**Arielle's POV**

The manor was buzzing with the elite guests gathered for Alpha Damien's coronation. His father, Alpha George, had stepped down, and now it was Damien's turn to take over.

I scanned the room, heart pounding, and clutched the necklace around my neck. I had to leave. I couldn't spend another day in this place, a place that had been nothing but hell for me. Misery would only get worse.

'I have to make it out. I have to make it out.' The words kept running through my mind as I pushed through the crowd, heading for the exit.

I was so close to freedom, just a few steps from the door. A smile crept onto my face. Finally, I was going to leave it all behind.

But then…

"STOP!" A voice thundered behind me, freezing me in place. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Alpha Damien.

The anger in his voice echoed through the hall, and icy fear crept into my heart. His eyes burned red, glowing with a fierceness that made me feel even more trapped.

He reached me, his eyes starting to cool down as he growled, "Mate!" His words set off a wave of murmurs throughout the room.

Disgust filled the air.

"Her? How can she be his mate?"

"There must be a mistake."

I stood there, stunned and silent, surrounded by people who made no effort to hide their hatred for me. My mind raced, trying to find the words to say, but nothing came out.

Damien's eyes gleamed, but I couldn't let this happen. "No," I muttered, shaking off the shock. "I CAN NEVER BE MATED TO A MAN LIKE YOU!"

The room erupted into more whispers of disbelief, but I didn't care anymore. I'd rejected the mate bond, and I wasn't backing down. "I, Arielle Hale, DO NOT ACCEPT THIS!"

With that, I turned and ran. I didn't look back, just kept running, pushing my legs as fast as they could go.

But it didn't take long before I felt the weight of Damien's wolf behind me. He pounced, pinning me to the ground, his body heavy against mine. I had no more strength to fight.

Damien shifted back to human form, towering over me. "WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?" he roared.

"Away from this pack. Away from you," I spat, my voice shaking with rage. "I'll never accept being your mate—not in this life, not ever!"

Damien didn't lash out like I expected. Instead, he smirked, stepping closer. "Until I reject you, which I won't do until the pack kills you when the hex wears off, you're going nowhere."

"You can't kill me, Damien," I retorted, anger burning in my chest. "If I die, you die too."

His smirk grew darker. "Not if I reject you first."

I shuddered at his words. My hope of escaping was fading fast, replaced by the terrifying realization of what was to come.

"You've been in this hell too long to think you can escape. And I've waited too long for your death to let you go now." His voice was flat, emotionless.

"You'd go through all that just to see me dead?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

He shrugged, running a hand through his hair, the woods around us echoing with his cold laughter. "For the sake of the pack, I'd go through much worse."

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to cry in front of him. "Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Let me go. I swear I'll never return. Just let me go."

Damien sneered at me, his eyes gleaming with cruelty. He wasn't going to let me go. He didn't care about my pain.

Dragging me, he didn't bother looking back. The cold floor ripped at my skin, but I barely felt them through the numbness taking over.

Back in the manor, I was thrown into the hall again. "Arielle Hale will stay here," Damien announced to the pack, his voice loud and clear. "She's not my mate—she's a servant, lower than dirt."

The room erupted into cruel laughter.

Damien continued, "You can do what you want with her, but no one is allowed to kill her. Make her life a living hell."

More cheers, more laughter. My heart sank deeper, and I felt the weight of despair pressing down on me. Why was this happening to me? Why, on my eighteenth birthday, did my life have to fall apart?

Hatred boiled inside me, but it wasn't aimed at Damien. It was aimed at my father. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have to face this torment every single day.

Why didn't he kill me when he had the chance? Why did he choose to protect me instead?