The Rejection

I should have known when he wouldn't meet my eyes.

The entire Ravenlaw Pack had gathered in the courtyard under the full moon. Everyone was dressed in their finest year because this was the night our alpha would claim his mate, after all.

The night that would determine the pack's future.

The night that was supposed to be mine.

My hands trembled as I stood at the edge of the crowd, wearing the only decent dress I owned—a simple blue thing that my friend Maya had helped me pick out last week. It wasn't much compared to the silk gowns the high-born females wore, but it was mine, and I'd felt almost pretty when I'd looked in the mirror earlier.

Almost.

"He's going to choose you, Rhea," Maya whispered to me an hour ago, squeezing my hand. "I can feel it."

I wanted to tell her the truth that I'd known for three weeks already. The moment I turned twenty-one, the mate bond had snapped into place, clear as day. Asher was mine, and I was his. The pull between us was undeniable, written in the very fabric of the universe by the Moon Goddess herself.

But tradition demanded secrecy until the claiming ceremony so I kept quiet, hugging the knowledge to my chest like a precious secret, counting down the days until tonight.

Until now.

Asher stood on the raised platform in the center of the courtyard, tall and commanding in his ceremonial black jacket. His dark hair was swept back from his face, and even from here, I could see the strong line of his jaw, the broad shoulders that carried the weight of pack leadership. He was everything an alpha should be—strong, decisive, powerful.

And he was mine.

Elder Thomas stepped forward, his wrinkled face had no expression as he began the ancient ritual. "On this night of the full moon, our alpha will claim his mate. The bond between alpha and luna is sacred, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself to strengthen our pack and ensure our future."

My heart slammed against my ribs. This was it.

"Alpha Asher," Elder Thomas continued, "step forward and claim your mate."

Asher moved to the center of the platform, and the crowd fell silent. Every unmated female in the pack held their breath though most of them had to know it wasn't going to be them. The mate bond didn't lie.

His eyes swept across the crowd, and for just a moment, they landed on me and I held my breath as the bond pulsed between us, warm and golden. I felt my wolf stir inside me, I mean she'd been restless all day, eager to be claimed by our mate.

Then Asher looked away and it felt like someone had punched me in the gut.

"I have something to say," he announced, his voice echoing across the courtyard with the alpha command. "The Moon Goddess has indeed blessed me with a mate bond."

Relief flooded through me. Of course. He was just building suspense, making the moment more dramatic. That was like him, he'd always had a flair for a dramatic entrance.

"But as your alpha," he continued, and something in his tone made my blood run cold, "my first duty is to this pack, to its strength and future."

No.

No, no, no.

"The mate the Moon Goddess chose..." He paused, and this time when his eyes found mine across the crowd, they were hard and distant like he was looking at a stranger. "Is not suitable to be the luna of this pack."

The whispers started immediately, rippling through the crowd like wildfire. I felt every eye turn toward me—everyone knew. Of course they knew. In a pack this size, there were no real secrets.

"Asher," Elder Thomas said, his voice sharp with warning. "You cannot mean..."

"I do." Asher cut him off, and the authority in his voice silenced everyone. He stepped to the edge of the platform, and his eyes locked onto mine once more. "I, Alpha Asher of the Ravenlaw Pack, reject you, Rhea, as my mate."

The bond between us didn't just break, it shattered. I felt it rip through my chest like someone had reached inside and torn out my heart with their bare hands. Fire erupted along every nerve, white-hot and agonizing. My knees buckled, and only Maya's quick reflexes kept me from collapsing to the ground.

Around me, the pack erupted in shocked murmurs, but I couldn't hear them over the roaring in my ears. My wolf was howling inside me, a wail of agony and betrayal that threatened to split me in two.

"Rhea," Maya whispered, her arm tight around my waist. "Rhea, breathe."

I tried to but all I could do was stare at Asher as he continued speaking, each word another knife to my chest.

"I need a luna who can strengthen this pack," he said, and his voice was cool, detached, like he was discussing pack logistics instead of destroying my entire world. "Someone with power, with connections, with the respect of other packs. Rhea is weak. She's a low-born, an omega with no status, no family worth mentioning, no wolf strong enough to stand beside an alpha."

I felt every single one of those words sink into my skin like poisoned arrows.

"She is a liability," he finished, and the dismissiveness in his tone was somehow worse than the cruelty. "Not an asset."

Someone in the crowd gasped while another voice called out in protest but Asher raised his hand, silencing them all with a single gesture.

"I choose," he said, and turned toward the edge of the platform, "Vivienne of the Bloodmoon Pack as my mate instead."

She stepped out of the shadows like she'd been waiting for her cue. And of course she had been because this looked like this had all been planned.

While I'd been daydreaming about my future with Asher, he'd been plotting my public humiliation.

Vivienne was beautiful in the way that high-born she-wolves always were with her perfectly styled auburn hair, silk gown and a smile that didn't quite reach her cold green eyes.

She glided up the steps to the platform and took Asher's offered hand, her fingers wrapping around his like she'd done it a thousand times before.

Maybe she had.

"That's much better," someone muttered behind me and a few people laughed.

The pain in my chest intensified, spreading through my entire body until I wasn't sure if I was standing or falling or dying. My wolf whimpered, retreating deep inside me, curling up like a wounded animal.

Elder Thomas looked furious, but he was bound by pack law. An alpha's word was final. "This is highly irregular..."

"But well within my rights," Asher interrupted smoothly. "As alpha, I have the authority to reject a mate bond if I deem it detrimental to the pack."

Detrimental. He'd called me detrimental.

Vivienne leaned into Asher's side, and he wrapped his arm around her waist while she looked out at the crowd and at me with a triumphant smile.

"Any objections?" Asher asked, his tone making it clear that objections would not be tolerated.

I could hear a pin drop.

I should have stayed quiet, probably should have slunk away into the darkness and let them have their perfect moment. That's what the old Rhea would have done—the weak omega who knew her place.

But something inside me, some tiny spark of pride that the pain hadn't quite extinguished made me raise my head.

"I have something to say," I heard myself announce.

Every head turned toward me and I saw Asher roll his eyes while Vivienne stopped smiling.

Maya's grip on my arm tightened. "Rhea, please don't..."

But I was already stepping forward, out of the crowd, into the empty space between the pack and the platform. My legs shook, and my vision swam with unshed tears, but I forced myself to stand straight, to look Asher in the eye.

"You want to reject me?" My voice came out stronger than I felt. "Fine."

Asher's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

"I, Rhea," I said, surprised at how steady the words were, "accept your rejection."