Chapter 3
The rejection ceremony left me hollow, a shell of the Luna I once was. As Ethan's teeth released my neck, the severed mate bond felt like a physical wound no healing ability could mend. I remained kneeling in the sacred grove, the half-moon's light casting long shadows across my face as pack members began to disperse, their whispers carrying on the night breeze.
*Hold on, little wolf. This is not the end of your story.*
The strange voice lingered in my mind, but I had no strength to question it. Luna had retreated deep within me, curled into a ball of grief and pain.
I finally stood on trembling legs, my hand instinctively reaching for the crescent moon pendant at my throat—Dad's last gift. What would he think of me now? Rejected. Discarded. Replaced.
"Luna—I mean, Olivia." Delta Warren approached cautiously, avoiding my eyes. "The Alpha requests you remove your Luna armband before returning to the pack house."
Of course he did. I glanced down at the silver band encircling my upper arm, the symbol of my position for over a year. With numb fingers, I unclasped it and handed it to Warren, who took it like it might burn him.
"Thank you for your... service to the pack," he muttered before hurrying away.
The walk back to the pack house stretched before me like a gauntlet. Wolves who had once bowed their heads in respect now averted their gazes or, worse, stared with naked pity. A few of Rebecca's friends didn't bother hiding their smirks.
"Good evening," I greeted a group of she-wolves I'd once considered friends.
They mumbled incoherent responses before scurrying away, as if rejection might be contagious. The corridor suddenly felt too narrow, the walls closing in as whispers followed me.
"Poor thing."
"Can't blame the Alpha, though. The pack needs an heir."
"Did you see Rebecca? Already three months along."
"Three months... right after her father died..."
I quickened my pace, desperate to escape their voices. The guest room—my room now—offered little comfort, but at least there I could break in private.
As night deepened, I sat by the window, watching the half-moon climb higher. The same moon that had witnessed my mating ceremony, my father's funeral, and now my rejection. What cruel games the Moon Goddess played with mortal wolves.
"What do we do now?" I whispered to Luna, but my wolf remained silent, her pain too deep for words.
Exhaustion finally claimed me. I collapsed onto the unfamiliar bed, not bothering to change out of my ceremonial dress. The weight of everything—Ethan's betrayal, Rebecca's triumph, the pack's abandonment—crushed down on me until breathing became an effort.
I was drifting in that hazy space between wakefulness and sleep when it happened. A presence brushed against my mind—powerful, ancient, and distinctly male.
*Olivia Bennett.*
I bolted upright, heart racing. This wasn't Ethan's mind-link. This was something else entirely.
*Who are you?* I projected back, Luna stirring slightly at the intrusion.
*Alexander Morgan, Lycan Prince of the Western Territories.*
The name sent a jolt through me. Alexander Morgan—my father's ally. A royal Lycan whose power dwarfed that of ordinary Alphas. What could he possibly want with me?
*I offer you sanctuary, Olivia. What Ethan has done—it goes beyond the rejection.*
His mind-voice carried an urgency that cut through my fog of despair.
*What do you mean?* I asked, suddenly alert.
*Your father's position as Beta—Ethan plans to erase it from pack history. The treaties Marcus helped forge, his contributions to Silver Claw... all of it will disappear by morning. The rejection was just the beginning.*
A cold fury began to replace my numbness. My father had given everything to this pack—including his life. And now Ethan would erase him like he never existed?
*Why would you help me?* I questioned, suspicion threading through my thoughts. *What do you gain?*
A pause, heavy with unspoken meaning.
*I owed Marcus my life long before he gave it for another. And I keep my debts.*
Something in his tone made Luna stir more forcefully, her silver fur bristling with interest for the first time since the rejection.
*Come to the eastern border before dawn,* Alexander continued. *My Beta will escort you to safety. Bring only what matters most—Ethan's wolves will be watching.*
The connection began to fade, but not before one final thought reached me:
*You are more than a rejected mate, Olivia Bennett. You are your father's daughter. And that makes you dangerous.*
As his presence withdrew from my mind, I sat frozen in the darkness, torn between fear and a flicker of something I hadn't felt since discovering Ethan's betrayal.
Hope.
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