CHAPTER 4

Kailey’s POV

Ezekiel’s eyes snapped to the door, his body stiffening as a growl rumbled deep in his chest. I turned to look, my stomach sinking when I saw who had entered.Alpha Mark stood in the doorway, his expression thunderous, his black eyes blazing with uncontained fury. His presence filled the room, oppressive and commanding, and even though I wasn’t directly in his line of sight yet, I felt the weight of his anger settle heavily on my chest.“What is the meaning of this?!” he roared, his voice cutting through the air like a blade.My heart jumped, and my wolf whimpered inside me, retreating into the back of my mind. Instinctively, I yanked the blanket up to cover myself, as if it could somehow shield me from the storm that had just blown into the room.Ezekiel didn’t budge, standing protectively in front of me like a stone wall, his eyes locked on his father.“Father,” Ezekiel said, his tone calm but laced with an edge. “You’re intruding.”“Intruding?” Mark snapped, his voice dripping with disdain. He stepped further into the room, his large frame looming like a shadow. “I walk into my son’s quarters—my future Alpha’s quarters—and find this,” he gestured at the bed with disgust, his gaze finally landing on me. His lips curled into a sneer and his eyes narrowed in contempt. “A filthy omega.”I felt my chest tighten as his words pierced through me like knives. My fingers dug into the blanket, my face heating with shame despite the defiance simmering in my chest.“She’s my mate,” Ezekiel said firmly, his voice steady and unyielding.Mark’s head snapped toward his son, his face contorted with rage. “Your mate? This is the mate the moon goddess chose for you." He barked out a harsh laugh, but there was no humor in it. “How convenient for her. How utterly calculated.”“Calculated?” Ezekiel echoed, his brows furrowing. “What are you talking about?”Mark ignored him, his fiery gaze returning to me. I wanted to disappear under the weight of it. “Don’t think I don’t see through you, Omega. I’ve dealt with schemers like you my entire life. Did you plan this from the start? Throw yourself into Ezekiel’s path, hoping to latch onto power you’ll never deserve.”“I didn’t—” I began, my voice barely a whisper.“Silence!” Mark thundered, his voice reverberating off the walls. “You don’t speak unless spoken to.”I shrank back, biting my lip hard enough to draw blood. My wolf whimpered again, retreating further into the recesses of my mind.“That’s enough,” Ezekiel growled, his voice dangerously low. He stepped closer to his father, his broad shoulders squaring up. “You will not speak to her like that.”Mark’s eyes snapped to Ezekiel, his rage seemingly multiplying. “Do you even realize what you’ve done?” he demanded, his voice rising. “Do you understand the shame you’ve brought on this pack? On me?”“I’ve done nothing shameful,” Ezekiel shot back, his voice calm but firm. “The moon goddess chose her for me. She’s my mate. That’s all that matters.”“All that matters?” Mark’s voice was almost a growl, his anger practically tangible. “Do you honestly believe that nonsense? The moon goddess may have made her your mate, but she’s not fit to be Luna. She’s weak and powerless, a disgrace to the pack. Do you think the other packs will respect you with her by your side? Do you think I will?”Ezekiel’s hands balled into fists, his jaw clenching. “I don’t care about their opinions. She’s my mate.”Mark let out another humorless laugh, shaking his head. “Of course you don’t care. You’ve always been soft when it comes to your emotions, Ezekiel. Always so quick to let your heart lead you astray. It’s a weakness I should’ve stamped out of you long ago.”“This isn’t about weakness,” Ezekiel snapped. “It’s about loyalty. To her, to the bond. You don’t get to dictate this.”Mark’s face darkened further, his anger now simmering just below the surface. He turned back to me, his eyes cold and calculating. “And you,” he said, his voice dripping with venom. “What’s your endgame here? To cling to my son and drag him down with you? To ruin the legacy I’ve spent decades building?”“I didn’t plan this,” I said, my voice trembling but steady enough to be heard. “I never asked for the bond. But it’s real.”“Real?” Mark scoffed, taking a step closer to me. I instinctively shrank back, my hands gripping the blanket tighter. “You expect me to believe that? A pitiful omega like you suddenly finding herself tied to the future Alpha? It’s too convenient. Too perfect.”Ezekiel stepped between us again, his posture protective. “Enough,” he said, his voice hard as steel. “You don’t know her. You don’t know anything about her.”Mark’s eyes narrowed. “I know enough. I know she’s a whore and she’s weak. I know she’s spent her life contributing nothing to this pack. And now, she thinks she can worm her way into the most powerful position through a bond she doesn’t deserve.”“She doesn’t deserve to be spoken about like this,” Ezekiel growled. “She’s my mate, Father. That’s all that should matter to you.”“It matters because this pack matters,” Mark snapped. “And this pack will not be led by a Luna who can’t even hold her own against the lowest-ranked wolf. She’ll be a laughingstock, Ezekiel. A burden. And you—"his voice dropped, filled with disgust, “—you’ll be a failure.”Ezekiel’s entire body tensed, but he didn’t look away from his father. “The only failure here,” he said quietly, “is you. You’ve failed to understand what it means to honor the bond. To honor the will of the moon goddess.”Mark’s face twisted into a sneer. “Spare me the selfless speeches. I’ve seen plenty of wolves like her—leeches who latch onto power and bleed it dry. She’s no different.”“She’s nothing like that,” Ezekiel said firmly. “And you know it.”Ezekiel straightened up, his powerful frame blocking Mark’s view of me entirely. His jaw was tight, his eyes blazing with defiance as he bent to retrieve his shirt from the floor.“I’m not a child anymore, Father,” Ezekiel said, his voice steady but laced with irritation. He pulled the shirt over his head with deliberate slowness, his movements calm despite the tension in the air. “I know what I want, and I know what I’m doing. You don’t get to dictate every aspect of my life.”Mark let out a bitter laugh, the sound echoing in the room. “You think this is about control? About me dictating your life? This is about responsibility, Ezekiel. It’s about the future of this pack.”“The future of this pack?” Ezekiel repeated, his voice rising slightly as he fixed his father with a hard stare. “The future of this pack is secure with me as its Alpha. Who I choose to stand beside me is none of your concern.”“It’s every bit my concern!” Mark roared, his voice shaking the walls. “You’re too blind to see it, but this... this decision of yours puts everything we’ve built at risk. Your mate—"his voice dripped with disdain as he gestured vaguely in my direction, “—is weak. An omega with no standing, no respect, and no value to this pack.”Ezekiel’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, his patience visibly fraying. “She’s my mate,” he said firmly, his voice cutting through his father’s rant. “The moon goddess chose her for me. And I won’t stand here and let you insult her.”Mark scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. “The moon goddess may have made her your mate, but it’s your responsibility to reject what’s unworthy. Do you think the other packs will respect a Luna like her? Do you think they’ll respect you? This isn’t about love or bonds, Ezekiel. This is about leadership.”“I don’t need a lecture on leadership,” Ezekiel shot back, his voice sharp. “I’ve trained for this my entire life. I’ve earned the respect of this pack, and I’ll earn the respect of others. Who I choose as my Luna doesn’t change that.”Mark’s eyes narrowed, his fury simmering just below the surface. “You’re delusional if you think this pack will accept her. The wolves here—our allies—they’ll never see her as anything but a mistake. And they’ll see you as weak for keeping her.”Ezekiel’s eyes flashed, his posture unyielding. “If they think I’m weak for honoring the bond, then they don’t deserve to be part of this pack. She’s my mate, and that’s the end of it.”Mark took a slow, deliberate step forward, his towering presence as imposing as ever. “You think you’re making a stand, Ezekiel,” he said, his voice low and menacing. “But you’re making a fool of yourself. You’re throwing away everything I’ve worked for—everything we’ve worked for—because you’re too blinded by some childish notion of fate.”Ezekiel’s gaze didn’t waver. “This isn’t childish, and it’s not up for debate.”Mark’s face twisted with rage, and for a moment, I thought he might strike Ezekiel. But then he took a deep breath, his expression shifting to one of cold determination.“You will sever the bond,” he said, his tone final.The room fell silent. My heart stopped.“What?”