"Are you sure?"The Elder's voice cracks through the stunned silence, his question heavy with disbelief. "Are you sure, Alpha?"The world seems to stop spinning for a heartbeat.My heart trembles violently inside my chest, a caged thing desperate to escape. The air around me feels thick, charged with expectation, tension, fear. I can't breathe. I don't dare to.Xavier doesn't look away from me.His eyes, those dark silver-gray eyes that always seemed cold and distant are fixed on mine with frightening intensity. The murmurs in the crowd swell into waves of confusion and outrage, but he doesn't flinch."Yes," Xavier says finally, his deep voice cutting through the noise. "She is my mate."For a second, I swear the earth stops moving.Gasps ripple through the pack like a storm wind.I can feel the hatred in their voices, the rejection, the disgust even though I can't hear the words. Every whisper hits like a lash across my skin. My vision swims.He said it.He said yes.It wasn't just me feeling this sudden bond.But why can't I feel happy?Because this feels wrong. Impossible. Cruel, even.I haven't eaten since last night. The long hours of work, the exhaustion, the humiliation all of it comes crashing down. My head feels light. My knees weaken.The world starts tilting.I blink once, twice and then everything begins to fade.The last thing I see before darkness takes me is Xavier's face his sharp jaw tight with concern, his arms reaching forward.And then, nothing.---When consciousness returns, it feels like waking in another life.My body is warm. The air smells faintly of pine, smoke, and something richer, something undeniably masculine.Xavier.My eyes flutter open slowly, and the first thing I see is light. The room was bathed in soft sunlight pouring through high windows, curtains drifting in the breeze. For a second, I think I'm dreaming.Because this bed. It's impossibly soft, clean bed is nothing like the straw mat I've slept on my entire life. The blanket is heavy but comforting, the sheets smell faintly of cedar and musk.I sit up too quickly, and the room spins. My head throbs faintly.Where am I?Then I remember…the coronation, the bond, his voice claiming me in front of everyone.My breath catches.Oh goddess.I'm in his room.The Alpha's quarters.Before I can fully process that, a faint sound breaks the silence. There are voices, low but intense, coming from beyond the door.I freeze and listen in."You can't possibly mean to acknowledge her!"That voice deep, commanding, older. It's Xavier's father, the former Alpha."She's wolf-less," he continues, his tone laced with disbelief. "A cursed child! You cannot lead this pack with someone like that by your side."My throat tightens.The word that stings more than anything else.There's a pause, then Xavier's voice calm but unyielding. "She's my mate.""Then reject her!" his father snaps, his voice rising. "Before this gets out of control. The pack will never follow a Luna without a wolf. Do you understand what this means for us?""I understand perfectly," Xavier replies, but there's an edge to his tone now. "The Goddess doesn't make mistakes.""She does not but she tests us," the older man counters coldly. "Perhaps this is your trial. To prove your loyalty to the pack, not your emotions."My fingers dig into the blanket.They're arguing about me.Because of me.My stomach twists painfully.I wish I could melt into the bed and disappear. I wish I'd never gone to the coronation. I wish I'd never looked up and met his eyes.The silence stretches for a long moment. Then, Xavier speaks again lower this time, almost pained. "I'll… think about it."My heart cracks like thin ice beneath a heavy step.Think about it.So he's already doubting me.Of course he is. Why wouldn't he?I'm nothing. Broken. The girl without a wolf. The pack freak.Why would the Moon Goddess do this? Why would She bind him who was someone strong, destined to be great to someone like me?Tears sting my eyes. I swallow hard, but it's useless. The lump in my throat won't go away.Why me, Goddess?Why couldn't I have been normal? Why couldn't I have been whole?I press my palms over my eyes, trying to stop the tears, but they keep falling anyway.The sound of footsteps makes me freeze.The door opens softly, and I instinctively look away, turning my face toward the window. I can't bear to see him. Not after hearing that.The air shifts as he steps inside. His scent fresh pine, rain, smoke fills the space, too intoxicating to ignore."Samantha," he says quietly.I don't move. My hands clutch the blanket like a shield."You fainted," he continues, his voice softer now, almost gentle. "The healer said you were just exhausted."I nod mutely, not trusting my voice.He takes a step closer. I feel the bed dip slightly as he sits at the edge. My heart hammers painfully against my ribs."You shouldn't have skipped meals," he says, almost to himself. "You look pale."He sounds concerned. But I can't bring myself to look at him. Not when I know he's thinking about it.The silence stretches between us like a wound.Finally, I manage to whisper, "You don't have to pretend."He pauses. "Pretend?""That you care." My voice cracks. "I heard you. Outside. You said you'd think about it."There's a sharp inhale, and then, quietly, "You were awake.""I wish I wasn't," I whisper.He doesn't answer immediately. The tension in the air feels alive, dangerous.When he finally speaks, his voice is steady but strained. "Samantha… everything changed tonight. For both of us."I laugh weakly—a hollow sound. "You mean, for you. You found out your mate is a mistake.""That's not what I said.""You didn't have to." I finally turn to face him, and for a second, the look in his eyes steals my breath. He looks… conflicted."Do you think I asked for this?" I whisper. "Do you think I want to be your mate? I don't even have a wolf! The entire pack probably wants me dead right now."He looks at me then.not as the Alpha, but as a man. His gaze softens, though his jaw remains tight. "The Goddess chose you for me.""Maybe She made a mistake," I snap before I can stop myself. "Everyone probably thinks so""The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes," he says again, quietly this time. "Even when we don't understand her reasons.""Easy for you to say." I pull the blanket tighter around me. "You've always been perfect. Chosen. You've never known what it's like to be the cursed one. The one everyone avoids."He doesn't deny it.Instead, he says softly, "I've seen the way they treat you."That catches me off guard. "You have?"He nods slowly. "I didn't interfere. I told myself it wasn't my place… but maybe it should have been."I look away again, staring at the sunlight spilling across the floor. "It doesn't matter now. I'll be gone soon anyway. Once you reject me."His head snaps up. "Who said I'd reject you?"I blink. "You said you'd think about it.""I said that to calm my father down," he says flatly. "Not because I meant it."I turn to him slowly. His expression is unreadable."You'd really go against your father?" I whisper."I'd go against anyone," he says, his voice steady, "if i thought it was right."My heart stutters.He sounds so sure. So resolute.And yet, doubt claws at me. "You don't even know me," I whisper. "You don't know what it's like to live like I do. You'll regret it once the pack turns on you because of me."He shakes his head. "They can't. They won't."There's something about the conviction in his voice that makes my throat tighten. I don't know what to say.He stands suddenly, moving toward the door. For a heartbeat, I think he's leaving but then he pauses, glancing back at me. "Rest," he says simply. "I'll make sure no one bothers you."The door closes behind him.The silence returns, heavy and suffocating.I stare at the place he stood just moments ago. His words echo in my mind, colliding with the sound of his father's voice from earlier.She's cursed.She can't lead a pack.Reject her.And his, firm and unshaken, She is my mate.Why does that make my chest ache even more?I press my hands over my heart, trying to steady it. I don't know if I should be grateful or terrified.The pack will never accept me. They'll hate me even more now.But a small, dangerous part of me dares to hope.That maybe just maybe he would keep me.
