Rejected Mate's Revenge

The grand ceremonial hall had never felt so cold, despite the hundreds of bodies packed within its stone walls. I stood at the raised dais, my hands clasped behind my back, forcing my expression into the mask of indifference that had served me well as Alpha King. Below me, Roselyn knelt in silver chains, her wrists raw and bleeding where the metal bit into her skin.

The accusations hung heavy in the air like a death shroud. Poisoning Luna Queen Gwen's unborn heir. The evidence seemed overwhelming—wolfsbane residue found in her healer's kit, witnesses who claimed to have seen her near Gwen's chambers the night of the attack. My council had presented their case with clinical precision, each detail building toward this inevitable moment.

Yet something twisted in my chest as I looked down at her. Roselyn's dark hair fell in tangled waves around her face, but her green eyes—those eyes that had once looked at me with such pure love—now held nothing but desperate confusion and heartbreak.

"Please, Matthew," she whispered, her voice barely audible above the murmurs of the packed hall. "You know me. You know I could never—"

"Silence." The word cracked like a whip, my Alpha tone cutting through her plea. I couldn't afford to show weakness. Not now. Not when the stability of our pack alliances hung in the balance.

Beta Leo stepped forward, his weathered face grim as he read the formal charges. Each word felt like a nail being driven into a coffin, sealing away the woman who had once been my everything. The mate bond, that sacred connection blessed by the Moon Goddess herself, pulsed weakly between us—a dying ember that I had to extinguish.

Gwen sat in the Luna's chair beside my throne, her face pale but resolute. Her hand rested protectively over her belly, where our heir had been growing until three nights ago. The miscarriage had nearly killed her, and the healers confirmed that only wolfsbane poisoning could have caused such devastating damage.

I forced myself to remember that image—Gwen collapsed in our chambers, blood pooling beneath her as she screamed for our lost child. The rage that had consumed me then flickered back to life, drowning out the small voice in my head that whispered doubts.

"Roselyn Dunn," I began, my voice echoing off the vaulted ceiling. "You stand accused of the attempted murder of your Luna Queen and the successful murder of the royal heir. The evidence against you is overwhelming."

Her chains rattled as she struggled to her feet, swaying slightly. "The mate bond, Matthew. Feel it. You know I'm innocent. I could never hurt—"

"The mate bond is a weakness I can no longer afford." The lie tasted like ash in my mouth, but I forced the words out with royal authority. "You have used it to manipulate me, to gain access to pack secrets and royal chambers. No more."

The hall fell silent except for the sound of Roselyn's ragged breathing. I could feel