The dawn barely touched the cold stone floor when I was already awake, sweeping the main hall before anyone else stirred. Every corner of the house echoed with the sharp words and silent glances of my family, reminding me that I was nothing—no one—but a tool to be used.
Father's voice boomed from upstairs. "Raelia! Don't let the floors gather dust. I won't repeat myself."
I bowed my head, clutching the broom tighter. Even the pack dogs watched me warily, sensing my place in this house of cruelty. My brother, the next Alpha of this pack, perched on the stair railing, sneered. "Move faster, sister. Or maybe you'll finally earn a lesson you can remember."
I ignored him, though my hands shook. Weakness invited pain—and I had learned to hide it.
Then… he came.
A visiting Alpha from a neighboring pack. Tall, commanding, and impossibly strong, his presence filled the hall like fire and shadow. I had only heard stories of him, but now… he was real. And he looked at me.
For a fleeting moment, hope surged in my chest. Could this be… the bond? The first mate I had always dreamed of?
But then his voice cut through like ice:
"I, Alpha Kael of the Ironfang Pack, reject you, Raelia of the Moonshadow Line."
Pain exploded in my chest, sharp and searing, as if every nerve had been struck. I had heard of this ritual—the full-name rejection—but feeling it was something else entirely. The bond twisted, a burning emptiness that left me hollow and trembling.
My instinct screamed to resist it, to cling to him, to refuse. But I knew… I had to let it go. Only by accepting the rejection could I open myself to what might come next. The rules were cruel, but clear: if I refused, I would remain tied to him, and the chance for a second-chance mate—something only a white wolf could have—would vanish.
With a shuddering breath, I lowered my head. "I… accept it," I whispered.
Every fiber of my being ached, but a strange, fragile spark flickered deep within me—a promise of something greater yet to come. The Alpha turned and left, leaving me broken, trembling, and… strangely ready.
Father's shadow fell across the doorway. "Seems even outsiders find you… unworthy," he said, a thin smile on his lips. My brother snickered. "And I've told you a hundred times—you're nothing but a burden."
I sank to the floor, tears stinging my eyes. Rejection was not new, but this… this was different. And yet, somewhere in the emptiness, that spark inside me whispered: This is only the beginning. Your destiny is still waiting.