

“What did he do?” she demanded.

I tried to speak. My throat closed.

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

Her jaw tightened. “I knew it.”

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

“They’re sending you away,” I said. “Before sunrise.”

Her expression hardened. “Then we leave now.”

She did not wait for permission.

We were halfway to the car when raised voices spilled from the hall behind us. Elara’s laughter rang out, bright and unrestrained.

The sound cut deeper than the rejection.

Emily slammed the car door shut and started the engine.

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

The car sped away from the ceremony hall, its lights shrinking behind us as the road stretched dark and unfamiliar ahead.

The bond burned steadily beneath my skin, unbroken and unforgiving.

Silvercrest had taken everything it wanted from me.

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

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