พันธะต้องห้าม : Fated to Bind [Omegaverse]

Chapter 1

FREYA'S POV

Today was the day.

I checked my reflection one last time, smoothing the soft blue fabric of my gown. Three years. Three years of waiting, of proving myself, of loving Rowan with everything I had. And today, at his coronation ceremony, he would finally choose me as his Luna.

As the only female heiress born to one of the four royal families in over a century, I had chosen to hide my identity to pursuit my true love.

My mother didn't believe Rowan would love me. She always believed he was nothing good.

Well... she never liked any of the men I brought.

But I believed Rowan was different, and I wanted to prove it to her so badly.

So I made a bet with her. If he chose me as his luna, I would stay here with him and build our future together, otherwise I would have to return to face a political marriage.

But I knew that say would never come. Rowan loved me more than life itself... or so I thought.

I took a deep breath, my heart racing with anticipation. Any moment now, Rowan would come to my room to escort me to the ceremony. I'd planned every detail myself over the past month, pouring love into every arrangement, every decoration. Everything was perfect.

A roar of cheering suddenly erupted outside.

My stomach dropped. The ceremony had started? But Rowan hadn't come for me yet.

I rushed to the door and flung it open, my heels clicking against the stone floor as I ran toward the grand hall. The massive doors stood open, golden light spilling out, and I could hear Rowan's voice echoing inside.

No. No, this couldn't be happening.

I reached the entrance and froze.

Rowan stood on the raised platform, magnificent in his ceremonial robes, the alpha crown gleaming on his head. But he wasn't alone. A woman in a stunning red dress stood beside him, her hand clasped in his, her face glowing with triumph.

Selene Ravenshade.

"I present to you my chosen Luna!" Rowan's voice rang out across the packed hall. He pulled Selene closer, his eyes warm as he gazed at her. "Selene Raveshade, daughter of the Raveshade bloodline, a true female alpha heiress. Our union will bring unprecedented strength to this pack!"

The Alpha heiress?

That was impossible!

I was the only Female Alpha heiress!

But just as I was about to shout it over, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.

I felt my legs trembled as it nearly gave out. This couldn't be real. This had to be some nightmare I'd wake up from.

"Rowan!" My voice came out as a desperate cry, but it was swallowed by the celebration.

I pushed through the crowd, people barely noticing me as I stumbled forward. "Rowan, wait! I need to tell you something! I'm the—"

His eyes found mine across the hall. Cold. Dismissive. And then he made a subtle gesture with his hand.

Two guards appeared on either side of me, their hands gripping my arms firmly.

"Let me go!" I struggled against them. "Rowan, please! It's me, your Freya! I'm—"

But Rowan had already turned away, his attention back on Selene. He descended from the platform with her on his arm, gazing at her with such tenderness, such affection. The same look I'd dreamed of seeing in his eyes when he looked at me.

He passed right by me without a single glance.

The truth crashed over me like ice water.

He'd used me.

Three years of managing his pack affairs, of smoothing over disputes, of helping him climb to power, all while I believed he was falling in love with me.

I'd been nothing but a tool. And now that he had what he wanted, I was disposable.

"Isn't that the omega who's been following Alpha Rowan around?"

"Poor thing. Did she actually think she had a chance?"

"A wolf less omega dreaming of being Luna. How pathetic."

The whispers cut through me like knives. The guards released me, and I stood there alone in the crowd, everyone's eyes on me with pity and cruel amusement.

I had to prove them wrong. I had to show them who I really was.

I closed my eyes and reached for my wolf, calling to something— anything that could prove I was no ordinary Omega. But something was wrong — it felt smothered, pressed down beneath by an invisible weight. The harder I strained, the more it resisted, and a white-hot agony ripped through my chest as though my own body was working against me.

I gasped, doubling over as pain radiated through every organ, every bone. My vision blurred. I couldn't shift. I couldn't prove anything.

"Oh my."

Selene's voice cut through my haze of pain. I looked up to find her standing before me, Rowan at her side, her expression perfectly crafted sympathy.

"You must be Freya," she said gently, her hand resting on Rowan's arm. "I've heard so much about you. During the years Rowan and I were separated, you must have worked so hard taking care of him."

The crowd quieted, eager to witness this confrontation.

"Se— separated?" I managed to choke out.

"Yes, we had a quarrel years ago and I left in anger." Selene's smile was soft, understanding. "I never expected Rowan would find someone to fill my place. You must have been such a comfort to him."

Fill her place.

A substitute. That's all I'd ever been to him.

Oh Moon Goddess. What sins had I committed to deserve this?

"But now that I'm back," Selene continued, her voice still gentle but her eyes sharp, "I'm sure you understand that things will return to how they should be. You've done well, for someone in your position. An omega without a wolf must be grateful for any kindness shown."

Rowan's gaze finally landed on me. For just a brief, barely-there second, I saw something pass across his face as he took in my carefully chosen dress, the way I'd styled my hair, the hope I'd dressed myself in.

Then his expression went cold.

"Selene is right," he said, his voice flat. "Now that she's returned, there's no reason for you to remain in this pack, Freya."

My heart slammed in my chest.

After everything — how could he discard me so easily?

"Oh, Rowan, don't be so harsh." Selene placed a delicate hand on his chest, an innocent smile stretched across her face. "I'm sure Freya has nowhere else to go. Perhaps…" She tilted her head and looked me up and down like I was just another charity case she had to attend to.

"She could stay on as my personal maid? I'd hate for her to end up a rogue."

A group of people threw their heads back in laughter. If only they knew how the humiliation burned through my chest like a hot knife.

How could these people treat me this way? This pack that I had slaved for, that I had watched flourish through my own sacrifice?

My heart broke into a million tiny pieces. It hurt. It hurt so badly.

"You're too kind, Selene," Rowan said, his tone warming as he looked at her. "But I can't tolerate another woman in this pack now that you've returned." He turned back to me, his eyes empty. "If you leave quietly, Freya, I'll give you one million as compensation for your... service."

"You want to pay me? For everything I sacrificed for you?" I let out a short, bitter laugh, and something inside me finally shattered.

My hand moved before I could think, cracking across Rowan's face with all the force I could muster from a battered body and a broken heart.

The hall fell dead silent.

Rowan's head had snapped to the side, his hand flying to his reddening cheek. When he turned back to me, his eyes were wide with shock.

I'd never raised my voice to him in three years, let alone my hand.

"Keep your money," I said, my voice shaking with rage. "I don't need it."

"You—" His shock twisted into contempt. "Don't try to act proud here, Freya. You're a helpless omega with nothing to your name. Everyone here knows you'll never see this much money again in your lifetime!" he growled. "So just take it and take care of your shame."

I met his eyes, and I saw him clearly for the first time.

This was not the man I'd loved. This was a selfish, calculating man who had never cared about me at all.

"One million might be a lot to you, Rowan," I said coldly. "But to me, it's just the price of a lesson."

I turned and walked toward the exit, my head high despite the trembling in my legs. Despite the whispers erupting all around me.

I didn't look back. Not at Rowan, not at Selene, and not at the pack I'd poured three years of my life into.

"You'll regret this," Rowan called after me. "No pack will take you now. No one will want a wolfless omega who can't know her place."

I ignored him and kept walking.

This was the end of us.

*****

Outside, I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and typed three words:

"Come get me."