Caspian's POV
The wolf inside me went crazy the second she stood up.
MINE.
The word exploded through my head so loud I thought everyone could hear it. My wolf had never spoken to me like that before. Never so certain. Never so desperate. It clawed at my insides, demanding I go to her. Claim her. Protect her.
Then I saw her face. Really saw her.
Human.
No. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. The Moon Goddess didn't make mistakes like this. She couldn't have given me a human mate. I was going to be Alpha. I needed someone strong. Someone who could stand beside me when I led the pack. Someone who wouldn't break.
But the golden threads were already there. I could see them connecting us, shimmering in the air between us like magic. The mate bond. Real. Undeniable. Pulling me toward her with a force that made my knees weak.
She felt it too. I knew she did. Her eyes went wide with shock and something else. Wonder, maybe. Like she'd just discovered something beautiful.
My wolf howled again.
Go to her. She's ours. OURS.
But my father's voice crashed through my head, drowning out everything else. Words he'd drilled into me since I was five years old. "An Alpha needs a strong mate. Someone worthy of the pack. Someone who won't embarrass us."
I looked at her again. She was pretty in a simple way. Brown hair. Probably breakable bones. No claws. No fangs. No magic. Just a regular human girl who would die if a vampire looked at her wrong.
My mother would hate her. My father would disown me. The pack would never accept her. They'd laugh at me. They'd say I was weak for choosing someone so fragile.
But she's
ours. My wolf was begging now.
Please. Please don't do this.
The whole assembly hall was staring at us. Waiting. Everyone knew what a mate bond looked like. They could probably see the golden threads too. They were waiting for me to accept her. To walk across the room and claim her like I was supposed to.
My best friend Marcus grabbed my arm. "Caspian," he whispered. "Is that really—"
"Yes." The word came out like gravel.
"But she's human."
"I know."
"Your father will lose his mind."
I knew that too. Dad had already picked out three acceptable she-wolves for me to choose from. Daughters of powerful Alphas. Strong. Beautiful. Perfect for creating the next generation of pack leaders.
This girl wasn't any of those things. She was nobody. Weak. Probably poor if she was one of the few humans here on scholarship. She'd never survive in my world.
Three heartbeats. That's all it took to make my decision.
Heartbeat one: I thought about my father's disappointed face.
Heartbeat two: I thought about the pack laughing at their future Alpha for being stuck with a human.
Heartbeat three: I made my choice.
"I reject this." My voice came out strong. Clear. Loud enough for everyone to hear.
The bond screamed. It felt like someone had reached into my chest and started ripping out my heart. My wolf let out a howl of pure agony that only I could hear.
What have you done? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
Across the room, she looked like I'd slapped her. Her face went white. She grabbed the back of a chair like her legs wouldn't hold her.
I kept talking. I had to finish this. "The bond is clearly a mistake. I refuse to acknowledge it."
Students gasped. Some looked shocked. A few she-wolves smiled, probably already planning how to take her place. But most just looked uncomfortable. Like they'd watched me do something terrible.
Because I had done something terrible. I knew it the second the words left my mouth.
The golden threads snapped. The beautiful connection between us shattered into a million pieces. And the pain that crashed through me was so bad I almost fell down right there in front of everyone.
My wolf went silent. Not calm. Not accepting. Just... broken.
I sat down before my legs gave out. Marcus was saying something but I couldn't hear him. There was a ringing in my ears. My hands were shaking so badly I had to clench them into fists to make it stop.
The dean was talking again. Something about unusual circumstances. Something about finding alternative partners for both of us. The assembly continued like nothing had happened.
But everything had happened.
I'd just rejected my mate. My wolf's other half. The one person in the entire world who was made for me.
And I'd done it in front of eight hundred people.
I risked one more look at her. She was sitting down now, staring at nothing. Her face was still white. She looked destroyed.
Good. That's what I told myself. Better to hurt her now than watch her die later when my world ate her alive.
But my wolf knew the truth. And deep down, so did I.
I hadn't protected her. I'd destroyed us both.
The assembly finally ended. Students started filing out. I stayed in my seat, unable to move. Marcus left with everyone else, throwing me worried looks over his shoulder.
When the hall was almost empty, I finally stood up. My phone buzzed. A text from my father.
"Heard about the assembly. Well done. Human mates are beneath our bloodline. Your mother and I are proud you made the right choice."
The right choice.
Then why did it feel like I'd just made the worst mistake of my entire life?
I looked toward the exit where she'd disappeared. The pain in my chest got worse. My wolf stirred for the first time since the rejection.
You'll regret this, he whispered.
Every single day for the rest of your life, you'll regret this.
And then my wolf went completely silent. Not sleeping. Not resting.
He'd stopped talking to me.
That's when the real fear hit me. Because a werewolf whose wolf won't speak to him isn't whole. He's broken. Damaged. Weak.
Everything I'd tried to avoid by rejecting her, I'd become anyway.
I walked out of the assembly hall alone. And for the first time in my life, I had no idea if I'd done the right thing or destroyed my only chance at happiness.
But it was too late now.
Wasn't it?