chapter 3: humiliating rejection

Sage's POV

I woke up slowly, my body deliciously sore and aching in the best ways. The morning light filtered through the forest canopy, and for a moment, everything felt perfect. The new mating marks on the right side of my neck tingled warmly, a constant reminder of last night. I could still feel their touches, hear their promises. Forever. Ours. We love you. My heart swelled with foolish, teenage hope. They had claimed me. Three princes had chosen the disgraced omega as their mate.

I reached out, expecting to find warm bodies beside me on the mossy ground. But the spot was cold. Empty.

“Kael? Vex? Cass?” I called softly, sitting up. My voice echoed in the quiet clearing. No answer. I looked around, panic starting to creep in. Their clothes were gone. The only thing left was one oversized shirt—probably Kael’s—folded neatly beside me. I pulled it on with shaking hands. It smelled like him, like all of them mixed together. Maybe they had gone to prepare things. To tell their families. Or get me proper clothes. They wouldn’t just leave after everything they said. Right?

I stood on wobbly legs, the bond in my chest pulsing faintly. It felt… distant. But I told myself it was nothing.

The walk back to the academy took longer than expected. My body still hummed from the night before, but doubt started gnawing at me with every step.

By the time I reached the dorms, something felt horribly wrong. Students were clustered in groups, whispering and staring at their phones. Heads turned toward me. Eyes widened. Then came the first whisper.

“Slut.”

I froze, pulling my hair over the marks on my neck. 

“Did you see the pictures? She’s completely naked.”

“Who would even touch her? Traitor’s daughter.”

My blood ran cold. Pictures? I hurried toward the dormitory, and asked someone what is going on. she shoved her phone in my face. There they were—images of me from last night in the forest. Naked. Exposed. My breasts, my thighs. My face was clear in some of them. Humiliation crashed over me like ice water.

But the worst part was the marks. Three distinct mating bites on the right side of my neck, visible in the photos. Everyone could see them now.

“Three different wolves marked her,” someone laughed loudly. “What kind of whore spreads her legs for three guys at once?”

I ran. Tears blurred my vision as I locked myself in a bathroom stall. The bond pulsed weakly in my chest, but I couldn’t feel them clearly. They’ll fix this, I told myself, wiping my eyes. They promised. I needed to find them. Explain. Hear them say it was all going to be okay.

After i had change of clothes. I went looking for Kael. He was usually near the training fields in the morning. My heart raced when I spotted him by the fountain in the courtyard, talking to someone. As I got closer, my steps faltered.

Mara Thorne was pressed against him, her arms around his neck. She kissed him deeply—passionate, possessive, right there in front of everyone. Kael’s hand rested on her waist, pulling her closer. It wasn’t a quick peck. It was real. The kind of kiss that made a statement.

The bond screamed in my chest, sharp pain lancing through me. I stopped dead, unable to breathe.

When they finally broke apart, Mara’s eyes locked onto mine across the courtyard. Her smile was pure venom and triumph. “Oh, look, Kael. It’s the little Blackwood slut. Did you see those pictures everyone’s sharing? Pathetic, isn’t she?”

Kael glanced at me. His golden eyes were cold, almost bored. No warmth. No recognition of what we’d shared last night. “Sage,” he said flatly, loud enough for nearby students to hear. “I’m betrothed to Mara. so whatever crush you have on me, should die right now. I will never have something to do with a traitors daughter.”

His words hit like physical blows. “But… you said forever,” I whispered, my voice breaking. 

"Go back to scrubbing floors where you belong.”

Tears streamed down my face as he turned back to Mara, kissing her again. Students laughed and whispered. The public humiliation burned deeper than the pictures.

I stumbled away, heart shattered, and went searching for Vex next. He was in the library, as expected, surrounded by books. I approached him in a quiet corner, my hands trembling.

“Vex… please. About last night—”

He looked up, his expression icy and calculating.. “Last night was nothing but biology, Sage. The triple bond is rare, but it doesn’t change reality. You’re still a disgraced omega. Worthless. Those pictures? They suit you. Show everyone exactly what you are.”

“I don’t understand,” I cried, stepping closer. “You said you loved me. You promised we’d face everything together. The marks—”

Vex stood, towering over me. His voice was low and cruel. “The marks were a heat-of-the-moment error. I’m rejecting the bond.  And to prove how little you matter, here’s a task. There’s a rogue wolf loose in the eastern forest. Bring it back using this.” He shoved a small remote for a shock collar into my hands. “Succeed, and maybe I’ll consider not making your life worse. Fail… well, that’s on you.”

His friends nearby snickered. “Look at the slut begging,” one said.

Vex didn’t even look sorry. “Don’t come back to me unless it’s done. Now leave. You smell like desperation.”

I left the library in tears, the bond twisting painfully. One more. Cass had always been the kindest. He would understand.

I found him near the dormitories, alone for once. “Cass!” I ran to him, reaching out. “Please talk to me. They’re saying awful things. The pictures—”

Cass’s face hardened. He grabbed my wrist, not gently. “You really thought last night meant something? I was caught up in the heat, Sage. All three of us were. But look at you now. Pictures of you naked everywhere. Three marks like some pack whore. I can’t be seen with that. None of us can.”

“But you said you loved me,” I sobbed, my voice small and gullible even now. “You promised forever. You held me after—”

He laughed bitterly, pushing me back. “Wake up. We rejected you. Go away. I don’t want anything to do with you anymore. Those marks? They’re your problem now.”

The final rejection broke something inside me.

I was called to the main office,  the head administrator was waiting with cold eyes.

“Your scholarship has been revoked, Miss Blackwood. Effective immediately. The academy doesn’t tolerate students who bring this kind of scandal. Pack your things.”

By lunch, the entire school was buzzing. Mara cornered me again in the cafeteria with her group. “Did you really think Kael would choose you over me?” she sneered, shoving me hard against the wall. “You’re nothing but a used-up slut with traitor blood. Three marks? Disgusting. No one will ever want you now.”

She slapped me across the face, then again. “Stay away from them. Or I’ll make sure those pictures reach every pack way beyond this territory.”

I didn’t fight back. I just took it, tears flowing freely. No one knew it was the princes. They just saw a worthless omega who had been marked and discarded.

That evening, alone in my now-empty dorm room, I stared at the three marks on my neck in the mirror. The bond felt like broken glass in my chest.  After all the promises, all the love I had poured into them.

I touched the marks, feeling them burn with rejection instead of warmth. My gullible heart had believed every word last night. Now, everything was gone—my scholarship, my reputation, my mates.

How was I supposed to survive this?