Chapter 3

He caught my scent at that moment and broke the kiss abruptly, his eyebrows arching as he pulled back from the girl in his arms.

 That was Reina, his girlfriend and daughter of an Alpha from the neighboring pack.

 She looked at him, visibly confused by his sudden movement, unsure why he had suddenly cut off their intimate moment. But I knew.

 He had just realized his mate was here through my scent.

 Stan's expression changed into an exciting one and his eyes lit up. His nostrils flared as he sniffed again, realizing his mate had arrived, making his eyes wander around desperately in trace of the scent.

 And then his gaze landed on me.

 In a second, his joy turned to fury, the warmth in his eyes replaced by pure venom and disgust. He couldn’t even hide his hatred and sheer disappointment a bit.

 I couldn't move as the pain in my heart ached deeper like a knife is being twisted deep in it. Every part of me wanted to shrink and disappear as tears found their way down my cheek.

 I stood there helpless as the room seemed to close in on me.

 “Damn! Stan.” My wolf murmured weakly, her voice laced with anguish and disappointment.

 We had longed for this moment, the chance to meet our mate, the one destined to protect us and offer to us the love we had been denied.

 After waiting for all these years, hoping for our mate, which was the last opportunity to be saved from my miserable life, here he was looking at me as if I was an abomination in his eyes.

 I endured everything, all the beatings, the isolation and the endless humiliation, holding onto one hope that my mate would come and save me.

 But now that hope was crumbling to dust.

 The disdain in Stan’s eyes cut through me like a blade and I don't need any soothsayers to know I would be rejected.

 Rejection was my worst nightmare, and I prayed to the moon goddess to spare me from this fate but here I was in front of a man who would dance on my grave.

 Does it mean the moon goddess also hated me so much?

 “You?” He snarled, breaking the heavy silence that had settled over the hall. The music had stopped and every eyes was one us. A tense, disbelieving hush filled the room.

 I swallowed hard, struggling to keep my voice steady. “We are mates,” I whispered, my words barely audible but they sent ripples through the hall. An uproar followed, murmurs and whispers filled the air as people exchanged shocked glances

 “Silence!” Stan's voice thundered, and the room fell quiet instantly.

 “No! We are not mates and we never will be!” He roared, his green eyes flashing dangerously. The hatred in his gaze was so intense it seemed he wished he could erase my existence with a single look.

 My heart pounded, my body trembling as I forced myself to meet his gaze. “So… are you going to reject me?” I asked, every word feeling like a knife stabbed in my chest. I fought to keep my composure, to hold onto whatever scraps of dignity I had left.

 Stan let out a bitter laugh m, his voice filled with mockery. His friends joined in, snickering as if my pain was a joke.

 “You actually thought you would have a chance with me? You pathetic daughter of a traitor and murderer!” He spat, his voice dripping with malice.

 “She is delusion!” Daren, his best friend added, sneering as the crowd roared with laughter.

 Fated mates only appear once in a lifetime, and they are the best gift from the moon goddess, the story about it had filled my heart with hope for years.

 My parents had told me of the joy that awaited me, the overwhelming bond that would form the moment I found my mate.

 I had spent my life dreaming of this day, saving myself, holding onto the belief that one day my mate would come and he would love me. Cherish me.

 But this… this was a nightmare.

 My eyes caught the engagement ring on Reina's finger as she stylishly flaunted it at me with a smug smile.

 “I can’t wait to reject this stinking thing!” He scoffed.

 I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking up at Stan’s face that was cold as ice. “And I don't care if you reject me.” I shot back, my voice trembling. “I am disappointed that you turned out to be my mate.”

 “Really?” He narrowed his eyes, stepping forward and closing the distance between us until his face was inches from mine.

 His scent was intoxicating, the mate bond pulling me toward him despite my best effort to resist. I clenched my fists, every nerve in my body fighting against the powerful urge to submit.

 His voice dropped to a low menacing whisper. “You can pretend all you want, but I know you. I know you crave me just like your parents craved the throne which they never got. You will die shamefully just like them.”

 He was right after all. I really want the love of my mate. That care and compassion snatched from my life all these years; I badly needed them. Someone who will look at me and see his world in me, treating me like his princess.

 But not from Stan. He was not that man, not even close.

 “Reject me already, Stan. Just get over it!” I whispered back and a hot slap hit my cheek.

 “Alpha Stan..” he corrected as I held my burning cheek. He grimaced at the pain of hitting his mate since he hadn’t rejected me yet.

 “I will do more than reject you.” He seethed and brushed away my smell from his nose like I was stinking. “You won't even have a chance for a second chance mate because I will taint your scent with the silver knife and destroy your future hope.”

 I staggered back, great fear filling my heart as A heart wrenching anguis struck me in the chest. I looked up at him with tears brimming my eyes, knowing exactly what he meant.

 This was the worst thing that will ever happen to any wolf. It was the highest form of rejection, some by using the silver knife to cut the wrists of both and mixed in a wolfsbane while doing the rejection ritual.

 “You know…you know, you don't have to go to that extent…please. I promise to be loyal and obedient. Please don’t do this to me.” I was forced to beg falling to my knees. I hated myself for kneeling down but the fear of what was to come was overwhelming.

 His twisted smile grew as he went back to his throne. The sinister smile remained on his face as he watched me in my horrible and hopeless state, begging him and everyone.

 I really felt the aching shame and regretted subjecting myself to this as a Beta especially in front of these guests and Stan’s friends.

 But do I really have a choice?

 The ritual will make me lose my ability to have another mate and I would be marked a traitor, which would kill every natural affection anyone could feel for me.

 “I already hated you and wanted my revenge, then your parents did me a favour." He cracked and beckoned for the silver knife.

 I glanced around, searching for anyone who might show me mercy but every face was cold and indifferent. I was alone.

 “You all can't allow him to do this!” I bawled as I watched one of the maids bring the silver knife and a bowl of wolfsbane.

 “Is there no one to stop this?!” I cried out to his parent who scoffed at me. I attempted to rush at him and stop him, but two guards grabbed me and swept me off my feet.

 They all seemed to be enjoying my misery and were all in support of Stan ruining my life.

 “Let’s get on with it.” Stan's sister urged with a prideful and satisfying smile on her face. “Remember we don't have much time before the Lycan king arrives.”

 Stan took the silver knife with a cold look at me. “I, Stan Lake, New Alpha of the Moon Tail Pack, hereby reject you, Diana Gillette, as my mate and break off every bond between us!” His unwavering voice roared in the hall, laced with pure contempt.

 The words hit me like a physical blow, the pain searing through my body as the bond shattered. My vision blurred, the world spinning as agony consumed me.

 My bones felt crushed in the joints, and everything  became blank right in my face.

 He felt no regret. No hesitation as he slit his wrist, the drops of his blood from his wrist plopped into the bowl of wolfsbane.

 “Why are you doing this to me?”

 I couldn't even hear my own voice as they came out in a hoarse tone. The guards forced my hand to stretch, and Stan cut my wrist also with the same knife.

 My face grimaced from the pain, but when my blood spilled into the bowl, it felt like a hundred arrows fired at me, ambushing my entire body as I crashed in the floor.

 Stan was given the painkiller syrup to erase the pain of rejection while I was left to suffer. I was the one rejected and needed the syrup more because my pain was extreme and unbearable, but no one cares.

 My mouth fell open to cry, but no sound could come out.

 In a few minutes, my heartwarming and sweet mate scent would be contaminated, and just like an eternal mark, my mating scent would be tainted, labeling me as a traitor which every wolf would easily recognize.

 Even if I ever succeed in running away from this pack, I will be killed at first sight by any werewolf because of this outcast scent that had mingled with my blood.

 As the crowd erupted in applause, supporting all he did to me, Stan’s voice cut through. “And now, let me introduce true mate, Reina.” He announced, his tone cold and final.

 I was too broken to care, my body shuddering as the remnant of my shattered heart lay in ruins.

 But Stan wasn’t done.

 His voice lowered, a cruel smile curving his lips. “And to show my gratitude to my friends,” he said, “I’ll grant them a favor they desired.” His gaze settled on me, his eyes gleaming with a twisted satisfaction.

  “Tonight, Diana will be theirs. She’s nothing more than a slave, after all.”

 I had barely registered his words in my head, wondering if I was hallucinating because what I just heard can’t be true. I can’t believe my ears are not playing tricks on me.

 But before he could continue, the pack’s messenger burst into the hall, his face pale, eyes wide with fear.

 “Alpha Stan!” he gasped, falling to his knees. “The Lycan king’s son, Prince Khan, is here. He’s already within the pack.”

 Stan shivered, terror flashing across his face as he processed the news. The room was filled with hushed whispers, a new fear taking hold of everyone including me.

Prince Khan is rumored to be the devil reincarnated, his cruel reputation proven countless times, and he is a nightmare to any pack he visits.

 “What could he want?” Stan demanded, his voice shaking as he tried to maintain his composure.