Chapter 2 - The Rejection

Beatrice pov 

No. The word hit me like a punch to the gut, though Eamon hadn't spoken it aloud yet. I could see it in his eyes, in the way his face twisted with disgust and panic.

The mate bond snapped into place between us like a chain made of moonlight and pain. Every nerve in my body sang with awareness of him, every breath carried his scent. This was supposed to be the most beautiful moment of my life.

Instead, it felt like dying.

All my life, I'd imagined this moment differently. My mate would step forward with wonder in his eyes, not revulsion. He'd pull me close and whisper that he'd been searching for me, that I was everything he'd hoped for. 

The pack would celebrate instead of mock. My mate would defend me, claim me proudly regardless of my rank. I'd finally have someone who chose me, who saw value in the girl everyone else overlooked. 

Those fantasies felt so foolish now, childish dreams shattering against the rocks of reality. I should have known better than to hope for anything more than what I'd always been given—nothing."

"This can't be happening." Eamon's voice cracked as he stared at me. The pack heard his words and began murmuring among themselves. "Not her. Anyone but her."

Change back, Luna urged me. We need to face this as human.

The shift back to human form was easier this time, though no less painful. I knelt naked in the ceremonial circle, someone quickly throwing a blanket around my shoulders. The mate bond pulsed between Eamon and me, making my skin feel too tight.

Alpha Riven looked between his son and me, his expression unreadable. "Is it true?" he asked quietly.

Eamon's jaw worked like he was choking on the words. Finally, he nodded once, sharp and bitter. "She's mine. The moon goddess paired me with a servant."

Cruel laughter echoed from the crowd. I caught sight of Selene's face, twisted with vicious glee. This was better than she could have hoped for—not only was I still the pack's lowest member, but now I'd humiliated the alpha heir by being his fated mate.

"Then you know what you have to do," Alpha Riven said, his voice carrying across the clearing.

My blood turned to ice. Rejection ceremonies were rare, but not unheard of. When a mate bond formed between wolves of vastly different ranks, the higher-ranked wolf could formally sever the connection. It was considered shameful but sometimes necessary for pack politics.

"No," I whispered, scrambling to my feet. The blanket slipped, and I clutched it tighter. "Please, Eamon. We're mates. The moon goddess chose us for each other."

He looked at me like I was something disgusting he'd stepped in. "The moon goddess made a mistake."

The words hit harder than any punch could. Around us, pack members watched with fascination and horror. This would be talked about for years—the night the alpha heir rejected his servant mate.

"Eamon," his mother said softly, "perhaps you should think about this."

"I have thought about it." He stepped forward, and the mate bond pulled tight between us. Even angry and disgusted, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Dark hair, strong jaw. Everything I'd dreamed of and nothing I could ever deserve. "I, Eamon Riven, future Alpha of Silvermist Pack, reject you, Beatrice, as my mate and future Luna."

The words were formal, binding. They carried the weight of moon magic and alpha authority. I felt them settle deep into my bones.

"You have to accept," he said when I just stood there, shaking. "Say the words, or the bond will remain partially intact."

I looked around the circle of faces watching me. Some showed pity, others amusement. Most just looked uncomfortable, like they were witnessing something private and shameful.

The auburn-haired man from Ashthorn Pack was still staring at me, his face twisted with sympathy and something else I couldn't identify. But even he was a stranger. No one would speak up for me. No one would defend me.

"I..." my voice broke on the first word. "I, Beatrice, accept your rejection."

Pain exploded through my chest as the mate bond shattered. It felt like someone had reached into my ribcage and ripped out my heart. I dropped to my knees again, gasping for breath that wouldn't come.

The crowd began to disperse, the ceremony officially over. Families gathered their children, couples walked away hand in hand. The night that should have been my triumph had become my greatest humiliation.

Selene appeared at my side, crouching down with false concern. "Oh, Bea," she said, loud enough for others to hear. "I'm so sorry this happened to you."

Then she leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "But you had to know this would happen eventually. What alpha wants damaged goods?"

She straightened up and walked away, leaving me kneeling in the dirt with tears streaming down my face.

Get up, Luna said weakly. The wolf sounded as broken as I felt. We need to go home.

But where was home? The servant's quarters where I'd spent twenty years as an unwanted charity case? The kitchen where I'd work tomorrow like nothing had changed?

I pulled the blanket tighter and stumbled toward the pack house. Behind me, I could hear voices discussing what had happened, dissecting my humiliation like it was entertainment.

"Poor thing," someone said. "Though really, what did she expect?"

"At least now she knows her place," came another voice.

I made it to my tiny room before the sobs started. They came from somewhere deep inside, tearing out of my throat like Luna's howl. Twenty years of hope and dreams shattered in a single moment.

The mate bond was gone, but I could still smell Eamon's scent on my skin. Still feel the ghost of that connection that had lasted less than five minutes. It would fade eventually, they said. Rejected mates usually found second chances if they were lucky.

But lying on my thin mattress, staring at the ceiling through swollen eyes, I knew the truth.

I wasn't lucky. I never had been.

And after tonight, no wolf would ever want the servant girl who'd been publicly rejected by an alpha heir.

I was truly alone.