Chapter 2

Derek's hand hung frozen in the air, my blood still wet on his fingertips.

The clearing fell silent except for the crackling flames on the altar.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. People frowned, exchanged glances, but no one dared step forward.

Kyle strode up and hauled me to my feet, his smile sharp and mirthless.

"Ophelia, enough. Tomorrow is our marking ceremony. Apologize to Lilith right now, and we'll pretend today never happened. The ceremony goes on as planned. You'll still be the future Luna of the Crescent pack."

I wiped the blood from my mouth and stared at him like he was a stranger.

Werewolf senses are razor-sharp. Standing in the open air before the altar, I could smell both Alphas all over Lilith—Derek's cedarwood and Kyle's cigar smoke, twisted together like rotting sweetness.

A wave of tension moved through the crowd. I wasn't the only one who smelled it.

"Kyle, do you think I'm disgusting?" My voice was ice-cold, but loud enough for the front rows to hear.

"You tell me we're completing the mate bond, while you're sharing an Omega with my father behind my back. I can smell you both on her from ten feet away, and it makes me sick."

The crowd erupted. Several elders recoiled as if they'd touched something filthy.

Lilith immediately covered her face, her sobs piercing the air, but tears conveniently slipped through her fingers and soaked the white dress at her chest.

"Ophelia, how can you humiliate me like this! I'm just a low-rank Omega—when an Alpha needs comfort, I have no power to refuse... If you can't stand me, I'll leave! I'll die right now!"

She lunged toward the stone pillar with theatrical desperation. Kyle caught her mid-stride, then whirled on me with fury blazing in his eyes.

"Lilith's done nothing but serve this pack. What the hell do you want from her? She's gentle, devoted—not some ice queen hiding behind her bloodline! It already happened. She apologized. Why can't you let it go? Why do you want her dead?"

Derek stepped forward, his face dark, his voice hard as iron.

"Have you caused enough trouble? Tomorrow, Lilith will attend the ceremony. After we're done, I'm giving her a formal place in this pack—she's earned it after years of service. You two will be living under the same roof. You'll learn to deal with it."

Let my mother's murderer stand witness to my bonding? Share a home with her?

The pack members exchanged uneasy looks. Whispers spread like wildfire.

This was insane. The Luna's body was barely cold, and the Alpha wanted to legitimize his mistress?

The last thread of reason in my mind snapped.

"A formal place?" I bit down hard, tasting copper. "Derek, you'd throw away every shred of dignity for a rutting Omega. Give her a place in the pack? So you can keep screwing her while Kyle watches?"

"Insolent!" Derek's Alpha dominance slammed into me like a freight train.

My knees buckled under the crushing weight. Around me, pack members staggered back. Lower-ranked wolves dropped to the ground, whimpering.

I clung to my mother's headstone, my kneecaps grinding with a sickening crack, like they might shatter. Cold sweat mixed with blood and slid down my spine.

Kyle grabbed my chin, his grip brutal enough to bruise.

"You'd be nothing without us. Tomorrow, you'll complete the ceremony on your knees—even if I have to drag you there myself."

He leaned in close, fangs scraping my throat, his breath hot and rank.

"Don't touch me!"

Power exploded from somewhere deep inside. I tore free from his grip and stumbled back, my chest heaving.

Then I slowly lifted my head. My gaze swept over Kyle, over Derek, and finally landed on Lilith's false, tear-stained face.

I smiled then—cold and empty.

I drew the silver dagger from my boot. The blade gleamed cold under the moonlight.

Without hesitation, I sliced open my palm. The blade cut clean and deep. I didn't flinch. Blood dripped from my fingers and bloomed into dark red flowers beside my mother's ashes.

The clearing went dead silent. Everyone held their breath.

"I, Ophelia, daughter of this pack's former Luna, swear before the Moon Goddess and this assembly—"

My voice wasn't loud, but it carried to every ear, cold and final as a death knell.

"I reject Kyle as my mate. From this moment forward, our bond is severed. Our engagement is void."

The crowd erupted in chaos.

Kyle's face went white as bone. "Are you insane?! Rejecting a sworn bond in public—the backlash will rip your soul apart!"

The moment my oath rang out, my heart seized—like claws tearing through muscle and bone.

Bond-breaking agony. The Moon Goddess's price for severing a fated match.

My wolf clawed at my insides, fighting the severance, howling in anguish.

Blood filled my mouth and spilled over my lips. My nails bit deeper into my torn palm, and blood mixed with dirt, dripping onto the altar stones like a twisted offering.

I clenched my jaw until I tasted more copper. I didn't scream.

I didn't regret it.

"Still cleaner than letting you touch me." I laughed, the sound bitter and raw, and turned from the altar.

I straightened my spine and walked through the crowd, my boots leaving bloody prints on the sacred ground.

No one stopped me. They stared like I was either a madwoman or a martyr walking to her execution.

Behind me, Derek roared my name. Kyle cursed and snarled. I didn't hear a word of it.