I didn't sleep.
Not even for a second.
My mind replayed the rejection over and over again—the way Luca didn't hesitate, the way his eyes were soulless… as if the three years I endured for him meant nothing. The sting of his rejection still burned like acid through my veins.
Worse, my wolf—what little was left of her—lay quiet and broken inside me.
I had no idea how I even made it home last night. I remembered running blindly through the streets, heart tearing apart, stomach twisting with nausea from the shock of the bond snapping. My mark—once a sign of unity—now felt like a scar branded by shame.
Morning sunlight filtered through my curtains, dust dancing in its warmth, but I felt frozen. Everything in my life had been blown apart like shattered glass.
A part of me wished the mating rejection would finish its job and take me with it.
But then… a thought pierced through the haze.
The baby.
My hand trembled to my stomach, palms splayed protectively.
I wasn't alone.
I couldn't give up.
I wasn't allowed to fall apart—not anymore.
Even if Luca didn't want this child, even if the world turned its back on us, I would live. I would survive. If not for myself… then for the tiny heartbeat growing inside me.
A sharp knock yanked me from my thoughts.
Before I could answer, the door burst open and my sister, Brielle, marched into my room. Her expression was twisted with annoyance—not concern.
"You weren't home all night," she snapped. "Father is furious. What did you do this time?"
A laugh, bitter and cracked, escaped me. What did I do?
Oh nothing major… just got rejected by my mate and told I'm worthless.
I swallowed hard. "I… needed space."
Brielle's gaze slid to my tear-stained face and she sighed dramatically.
"Well, get it together. Father wants you dressed properly when Alpha King Kael arrives tonight."
My pulse stuttered. "Alpha King Kael? He's coming here?"
"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "He has business with Father and the council. There's going to be a private banquet. High-ranking wolves only."
Meaning: I would be kept out of sight like the embarrassment I was.
Brielle stared at me, nose wrinkling as if I smelled rotten. "Honestly, Seraphina, you look hideous. And that scent—goddess, did your wolf die?"
It wasn't a question.
It was an insult.
But her words sliced deeper than she knew.
My wolf was barely breathing… and since rejection often caused a wolf's death, it was a real possibility.
I forced my voice steady. "I'm fine."
Brielle smirked. "Well, don't embarrass us tonight."
She left me standing there, shaking.
Hours later, I dressed mechanically. Hair brushed. Face washed. Neck covered by a silk scarf to hide the fading mark Luca once gave me—the mark soon to disappear completely.
And the whole time, a single thought repeated in my mind:
Luca replaced us.
We are no longer his.
We are… nothing.
I placed a trembling hand on my stomach again.
No.
We are something.
We are two.
That alone kept me standing.
By evening, the pack house buzzed with excitement. The arrival of the Alpha King… the most powerful wolf in the continent. His name alone made grown Alphas tremble.
King Kael Thorne—ruthless warrior, unrivaled wolf.
A god among monsters.
As everyone gathered in the grand hall, I was positioned in the far corner, nearly hidden behind pillars.
Out of sight, just how my family liked it.
The air shifted suddenly—thickening with a power that demanded every soul bow in respect.
The massive doors opened.
And he entered.
Alpha King Kael.
Tall, commanding, and dressed in black, his presence consumed the room like a storm swallowing the sun. His aura radiated danger—raw, untamed dominance that made even the most confident wolves stiffen with fear.
His gaze was cold… calculating… piercing.
Like he could see straight through the lies people hid behind.
Everyone lowered their heads in submission.
Except me.
I didn't realize I was staring until his gaze locked onto mine.
My breath caught.
His eyes—dark and ancient—narrowed with intense curiosity, as if he recognized something impossible. As if he sensed something inside me… something no one else ever had.
My heart hammered wildly. The air felt too thin. I wanted to disappear—but I couldn't move.
His steps began to slow.
Toward me.
Every wolf in the room watched, confused and scared.
Why would the King notice her?
I took a step back, panic flooding me. If he came closer, he'd smell it—my pregnancy. The secret that could destroy me.
The secret that marked my child as a royal threat.
I couldn't let that happen.
But before I could slip away, a hand clamped around my wrist.
Luca.
His grip was painful, possessive, claiming what he'd already thrown away.
I stared at him, stunned.
"What are you doing?" I hissed.
His jaw ticked. "Keeping you away from him."
Heat flared—not the good kind. Anger. Rage.
"You have no right."
He leaned in, eyes darkening. "You are still my mate—"
"No." My voice shook but I didn't look away. "You rejected me."
Before Luca could respond, a growl—low, lethal—vibrated through the hall.
We both turned.
Alpha King Kael had stopped right in front of us.
His eyes were locked on Luca's hand gripping me.
That gaze was murderous.
A death sentence contained in a single look.
The King's lips parted, voice roughened with authority that pulsed like thunder:
"Unhand her."
Not a suggestion.
A command.
Gasps echoed.
Luca's face drained of color as he stumbled back.
Kael's attention shifted to me. For the first time, the fierce ice in his gaze softened… barely.
"Are you harmed?" he asked.
My throat tightened. "N-No."
His eyes dipped briefly to my stomach—so quick I could've imagined it—then back to my face.
"Good."
He offered a hand—not to touch, but as if to acknowledge me, to steady me through presence alone.
"Walk with me."
My pulse went wild.
Luca stepped forward, desperation sharp in his voice. "Your Majesty, she's—she's no one—"
King Kael didn't even look at him.
"She is under my protection now."
The room spun.
Whispers exploded.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
King Kael… the strongest wolf alive… just defended me?
Claimed protection over me?
Why?
How?
He leaned close enough that only I heard him:
"I felt your wolf calling out—silenced, suffering." His voice was dark silk—danger and comfort entwined. "Who did this to you?"
My lips parted. I could say it.
Luca.
The man who rejected me. The man who never loved me. The father of this child.
But I froze.
Kael's eyes flickered—like something feral inside him recognized the pain I tried to hide. Like he wasn't asking only for answers… but permission to destroy whoever hurt me.
I shook my head faintly. "It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me," he murmured.
His wolf pressed against mine—powerful, relentless—reaching into the cracks where my own wolf bled out.
For the first time in forever… the broken pieces inside me stirred.
Not healed.
But breathing.
Kael offered his arm, commanding yet strangely gentle.
I hesitated.
Behind him, Luca watched with widening horror—as if only now realizing what he had lost.
And what he had thrown into the hands of a King who didn't accept losing.
As Kael guided me away, his voice brushed against my ear:
"You are not weak," he said.
"You are not alone."
"And you will not suffer again."
My chest tightened painfully—hope, fear, and disbelief clashing.
Then… just before the curtains closed behind us… Kael added one final sentence that altered the course of my destiny forever—
"You and your child belong to me now."