CHAPTER 4

Karla’s pov

My reply seemed to get Everyone around me shocked but I wasn’t surprised. Why were they?

Did they expect that after all I had been through I would just fall in love with the first person I see?

What was going through their heads anyway?

Luna stephanie stepped up with a sad look on her face. “You can’t just toss everything we’re doing for you away,” she said.

“What have you done for me?” I asked in rage. “I’m only used as a doll just to bring your children up to a certain standard. No one cares about me. I’m used wherever I go. I don’t need anyone to talk me into doing anything for anyone. I’m no one’s slave. I am my own person.”

“My children rescued you!”

I scoffed. “I didn’t ask to be rescued! I already know how this works. Your children will use me however they want and cause me irreversible pain and toss me away. I’m done with that. Let everyone let me be. I’m tired of this. What’s the difference between me staying here and being in Darwin’s hold? I’m still a slave. It’s not like I can still walk out of here and demand my freedom. Everyone wants a piece of me. It doesn’t matter what I have to give, so long as everyone is happy to get it. I’m tired of this.”

The princes all looked at me in shock as I saw the alphas face with his luna’s face twisted in horror.

“I was hurt. All through my life all I’ve known is pain. I’m tired of it. Maybe it’s time everyone left me alone. I’m done being a doll for everyone. I’m not accepting any mate proposal. That closed a long time ago.”

“So what are you saying?” The Luna gasped as I closed the distance between us.

“You know what I’m saying,” I said.

Without thinking, I turned to the crowd and raised my hand up.

“I, Karla Hope, reject the alphas as my mate!”

Everyone gasped as I said that.

They didn’t think I had the balls to do it but I did. They could all go to hell with their plans. I was done being someone else’s slave. This was my life and I would either die with pride or live with it.

“I will accept anyone else but them. They are rejected. That is that.”

It was supposed to end there, but then I started to feel drowsy as I nearly fell to the ground with one of the princes rushing to hold me.

I tried to push him away but my strength was waning. I was feeling weak.

Something was off. I could tell.

Before I knew it, darkness fell upon me as I closed my eyes and fell into a black abyss.

***

Axel’s pov

Right now, my life felt like a twisted story I couldn’t escape.

My mother always talked about duty, family, and mates. She said Karla was chosen for us—me and my three brothers. She was supposed to be our mate, to bond with us and complete our pack. But I didn’t love her. I didn’t care about her. Whether she lived or died, it didn’t matter to me.

Tonight, though, everything turned upside down.

Karla rejected us.

She stood in front of everyone and said no. She rejected the bond. She rejected me. And she rejected Alaric, Lysander, and Kai, too. I saw my mother’s face fall, and for a moment, I thought she would explode. But instead, she just sighed and told me, “Axel, take her to her room.”

Karla had passed out after she spoke those words. Maybe the rejection was too much for her body to handle. It wasn’t surprising—she’s just an omega. Weak. Fragile. Not fit to stand against us. And yet, she did.

I didn’t want to be the one to deal with her, but I couldn’t argue with my mother. I carried Karla in my arms, her body limp and light like she didn’t weigh anything at all. My brothers followed me silently at first, but that didn’t last long.

“How dare she reject us?” Alaric, my younger brother, growled. He’s the second-born, always serious, always taking everything to heart. “Does she even understand what she’s done? Rejecting the royal family?”

“She’ll come around,” Lysander said. He’s the third, the calm one. Sometimes, I think he tries too hard to find the good in people. “Maybe it’s just too much for her. Give her time.”

“Give her time?” Kai, the youngest, snapped. “Don’t tell me you’re already falling for her! She’s an omega, Lysander. An omega. Weak and ungrateful. How can you even think about loving someone like her?”

I didn’t join their argument. I had nothing to say about Karla. Love? Hate? None of it mattered. She wasn’t important enough for me to feel anything.

We reached her room, and I pushed the door open with my foot. The room was plain, like Karla herself. A small bed, a desk, a single window with thin curtains. No warmth, no personality. I dropped her onto the bed without care, and she didn’t even stir. She looked so small lying there, her dark hair spread out like a shadow against the pillow.

I turned away and walked to the couch by the window. Sitting down, I looked outside at the night sky. The stars were clear, the moon bright. It was quiet, but not for long. My brothers started arguing again.

“I’m telling you, she’s making a mistake,” Alaric said, pacing the room. “We are the princes of the pack. Rejecting us is rejecting the throne itself. She’s a fool.”

“Maybe she’s scared,” Lysander said, leaning against the wall. “Think about it. She’s just one girl, and we’re four powerful wolves. Anyone would feel overwhelmed.”

“Don’t defend her, Lysander,” Kai spat. “She’s nothing but a coward. Scared or not, she should be grateful we even considered her. Do you know how many would kill to be in her place?”