shattered bond

Norella Pov

I was all set to dash towards her when I heard Luna desi familiar voice, "What's going on?" she asked. I quickly pulled myself together as she glided gracefully toward us, repeating, "Seriously, what's happening here?" By then, I was already trembling uncontrollably, unsure why fear gripped me so tightly. Myra then filled Luna desi in on the situation. "There's a fancy dress in my room for you. I didn't know your dad had already gotten you one. Hurry, go change before the ball kicks off." Luna desi said, and Myra happily trotted off, while Luna desi followed her, barely acknowledging my presence.

Then, out of the blue, Luna turned to me. "Why are you standing there like a lost pup?" she snapped. I managed to stutter, "My dress..." but before I could finish, she cut me off, saying, "I don't have time for your petty concerns. Besides, it suits you, so you're wearing it to the ball."

"I can't," I protested. What did I expect, a new dress? Definitely not. I had to figure something out. It was tough facing the fact that my torn dress had ruined my day. Suddenly, I felt two sharp slaps snap me out of my thoughts. Luna desi stood before me, fuming. "How dare you disobey your Luna!" she spat. "Stay put," she ordered, storming off only to return with a ragged piece of cloth. "Take that off and put this on," she commanded, thrusting the rag toward me.

I collected it, the rough fabric scratching against my skin, and quickly threw it over my shoulders. No point in arguing with her; that'd be like asking for trouble with a capital 'T'.

We made our way to the ball, her strides confident, mine hesitant. I felt small in my patchwork of rags, my eyes glued to the floor, as if it held some secret I was desperate to uncover. The crowd's whispers crept up my spine, "Damsel in rags," they chuckled, and I clenched my fists, trapping the tears behind my eyelids.

The alpha was about to speak. There he sat, with Luna Desi and Tyrell, his only son and the future alpha of our pack. I tucked myself behind a pillar, hoping to blend in with the wallpaper. He was my secret crush, the boy who shared his lunch with me when we were kids, He was different, always had been—kind where others were cold, humble where they boasted, simple in a world of complexity.

He'd been gone for what felt like forever, and now here he was, back after years, and I was seeing him for the first time. He'd returned two weeks ago, yet it felt like I was looking at a stranger. But there he was, the boy I knew, hidden beneath the alpha's mantle.

Fleeing his gaze, I sought refuge in the restroom, a sanctuary from Alpha Lowell's booming voice. There, within those four walls, I surrendered to the tears I'd dammed up, letting them flow freely. "This isn't how I pictured today," I whispered to my reflection, the ragged cloth hanging off me like a specter of despair. "How can I find my mate in this?"

I longed for Ama's comforting voice, but the wolfsbane coursing through me had silenced her, leaving me adrift. Yet, as I stood there, a scent wafted through the air, crisp and invigorating like a forest of pine. It was unmistakable—the mate scent. It tugged at my senses, growing more potent by the second.

A battle waged within me: one side yearning to chase the intoxicating aroma, the other shackled by the reality of my appearance. With a deep breath, I pushed open the door, and there he was—Tyrell. His presence hit me like a thunderclap, and for the first time in two years, Ama's voice echoed in my mind, "Mate."

Confusion swirled within me, a maelstrom of emotions. Joy, uncertainty, fear—all colliding as I stood before him. Tyrell, the epitome of night with his raven hair and chiseled jawline, was clad in a suit that seemed tailored by the stars themselves to accentuate his muscular form. Yet, his expression was stormy, a tempest brewing in his eyes.

What was I expecting? That he'd be my knight in shining armor? The truth was as clear as the disdain in his eyes, yet a part of me clung to a sliver of hope, a hope that now seemed foolish.

His laughter shattered the silence, a sound that seemed to mock my very being. "Is it my appearance that amuses you?" I wondered aloud, my voice barely a whisper.

"Of course, it's how you look," Tyrell's voice cut through my thoughts, sharp and unyielding. It was as if he had plucked the question from the depths of my mind. Had I inadvertently mind-linked him? No, that couldn't be. The wolfsbane that flowed through my veins, a cruel gift from the alpha since my sixteenth year, had stripped me of such abilities.

Tyrell's gaze bore into me, his words laced with venom. "Look at you, Norella. Do you honestly believe I would accept you as my mate? The goddess must be playing a cruel joke."

I opened my mouth to respond, but he didn't give me the chance. "An omega in rags," he sneered. "Did it ever occur to you that I am the future alpha? Why would I ever want someone like you by my side?"

His words were a physical blow, leaving me speechless and hollow. The room spun, and I felt the ground slip away as the weight of his rejection settled in my chest.

Tyrell's grip was firm on my wrist as he led me back into the ballroom, a place I wished to vanish from. This wasn't the Tyrell I had daydreamed about; this man was a stranger, hardened and cold.

As we moved, the crowd's eyes followed, their whispers cutting through the air from every direction. He brought me to the center, to the podium where judgments were passed and fates were sealed. "Attention, everyone," Tyrell's voice boomed, silencing the murmurs. "Feast your eyes on who desires to be my Luna." Laughter erupted, each chuckle a dagger to my heart.

Drowning in shame, I wished for the earth to swallow me whole. "Now, to the heart of the matter," he leaned in, his breath a hiss in my ear, "You know what's coming, Norella."

He turned back to the crowd, his voice a proclamation of doom. "I, , Tyrell Lowell, of the esteemed Blue Moon Pack, the next alpha, reject you, Norella. A pathetic excuse for a mate. Your laughable presence is unworthy of standing in my shadow, let alone being my mate and future Luna. Be gone before you embarrass yourself further in front of everyone here."

The words struck like a blow, and I could feel the weight of every gaze upon me. As if his rejection wasn't enough, he grabbed my hair and thrust me from the podium.

Is this my destiny? To be cast aside, humiliated, and scorned? The goddess's cruelty seemed boundless, and I couldn't fathom my transgression. I stood there, shattered, feeling the urge to crumble into nothingness. Hope seemed a distant memory, and yet, a stubborn part of me refused to let it go completely.