5

Before anything could even start, Darius’s rejection cut it off completely. Whispers rippled through the crowd as everyone tried to process what they’d just seen the future pack alpha turning away his fated mate. I scanned the crowd, hoping to catch my mother’s reaction, but she was lost somewhere among the sea of faces.

Ronan’s arm found me, his voice low and soothing, though I couldn’t catch the words over Elara’s cutting tone.

“Not enough.”

The hush that followed made my chest tighten. A beta stepped forward, voice urgent, “Pack Alpha Elara ” but her glare silenced him before he could finish.

“Rejecting her isn’t enough,” Elara said, her eyes flashing at Darius and Kael. “Everyone knows the fated mate bond cannot be denied. Touch once, and the pull will still be irresistible.”

Darius and Kael exchanged a tense look.

Kael spoke calmly, but his words carried weight. “I understand your concerns. Once Darius mates properly, the bond will end. But a wedding tonight is impossible.”

“Elara growled, baring her teeth. “I will believe it only when my mate mark is on his neck.”

“The time isn’t right,” Kael warned, raising a hand to stop her. “Your wedding waits for the next full moon. To prove our intentions, my son will kill the girl.”

The words landed like a knife. Darius choked on his own shock. My stomach dropped. Ronan shouted, “No!” but Killian hushed him, and the crowd pressed in around me.

My mind raced. I’d dealt with bullies before, but never with a pack alpha’s full attention on me. His word was law, and resistance seemed impossible until my wolf stirred, just enough to give me a shred of defiance.

Kael’s command cut through the chaos. “Come to the stage, Selena.”

His voice gripped me like iron, yet I stayed low on all fours, slipping through the crowd toward the pack house. Hands suddenly seized me, hauling me upright. Pain flared across my forearms where Theron, Aria, and Fisher’s grips dug in. I hissed, realizing there would be no escape this time.

It felt like I had been thrown onto a stage for everyone’s entertainment.

“Wouldn’t want you to miss what’s coming,” Aria sneered, turning me roughly to face the platform.

Theron chuckled beside her. “You’re the highlight of the night.”

“We’ve got her!” Fisher yelled, sounding proud of himself as he held me in place.

Even from far away, I noticed Darius go stiff with surprise. “Father…”

Alpha Kael rested a reassuring hand on Elara and gave a calm smile. “Let the pack see the truth. She is not fit to be my son’s mate or a member of this family.”

Darius straightened, his voice turning icy. “Fated mates cannot take each other’s lives. So send her away. Let the dangers of the Emberfang deal with her. Rogues, bandits, or lone wolves will do what we cannot.”

Pain clenched around my chest.

Was he really choosing my death just because he refused to accept destiny?

Fear and anger pushed me to shout, “Grandmother Moon tied our souls together! This is wrong!”

Silence fell as Kael and Darius locked eyes. I held my breath, knowing they were deciding my future while the crowd boxed me in from all sides. There was nowhere to run.

An alpha’s word was law. Only another alpha could challenge him. Still, since Kael was close to giving his power to Darius, I hoped he might listen to his son. It was the only chance I had left.

“Very well,” Kael finally said. Then he looked straight at me. “As Alpha, I banish Selena from the lands of Bloodfang.”

My heart dropped when every alpha present turned their gaze on me.

“She will not be welcomed in Frost Fang territory either,” Elara added coldly.

The breath caught in my throat. In seconds, I had lost the small protection I once had.

Ronan and Killian looked horrified, but their positions kept them silent. The pack closed in, their hatred pressing against me like a wall.

Theron shoved me forward with a grin. “Now you know your place  out there with the packless.”

With so many bodies crowding me, escape was impossible.

Aria gave me another hard push. “Don’t worry, Sele. Maybe you’ll find someone more suitable in the Killianness. Another exile… or some lonely rogue.”

Fisher laughed and grabbed my bruised arm, making me flinch. “Everyone knows the mate bond awakens a wolf’s first heat.”

Some believed no wolf could survive that heat alone. But Darius had rejected me. There was no bond between us. I prayed Fisher was wrong.

“And when your heat comes,” Aria added cruelly, “your scent will give you away. You won’t stay hidden for long. Your mate will find you… whether you like it or not.”

“Take her to the border,” Kael ordered, his Alpha command rolling through the entire pack.

No one could resist. Not even Ronan or Killian.

I searched the crowd for my mother but couldn’t see her. Still, I knew she was hurting too, forced to obey against her will.

Tears blurred my vision as the pack dragged me down the street.

When I finally looked back, Darius was still staring at me. For a brief, foolish moment, I thought I saw regret in his eyes.

Then his voice rang out, cold and final.

“Leave the half-breed in the Emberfang. That is where she belongs.”