Chapter 2: Curse and Condemnation

Rhae’s chest caved. He was choosing. She could feel him choosing, pulling back from the bond as it burned him, severing the connection thread by thread. The rejection hit her like a punch to the gut. Her omega whimpered inside her, confused and devastated, clawing at the bond he was destroying. No. No, please. Don’t let go. Don’t leave me.

But he was already looking away. Valen’s head snapped towards his brother, Kaelen……

The unspoken question hung between them like a sword. 

What are you doing? She’s ours. 

The old law hung in the air between them, too, heavy and suffocating. Twins Alphas never ruled together. One must rise. One must fall. Never together. Never equals. Never sharing a mate. Rhae’s breath came in short, panicked gasps. She didn’t understand the law. She didn’t understand anything anymore. Elder Greta’s Lips curled into a smile. Thin. Satisfied. Like she’d just won something precious. This is not a blessing, Greta said, her voice dripping with poison. This is a warning. Kaelen’s eyes cut to her, dangerous and sharp. Choose your next word carefully. Alpha Aspen is dead, Greta continued, undeterred, her voice rising to fill the hall. Elder Oberon was murdered with forbidden magic. And his blood wet this floor when this omega woke a bond to both heirs. She pointed a trembling finger at Rhae. She is not a mate. She is a curse. Each word hit Rhae like a stone. Like confirmation of every fear she’d ever harbored in the darkness. 

A curse. They think I’m a curse. Her wolf howled in protest, but Rhae couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. The walls seemed to close in around her. Every eye in the hall was on her now, filled with suspicion, with fear, with disgust. She opened her mouth to protest, but what could she say? I didn’t do this. I don’t know why. I didn’t ask for this. None of it would matter. None of it ever mattered when you were Omega. Valen turned back to her, and his expression softened for the first time that night. Not with pity, but with something fiercer. Something protective that made her wolf whimper. 

What is your name? He asked quietly. 

The question struck her like lightning. As if she were more than just the invisible Omega in the corner, the one who could disappear into the shadows and no one would look twice. A ghost. That’s what she was. Rhae,” she whispered. The name hung in the air.

Greta's face went pale. All the color drained from her cheeks in an instant. Something flickered across her features, fear? Recognition? Something ancient and buried, something that belonged to a past Rhae knew nothing about— before it vanished as quickly as it came.

For a moment, Greta just stared. Seize her! Greta ordered, her voice shrill and panicked. Seize her now! Two guards lunged forward. Kaelen moved one step forward, blocking their path completely. His jaw was clenched so tight it looked like it might break. His entire body was tense, coiled like a spring about to snap. No! The word was a command. A promise. A threat. For a second, no one moved. The guards hesitated, caught between Greta’s orders and the Alpha heir’s defiance. Then…. The great doors burst open. A young border guard stumbled in, armor torn to shreds, blood soaking his entire sleeve. He collapsed at Kaelen’s boots, gasping for breath. Northern border, he choked out. “Crest Moon Rogues.” The hall erupted into chaos. Kaelen hauled him up by the collar, his voice deadly calm. How many?

Too many, the guard gasped, his eyes wide with terror. They broke through the first line. We couldn’t—there are too many. Valen crouched beside him, but his voice was steady, controlled. Why attack during a funeral?

The guard's eyes looked through the scared faces in the hall, searching for something. Then his gaze stopped on Rhae. They’re not just attacking, the guard said, his voice hollow. They’re howling for Rhae’s. Silence fell. Complete. Absolute. Suffocating.

Rhae's blood turned to ice. Wolves stepped away from her, putting distance between them. A mother pulled her child close. A warrior half drew his blade. Greta smiled, thin and satisfied. There. Now you see it.

I don’t know them, Rhae said, voice cracking. I swear on the moon………

An Elder lay dead, Greta cut in, her voice sharp as a blade. Forbidding magic in the hall. At the border, all Rogues are calling an omega's name, and she’s bound to both heirs.

She turned to the crowd, her arms spread like she was about to present evidence at a trial. 

She brought the curse.

Rhae looked at Kaelen, searching. He gave her nothing. His face was like a stone, but she felt his wolf straining toward her through the bond, held back by sheer will, by conscious choice. He was fighting himself to stay away from her.

Because she was a curse. 

A horn blew outside the hall. Then another. The sound of war. “Fifty,” the guard coughed, his breathing shallow. At least fifty. Greta lifted her chin, and her smile widened. Then we remove the cause before it spreads.

Two guards grabbed Rhae’s arms. 

This time, Kaelen did not stop them. He stood there, watching his face unreadable.

Rhae stared at him, her chest caving in on itself. The rejection was worse than the hands gripping her arms. Worse than the accusations. Worse than anything. 

He’s letting them take me 

Valen’s head snapped toward his brother. “Kaelen.” 

The pack is panicking, Kaelen said, his jaw tight, his voice rough. We have rogues at the border.

She’s our mate, Valen said, and there was pain in his voice now. She may be the reason rogues are at our border. The words hit harder than the grip on her arms. 

Please, Rhae choked as they dragged her. I don't know anything. I swear on the Moon Goddess. Whispers followed her down the aisle. Vicious. Damning. Rogue spy, curse, Blood Moon. She flinched as the last one. She did not know why. Something in that name felt… familiar. Dangerous. Like a secret buried deep in her bones. 

Valen watched her go, and there was a promise in his eyes, not pity. A promise that said: I’m not leaving you. Hold on. 

Kaelen stood beside him, fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, saying nothing.

They shoved her into the holding room, below the keep. No window. No light except for a single candle on the bench. The door slammed shut with a finality that made her flinch. The lock turned. Rhae sank to the floor and pressed both hands over her mouth to keep from sobbing aloud. But the sobs came anyway—silent, violent, wracking her entire body. Alpha Aspen was buried, and Elder Oberon was murdered. Two heirs were bound to her. Rogues screaming her name. And the one she thought might save her had chosen the pack over her. She was alone. Again. Always. 

Somewhere above the stone, a horn answered, and, faintly impossible, she heard it. A howl that shaped her name.