What is happening?" Pride whispered, her voice trembling, tears stinging her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. She stood hidden behind the thick leaves of a weeping willow, the damp earth cool beneath her bare feet near the murmuring river, where she had followed the familiar scent of Dan, her intended mate.
The air hung heavy with the sweet fragrance of river blossoms, now a cruel mockery of her heart. She hadn't expected to find him here, embracing his crush with such fierce tenderness. As she watched, rooted to the spot, a cold dread seeping into her bones, they started kissing. The sight was a physical blow, and she felt her heart shatter within her chest, the sharp edges of its breaking akin to shards of glass piercing her soul.
A choked sob escaped her lips, but the sound was lost in the gentle rush of the water. She didn't know how long she stood there, paralyzed by the betrayal, before her feet carried her forward. Her throat tightened, stealing her voice, but with a monumental effort, she finally managed to ask, her tone low and broken, "What are you doing?"
Dan, lost in his embrace, heard her voice as if from a distance. He turned his head, his eyes widening momentarily before hardening with a coldness that made Pride flinch. "Just leave us," he commanded, his voice sharp and dismissive, the sound echoing in the stillness of the riverside.
Pride couldn't believe the words that had just reached her ears. "What?" she gasped, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs, each beat a painful reminder of his rejection. She felt the blood rushing in her ears, a roaring sound that threatened to deafen her. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the next cruel blow.
"I said just leave us," Dan repeated, his tone laced with impatience. "In fact, I need to make this clear right now, here." He stepped away from his lover, his gaze fixed on Pride, devoid of any warmth or affection. "I, Dan Miller, reject you, Pride Bass, as my mate."
The words hit Pride like a physical force, stealing the strength from her limbs. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. Despite the crushing weight in her chest, the alpha blood running through her veins compelled her to maintain a façade of strength. "I, Pride Bass, accept your rejection," she declared, her voice surprisingly steady despite the turmoil within. "Please, never, ever regret this, and don't try to beg for my forgiveness when the time comes. I will never accept you again."
She turned to leave, her legs feeling like lead, but Dan's hand shot out, gripping her arm tightly, preventing her from moving. He was clearly taken aback by her easy acceptance, a flicker of hurt and humiliation crossing his face. He wanted to wound her, to make her feel the pain he sensed she wasn't showing.
"I will never regret anything," he sneered, his grip tightening on her arm, digging into her skin. "You are not capable of being my Luna. You are worthless and incapable. You are just a servant, picked by my father, who treats you better than the others simply because you are an orphan. What right do you have to become the Luna of this palace? This park is second only to Lycan park. It deserves someone better, like my dear here," Dan spat, pulling his lover closer and kissing her again, a cruel display meant to inflict maximum pain.
He broke the kiss, his eyes still locked on Pride, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "You are twenty-one years old, for the Goddess' sake, but you still haven't shifted. Everyone is laughing at you here in the park. If you were as special as my father used to say, you would have shifted a long time ago. I thought you were keeping a low profile, as I was told, but now I understand you are just useless."
Pride felt a fresh wave of humiliation wash over her, but she refused to let it break her composure. Meeting his cruel gaze, she said, her voice low and dangerous, "Never regret this in the future, Dan. I won't seek revenge now because you are my Godfather's son, but I will never tolerate any more of your bullshit. I will let this slide because you were once like a brother to me, but insult me again, and you will see what I am truly made of."
With those words, Pride ripped her arm from his grasp, the lingering sting a physical reminder of his cruelty. Head held high, she strode past him, her footsteps firm on the soft earth, and never once looked back, the image of their intertwined figures burning into her memory like a brand.
She moved with a swiftness that belied her inner turmoil, disappearing into the deep embrace of the forest. The air grew cooler beneath the dense canopy, the sunlight dappling through the leaves in shifting patterns on the mossy ground. She knew this place well; a secluded hollow where she used to escape as a child, seeking solace and crying out her sorrow when the memory of her parents became too heavy to bear. Whenever Victor searched for her, this was always the first place he would look the heart of the whispering woods.
Pride moved like a shadow, her footsteps silent on the fallen pine needles, the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filling her nostrils. As she drew closer to her hidden spot, a small clearing encircled by ancient trees with gnarled roots reaching into the earth, the dam inside her broke. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face, hot against her suddenly chilled skin, each drop a testament to the pain of Dan's rejection. The rough bark of an old oak tree scraped against her back as she leaned against it, her breath catching in ragged sobs.
Through her tears, fragmented memories of Dan flickered in her mind. She remembered the desperate plea she had once made, asking him to reject her officially so they could remain as close as siblings, a bond she thought was unbreakable. But he had refused, his words a comforting balm then, promising to always stay by her side. He had been her mate in her heart, her partner in every way, and she hadn't anticipated his change of heart so abruptly not after two years and eight months of shared dreams and whispered promises.
A shiver traced its way down her spine as she recalled Dan's increasingly insistent attempts at intimacy. He would grow frustrated and angry whenever she demurred, a knot of unease tightening in her stomach each time. She had been waiting for her wolf, longing for her presence, her strength, to be with her during their first time as mates. Now, a bitter sense of self preservation washed over her; she might have been even more vulnerable if she had yielded to his desires before this devastating rejection.