"I Reject You"

CHAPTER 1 – “I Reject You”

“You are nothing to me.”

The words sliced the night air like a cold blade.

Eryx froze. His heart hammered in his chest. Around him, the Moonfall Pack stood dead silent. The Moon Binding Ritual stopped cold. Silver flames danced in the stone circle, smoke curling up from crushed roses. But none of it mattered now.

Kael stood a few steps away. His eyes were ice,empty, like no one lived behind them. The future pack leader didn't blink. No anger. No regret. Just nothing.

Eryx felt his wolf howl inside. The mate bond pulled tight between them, glowing like a silver thread. It wasn't luck. Something bigger had woven it,her touch, quiet and strong, binding their fates.

“Kael,” Eryx said, voice breaking. “What are you”

“I, Kael Thorne, future Alpha of the Moonfall Pack, reject you as my fated mate.”

The bond snapped.

Pain exploded through Eryx. His knees buckled. He hit the ground hard. The world flashed white, then blurred. Warm blood trickled from his nose. His wolf clawed at his ribs, ripping to break free,like half of him was being torn away.

*No,* he thought, soft and desperate. *Please,don't.*

Kael turned and walked off.

The pack watched in silence. Hundreds of wolves stared as Eryx bled on the sacred ground. No one moved. No one spoke. Rejecting a fated mate was rare. Doing it here, in front of everyone? Unheard of.

Eryx clutched his chest. His fingers dug into his shirt. This hurt worse than broken bones,worse than silver burns. It split him open from the inside.

“Just take it,” Kael called back, voice flat, not even looking. “Or the pain will kill you.”

Tears burned Eryx's eyes. His wolf whimpered, begging. But it was done. If he didn't accept, the agony would eat him alive.

“I… I accept.”

The words tore the bond apart. Eryx screamed. His body jerked. Fresh blood poured from his nose and ears. That silver thread blackened, crumbled to dust, and vanished.

Silence fell heavy.

Then whispers started. Soft at first, then louder.

“Did you see that?”

“The Omega really thought”

“Pathetic.”

Eryx went numb. His arms and legs felt empty, scraped hollow. Like everything inside him had been gutted.

Two guards stepped up. Their faces were stone. One grabbed his arm. The other kicked his ribs.

“Get up.”

Eryx tried. His legs wouldn't hold. Pain stabbed every inch of him. Everything felt shattered.

“I said get up.”

They yanked him to his feet. He kept his head down, blood dripping onto the pale stones. The pack parted as they dragged him through. No one met his eyes. No one spoke.

In the back, his mom stood pale as a ghost. Tears slid down her cheeks. His dad gripped her shoulder tight, holding her still. She didn't cry out.

Fresh pain stabbed Eryx's heart.

The guards hauled him from the ritual site, down a cracked stone path to the underground cells by the Alpha’s house. Each step burned his bones. Losing the bond felt like a wound that wouldn't stop bleeding.

“Why?” he whispered, barely audible.

“Shut up.”

They shoved him down the narrow stairs. His shoulder slammed the wall. Pain flared, but it was nothing next to the emptiness in his chest.

The cells were freezing. Pitch black. Damp stone reeked of rust and old blood. Only traitors came here. Criminals waiting to die.

Not rejected mates.

Not innocents caught by fate.

They threw him into the farthest cell. He slammed into the floor. No point getting up. Why bother?

The iron gate clanged shut.

Eryx lay on his back, staring into nothing. His wolf had gone quiet, curled deep inside where pain couldn't reach. He was alone.

Footsteps echoed down the hall. Not one set,several. Coming closer.

“Done?” A woman's voice. Old. Mara, the elder.

“Yes.” Elder Thane. “Bond's broken clean. No issues.”

Eryx's eyes snapped wide. He sat up, straining to hear.

“And the boy?”

“Locked up. His wolf's too weak to fight now.”

“Good.” Mara's tone dripped satisfaction. “The Alpha’s bloodline stays pure. No Omega taint. Not him.”

“Think he heard?” A younger voice, nervous.

“Doesn't matter.” Thane stopped outside the bars. “He's nobody now. Scent suppressed by dawn. Records wiped.”

Eryx's fists clenched. This was planned. Not Kael's choice. Someone pulled the strings.

“What about the ceremony?” the young one asked. “The Moon Goddess chose them. Won't she”

“The Goddess errs,” Mara snapped. “We fixed it.”

Their footsteps faded. Eryx sat in the dark, rage burning hot.

Hours dragged. Or days,he couldn't tell. He slumped against the wall, shivering gone, blood crusted on his skin. The hollow ache stayed.

New steps came,heavy, slow.

The gate creaked open.

Three figures in black cloaks stepped in. Faces hidden.

“Get up.” An old man's voice.

Eryx didn't move. “What do you want?”

“Not your business.”

Rough hands grabbed him, yanked him up. Cold steel cuffs snapped on his wrists. Heavy chains dragged behind.

“Where are you taking me?” Fear cracked his voice. “What's happening?”

No answer.

They pulled him down a deeper hall, into shadows he'd never seen. Hidden parts of the pack house.

Elder Thane waited at the stairs. His face almost soft,which made it worse.

“Eryx.” He said the name like trash. “You had a place here. A family. But you aimed too high.”

“I didn't ask for this,” Eryx choked out.

“No. Fate chose wrong. We can't allow weakness in our line.”

The chains bit his skin. Eryx's wolf twitched, weak but fighting.

Thane stepped close, hand flat on Eryx's chestright over his heart. “That wolf? Broken. You're broken. But useful.”

“What do you mean?”

Thane's smile was ice.

“Prepare him for transport.”

The order echoed.

Not execution. Not exile.

Worse.

Eryx's legs gave out. Guards caught him. His mind raced—searching for escape, any crack.

None came.

“Where?” he whispered. “Where are you sending me?”

Thane turned away, cloak swirling.

“Somewhere you'll never be found.”

Chains jerked tight. Eryx stumbled into the dark. Everything he knew vanished like smoke.

Above, the Moon Binding went on without him.