She hit the ground hard.
The tray went first. Metal slammed into dirt, glasses smashing around her knees. The sound cut through the cheering and made the whole clearing jolt.
Then she dropped.
For a second, all I saw was this small, thin body folding in on itself. Dark hair hiding her face. Hands shaking as she tried to catch herself on broken glass.
Pathetic.
The pack went quiet again. The silence felt loud. I could hear wolves breathing. The wind pushing through the trees at the edge of the clearing. Somewhere a pup whimpered and got hushed fast.
Mira stayed on her knees, head down, shoulders hunched like she was trying to make herself disappear. Blood beaded along her palm where a shard had cut her skin. It scented the air. Sharp. Weak.
It crawled under my skin.
My wolf pushed forward, teeth bared.
Touch her.
I shoved him back.
"Get up," I said.
My voice came out low, flat. It carried anyway.
She flinched like I'd hit her. Didn't move.
Lena shifted beside me. I felt the tug at my arm as she slid her hand through the crook of my elbow, nails light on my sleeve. "Maybe she didn't hear you," she said, sweet and soft, just loud enough for the pack to catch it.
They snickered.
They were waiting. Watching. My wolves. My territory. My law.
And my mate was on the ground like garbage in front of all of them.
Heat pulsed in my chest. Not the good kind.
I stepped down off the stone. Again.
Gravel crunched under my boots. The smell of smoke from the torches mixed with damp soil and sweat and Mira's fear. It was thick enough to taste.
Wolves moved out of my way fast. Heads bowed. Eyes dropped. No one wanted to be between me and what I was walking toward.
Her.
She kept her head down. Didn't even try to stand. Her whole body was curled in, as if she wanted the dirt to swallow her.
My wolf whined. I ignored him.
"Mira," I said when I reached her.
She stiffened. Her fingers twitched on the ground. A thin streak of blood ran down her wrist, dripping onto the broken glass.
"Alpha, I…" Her voice shook. Thin. Raw. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it. I— I'll move. I shouldn't have been here. I ruined—"
"Shut up."
I didn't raise my voice. I didn't need to.
She shut up.
The pack watched. I could feel their eyes like heat on the side of my face. Every warrior. Every elder. Every kid. They were waiting to see what I would do with the omega the Moon tied to me.
I couldn't show doubt.
I couldn't show weakness.
"Look at you," I said. "On your knees in front of the whole pack. Is this how you want them to see you?"
Her shoulders shuddered. She still didn't raise her head. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have—"
I grabbed the back of her neck.
Her skin was hot under my hand, damp with sweat. The bones felt too sharp. Too light. I could feel her pulse hammering against my palm, wild and scared. She sucked in a sharp breath.
"Stand," I ordered.
I forced her up. She wobbled, weight shifting over the glass. A shard cracked louder under her foot. She winced. More blood.
My wolf snarled at me in the back of my skull. I tightened my grip.
Mira swayed on her feet. Head still bent. Her hair fell forward, hiding her face.
"Head up," I said.
She tried. Her chin lifted a little, then dropped again. Like the air was heavy.
"Up," I repeated.
Slow. Hard. Her head came up.
Her eyes were wet, rimmed red. Tears streaked her cheeks. I hated how big they looked, how soft. Like a kicked pup.
Something twisted under my ribs.
I crushed it.
"You heard me in front of everyone," I said. "I rejected you. I made it clear. The Moon made a mistake. You are nothing to me."
Her lip trembled. She bit it fast, like she was scared even of that.
"I know," she whispered. "I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have felt it. I shouldn't have—" Her voice broke. "I messed everything up. I always do."
Of course she blamed herself.
My wolf lunged up again, snarling at me for letting her say that. For letting her stand here shaking and bleeding with my scent still wrapped around her from that moment when the bond hit.
I locked him down.
"This isn't about what you feel," I said. "This is about control."
Her brows pinched a little. Confused. She never had been quick.
"You will not look at me like that again," I said. "You will not say the word 'mate' again. You will not even think it."
Her throat worked. "I— I'll try. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
"Trying isn't enough."
I let go of her neck. She flinched like she expected a hit anyway.
"Down," I said. "On your knees."
Her eyes widened. "Alpha, please, I—"
"Kneel."
It cut through the clearing like a blade.
The pack went even quieter. Someone coughed once and choked it off. A branch creaked high in the trees. The torches hissed.
Mira's gaze dropped to the ground again. Her shoulders curled in. She sank to her knees slow, as if every inch down was another piece of dignity shaving off.
Her skin brushed glass. She hissed and drew her knees in on herself, trying to find a patch of dirt. Blood smeared across the rocks.
I didn't let myself look away.
"Say it," I told her. "Swear in front of your Alpha. In front of your pack."
Her fingers clenched in the dirt. Her nails dug lines. Her breath came fast and uneven.
"I…" Her voice shook. The sound crawled under my skin. "I swear I won't— I won't claim you."
"Not enough."
She swallowed. I watched her throat bob.
"I swear," she said again, louder this time. "I swear I will never call you my mate. I won't… I won't think it. I won't look at you like that. I won't… want you."
Her voice cracked on the last word. The pack laughed. Low at first, then a little louder. High, mean snickers. Someone whispered "pathetic" under their breath.
Lena's laugh slid over the noise. Light. Cruel.
She stepped forward a little, heels clicking on stone. "Maybe you should say it again," she purred. "I don't think the Moon heard her the first time."
A few wolves snorted.
Mira flinched, even though Lena hadn't said her name.
Her shoulders hunched tighter. She looked so small it pissed me off.
I didn't know who I was angry at.
Her.
The Moon.
Myself.
All of them.
"Look at me," I said.
She raised her head slow. Her eyes were shiny. Wet lashes clumped together. Dirt streaked her cheek. Blood on her hands. She looked wrecked.
My chest hurt.
I shut it down.
"If you ever call me your mate again," I said, voice flat, "I will throw you out of this pack with nothing. No work. No roof. No protection. You won't last a night outside these borders."
Her breath hitched. She nodded fast. Too fast.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, Alpha. I understand. I won't. I swear. I— I'm sorry."
She apologized again.
Of course she did.
Beside me, Lena smiled wide enough the torchlight caught on her teeth. "See?" she said softly, leaning in, like this was nothing but a show. "She knows her place."
The pack chuckled.
I wanted this done.
"Get her out of my sight," I said.
Two warriors stepped forward right away. Big, broad men in dark shirts. They each grabbed one of Mira's arms and yanked her up. She gasped, stumbling on cut feet. Her head dropped again, hair falling over her face like a curtain.
"It's my fault," she whispered as they dragged her back through the crowd. I heard it anyway. Her voice kept catching. "I ruined it. I ruined his night. I'm so stupid. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"
My wolf growled low in my chest.
I turned away from her.
Back to the stone. Back to Lena. Back to the pack staring at me.
Lena slipped her hand around my arm again like nothing had happened. Her perfume curled up right under my nose. Sweet. Heavy. It didn't cut through the echo of Mira's scent in my head though. It clung there. Smoke and cheap soap and fear.
I ignored it.
"BloodMoon," I said, raising my head. "As I said. Your Luna will be Lena Voss."
They cheered again.
Louder this time. Howls ripped through the trees. Stomps shook the ground.
I stood there, solid, unmoved, while the wolves celebrated my choice.
The Mate bond pulsed once. A sharp, sour ache in the center of my chest.
I forced my face to stay blank.
I was Alpha.
I did not bend.
Not for the Moon.
Not for the pack.
Not for some shaking omega with glass in her knees.
I could still feel her eyes on my back as they pulled her away.