The moment I stepped into the clearing I knew something was wrong.
It wasn't the silence that got me. It was the way it felt. Heavy. Thick. Like the air was waiting for something to happen.
I looked around at the pack. Warriors, betas, elders... Omegas who usually stayed hidden. They were all watching me.
A whisper went around. "Why is she here?" "Didn't Derek already choose?" "This is going to be embarrassing..."
My chest got tight. I kept walking. I had to.
I saw Derek standing in the center of the clearing. He looked perfect. The kind of guy girls dream of. The kind of guy I thought cared about me.
Our eyes met. For a second I thought I saw him hesitate.
Then he called out my name. "Sera " he said like it meant nothing.
I stopped in front of him my heart pounding. "You called for me " I said quietly.
He smirked. That smirk used to make my heart race. Now it made me feel cold.
"I did " he said loud for everyone to hear. "Because it's time we clear something up."
The crowd started to murmur. My pulse spiked.
"Derek we can talk about this privately " I said.
He just said, "No."
It was a sharp final word. His eyes darkened like he was enjoying this.
I realized this wasn't a conversation. It was a show.
For them.
"I think everyone deserves to know " he said, turning to the pack. "Don't you?"
Some people laughed. My face burned.
"Know what?" I asked, feeling dread.
He tilted his head studying me. "Why I'm rejecting you."
The words hit me hard. A gasp went around the clearing followed by murmurs.
I felt like I'd been punched. "You... What?" I said.
Derek sighed. "I, Derek Hale, future Beta of Ironblood Pack reject you, Seraphina Cole as my mate."
Everything went silent. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think.
Mate. He was rejecting me as his mate. In front of everyone.
I said, "No... You don't mean that."
He just smirked. "I do."
I remembered what he said before. "You said we would figure it out. That it didn't matter..."
He cut me off. "That you're an omega? That you have no wolf? That you're weak? Useless? A liability to the pack?"
Laughter broke out. I felt like I'd been cut.
"Don't beg " he said. "It's embarrassing."
More laughter. My vision blurred,. I refused to cry.
He stepped closer. "I would never bind myself to someone like you."
Someone like me. Unwanted. Worthless. Nothing.
The bond inside me snapped. I felt a hollow tear in my chest.
Just like that... It was gone.
A strange empty numbness replaced it.
The crowd quieted, watching me. Waiting for me to break.
I straightened slowly. If they wanted a show... I wouldn't give it to them.
"Understood " I said, my voice steady.
Derek blinked. He didn't expect that.
I turned away before he could say anything
The whispers started again. "She didn't even fight it..." "Guess she knows her place..." " Poor thing..."
But I wasn't poor. I wasn't weak. Not anymore.
I was, at the edge of the clearing when I heard my name. "Sera."
My body froze. That voice was cold and familiar.
I turned. My father, Alpha Cole was watching me like I was nothing.
A strange dread curled in my stomach.
"Yes Alpha " I said, forcing the words out.
He smiled,. It wasn't warm or kind. It was the kind of smile that meant something bad was about to happen.
"You're not done " he said calmly.
I felt confusion. "What?"
The pack went quiet again. Waiting. Watching.
My fathers eyes locked onto mine.. Then he said it.
Slow. Clear. Final.
"You've just been sold."