The King's Rose Quartz Vow

Damon Peter wanted me to go to a community college with him instead of a top werewolf academy.

He claimed his wolf was still unstable and that he'd be ostracized at a competitive, top-tier academy.

He was my fated mate, so of course, I agreed.

But right before I hit submit, I overheard a conversation that shattered everything.

One of his companions drawled, his tone laced with amusement, "I've got to hand it to you, Damon. Faking your wolf's instability just to trick her into going with you?"

Another voice hesitated. "But you're fated mates. Are you really going to play her like that? Just for..."

Damon cut him off, his voice flippant. "So what? She's spent her whole life waiting to be my mate. I'm sick of it. This way is kinder, don't you think?"

I didn't push open the door. I simply turned and walked away.

Back in my room, I reopened the application form.

I changed my school of choice back to my original one—the academy my parents had insisted on years ago.

I am the sole heiress of the Celine Pack. I was always meant to be trained at a top academy.

And without me, Damon, an Alpha's illegitimate son, would never inherit his father's title.

One day, he would realize he hadn't just thrown me away—he had thrown away his entire future.

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1

The moment I heard that conversation, my inner wolf roared with fury.

For a solid month, Damon Peter had been feeding me the same sob story: how the students at the top academy would mock him, isolate him during training, and humiliate him.

The reason? At eighteen, his wolf was still unstable and frequently spiraled out of his control.

It made him a laughingstock.

I believed every word.

Time and again, I had shielded him from every taunt, every shove.

But I couldn't always be there to protect him.

When he was finally on the verge of breaking, I was the one who suggested something drastic.

"Go to a community college," I'd told him. "There are other wolves like you there. You'll be under far less pressure."

That day, he stood before me, drenched, after someone had doused him with a bucket of ice water laced with wolfsbane.

He was trembling all over as he reached for me.

"I can't face strangers at another school alone," he said, his voice hoarse.

We were fated mates, and I had always loved him with a fiery devotion.

So, I answered without a second thought.

"Don't worry, Damon," I promised softly. "If you go, I'll go with you."

Only now did I understand.

It was all a meticulously planned trap.

One of his friends chortled. "You faked your wolf's instability just to trick her into going to some second-rate community college with you?"

"The girl's completely devoted to you. Aren't you worried she'll see you as a coward?"

Damon's reply was immediate and laced with arrogance. "Her? Don't make me laugh."

"She'd take a bullet for me without a whimper. You really think she's ever going to give up on me?"

Someone mumbled uncertainly, "But she doesn't seem like the type you can just mess with."

Damon scoffed, utterly unconcerned. "Our school is full of heirs and wolves from top-tier bloodlines. Has she ever given any of them a second glance? She only has eyes for me."

Then, his tone shifted, dripping with undisguised irritation. "Honestly, her bloodline and status are suffocating."

He paused. "I'm doing this for Mila. I can only relax when I'm with her. Rosalie will just have to step aside."

All the pieces clicked into place.

Damon's "instability" had started right around the time he should have mastered his wolf—coincidentally, just two weeks after Mila Hayes transferred to our school.

But he never managed to rein it in, and that was when the so-called "ostracism" began.

"Damn, Damon, you move fast," another laughed, the sound sharp and mocking. "The new girl barely arrived and you've already got her wrapped around your finger."

Another voice chimed in, full of contempt. "She has that soft, fragile quality. The kind that makes you feel like a hero just for standing beside her."

Then, he sneered, "Not like Rosalie. She's always so untouchable. Too sharp, too proud. Sure, she's gorgeous, but she never makes a guy feel needed."

Their laughter grew louder.

Damon let them continue.

For a split second, I nearly shoved the door open, ready to confront him.

Why would you do this to me? Don't you feel a shred of guilt as they mock me like this?

Then, my mother's words echoed in my mind. Stop. The moment someone makes you question your own worth is the moment they forfeit the right to cause you pain.

I realized instantly that demanding answers wouldn't bring me peace; it would only grant him one final, satisfying victory.

So I turned my back on him for good.