ISLA'S POV
The pain hits me first.
It slams into my chest like a fist, knocking the air from my lungs. I stumble, grabbing the wooden fence to keep from falling. Around me, hundreds of wolves gasp at the same time.
The mate bond. It's happening.
My heart pounds so hard I think it might explode. I press my hand against my chest, feeling the golden warmth spreading through my body. It's beautiful. Perfect. Everything I dreamed about since I turned thirteen and learned what mates were.
I know who it is before I even look up.
Kade.
He stands at the front of the ceremony ground, right where he just became Alpha two minutes ago. His hand is frozen in the air, still raised from taking the oath. His whole body has gone stiff.
He feels it too.
Our eyes meet across the crowd, and the bond snaps completely into place. Golden light explodes in my chest. I can feel him his shock, his confusion, his...
No. That can't be right.
Isla? My best friend Sara grabs my arm. Oh my goddess. Is that did you just
I can't answer. Can't speak. Because Kade's face is doing something I've never seen before.
He looks horrified.
Move, someone snaps. The crowd parts like water as Kade walks toward me. Every step makes the bond sing louder in my chest. My omega wolf is going crazy, wanting to run to him, to touch him, to finally be close to the boy I've loved since I was ten years old.
The boy who taught me how to climb trees. Who scared away the kids who called me weak. Who promised me that being omega didn't mean I was worthless.
He stops three feet away from me. Close enough that I can see the gold still glowing in his eyes. Close enough that the bond screams at us to move closer.
Close enough to see the exact moment his face twists with disgust.
You? His voice cuts through the silence. An omega?
The words hit harder than the bond did.
Kade, I My voice comes out small. Scared. I hate how weak I sound, but I can't help it. The bond, it's
No. He takes a step back, and the bond tears like he's ripping my heart in half. This is wrong. This is a mistake.
It's not a mistake. I reach for him without thinking. The Moon Goddess chose us. We're mates. We're supposed to
Supposed to what? Kade's laugh is cruel. I've never heard him sound like this. You think I'm supposed to have a weak omega as my Luna? I just became Alpha, Isla. I need someone strong beside me. Someone who won't make me look pathetic.
Each word is a knife. I feel my father watching from the side. I see the other pack members staring. Waiting.
I'm not weak, I whisper, but even I don't believe it anymore.
Kade looks at me like I'm something dirty on his shoe. Yes, you are. You've always been weak. I was just too nice to say it before.
The boy I loved is gone. I'm staring at a stranger.
He takes a deep breath, and I know what's coming before he says it. The bond knows. It starts screaming in my chest, trying to protect itself from what's about to happen.
I, Alpha Kade Blackthorn His voice rings out across the silent crowd. reject you, Isla Thorne, as my mate.
The bond explodes.
I don't scream. I can't. All the air has been sucked from my lungs. I collapse to my knees in the dirt, both hands clutching my chest. It feels like someone is tearing my heart out through my ribs.
This isn't how rejection is supposed to work. The bond should just... disappear. Clean. Simple.
But it's not disappearing. It's breaking apart piece by piece, each fragment cutting me like broken glass.
Pathetic. Kade's voice sounds far away now. You can't even accept a rejection with dignity.
Through the pain, I see him turn away from me. See him walk toward the crowd.
Toward my stepsister.
Vivian smiles as Kade approaches her. It's the same smile she uses when she steals my food at dinner. When she trips me in the hallways. When she tells Dad that I'm lazy and worthless.
You'll be my chosen mate, Kade announces, taking Vivian's hand. A proper Luna for Bloodmoon Pack.
Vivian's smile grows wider. Of course, Alpha. I'd be honoured.
She looks at me over Kade's shoulder. Her eyes say everything her mouth doesn't: I won.
I want to stand up. Want to run away. Want to do anything except kneel here in the dirt while everyone stares at me.
But the bond won't let me move. It's still breaking, still tearing, and still killing me slowly from the inside.
Isla. My father's voice cuts through the fog of pain. Marcus Thorne, the pack Beta, stands over me. He won't meet my eyes. Get up. You're embarrassing yourself.
Dad, please I gasp. It hurts. The bond won't
I said GET UP. His alpha command hits me like a physical force. My omega wolf has no choice but to obey.
I stagger to my feet, swaying. Everything hurts. Everything is broken.
Go home, Dad says quietly. We'll talk about this in the morning.
The way he says it makes my blood run cold. There's something in his voice. Something final.
I stumble away from the ceremony. Behind me, I hear the celebration starting. Music. Laughter. The pack is celebrating their new Alpha and his chosen mate.
Nobody is celebrating me.
I make it to my room before the sobs start. I bury my face in my pillow and scream until my throat is raw. The bond is still there in my chest, jagged and broken and bleeding.
It should have disappeared. The rejection should have killed it completely.
But I can still feel Kade on the other end. Feel his presence like a ghost I can't get rid of.
Why won't it let me go?
Hours pass. Maybe days. I don't know anymore. All I know is pain.
When someone finally knocks on my door, I think it's Sara coming to check on me.
It's not.
Isla Thorne. A pack guard stands in my doorway, his face blank. Your father has requested your presence in his office. Immediately.
Something about the way he says it makes my broken heart skip.
What does he want? I ask.
The guard won't look at me. I don't know, miss. But he said to tell you to bring all your belongings.
The world tilts sideways.
All my belongings.
The bond screams a warning in my chest, but I already know. I've always known.
In Bloodmoon Pack, there's only one reason a father tells his daughter to pack everything.
I'm being cast out.