"Ashina."
Her mother's voice cut through the chaos in Ashina's mind. She turned, still trembling, to find Elena Claw pushing through the crowd with her father close behind. Her mother's face was pale, tight with an emotion Ashina couldn't quite read. shock? Fear? Anger?
"Mom, I....."
"What have you done?" Elena's whisper was somehow worse than if she'd shouted. Her dark eyes searched Ashina's face, then dropped to her unmarked neck. "Ashina, what have you done?"
The question landed like a physical blow. Shame washed over her, hot and suffocating. Around them, wolves were still staring, still whispering. She could feel their judgment like insects crawling over her skin.
"I didn't have a choice," Ashina said, but the words sounded weak even to her own ears.
"You rejected your mate." Her father, Marcus, spoke quietly, but his voice carried the weight of absolute disbelief. "In front of the entire gathering. You rejected an Alpha."
"I don't want him. I want...."
"We need to go. Now." Marcus's hand closed around her elbow, firm but not painful. "Before this gets worse."
"Worse?" A hysterical laugh bubbled up in Ashina's throat. "How could it possibly get worse?"
Her mother's expression softened slightly, but worry still creased her forehead. "Sweetheart, that was Kendrick Ridge. Do you understand what that means?"
"I understand that I didn't choose him." Ashina pulled her arm free from her father's grip. "I understand that I have a right to choose who I want to be with."
"The bond doesn't work that way," Elena said gently, reaching for her daughter's hand. "You can't just reject....."
"I already did." The words came out sharper than intended. "And I need to see Darren please. Just give me an hour. I'll meet you back at our camp."
Her parents exchanged a look, that wordless communication that came from decades of being mated. Marcus's jaw tightened, but Elena squeezed his arm.
"One hour," her mother said finally. "Then we talk about this. Really talk."
Ashina nodded, already backing away. She could still feel it, the bond stretched taut across the distance, pulling at something deep in her chest. She could sense Kendrick somewhere on the grounds, not his emotions exactly, but his presence. Like a compass needle that would always point to him no matter how far she ran.
She shoved the sensation down and turned, pushing through the crowd.
"Darren. I need Darren." she thought to herself
Her fingers trembled as she pulled out her phone, typing quickly "Where are you? I need to see you. Now. Please."
The response came within seconds "Old oak tree, south edge of the grounds. Are you okay?"
No. She wasn't okay. Nothing was okay. But at least he was here. At least she could see him, touch him, remember why she'd just done the hardest thing in her life.
Ashina half-walked, half-ran toward the southern edge of the gathering grounds. The crowds thinned as she moved away from the main market area, the noise fading to a distant hum. Her wolf was still agitated, pacing and whining, confused by the rejection of their mate.
He's not our mate, Ashina told her wolf firmly. Darren is. Darren.
But her wolf just whimpered, unconvinced.
She found him standing beneath the massive oak that marked the boundary between neutral territory and the wild lands beyond. He had his back to her, phone pressed to his ear, and he was speaking in a low, urgent tone.
"I know, but I didn't expect...look, just give me some time to figure this out. Yes, I understand. I'll handle it."
He ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket, running a hand through his sandy hair in a gesture she recognized as stress.
"Darren."
He spun around, and for just a second less than a heartbeat, she saw something in his face that looked almost like panic. Then it was gone, replaced by a careful smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Ash! Hey, I got your message." His eyes traveled over her face, taking in the tear tracks, the trembling hands, the wild look she knew she must have. "What happened? Are you okay?" The dam broke.
Ashina crossed the distance between them and threw herself into his arms, burying her face against his chest. He stiffened for just a moment before his arms came around her, and the familiar comfort of his embrace made the tears come harder.
"He's here," she sobbed against his shirt. "My mate is here. He found me and I...God, Darren, I rejected him in front of everyone. I told him I chose you and he...."
"Wait." Darren's hands on her shoulders were gentle but firm as he pushed her back slightly, enough to see her face. "Your mate? You found your mate?"
"I didn't want to find him." The words tumbled out between gasps and tears. "I was waiting for you and then I smelled him and the bond just snapped and I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, but I knew I didn't want him because I want you and"
"Ashina. Slow down." But there was something in his voice now, something that made her pause. "Who is he? Your mate?"
"Kendrick Ridge."
Darren went absolutely still. "What?"
"The Alpha of Moonlit Pack. He said he's been looking for me for three months and"
"Kendrick Ridge is your mate?" Darren's face had gone pale. He took a step back, and his hands fell away from her shoulders. "The Kendrick Ridge? Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in the region?"
"Yes, but I don't care about that. I told him I'm with you, that I love you"
"Jesus Christ, Ashina." Darren dragged both hands through his hair now, pacing away from her. "You rejected him? In public?"
The fear in his voice sent ice through her veins. "You're acting like that's a bad thing."
"It's" He turned to face her, and she barely recognized the expression on his face. "That's Kendrick Ridge. You can't just reject him."
"I already did." She stepped toward him, reaching for his hand, needing his touch to ground her. "Because I chose you. I chose us."
But Darren pulled his hand away before she could take it.
The rejection was small, barely noticeable, but it cut deeper than any blade.
"Darren?" Her voice came out small, uncertain.
He wouldn't meet her eyes. His gaze skittered over her shoulder, anywhere but her face. "Ashina, this is serious. This isn't some regular wolf. This is an Alpha. One of the most powerful Alphas in the region."
"I know who he is." Confusion was rapidly giving way to something that felt like dread. "Why does that matter? You said you loved me. You said we'd be together."
"I do. I mean," He rubbed the back of his neck, still not looking at her. "But this is different. This is bigger than us."
"Bigger than us?" She heard her voice rise, couldn't stop it. "What are you talking about? The mate bond chose wrong. It happens. I chose you."
"The mate bond doesn't choose wrong, Ashina." Finally, he met her eyes, and what she saw there made her stomach drop. "That's the whole point. The Moon doesn't make mistakes."
"So what are you saying?" The world was tilting again, the ground unstable beneath her feet. "That I should go back there and accept him? Let him mark me? Forget the last eight months?"
"I'm saying..." Darren blew out a breath, and it sounded almost like relief, like he'd been waiting for an excuse. "I'm saying maybe this happened for a reason. Maybe the universe is telling you something."
"The universe?" She laughed, and it came out sharp, brittle. "Eight months, Darren. Eight months of sneaking around, of waiting for you to be ready to tell people about us. Eight months of you saying 'soon' and 'just a little longer.' And now, the second things get difficult, you're telling me to give up?"
"It's not like that." But he still wouldn't hold her gaze for more than a second. "This is Kendrick Ridge. He's...I can't fight an Alpha for you, Ash. I'm nobody. I'm just a lumber worker from a small pack. What am I supposed to do against someone like him?"
"You're supposed to fight." Tears were streaming down her face again, but these were different hot with anger and dawning realization. "You're supposed to tell me you won't let anyone take me away. You're supposed to...."
"Be realistic?" Darren's voice turned sharp, defensive. "Come on, Ashina. What did you think was going to happen? That we'd run away together? Live happily ever after?"
Each word was a knife between her ribs. "You said you loved me."
"I do care about you"
"Care about me?" She took a step back, then another, like physical distance could protect her from the pain radiating through her chest. "You said you loved me. You said we'd figure everything out together. You said....."
"I know what I said." Now he just sounded tired, resigned. "But that was before. This is different. He's your mate, Ashina. Your true mate. I can't compete with that."
"I'm not asking you to compete. I'm asking you to fight for me. For us."
Darren looked at her for a long moment, and she saw the answer in his eyes before he spoke it. "Maybe it's better this way. Maybe this is how it was always supposed to end."
The words landed like a physical blow. Ashina felt her knees go weak, felt the world narrow down to this moment, this horrible, crystallizing moment where everything she'd believed in shattered like glass.
"You're giving up." Her voice was barely a whisper. "You're just giving up."
"I'm being practical." He had the audacity to look almost apologetic. "Look, you're upset right now. But in a few days, once you calm down, you'll see I'm right. Kendrick Ridge is your mate. That bond isn't going away. And honestly?" He shrugged, and the casual gesture made something inside her break. "It's probably better for both of us. You'll be Luna of one of the most powerful packs in the region. That's not a bad life."
"I don't want to be Luna of Moonlit Pack." She was shaking now, her whole body trembling with the force of her emotions. "I want to be with you."
"No, you don't." Darren's smile was sad, patronizing. "You just think you do because I'm familiar. But once you get to know him, once you give the bond a chance...."
"Stop." She held up a hand, unable to listen to another word. "Just stop."
He did, pressing his lips together, and in the silence that followed, Ashina heard everything he wasn't saying.
"I need to go," Darren said after a moment. "I have to meet someone but we'll talk later, okay? Once you've had time to think things through."
He started to walk past her, and Ashina's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist. "Who were you on the phone with?"
"What?" He tried to pull away, but she held firm.
"When I got here. You were on the phone with someone. Who was it?"
"Just a friend. It's not important."
"Everything is important right now." Her grip tightened. "Who, Darren?"
For a moment, she thought he wouldn't answer. Then he sighed, pulled his wrist free and met her eyes with something that might have been pity.
"Look, Ashina, you're a great girl but we both knew this wasn't going to last forever. You're twenty. You've got your whole life ahead of you. And now you have a real mate, chosen by fate. Just try to see the positive here, okay?"
He walked away before she could respond, disappearing into the trees without looking back.
Ashina stood frozen beneath the oak tree, the sounds of the gathering a distant buzz, the sun too bright overhead, the world too sharp and too blurry all at once.
You're a great girl.
Not "I love you." Not "I'll fight for us." Not even "I'm sorry."
Just you're a great girl.
Eight months. Eight months of giving him everything. Her time, her body, her heart, her trust. Eight months of believing his excuses, accepting his delays, waiting patiently for him to be ready.
And he'd just walked away. Without a fight. Without even a real goodbye.
"When you figure that out, when he breaks your heart the way I know he will, you'll come to me." Kendrick's words echoed in her mind, and she hated how prophetic they sounded now.
No. She shook her head violently. No, this didn't mean Kendrick was right. This just meant Darren was wrong. Wrong about them.
It didn't mean she had to accept the mate bond. It didn't mean she had to give herself to an Alpha she didn't know, didn't want, didn't choose.
She had choices. She had agency.
Ashina's hand drifted to her neck, where Kendrick's teeth should have left their permanent claim. Where Darren should have marked her months ago if he'd truly loved her, truly wanted her but her neck was bare.
After eight months together, after all the promises and plans and whispered words in the dark, Darren had never even tried to mark her. Had never claimed her as his. Had kept their relationship hidden like a secret shame.
The tears came again, but these were of someone whose eyes were finally opening, whose illusions were finally crumbling.
She'd rejected her mate for a man who couldn't even be bothered to fight for her.
For a man who looked relieved to have an excuse to walk away.
Ashina wrapped her arms around herself, alone beneath the oak tree, and felt the weight of her choice settle over her like a shroud.
The bond pulsed again, steady and insistent, a reminder that somewhere out there, Kendrick Ridge was still waiting.
But Ashina wasn't ready to admit that maybe she'd made the biggest mistake of her life.
So she stood there, unmarked and unclaimed, caught between a past that had turned to ash and a future she was too terrified to reach for. And felt more alone than she'd ever felt in her entire life.