The Brutal Rejection

**Cassia POV**

"I, Alpha Torin of the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Cassia, as my mate and Luna of this pack."

The words rang through the clearing. My boyfriend of three years stood tall and cold, severing our bond the second he confirmed we were mates. Around us, the pack stood in dead silence. They just watched.

Pain clawed at my chest, a physical tearing sensation that stole the breath from my lungs. I swallowed the scream burning in my throat. Torin’s blue eyes flickered, just a fraction. He expected me to fall to my knees. He wanted me to beg.

"Well, I fucking accept your rejection," I spat, my voice echoing in the crisp night air. "And fuck you. Fuck all of you. I don’t need you losers."

A gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Cassia," a voice whined. Sabrina. My supposed best friend stepped forward, her face twisted in a mock display of horror. She wanted the show just as much as he did.

"What!" I snapped, whipping my head toward her. "Save it. You’re all dead to me."

Hot tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I refused to let them fall. The agonizing burn of the severed bond spread through my veins like acid. I spun on my heel and sprinted toward the pack house. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of witnessing my break. My legs burned, carrying me up the porch steps and through the heavy oak door. I slammed it shut behind me, the loud thud echoing through the empty hall, right as my knees buckled and the darkness dragged me under.

**

**Three weeks earlier.**

I grew up in the Crescent Moon pack house. I never knew my parents, but their absence rarely left a sting. Pack elders claimed they abandoned me in the woods, leaving me to the elements. The pack found me, took me in, and treated me as one of their own. Life here was simple. It was safe.

My phone buzzed against my vanity as I finished brushing my hair.

*You ready?*

It was Torin. My boyfriend of three years, and in exactly three weeks, the official Alpha of our pack.

*Yeah,* I typed back, grabbing my backpack.

I skipped down the stairs, a familiar flutter of anticipation dancing in my stomach. When I pushed the front door open, Torin waited by the passenger side of his truck.

"Hey," I grinned.

He offered a soft smile, his six-foot-four frame casting a long shadow over my five-foot-six stature. "Hey, babe." He held the door open. "Sleep alright?" His piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, warm and attentive.

"Like a baby," I replied.

We drove to the local high school, his hand resting on my thigh. Walking through the crowded hallways, I kept my arm looped through his.

"Babe," I murmured as we navigated through a cluster of freshmen toward our first-period class.

"Yes?" Torin’s tone clipped, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He often grew stiff and unbothered in crowded spaces. I never took it personally.

"What do you think we should do when we get back from school?"

"I’ll be busy around then. I’ll come see you when I’m through," he answered, not sparing me a single glance.

I frowned, my pace faltering. "I know my eighteenth birthday is coming up, but that doesn't mean you should push me to the side."

Torin paused outside his classroom door and looked at me. "It’s mating season, Cassia. You know how it goes. Besides, you’re my mate. We’ll have enough time."

The words sparked a warm glow in my chest. Alpha bloodlines carried the rare ability to sense their mates weeks, sometimes months, before their eighteenth birthday. Torin had already confirmed I was his. It made sense since our bond was already strong. I loved him, and the thought of spending the rest of my life by his side left me over the moon.

The school day flew by in a blur of assignments and chatter. When the final bell rang, I rushed to the parking lot, heading straight for our spot under the old oak tree. Torin’s truck was gone.

I stood there, scanning the emptying lot until I spotted Silas, Torin’s Beta. He caught my eye and offered a tight, pitying grimace before turning away toward the football field. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the sympathy. Torin must have had an emergency. It wasn't like him to ditch me without a word. Something important had to have come up at the pack house.

Since Silas had football practice and Sabrina was stuck in detention, I had no choice but to walk the three miles back to the territory.

*Hey, you just up and left,* I texted as I pulled my jacket tighter around myself.

Ten minutes passed. No reply.

The autumn wind howled, biting through my thin jacket. Each step I took on the freezing pavement fueled the simmering irritation in my gut. The sky above darkened with heavy gray clouds, threatening a downpour that would only make this miserable trek worse. I dug my hands deep into my pockets, shivering as a sudden gust whipped my hair across my face.

*You could have at least told me,* I sent another text, my fingers numb and stiff. The screen showed a Read receipt seconds later. Still, no reply.

By the time the pack house came into view, my knuckles were white and my teeth chattered. I stomped toward the training grounds, expecting to find Torin dealing with some rogue threat or border dispute.

Instead, I found him on the training field. He was bundled in a heavy, fleece-lined jacket, barking orders at a group of sweating pack warriors.

"You are an asshole!" I shouted, marching straight onto the muddy field. The sparring warriors froze, dropping their fists. Heads turned in our direction.

Torin’s jaw clenched. "We’ll talk about this later," he muttered, his voice a low, irritated warning.

"No, I want to talk about it right now." My blood boiled, overriding the freezing temperature. "You left me. A little text would have been nice, Torin!" I stepped right into his space, tilting my head back to glare up at him.

Torin stepped closer, bending just enough so his mouth hovered near my ear. "You’re embarrassing yourself right now," he whispered, his tone dripping with cold disdain. "So why don't you just suck it up and wait until I have time for you."

I recoiled as if he had struck me. The heat of a furious blush crept up my neck and stained my cheeks. I glanced around. Every warrior on the field was staring at us, their expressions ranging from amusement to secondhand embarrassment. Humiliation burned the back of my throat. I spun around and power-walked toward the pack house, my vision blurring.

I slammed my bedroom door shut and began to pace. Back and forth across the hardwood floor, I wore a path near the edge of my rug. My mind raced with questions, trying to make sense of his sudden hostility. Had I done something wrong? Was he just stressed about the upcoming Alpha ceremony? I waited for the sun to dip below the horizon. I waited for his heavy footsteps on the stairs. I waited for an apology.

Hours bled into the night. Exhaustion finally dragged me down, and I collapsed right there on the floor, leaning against the side of my bed.

The soft click of my bedroom door opening jolted me awake.

"Torin?" I groaned, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. My neck ached, my muscles stiff from sleeping on the hard floor. The room was shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the pale moonlight streaming through the window.

"You still up?" he asked softly. He stepped into the room, crossing the distance between us. He knelt beside me, his large hand reaching out to brush a tangled lock of hair away from my face.

"Kinda," I mumbled, my throat dry.

"Good." He grabbed my forearms and pulled me into a sitting position on the edge of the mattress. "We need to talk."

I nodded, blinking to clear my groggy vision. "Sure, what’s up?"

I took him in. He smelled like cedar and fresh body wash, his damp hair sticking up in a messy, appealing way that always made my fingers itch to comb through it. The silver moonlight kissed his skin, highlighting the rigid, toned muscles of his chest visible through his unbuttoned shirt. He looked beautiful, yet something in the rigid set of his shoulders made the hair on my arms stand up.

He stared at the floor for a long second before his blue eyes met mine. They lacked the warmth I had seen that morning.

"I think we should give ourselves space, for now."

My heart dropped to the pits of my stomach.