Chapter 1
I felt the mate bond shatter the second he spoke — standing at the altar, holding her hand, rejecting me in front of the entire pack.
"I, Dorian Blackwood, Alpha of Shadowfang Pack, reject you, Elara Voss, as my fated mate," he said without looking at me. "I choose Vivienne Ashford as my Luna."
The crowd gasped, but nobody moved to stop him. Why would they? Vivienne was the daughter of an allied Alpha, beautiful and powerful. I was just the orphan healer they tolerated out of obligation.
The searing pain ripped through my chest like wildfire. I clutched the wall beside me, biting my tongue until I tasted blood, willing myself not to collapse. Not here. Not in front of them.
Vivienne turned toward me, and under the veil of her false concern, I caught the satisfied gleam in her eyes. She mouthed two words: "You lose."
I swallowed hard and stood upright. I would not give her the satisfaction.
What nobody in that hall knew — what even I had only discovered two hours ago in the pack clinic — was that I was six weeks pregnant with Dorian's pup.
The test results were still folded in my pocket, pressed against my thigh like a ticking bomb.
For one wild moment, I considered screaming it out. Throwing the paper at his feet. Watching his composed Alpha mask crack.
But then I looked at him — really looked at him — and saw nothing in his eyes when they briefly passed over me. Not guilt. Not hesitation. Nothing.
He had made his choice.
So I made mine.
I turned and walked out of the ceremony hall while the pack howled in celebration of their new Luna. No one noticed me leave. No one ever noticed me.
The cold night air hit my face, and I pressed my hand flat against my still-flat stomach.
"It's just you and me now," I whispered.
I pulled out my phone with trembling fingers and called the only person I trusted.
"Kira. I need to leave tonight. Don't ask questions. Just tell me — is Thornridge Pack still taking in displaced wolves?"
Kira's voice was sharp with alarm. "Elara? What happened? Did Dorian—"
"He rejected me. Publicly. At the Luna ceremony."
Silence. Then, barely controlled fury: "I'll kill him."
"No. I just need to disappear. Can you help me or not?"
"Yes. The Alpha of Thornridge — Caspian Wolfe — he owes me a favor. I'll make the call. But Elara, are you sure—"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
I hung up and took one last look at the glowing windows of the ceremony hall. Through the glass, I could see Dorian sliding a ceremonial ring onto Vivienne's finger while the Elders blessed them.
Three years. I had loved him for three years. I had healed his wounds after every battle, brewed his medicines, mended his torn flesh, and once — though he never knew — I had taken a blood curse meant for him, nearly dying in the process.
And this was my reward.
I pressed the pregnancy results deeper into my pocket and walked toward the eastern border without looking back.
Let him have his chosen Luna. Let him have his perfect, calculated alliance.
He would never know what he lost tonight.
"I, Dorian Blackwood, Alpha of Shadowfang Pack, reject you, Elara Voss, as my fated mate," he said without looking at me. "I choose Vivienne Ashford as my Luna."
The crowd gasped, but nobody moved to stop him. Why would they? Vivienne was the daughter of an allied Alpha, beautiful and powerful. I was just the orphan healer they tolerated out of obligation.
The searing pain ripped through my chest like wildfire. I clutched the wall beside me, biting my tongue until I tasted blood, willing myself not to collapse. Not here. Not in front of them.
Vivienne turned toward me, and under the veil of her false concern, I caught the satisfied gleam in her eyes. She mouthed two words: "You lose."
I swallowed hard and stood upright. I would not give her the satisfaction.
What nobody in that hall knew — what even I had only discovered two hours ago in the pack clinic — was that I was six weeks pregnant with Dorian's pup.
The test results were still folded in my pocket, pressed against my thigh like a ticking bomb.
For one wild moment, I considered screaming it out. Throwing the paper at his feet. Watching his composed Alpha mask crack.
But then I looked at him — really looked at him — and saw nothing in his eyes when they briefly passed over me. Not guilt. Not hesitation. Nothing.
He had made his choice.
So I made mine.
I turned and walked out of the ceremony hall while the pack howled in celebration of their new Luna. No one noticed me leave. No one ever noticed me.
The cold night air hit my face, and I pressed my hand flat against my still-flat stomach.
"It's just you and me now," I whispered.
I pulled out my phone with trembling fingers and called the only person I trusted.
"Kira. I need to leave tonight. Don't ask questions. Just tell me — is Thornridge Pack still taking in displaced wolves?"
Kira's voice was sharp with alarm. "Elara? What happened? Did Dorian—"
"He rejected me. Publicly. At the Luna ceremony."
Silence. Then, barely controlled fury: "I'll kill him."
"No. I just need to disappear. Can you help me or not?"
"Yes. The Alpha of Thornridge — Caspian Wolfe — he owes me a favor. I'll make the call. But Elara, are you sure—"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."
I hung up and took one last look at the glowing windows of the ceremony hall. Through the glass, I could see Dorian sliding a ceremonial ring onto Vivienne's finger while the Elders blessed them.
Three years. I had loved him for three years. I had healed his wounds after every battle, brewed his medicines, mended his torn flesh, and once — though he never knew — I had taken a blood curse meant for him, nearly dying in the process.
And this was my reward.
I pressed the pregnancy results deeper into my pocket and walked toward the eastern border without looking back.
Let him have his chosen Luna. Let him have his perfect, calculated alliance.
He would never know what he lost tonight.