"I, Dominion Lucas, reject you, Madison Aurora, as my mate," his words echoed in her ears and filled her with fear and sadness. No one had ever rejected her before, but today she faced the biggest rejection of her life, and it came from her mate.
She didn't know what to do as everyone watched her, their eyes filled with disgust and they whispered shameful words about her. Aurora had never felt so betrayed in her life. She knew it was over for her.
She looked up at her mate, but he wasn't looking at her. His attention was on the woman who claimed to be his new mate. Aurora couldn't understand his expression. He didn't seem happy or sad, as if he was trying to accept the new truth.
She tried to stand up but fell to the floor when she saw her parents' dead bodies, right in front of her. She had spent months being trained to be the perfect Luna for Alpha Lucas, but now she was accused of being unfaithful. Today was supposed to be her wedding day, but it turned out to be the saddest day of her life.
"Who paid you to frame me?" She mustered up the courage to ask the man kneeling a few steps away from her. He was the one they claimed she had slept with while staying in the pack. She had no more tears to cry, her heart was broken, and she felt immense pain.
"I decided to confess when you didn't keep your promise to run away with me," the man's voice lacked remorse or any sign of lying. It seemed like he was prepared to ruin her life, even though he didn't know who she really was.
Now she realized it was useless to prove her innocence. They were all part of this deceitful plan. Her heart was being stabbed repeatedly as the murmurs in the hall grew louder. If only her mate believed her, but he had already rejected her.
In disbelief, she scoffed and laughed crazily. The sympathetic look that had been on her face earlier disappeared from her eyes. "If my mate wants me gone, then so be it," she said, shocking everyone.
They all glared at her with hatred. Lucas, who had ignored her earlier, was now facing her. Finally gathering the strength to stand, she declared, "Alpha Lucas, I accept your rejection."
She slowly walked toward her parents and knelt beside them to check if they were still alive. She hardened her heart, kissed them both on their foreheads, and whispered, "I will seek revenge for your deaths."
"Throw her into the dungeon!" Lucas's voice boomed in the room, his eyes filled with anger, fierce like a predator ready to hunt down its prey.
Aurora was dragged out of the hall and thrown into the dirtiest cell in the dungeon. She sighed and sat with her back against the wall, curling her legs up in front of her.
Her parents had never wanted her to marry Alpha Lucas, even though she was his mate. If only she had listened to them and ran away when she had the chance.
But how could she deny her partner his mate? Her parents had always told her she was different from regular people, and as much as she tried to believe them, her white hair was the only thing that supported their claim. She had a rare breed of hair color, but they never told her where she came from, so it was hard for her to believe them.
Her only regret was not running away when she had the opportunity. Thinking back on her parents' death, she wondered why Lucas's mother had killed them.
She was the one accused of infidelity, so why were her parents being punished? Something was wrong, but she didn't care to find out, she would avenge their deaths by all means.
Just as she was about to lie down, she heard the sound of clashing metals, and then she saw some guards opening her cell with Lucas and his supposed mate beside him.
"Tie her up," Lucas ordered the guards, and they quickly tied her to a chair in the center of her cell room. Fear gripped her as she wondered what they intended to do. They wanted to torture her, but she didn't know why.
"What are you doing?!" Refusing to show her weakness, she roared, and the guards backed away in submission.
"Still tough, huh?" Lucas's new mate muttered, glaring at Aurora with disgust.
"Why are you all just standing there? Get on with it," Lucas ignored her presence, despite having felt her power as an Alpha himself.
Two guards picked up long rods and placed them between her thighs to torture her. Aurora swallowed her fear and prepared herself for the torture, even if it meant facing death if Lucas was determined to torture her to that extent.
"Ahhh!" Her scream reverberated through the dungeon, awakening the other prisoners.
The guards continued to inflict pain between her thighs with the thick rods, making her bleed. "Stop," Lucas ordered, and they ceased their torture.
Aurora took a deep breath and tilted her head back, enduring the pain. "Why did you lie to me?" Lucas moved closer to her, questioning with scornful eyes, and scanning her body in disdain. Her body that he once admired like a precious gem.
Lifting her head, she spat at him and laughed, "She looks curvaceous, just like you always wanted. She will bear you fine babies." She deflected the topic and stared at his mate.
Looking at his mate's stomach, it seemed like she was pregnant. Speaking of infidelity, she wondered who was supposed to be accused. Who was he trying to deceive with lies?
Lucas grabbed her hair forcefully, tightening his grip. "I gave you everything, my love and my possession. I didn't have sex with you because you wanted us to get married first, but you went behind my back to sleep around?" he said through gritted teeth.
He despised the fact that she showed no remorse or sadness for deceiving him for three months.
"Was your love ever genuine?"