The gasps still echoed through the gathering hall like rolling thunder. The mate bond shimmered in the air between us, a silvery thread of fate that only I could feel digging into my veins. My wolf pressed against me, howling for submission. My heart? It screamed in rage.
Ronan Duskbane stood tall at the center of the circle, every inch the Alpha he was born to be. His silver eyes locked on me, burning with a heat that made my knees weak against my will.
The moment felt endless, suffocating, until he spoke.
"She is mine."
The words cracked like a whip across the room. The crowd of pack wolves erupted into whispers, voices overlapping in shock.
" No…" I whispered, but the denial barely left my lips. My chest heaved, my claws threatening to pierce through my skin as fury surged.
Ronan's voice deepened, Alpha command lacing every syllable. "Raven Blackwood.
My fated mate. My Luna."
The world spun. My father's blood was still fresh in my memory, staining the soil, searing my nightmares. And this man—this Alpha who carried death in his shadow—had the audacity to claim me?
"You bastard," I hissed.
Gasps rang louder. Some wolves flinched, as if my defiance might draw Ronan's wrath on them too. But I didn't care. My hate burned brighter than fear.
"You think you can stand before me and bind me with words? You killed my father!" My voice cracked, but I didn't back down. "You destroyed everything. I will never belong to you."
His jaw tightened, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he stepped closer, every movement deliberate, predatory. The space between us evaporated until his scent—cedar, smoke, and the iron tang of power—invaded my senses. My wolf shivered, betraying me with a desperate whine.
I clenched my fists. No. I won't break.
Ronan lowered his head slightly, his lips close enough that only I could hear. "You can fight me, Raven. You can curse me, claw me, even hate me." His breath was warm against my ear. "But fate doesn't bend. You are mine."
I shoved him back with all the strength I had. To my horror, the pack fell silent, watching. Judging. Waiting.
"Then hear me now," I shouted, my voice shaking but unyielding. "I reject you, Ronan Duskbane. I reject this bond. I reject you as my mate."
The words sliced through me like blades, tearing not only at my heart but at my very soul. Pain radiated through my chest, my wolf thrashing in agony. My body trembled, fighting the unbearable void that followed rejection.
For the first time, Ronan's mask slipped. His eyes flickered, raw pain flashing in their depths, but just as quickly, he locked it away.
"You can reject me all you want, little wolf," he growled low, his voice rough and dangerous. "But your soul already knows the truth. You are mine."
He turned to the stunned crowd, his Alpha aura slamming over them like a storm. "Let it be known—whether she accepts it or not—Raven Blackwood is my mate. My Luna. No one touches her. No one defies her."
The command rattled through the pack like thunder, every wolf lowering their head instinctively. Every wolf except me.
Tears stung my eyes, not from weakness but from fury. I stood tall, chest heaving, glaring at the man fate cursed me with.
I would never forgive him. Never surrender. Not even to destiny itself.
But deep inside, where my wolf whimpered and the bond burned, I feared the cruelest truth of all:
Hating him might not be enough to save me.