The Brutal Rejection

Sylvie's POV

"I, Varek Drax, Alpha of the Silver-veil Pack, reject you, Sylvaine Vora, as my fated mate and Luna of this pack."

The words sliced through the chill of the night air. A single tear traced a path down my left cheek. My chest seized. It felt as if a jagged blade was sinking into my ribs, carving my heart out of my chest.

I stared up at Varek. My fated mate. The man the Moon Goddess chose for me. He stood tall and imposing, his broad shoulders squared and a cruel smirk playing on his lips. He was discarding me. He was throwing me away because the pack deemed me a pathetic runt.

Why me? I wanted to scream. What had I ever done to deserve this? I was his fated mate, yet he looked at me like a diseased rat. More tears spilled as his smile widened at my misfortune.

I forced my chin up. I needed to hold onto just one scrap of dignity. I opened my trembling lips to formalize the break and sever our bond.

"I, Sylvaine Vora, accept..."

I never finished the sentence.

Varek lunged. His large hand clamped around my throat like a vice of solid iron. He hoisted me off the ground, cutting off my air. My hands flew to his thick wrist, clawing at his skin as my feet kicked empty air.

He leaned in close. His eyes were no longer human. They glowed with unyielding malice. His wolf was at the surface, furious and possessive.

"You will not reject me, slut," Varek snarled. His hot breath fanned my face, smelling of mint and raw aggression. "I am your owner. I dictate what you do. I tell you when to breathe."

He pulled his free hand back and slapped me across the face. The crack of his palm against my cheekbone echoed in the open space. My vision flashed white.

Before I could register the stinging pain, Varek opened his grip. He threw me mercilessly into the dirt.

I hit the ground hard, gasping for air. The coarse soil scraped my palms and knees. Tears mixed with the dust on my face. I had not done a single thing to deserve this nightmare.

Deep in my mind, Kallia howled. My wolf’s mental agony echoed through my skull, doubling my physical suffering. I curled inward, clutching my aching chest. I just wanted this to be over. Maybe when I die, these pains will finally fade away.

Mocking laughter rang out from above.

I blinked through my blurry vision and looked up. Zaryth stood over me. She was the daughter of the current Beta and Varek’s chosen Luna. She was everything I was not. She had shiny blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, a flawless killer body, and a twisted heart.

She stared down at me, flanked by her minions. Sickening pity swam in her blue eyes. It was a vile look that made my stomach turn.

Then, the fake pity vanished. Zaryth stepped forward and kicked me squarely in the stomach.

The breath punched out of my lungs. I gagged, but before I could recover, her hand shot out. She twisted her fingers into my hair and yanked my head back. I cried out as she shoved me hard, forcing me back down onto the ground.

"You actually thought you could be Luna?" Zaryth spat, her face contorting with disgust. "You thought Varek would ever pick you over me? You are just a worthless bitch."

She stepped closer, driving the sharp heel of her boot directly into my ribs. I heard a crunch and bit my tongue to trap my scream.

"You bring nothing but bad luck to the people around you," Zaryth hissed, grinding her heel deeper into my bruised flesh. "You are a whore that will die alone because no one wants to be anywhere near you."

I tasted copper as my lip split open. I kept my mouth shut. I endured the insults and the blows because I knew the rules. Any retaliation would invite worse punishment.

Zaryth snapped her fingers. Two of her minions grabbed my arms, hauling me up from the dirt. They pinned my arms behind my back, leaving me exposed.

Zaryth laughed. She drew her hand back and slapped me across the face. Then she drove her fist into my stomach. Again and again. I screamed out as the blunt force struck my battered torso. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

When she grew bored, she gestured to her minions. They let go and tossed me aside.

I fell backward. My head slammed brutally against the ground. The world spun in dizzying circles.

Through our tethered mind-link, a quiet sorrow filled my head. Kallia was silent now, but I could feel her despair. She always tried to take my pains away, but the abuse never stopped.

We had hoped for eight long years that we would find our mate. We prayed for the true love bestowed by the Moon Goddess. We believed a mate would love us unconditionally and free us from this slavery. All of those innocent dreams had just gone down the drain.

This suffering started eight years ago. My parents were the former Alpha and Luna of the Silver-veil Pack. They died in a rogue attack. I was only ten years old. One moment I was chatting happily with my Mom and Dad, and before I could blink, they were gone.

The pack unjustly placed the blame on me. They stripped me of my inherited rank, claiming they could not allow a traitor to rule them. I still did not know what I did wrong. I just had to bear the brunt of it all because the current Alpha—who used to be my father’s Beta—said so.

I was demoted to an Omega. It was the lowest possible rank, the ultimate insult. I became the slave of the pack. The people who used to smile at me treated me like trash.

*Kallia, I am so sorry for putting us through all of this,* I cried through our mind-link. *If only I wasn't so weak. I know you've always wanted your mate. I'm so sorry, Kal.*

*None of this is your fault, Sylvie,* Kallia whimpered in my head. *I am sorry for not being able to protect you more. If only I could shift and take all your physical pain away.*

Nobody in the pack had ever seen Kallia. I only met her once myself, right before my parents passed away. She was a rare, pure white wolf with golden eyes. My Mom always called me her special little wolf. Most people got their wolves at sixteen, and Alphas got theirs at fourteen, but I had Kal since I was eight.

My parents told me to keep her hidden. Now, everyone thought I did not have a wolf. They looked down on me because they thought I was wolfless. The truth was, we could not shift even if we wanted to. We did not have the energy. The constant starvation and the daily beatings left us too weak. I was surprised I still had Kallia with me.

A fiery agony erupted in my lower stomach.

I screamed. The sound tore from my raw throat. People walked past the grounds, but no one paid me any attention. Nobody cared if I died.

Kallia howled in pure agony in my head. The pain tore through every vein in my body like boiling lava, igniting my nerve endings. It burned so intense my vision went black at the edges.

Varek.

He was already sleeping with Zaryth.

The realization hit me. This was Varek’s twisted cruelty. This was why he did not allow me to finish my sentence and reject him. By forcing our mate bond to remain unsevered, he ensured I was tethered to him. He forced me to feel the visceral burn of his infidelity. Every thrust, every moment he spent inside another woman, translated into a fiery, tearing pain inside my own body.

Tears poured down my cheeks, blinding me. My body trembled as the invisible fire ravaged my core.

I forced myself to stand on weak legs. I had to get back to my room in the freezing basement. The burning pain in my stomach did not stop; it only grew worse. I could barely see where I was going. I dragged my feet, tripping and falling to the dirt twice along the way. I wanted to curl up and let the lava in my veins burn me to ash.

I pushed open the wooden door to the basement and stumbled into the icy darkness.

My hands shook as I stripped off my torn clothes. The fabric rubbing against my skin felt like sandpaper. I let the garments drop to the floor and crawled forward naked. I laid my battered body against the freezing stone bed I always slept on.

The biting cold of the stone slowly began to draw the heat out of my burning veins. The fiery pain in my lower stomach gradually subsided, leaving me hollow and gasping for breath.

Kallia went silent in my head. She was drowning in sadness, and so was I. We just wanted to be special to someone.

As I lay there shivering on the stone, the sadness hardened. A new, ironclad resolve settled deep into my heavy heart.

My naive hope for a loving mate was dead. I had been bearing this torture because I thought a mate would eventually save me. Now, there was nothing left for me here.

Tomorrow evening was Varek and Zaryth’s coronation. They would officially be crowned the new Alpha and Luna of the pack. Everyone would be busy.

My path was clear. I had to escape this hellhole.

Kallia and I deserved better, and I was going to give it to her.

*Hang in there, Kallia,* I whispered in my mind. *I will get us out of here as soon as possible. I promise.*

I heard a low whine in my head, a steadfast acknowledgment of my words. I pulled my knees tightly to my chest on the freezing stone, closing my eyes as I finally drifted into sleep.