The ceremony ended, but the night was far from over. I walked through the snow-covered paths of Moonveil territory, my ceremonial robes dragging behind me. Each step felt like moving through quicksand, my body heavy with the weight of what had just happened.
In my previous life, this moment had broken me. Now, I was breaking—but differently.
"Emberly!" Sophia's voice called from behind me. "Wait!"
I turned to see my best friend hurrying toward me, her face etched with concern. The sight of her made something twist inside me—a phantom pain from memories that hadn't happened yet in this timeline.
"Let me check on you," she said, reaching for my arm. "Everyone's talking about what happened."
"I'm fine," I replied, my voice steady despite the ache spreading through my chest. It was a strange sensation—like feeling the echo of a death that hadn't happened yet.
Sophia's eyes narrowed. "You're not fine. You're in shock."
Before I could respond, a tall figure appeared beside us. Reed Davis, Moonveil's Beta, stood with perfect posture, his expression unreadable as always.
"Miss Chen," he acknowledged Sophia with a slight nod before turning to me. "Miss Patterson requires rest. Alpha's orders."
Something in his tone made Sophia hesitate. She looked between us, then nodded reluctantly. "Of course. Tomorrow then, Em."
As she walked away, Reed turned to me. "Your quarters?"
I nodded, too exhausted to argue. We walked in silence until we reached my cabin. As I moved to enter, Reed positioned himself at the doorway.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Standing guard," he replied simply. "Alpha's orders."
Before I could protest, voices approached—pack members, their curiosity palpable even in the darkness.
"Is she okay?"
"Did you see what happened?"
"Poor thing..."
Reed's posture shifted subtly. "Enough," he said, his Beta authority rippling through the air. "Miss Patterson needs space. Disperse."
They scattered immediately. Even in my previous life, I had never seen Reed use his authority so... protectively.
"Thank you," I whispered.
He nodded once, then took his position at my door—a silent sentinel against the night.
---
Morning light streamed through my windows when a knock sounded at my door. I opened it to find Reed still there, his expression unchanged despite the hours that had passed.
"The Alpha requests your presence at the council meeting," he said formally.
Something in his eyes made me pause. "What's happening?"
He hesitated, then stepped closer. "Sebastian approached the elders last night. And again this morning."
My heart stuttered. "About?"
"He's... concerned about your state of mind." Reed's careful phrasing told me everything.
I pushed past him, my bare feet hitting the cold ground as I hurried toward the council building. Behind me, I heard Reed follow.
The council room doors were closed when I arrived, but voices drifted through.
"—clearly unstable," Sebastian was saying, his voice tight with something that might have been concern. "She accepted the rejection without emotion. Without tears. It's not natural."
"Perhaps she's handling it well," came an elder's response.
"No," Ada's voice interjected softly. "I've seen this before. The calm before the breakdown. She needs help now, before she does something drastic."
My blood ran cold. In my previous life, I had fought against Sebastian's attempts to have me undergo pack therapy—a process that would sever my emotional ties to our mate bond by force. The memory of that pain, that violation, surged through me.
"The pack therapy program has helped many wolves through mate rejection," Sebastian continued. "For Emberly's sake, we should—"
I pushed open the doors with enough force to make them slam against the walls. Every head turned toward me.
"Should what?" I asked, my voice deadly quiet.
Sebastian straightened, his expression a mixture of relief and confusion. "Emberly, we're discussing your wellbeing—"
"My wellbeing?" I stepped into the room, feeling something shift inside me. The last thread of childhood affection I'd harbored for him snapped cleanly.
Without conscious thought, I released my Alpha-blood aura—something I had never done before. The pure power of it silenced the room instantly.
"Let me make something perfectly clear," I said, each word precise and cutting. "I need no therapy to forget a man who isn't worth remembering."
The elders gasped. Sebastian's face drained of color.
"Emberly," he began, taking a step toward me.
"Don't," I warned, my aura flaring brighter. "You don't get to pretend this is about my welfare. You rejected me publicly for that girl. You humiliated me in front of our entire pack. And now you want to erase what I feel?"
Ada shifted uncomfortably behind him.
"I need no one's permission to move on," I continued, my voice rising slightly. "Least of all yours."
Sebastian's wolf whined audibly—a sound of distress that echoed through the room. For the first time, I saw real confusion in his eyes.
"But you're not moving on," he said softly. "You're... different."
"Yes," I agreed, stepping closer until we were inches apart. "I am different. And you'll never understand why."
