The storm howled through the night, its icy raindrops soaking Selene Carter's trembling form. She stood before the entire Blood Moon Pack, her heartbeat hammering in her ears. The cold seeped into her bones, but it was nothing compared to the numbness spreading inside her.
Across from her, Alpha Damien Blackwood, her mate, the man the Moon Goddess had destined for her, stared at her with nothing but contempt. His silver eyes, once filled with warmth, were now cold steel—sharp enough to cut her to shreds.
Selene could barely breathe. "Damien... why are you saying this?" Her voice came out hoarse, weak—pathetic.
She had imagined this moment a thousand times. Their fated bond. Their love. Their future together. Yet now, it was crumbling before her eyes.
Damien scoffed. "Are you deaf? I said you're not my mate." His lips curled in disgust, his voice laced with venom. "I don't want you. I never did."
A sharp pain twisted inside her chest. It wasn't just the rejection—it was the bond. The invisible thread tying them together strained, frayed, on the verge of snapping.
Selene's hands instinctively went to her stomach, where life had begun to grow. She had been waiting to tell him, waiting for the right moment. But before she could even utter the words—
"And you're carrying another man's child."
A collective gasp rippled through the pack.
Selene's eyes widened. "What?"
The murmurs started instantly.
"The Luna is pregnant?"
"But not with the Alpha's pup?"
"Disgraceful!"
Panic surged through Selene as she shook her head, her damp hair clinging to her face. "That's not true! Damien, listen to me, this is your pup!"
But he didn't listen.
He sneered, stepping forward until they were nose to nose. Even drenched in rain, he towered over her, his presence suffocating.
"Do you think I'm a fool, Selene?" His voice was low, dangerous. "You reek of another male's scent."
A lump formed in her throat. Scent? But that wasn't possible. She had only been with Damien, only ever wanted him.
Selene swallowed hard. "I swear to you, I have never been with anyone else!"
Damien's expression darkened. "Lies."
His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist in a bruising grip. The mate bond should have stopped him from hurting her, should have made him cherish her, but instead.. he looked at her like she was filth.
"Please," she whispered. "You have to believe me."
But Damien never gave second chances.
In one swift motion, he yanked his hand away as though touching her burned him. Then, without hesitation, he spoke the words that shattered her world.
"As Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, I, Damien Blackwood, reject you, Selene Carter, as my mate."
Crack.
It wasn't a sound anyone else could hear, but to Selene, it was deafening. The mate bond snapped.
Pain exploded in her chest like a blade twisting into her heart. Her knees buckled, and a scream tore from her throat.
It felt like dying.
Her wolf howled in agony inside her mind, clawing at the walls of her consciousness, begging for relief. But there was none. Only an unbearable emptiness where Damien's presence used to be.
Tears mixed with the rain as Selene gasped for breath, pressing a hand to her chest as if she could physically hold her heart together. But it was useless.
Damien had ripped it out and crushed it beneath his heel.
She looked up at him, hoping, praying, he would change his mind. But he had already turned away. His broad shoulders stiffened, but he didn't hesitate. He didn't even look back.
Selene had never felt more alone.
The murmurs of the pack grew louder, some whispers filled with pity, others with scorn.
"She deserved it."
"An Alpha doesn't take a traitor as his mate."
"What will happen to the pup?"
The pup.
Selene's trembling hand moved to her stomach once more. No. She couldn't stay here. Not anymore.
A storm brewed in her chest, far fiercer than the one raging around her.
Slowly, she rose to her feet, ignoring the ache, ignoring the betrayal eating her alive.
If Damien didn't want her, she wouldn't beg.
If he didn't believe her, she wouldn't explain.
And if he thought she was weak, he was dead wrong.
She took one last look at the pack, the home she had known her whole life.
Then, she turned and ran.
Away from the rejection.
Away from the heartbreak.
Away from the man who had once been her everything.
Somewhere in the distance, the Moon Goddess watched.
And Selene had no idea, this wasn't the end of her story.
It was just the beginning....