Silence fell over the clearing after his words.
My heart pounded so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it. The cold night air wrapped around me, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside my chest.
Rejected.
The word echoed in my mind again and again.
The man who stood before me—my mate, my Alpha—had just rejected me under the sacred full moon.
Around us, the pack members whispered quietly. Some looked at me with pity, others with amusement. To them, I was nothing but the weak omega who had dared to believe she could belong beside the powerful Alpha.
Tears burned in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
"I understand," I said softly, though my voice trembled.
The Alpha didn't even look at me again. Instead, he turned his back and walked toward the pack house, leaving me standing alone beneath the moonlight.
The bond between us shattered like glass.
Pain exploded through my chest.
I dropped to my knees, clutching my heart as the invisible connection snapped completely. It felt like a part of my soul had been ripped away.
Gasps filled the air.
Someone laughed.
"Pathetic," a voice said.
I didn't look up. I didn't want them to see how broken I felt.
But then…
The wind suddenly changed.
A powerful aura rolled through the forest like a storm.
Every wolf in the clearing froze.
Even the guards near the gate stiffened in fear.
Heavy footsteps approached from the darkness.
Slow.
Confident.
Dangerous.
My wolf stirred weakly inside me.
Something about this presence felt… overwhelming.
The whispers around me suddenly stopped.
"He's here…"
"No way… why would he come here?"
"The Black Alpha…"
Confusion filled my mind.
Black Alpha?
I slowly lifted my head.
Out of the shadows, a tall man stepped into the moonlight.
His dark hair moved slightly in the wind, and his piercing silver eyes scanned the clearing like a predator observing weak prey.
The air itself seemed to obey him.
Power radiated from his body.
Every wolf around lowered their heads instinctively.
Even my former Alpha had stopped walking.
He turned around slowly, his face pale.
"Alpha… Kael," he said stiffly.
The newcomer didn't respond.
His cold gaze moved across the crowd… until it landed on me.
My breath caught.
Those silver eyes narrowed slightly.
For a moment, the entire world felt like it had gone silent.
Then he spoke.
"Interesting."
His deep voice carried effortlessly through the clearing.
He walked closer, his steps steady and unhurried, until he stood directly in front of me.
I felt small beneath his gaze.
Broken.
Humiliated.
Rejected.
Yet those powerful eyes studied me as if I were something rare.
Something valuable.
Finally he asked one simple question.
"Who rejected you?"
No one dared to answer.
But everyone already knew.
Slowly, his gaze shifted toward my former Alpha.
The temperature in the clearing seemed to drop instantly.
A dangerous smile appeared on his lips.
"Good," he said quietly.
Then he looked back at me.
And what he said next made the entire pack gasp.
"Because from this moment forward…"
He extended his hand toward me.
"You belong to me."