I stood in the grand hall of the Moonstone Pack house, my eyes fixed on the polished marble floor as Alpha Alexander's voice boomed through the space. The massive chandelier above seemed to tremble with each word he hurled at me, each syllable another knife to my already shattered heart.
"If you can't even prepare a proper welcome feast for Victoria's return, what use are you to this pack?" Alexander's voice cut through the air, sharp and cold. "Perhaps it's time I finally follow through with the rejection ritual. Would that motivate you to be less of a disappointment?"
I kept my face carefully blank, years of practice allowing me to hide the storm raging inside. This was the fourth rejection threat this month alone. The hundredth since I became his Luna three years ago.
"I apologize, Alpha," I said softly, the words so familiar they felt etched into my tongue. "The preparations will be completed by tomorrow morning. I promise."
He scoffed, his amber eyes narrowing as he looked down at me. Even after three years as mates, he never looked at me with anything but contempt.
"Victoria would have had everything perfect weeks ago," he said, his voice softening slightly at the mention of my sister. "She understands what it means to be a proper Luna."
The irony wasn't lost on me. Victoria, my adoptive sister, who had never actually been a Luna, somehow knew better than I did what the role entailed. The same Victoria who had stolen the credit for saving Alexander's life during the rogue attack—the attack that had cost me my wolf.
"Victoria's flight lands tomorrow evening," Alexander continued, pacing the length of the hall. "She's been having those anxiety attacks again. The European pack says they're getting worse."
I nodded dutifully, though I knew the truth. Victoria had never had a single genuine anxiety attack in her life. It was all an elaborate performance, one that had successfully kept her tied to my mate for years.
"I'll make sure everything is perfect for her arrival," I promised, my voice steady despite the trembling of my hands, hidden in the folds of my dress.
"See that you do." Alexander's eyes raked over me dismissively. "Or this time, I won't just threaten the rejection."
With that, he turned and stalked away, leaving me alone in the cavernous hall, surrounded by the suffocating silence that always followed his departures.
Something inside me finally snapped.
* * *
Moonlight streamed through the window of my small room as I carefully packed a single satchel. Not that I had much to take—three years as the unwanted Luna had taught me to live with very little. A change of clothes, a small photo of my parents before they'd revealed their true nature, and the silver pendant that had been with me since before I could remember.
My hands shook as I penned the note, tears blurring my vision and occasionally dropping onto the paper, smudging the ink.
*Alexander,*
*For three years, I have loved you with every breath in my body, despite your cruelty. I have endured your threats, your contempt, and your constant comparison to Victoria. I have been patient, hoping that one day you would see me—truly see me.*
*But I now understand that day will never come.*
*By the time you read this, our mate bond will be severed. Not by you, but by me. I may not have a wolf anymore, but I still have my dignity.*
*Goodbye,*
*Olivia*
I placed the note on the bed, knowing a pack member would find it eventually. Taking a deep breath, I slipped out of my room and made my way through the sleeping pack house.
The night air bit at my skin as I stepped outside, the full moon illuminating the path before me. The sacred circle was deep in the forest, a place where only those who could shift typically ventured. Without my wolf, the journey would be dangerous, but I was beyond caring.
Twigs snapped beneath my feet as I made my slow, careful way through the dark woods. Every shadow seemed to loom with potential threats—rogues, wild animals, or worse. But the pain in my chest, the constant ache of a mate bond stretched to breaking by years of rejection, drove me forward.
After what felt like hours, I finally reached the clearing. The sacred circle, formed by ancient stones placed by the first members of the Moonstone Pack, gleamed silver under the full moon's light.
With trembling legs, I stepped into the center of the circle. The words of the rejection ritual, words I had feared hearing from Alexander's lips for years, now rose to my own.
"I, Olivia Reed," I began, my voice growing stronger with each word, "reject you, Alexander Blackwood, Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, as my mate."
A searing pain shot through my chest, stealing my breath. I gasped, clutching at my heart as the agony of severing a mate bond—even one as damaged as ours—tore through me.
"By the power of the Moon Goddess," I continued through gritted teeth, "I break the bond that ties us. I release you, and I release myself."
The pain intensified, bringing me to my knees. The world around me began to spin, the moonlight fracturing into a thousand piercing shards.
"It is done," I whispered, as darkness crept in from the edges of my vision.
As consciousness slipped away, I thought I caught a glimpse of a tall figure approaching, his eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. But then the darkness claimed me completely, and I knew no more.
