Shattered Bonds

Alice POV

The entire academy courtyard fell silent as hundreds of students watched in anticipation, their whispers fading into an eerie hush. The two men I loved stood before me with nothing but cold indifference in their eyes.

Then Ryder stepped forward, his gaze hard as stone.

“I, Ryder Blackwood of the Bloodfang Pack, reject you, Alice Whitmore, as my mate.”

“What the hell?”

“That wolfless omega is definitely going to ruin his reputation!”

“Is she really Ryder’s mate? Woah!”

“Being rejected by the son of an Alpha… that’s definitely going to sting.”

Voices echoed among those gathered as some laughed, some whispered among themselves, while others looked at me with sympathy.

This can’t… this can’t be happening. I mused inwardly as I gasped, clutching my chest. My lips parted slightly while my eyes darted from one face to another. Every single person in the academy courtyard was staring at me. Their gazes burned against my skin, making me wish the ground would split open and swallow me whole.

“You can’t…”

“I, Silas Blackwood of the Bloodfang Pack, reject you, Alice Whitmore, as my mate.” Silas’ voice suddenly rang through the courtyard, cutting me off before I could finish my sentence.

The gasps and murmurs from the crowd intensified. I swallowed hard, my eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably as I slowly turned to look at him, hoping… praying… that this was some kind of joke. That perhaps they would both burst into laughter and tell me they had only been teasing me.

But they didn’t. Ryder’s lips curled into an amused smile while Silas remained expressionless, his silence confirming that every word they had spoken was real.

“Y-You’re… Come on, guys.” I forced out a shaky laugh, the corners of my lips trembling. “You’re both joking… right? Tell me this is some kind of prank.”

How could the two brothers whom the Moon Goddess had blessed me with as my fated mates reject me?

The question echoed relentlessly through my mind as tears streamed silently down my cheeks.

“Come on, Alice,” Ryder began as he slowly closed the small distance between us. A sly smirk curled across his lips as he lifted a hand and gently cupped my chin.

“Did you honestly believe my brother and I would ever accept someone like you as our mate?” he asked with a scoff. “I mean… what made you believe that?”

“Why did…”

I swallowed hard, desperately trying to gather my thoughts.

Ryder and Silas were the infamous Alpha son’s of Mooncrest Academy. Ryder, the elder brother, was the crueler of the two.

“Why… why are you doing this to me?” My voice trembled. “Earlier… you and Silas called me to your room because you said we needed to talk about our future, and then you both…”

I gasped, struggling to force the words past the lump in my throat.

“You both told me that becoming intimate was another way of accepting our mate bond… and after everything that happened, you left me a note asking me to meet you here at the academy courtyard.” My breathing became uneven as tears blurred my vision. “So… why are you… why are you rejecting me after accepting me just a few hours ago?” I questioned and hearing myself my words aloud, made me realized just how foolish I had been to trust the two most notorious playboys in the academy.

Silas merely looked at me with his expression as cold as ice. He clicked his tongue softly before speaking, his voice calm and emotionless.

“Take a good look at yourself.”

His words were quiet, yet they struck harder than a slap across my face.

“You already knew we both have girlfriends, yet you still believed sleeping with us would make us yours.” Silas seethed as his gaze lingered on me for a brief second before he continued.

“How pathetic! We only invited you to sleep with us for fun. We never expected you to be so cheap that you’d actually agree.”

I swallowed hard.

Just a few hours ago, Ryder and Silas had invited me to their room, saying they wanted to discuss our future together. Since they were both my fated mates, I never questioned their intentions. Instead, I followed them without hesitation.

Once I was there, they convinced me sleeping with them was another way of accepting the mate bond.

How foolish I had been to believe them.

When I woke up, they were gone, leaving only a note asking me to meet them here. I thought they were finally going to introduce me as their mate. Instead… they brought me here to humiliate me.

“Silas… j-just a while ago, you said…” My voice trembled violently. “You said you loved me…”

“Love you?”

For the first time, the corner of Silas’ lips lifted into the faintest hint of a mocking smile. “Don’t flatter yourself, okay. I wouldn’t even spare a second glance at a fat, wolfless omega like you.”

I hated being called fat, but right now, what I hated most was the way everyone was looking at me as though I were some kind of joke.

Soon after, a young woman walked over to Silas, cupped his face with both hands, and pressed a lingering kiss against his lips.

“The Moon Goddess… she made me both of your mates for a reason. Please… you can’t do this to me.” I stammered, fresh tears streaming down my cheeks.

Ryder smirked before pulling his hand away from my chin and taking a step back. His girlfriend, dressed in a stunning red gown, walked up to him and intertwined her fingers with his.

“Don’t mind her, Ryder. She’s just a crazy bitch,” she purred while looking at me with undisguised contempt, as though I wasn’t even worthy of standing in the same place as them.

Ryder’s smirk widened. “Look at our girlfriends, Alice.” He casually gestured toward Silas before pointing at his girlfriend. “They are both daughters of powerful Alphas and they’re also very beautiful.” He stated with a proud smile.

“Now look at you. You’re as fat as a pig, you’re a wolfless omega, and you don’t even know who your father is. What made you think we’d ever accept you?” he asked with a mocking chuckle.

I wanted to ask so many questions, but I didn’t even know where to begin. So, I remained rooted to the spot.

Then, without warning, Ryder grabbed my hand and sliced my palm with a blade. He did the same to himself before handing the blade to Silas, who silently cut his own palm as well.

The moment Ryder and Silas pressed their bleeding palms against mine, I instantly snapped back to reality.

“We have already rejected you, Alice. Just accept the rejection and stop clinging onto us!” Silas snapped.

I swallow hard. They had humiliated me more than enough, and it was time to put an end to it.

“I… Alice Whitmore of the Bloodfang Pack reject Ryder Blackwood and Silas Blackwood as my mates,” I whispered, my lips trembling as I forced myself to sound brave.

The moment those words left my lips… a sharp pain shot through my chest. It felt as though every ounce of air had been ripped from my body. Being rejected by the sons of an Alpha was far more painful than I had ever imagined. My heart shattered into countless pieces, and every breath became a struggle.

I sniffled, wiping away the snot running down my nose before walking out of the academy as my legs wobbling beneath me. Besides, no one tried to stop me. They simply watched as I walked away with what little dignity I had left.

It felt like forever, but eventually, I arrived at my mother’s house. The moment I opened the door, she was already standing in the doorway.

“Hey, baby. Are you alright?”

A sob escaped my lips and instantly, I broke down in tears and shook my head.

“Mom… I’m not okay… I really can’t do this anymore.” My voice cracked as fresh tears rolled down my cheeks. “I was bullied and humiliated in the worst way possible.” I cried even harder. “Mom, please… let’s leave the Bloodfang Pack. I can’t… I think I’ll die if I stay here any longer.”

My mother immediately pulled me into a warm embrace before pressing a gentle kiss against my forehead as I explained all that happened at the academy.

“Oh, Alice,” she murmured as she slowly pulled away and offered me a comforting smile. “You’ve suffered long enough, Alice. I won’t let this pack break you any further.” She gently cupped my cheek. “Go inside your room and pack your things. We’re leaving this place tonight. We’ll start over somewhere no one knows us.”

My mother smiled reassuringly, and despite the pain of being rejected still lingering in my chest, my eyes lit up ever so slightly.

‘I’ll never return to the Bloodfang Pack again,’ I vowed.

Little did I know I wouldn’t be leaving alone, but with the Alpha brothers’ greatest secret growing inside me.