01

CORA

“Say it, Ruel. If you’re going to ruin me, at least look me in the eye.”

The hall went quiet. No one moved. Only the torches cracked in the corners and the priest cleared his throat like he wanted to disappear.

Ruel’s hand slipped from mine, slow and deliberate, like he wanted to make sure I felt it. My chest tightened but I didn’t flinch. I locked my fingers together so no one would see how bad they were shaking.

We stood in the center of the pack hall, the council behind him, the priest between us holding the mating scroll. The air was heavy and everyone waited for him to speak.

He didn’t look at me. Not once.

“Alpha Ruel,” the priest said carefully, “you’ve been called here to confirm the bond. Is this your mate, Cora Ria Bell?”

Ruel’s voice was steady. “It was never meant for her.”

The words hit hard. People gasped, some whispering, some staring at me like they’d just witnessed a curse. My pulse was everywhere, in my throat, in my ears, in my chest.

“Ruel…” my voice cracked, and he finally looked at me. Just for a second. His eyes were cold. The same eyes that once made me believe I mattered.

“You’re lying,” I said quietly.

He smiled, small and detached, like the decision was already made.

He turned to the priest. “The bond mark was a mistake. I was meant for someone else.”

Someone laughed behind me. I knew that voice.

Marissa stepped forward, her heels clicking against the floor. She was already wearing the Luna crest, gold against her skin. She didn’t even pretend to feel guilty. She reached for his hand like she owned it, smiling like she’d just won something.

The priest hesitated. “Alpha, this isn’t according to the rites. The Moon’s mark—”

“Write it,” Ruel said. His tone cut through the room. “End it properly.”

My body felt weak. Every pair of eyes in the hall was on me, waiting for a reaction, waiting for me to fall apart. I stayed still, my nails digging into my palms.

The priest’s hand shook as he unrolled the parchment. “The Alpha of Moonclaw, Ruel Orion, rejects the mate bond with Cora Ria Bell.”

The sound of those words burned through me. I couldn’t breathe for a moment. I bit my lip too hard and tasted blood, but I didn’t move.

“May the Moon guide her,” the priest added, his voice barely there.

Ruel didn’t respond.

Marissa leaned close to him, whispering something, smiling wider. The pack started murmuring again, pretending not to look at me, like I’d already been erased.

I stared at him one last time. “Was any of it true?” I asked.

He said nothing. His jaw was tight, his shoulders rigid, like he couldn’t risk feeling anything.

Across the room, his father was glaring at me, warning me to stop. I didn’t.

The silence stretched too long. My vision blurred, and the tears finally came. Then someone laughed.

It started small, a quiet laugh from the back rows, then another, until the sound spread through the hall. I stood there, frozen, listening to them laugh like my life was a show. The same people who cheered when I was named Ruel’s fated mate now stared at me like I was something to mock.

The priest cleared his throat, uneasy but still doing his duty. He unrolled the scroll again, his hands shaking. “Cora Vale,” he read slowly, then dipped his quill in ink and drew a single black line through my name. Clean. Final.

The sound of it felt louder than everything else.

Kira pushed through the crowd before he could roll it back up. Her eyes were red, and her voice broke as she grabbed my arm. “Come on, we need to go, Cora, please.”

“I’m fine,” I said, but my throat was tight. I wasn’t fine. The air smelled like wine, perfume, and smoke, and it made my stomach turn. It mixed with the taste of humiliation that sat bitter in my mouth.

People didn’t stop watching. Even as Kira pulled me toward the door, their whispers followed us.

“She really thought he’d choose her.” “Everyone knew his mark wasn’t for her.” “Poor thing.”

That last part stuck. Poor thing.

We stepped out into the night, the cold hitting harder than I expected. The door closed behind us, but the laughter still echoed from inside. My chest felt hollow, like the world had shifted and left me behind. I tried to breathe, but it came out shallow.

Kira squeezed my hand tighter. “Don’t listen to them,” she said softly. “You don’t deserve this.”

I nodded, but I couldn’t speak. My eyes went to the sky. The moon was full and pale, the same moon that was supposed to bless a bond, not witness a rejection. It almost felt cruel, how bright it was.

Then I heard a voice calling from the steps. “Cora Vale?”

We turned. A man stood near the edge of the courtyard, his cloak bearing the silver crest of the council. He looked nervous, holding a sealed scroll with the golden emblem shining under the torchlight.

“Yes,” I said, my voice rough. “That’s me.”

He gave a small bow and cleared his throat. “A message from the council. It concerns your father’s debt. It has been reviewed.”

The word debt made my heart drop. My father’s debt had been cleared years ago. I made sure of it.

The man hesitated, eyes darting between me and Kira. “You’ve been selected for the Rite of Despair.”

Everything stopped for a second. I thought I’d misheard him. Kira’s grip on me froze. The few people lingering near the doorway turned immediately, whispering to each other.

“Wait,” I said, stepping forward. “That can’t be right. The Rite hasn’t been called in years.”

The man didn’t meet my eyes. He just held the scroll out, his arm stiff. “It’s been reinstated by order of the High Council.”

I didn’t take it right away. My hand felt heavy, like my body already knew what it meant. When I finally reached for it, his eyes softened, almost like he pitied me. Then he turned and walked away without another word.

The courtyard felt colder. I stared at the seal on the parchment, my name written at the top in thick black ink. My stomach twisted so hard I thought I’d be sick.

Kira whispered my name again, but I barely heard her. The sound of my heartbeat drowned everything out.

I broke the seal with shaking hands. The paper unfolded, the words short and final — a summons. They wanted me at dawn. No reason, no appeal, just the command. My legs felt weak, and I could barely keep the paper steady.

Kira moved closer. “Cora… please tell me this is a mistake.”

I looked up at her, my throat burning. “It’s not.”

For a second, neither of us said anything. The wind caught the edge of the parchment, almost tearing it from my grip. I folded it before it could, pressing it hard against my chest.

My father had once told me that the Rite of Despair was worse than exile, worse than death. No one ever came back from it. Not one.

I took a slow breath, trying to steady my hands, but they wouldn’t stop shaking. The noise from the hall faded, replaced by the sound of the torches outside flickering against the stone.

My life had been destroyed once inside that hall, and now again under the same moon.

Twice in one night.

And both times, it was because of them.