I didn't want to go back.
I told myself I was too tired. That I had warriors to treat. That I'd just be confirming what I already knew.
But my feet walked anyway. The bond—whatever was left of it—yanked me like a hook in my chest. Every step dragged. Every breath hurts.
By the time I reached the clearing again, the ceremony was in full bloom. Torches lit the stone circle. Wolves stood in ranks around the perimeter—Beta families, warrior lines, seers. At the center stood Darius.
And Cassia. She was veiled in mooncloth now, a wreath of silverleaf in her hair.
He was bare-chested, marked in ceremonial blood. His wolf's eyes glowed faintly, locked on her. And still… something in his gaze looked off, doubtful. Maybe I was imagining it—desperate to believe there was some part of him that remembered.
The Eldermoon stepped forward, lifting her staff.
"We gather beneath the blessing of the Moon Goddess, to witness the sacred binding of fated mates. Alpha Darius Stonefang—do you accept the mate chosen for you?"
He glanced out toward the crowd, and his eyes met mine. For one heartbeat, everything stopped. I saw it—hesitation, recognition.
His jaw clenched, then he looked away. "I do," he said.
The Eldermoon turned. "Cassia Dane—do you accept this bond?"
"I do," she breathed, too loud, too eager.
"And do you claim each other in soul, body, and scent, to be bound under the Moon until your last breath?"
They answered together: "We do."
The staff struck the earth with a ringing thud. The clearing erupted in howls and applause. My knees buckled. I barely stayed standing, it was done.
The bond I had waited my entire life to feel—to share—had been sealed with someone else falsely, publicly, and forever. I turned to leave. My vision blurred, ears ringing. But a strong hand gripped my arm.
It was Elder Vessa, the midwife wolf. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't walk away."
"I didn't come to disrupt—"
"You're still his rejected mate," she said coldly. "Tradition demands he break the bond properly... Publicly."
"I don't care—"
"You will." She pushed me toward the center. I stumbled, disoriented, unable to process anything until I found myself standing ten feet away from Darius and Cassia, under the full moon's light.
The cheering died.
Darius stiffened. Cassia turned sharply, eyes narrowing like a snake watching prey.
The Eldermoon hesitated. "Alpha Darius, it is customary to offer the rejection, for closure."
His eyes met mine again. And this time, there was no hesitation. Only coldness.
"Ayla Riverwind," he said, his voice loud and clear, "I reject you as my mate."
It was like being gutted from the inside. A sound tore from my throat. Not a cry. Not a scream. Just a broken thing trying to claw its way out.
Cassia smiled at me.
And I—stupid, heart-shattered, furious—opened my mouth. "I never accepted you."
The words hit like a shockwave. Gasps and murmurs. Some growled.
Darius's face contorted in fury. "What did you say?"
"I said I reject you back," I rasped. "You were never mine. Not really. Just a mistake I made when I was young and stupid enough to believe in fate."
He took a step toward me.
"Careful," I said, low and shaking. "There are a lot of witnesses. And your fake Luna might not appreciate you hitting a healer."
"You think this is over?" Cassia snapped.
"No," I whispered. "This is just the beginning." Then I turned and walked away, leaving their ceremony behind like a funeral pyre.
I didn't make it far, maybe twenty steps. My knees gave out like they were never mine to begin with, and I dropped to the dirt path, hands hitting the ground so hard I heard something pop in my wrist.
The bond backlash was worse now that I'd spoken the words. Worse than battle wounds, worse than wolfsbane.
Every nerve was burning.
Every breath was glass.
My wolf was howling—mute and terrified in the back of my mind, slamming against the walls of my soul, lost. I curled forward, forehead pressing to the earth. The rejection bond was meant to fade slowly. But this—this was an execution.
"Someone help her!" a voice called distantly.
No one moved. I was just the healer. Not a warrior. Not a Luna, just an Omega. Footsteps approached, slow and eliberate.
"Still trying to breathe?" Cassia's voice cooed above me. "That was brave, I'll admit. Stupid, but brave."
I didn't lift my head. "I said what I meant," I croaked.
"You said it in front of the entire pack," she replied, squatting beside me, her veil brushing my shoulder like a shroud. "That means you'll never be claimed by anyone now. You're damaged goods, Ayla. A rejected Omega? You'll die alone. If you don't go rogue first."
I trembled. Not from fear. Not anymore, from rage.
"You still smell like me," I said, voice raw. "That's why you're here. You're scared he'll notice."
Cassia leaned in, whispering softly, "He already noticed. That's why I've been sleeping with him every night to make sure he forgets."
I turned my face and spat. Blood, bitter and dark. It landed at her feet.
She hissed and stood, but didn't strike me. "You've always been good at cleaning up messes. Do yourself a favor—stay in your little healer's den, hide. Because if you try to ruin what I've built, I'll have you marked feral."
"You already did."
She paused. "What?"
"You stole my scent, Cassia. You stole it, and twisted it into something dead. You're not his mate. You're just the girl who got there first."
Cassia's smile faltered. Just for a breath. Then she knelt again, smoothed my hair with a touch like poison.
"You keep saying that," she said. "It's cute. Sad, but cute."
And then she kissed my forehead like I was a child and walked away. I lay there, shaking, tasting metal and bile and something older—something rising inside me that wasn't just pain.
It was hunger, not for food, not even for revenge, nor truth. I pushed myself up, slow and clumsy, like a newborn pup. The earth tilted. My fingers dug into the dirt for balance.
A trail of blood ran from my nose. I wiped it off, stood fully, and turned toward the healer's hut.
One step, then another. I didn't collapse again.