CHAPTER 2: Marked

My heart shattered into pieces, every fiber of me breaking at the sudden realization-my life was filth, and I wasn't meant to be happy.

'He hates us. He despises us.' My wolf whispered. I could hear her sharp intake and could feel her pain coursing through me like ice water.

For a second, it felt like I saw something shift in Desmond's eyes, like he had recognized something. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, burning with an intensity that was the complete opposite of what he'd had when I called him mate.

"Hello, mate. I'm so sorry; I was just shocked at the fact that you are my mate." His voice vibrated through the walls of the party, sending everyone gasping and shocked at the sudden turn of events. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me, not comfortable and not trusting his words. There was something about him, this energy he gave off, that made me want to back away.

"No! You can't do this to me, Father! Alpha Philip, you can't allow him to be mates with this wretched, wolfless omega. She can't be Luna!" Lily screamed, scrambling toward Desmond as she grabbed his hands. Her eyes filled with tears, and when they turned toward me, they burned with hatred that I'd never seen to such an extent.

"She's my mate, Lily. I can't reject her now, can I?" He said, looking at her softly. His eyes had this twinkle in them when he stared at her, like he was telling her a secret, and her eyes instantly lit up with understanding.

'This is not good, Aveline. I don't like this... He's planning something. We need to leave here now.' Aries whispered. I could feel the fear in her voice-it was so palpable it made my skin crawl.

Desmond moved slightly, now focused on me, and then he turned to look at the pack members, who were as confused as I was.

"Today, the goddess has blessed me with a mate, and today, I shall honor the words of the goddess. Today, I shall seal her fate-our fate." His voice pierced through the quiet room. No whispers, no words, just suffocating silence.

And with that, he strode toward me.

'Run, Aveline! Run! Don't let him do this!' Aries whispered again, the fear still there. I hadn't seen Aries so scared like this, and the fear was creeping in on me so that it made my heart beat fast.

Before I could complete my words, Desmond pulled me into his arms. His scent bagged my nostrils like fire, and I felt my body caged against his. His scent was so heavy, so thick, so fucking good that I didn't want to leave his hold. His face was so intimately close to mine-this was the first time in two years I had been so close to him, the first time in my life I had been so intimately close to a man who was my mate. I felt Aries hum at his scent, but something was strange. I couldn't feel his wolf's presence, like his wolf didn't want to be close to me, and that was when it hit me-this was a trick.

Before I could think of what to do, his teeth came bearing down on my neck, sharp and fast, digging into my neck and marking me at that moment. I felt a piercing pain ripple through my body as it convulsed for a second. Then quickly, he pushed me off, making my weak body fall to the ground. I heard the entire pack gasp at what had just happened.

Aries wailed loudly, her cries filling my head, and I felt like a volcano that was about to explode.

He claimed me without my consent, without asking, without caring what I wanted. The mark burned on my neck like acid, and I could feel warm blood trickling down my skin.

"What the fuck did you just do to me?" I whispered, my voice shaking as I touched the throbbing wound on my neck.

Desmond looked down at me like I was nothing. Like I was dirt on his shoe.

"I marked you," he said, his voice cold as winter. "But don't think for a second that it means anything."

The pack was staring at us, confused as hell. Some were whispering among themselves. Others looked shocked, their mouths hanging open, while others looked disgusted.

"You see," Desmond continued, his voice getting louder so everyone could hear, "the goddess may have cursed me with this pathetic excuse for a mate, but I'm not stupid."

My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode right out of my chest.

"By marking her, I've sealed the bond. Which means..." He smiled, and it was the cruelest thing I'd ever seen. "I can reject her properly. With the full power of the moon goddess behind it."

"No," I whispered, scrambling to get up from the floor. My legs felt like jelly. "No, No, please, you can't-"

"I, Alpha Desmond of the Duskfall Pack, reject you, Aveline, as my mate and Luna."

The words hit me like a physical blow to the chest. The bond that had just formed started ripping apart inside me, tearing through my soul like claws. I screamed, the pain so intense I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and couldn't do anything but feel like I was being torn in half.

Aries was howling in my head, her cries mixing with mine in a symphony of agony.

"And because you're marked," Desmond said, watching me writhe on the floor like I was entertainment to all of them, "the rejection will hurt ten times worse. You'll feel it for days. Maybe weeks or forever."

Lily was laughing now, clapping her hands like this was the best show she'd ever seen.

"Oh, this is perfect," she giggled. "She looks like she's dying!"

I felt like I was dying. The mark on my neck burned like someone was holding a branding iron to my skin, and the broken bond felt like someone was tearing my soul in half with their bare hands.

"Get her out of here," Desmond said, turning away from me like I was already forgotten, already nothing. "I don't want to see her pathetic face anymore."

Two pack members grabbed my arms and started dragging me toward the door. I couldn't fight them. I could barely think through the waves of pain crashing over me.

"Happy birthday to me," I whispered, blood from the bite still warm and sticky on my neck.

The last thing I heard before they threw me outside like garbage was Lily's voice, sweet as poison and twice as deadly.

"Now, Alpha Desmond, shall we continue MY party?"

Chapter 3: No Saving Grace

I was thrown into a dungeon filled with crickets and rats.

It's been three days since I was rejected; no one had come to look for me, and my body had been shaken by what had happened at the party. The mark on my neck throbbed like a second heartbeat, sending waves of fire through my veins every few seconds.

Aries had gone completely silent. Not even a whisper. It was like she'd disappeared entirely, leaving me alone in my head for the first time in two years.

I was so worried about her; the rejection must have triggered her more than it triggered me. I was dealing with the physical pain while she was dealing with all of that-the emotional pain, the hurt, and everything.

"I hope you are fine, Ren. I hope they treat you well," I whispered, clutching my heart as another wave of sobs ripped through my lips. I was supposed to protect him from these scavengers called my pack, but I can't, not even in this state.

The dungeon was cold, damp, and smelled like death. Water dripped somewhere in the darkness. I pulled my knees to my chest and tried to stop shaking.

Then I heard footsteps. Heavy boots on stone.

"Get up," a guard growled, unlocking my cell. "The Alpha wants to see you."

I could barely stand. My legs shook as I followed him through the corridors, past pack members who stared at me like I was a walking disease. Some spat on the ground as I passed. Others just looked disgusted.

When we reached Desmond's chambers, the guard shoved me inside without ceremony.

What I saw made my already broken heart shatter into even smaller pieces.

Lily was in bed with Desmond, the man I'd once told her I liked, now the new alpha, and she was on top of him, kissing him so possessively. Their moans filled the room while his hands roamed around her body, circling her waist.

They must have noticed my presence, as they stopped, Lily turning to look at me, her eyes tight and her lips pressed together with contempt.

"Ooh, who do we have here? If not the wolfless girl... Ooh, I meant the omega... of... the... Omegas. What a title, and the one...rejected...hahahaha," she rehearsed, like she always did.

But this time was different. This time, Desmond didn't look away. His eyes stayed locked on me, watching my reaction like I was entertainment. Like my pain was something he enjoyed.

"How does it feel?" Lily asked, slowly getting off him but staying close, her hand trailing down his chest. "Being marked and rejected in front of everyone? Having your pathetic little heart crushed?"

I didn't answer. Couldn't answer.

"You should have stayed in your place," she continued. "Should have kept scrubbing floors and kept your mouth shut. But no, you had to ruin everything."

Desmond finally spoke, his voice ice-cold: "You know what's funny? I've been watching you all these years. Watching you hope. Watching you dream that maybe, just maybe, things would get better for you."

He stood up, walking toward me as I backed against the wall.

"But they never will. You're cursed, Aveline. Cursed to suffer. And now..." He smiled, and it was the cruelest thing I'd ever seen. "Now we're going to make sure you understand just how worthless you really are."

Lily giggled, bouncing excitedly. "Tell her, Desmond. Tell her about her birthday gift."

My blood ran cold. "What birthday gift?"

"The goddess has finally come to our rescue," Lily said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "A deal has been struck with the Crescent Dominion pack; you are to be sold as the Cursed Alpha King's Bride."

I froze; my heart seemed to stop for a moment as I stared at her. For a moment, I wondered if she had gone ballistic.

I found myself chuckling at her words because no one could see the alpha king, think of him, or even strike a deal with the devil himself.

"You think this is funny?" Desmond's voice was deadly quiet.

"The Alpha King Thorne Valek," Lily continued, ignoring my reaction. "The monster of the North. The one they say has killed every Luna he's ever had. The one cursed by the moon goddess herself to never know love, only death and destruction."

My laughter died in my throat.

"They say he's thousands of years old," she whispered, leaning closer. "They say his touch burns. They say he feeds on the fear of his enemies and that his castle is built on the bones of those who defied him. His last Luna died less than a month ago... some say he killed her himself when she tried to escape."

"No," I whispered, backing further against the wall. "No, you can't-"

"Oh, but we can," Desmond said, his voice filled with satisfaction. "And we will. You'll be his bride, his plaything, until he gets bored and disposes of you like all the others."

"At least you should be grateful," Lily added with a twisted smile. "For the first time in thousands of years, a pack owned by the moon, one of the most powerful packs in the world, is coming to our pack. Even though selling you to him is like you dying in a rather awful way. Enjoy your last few days of life, best friend."

They both laughed as I slid down the wall, my legs giving out completely.

"Get her out of here," Desmond said, turning back to Lily. "And make sure she's... presentable... for her wedding day."

As the guards dragged me away, I heard Lily's voice, sweet as poison and twice as deadly:

"Don't worry, Aveline. I'll make sure your wedding dress is beautiful. White looks so good on corpses."

The door slammed shut behind me, and I was left alone with the crushing realization that there was no saving grace for me. Not anymore.

I was going to die, and everyone I'd ever loved was going to watch it happen.

Chapter 4: The Alpha King's Arrival

The next morning, I was dragged from my cell by two guards who looked at me like I was diseased.

"Clean her up," one of them barked to a maid waiting in the corridor. "The Alpha King arrives today, and she needs to look... presentable."

Presentable. Like I was a piece of meat they were preparing for slaughter.

They threw me into a bathing chamber where three maids waited with buckets of scalding water and rough brushes. They scrubbed my skin raw, not caring when I winced from the pain of the rejection mark on my neck.

"Disgusting," one of them muttered, pouring water over my head so hard it felt like stones hitting my skull. "Can't believe the Alpha King would want this... thing."

When they were done torturing me with their version of cleaning, they shoved a white dress at me. It was beautiful-silk and lace, with long sleeves that would hide the bruises on my arms. But it felt like a burial shroud.

"Here," another maid said, roughly grabbing my neck. "This should help with that ugly mark."

She dabbed some kind of ointment on the bite wound, and immediately the throbbing pain lessened. But the emotional scar? That would never heal.

"Don't think this changes anything," she whispered in my ear as she worked. "You're still the wolfless freak. The Alpha King will probably kill you the moment he sees what you are."

When they were finished, I caught my reflection in the mirror. I looked like a ghost bride. Pale, hollow-eyed, and dressed in white like I was already dead. Which, I supposed, I was.

"Come," a guard said, grabbing my arm. "It's time."

They marched me to the throne room where Alpha Desmond sat with all the pack elders. Lily was beside him, wearing a gorgeous blue dress that made her look like royalty. The perfect Luna for the perfect Alpha.

I couldn't help but notice how his eyes looked down my body from the throne where he sat, his father sitting not too far from him, being an ex-alpha but still acting like an alpha.

"Do you, Aveline Nightfall, understand that you will be married off to the Alpha King Thorne Valek to prove your loyalty to the pack and be found useful to the pack?" Elder Eleanor said, her voice sounding as before, like always; my eyes slowly moved up to stare at Desmond beside him sat Lily, her lips turned up into a smirk as she looked at me; his eyes darkened the moment they met his. I'd noticed his stares right from the moment I had walked into the throne room.

"Yes, I do," I whispered, my voice sounding stronger than I could imagine, even though it was the opposite of how I felt, because I was breaking inside.

Lily leaned forward in her seat, her smile cruel. "You look so beautiful in white, Aveline," she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "Like an angel going to meet her maker."

Some of the pack members chuckled at her words. They were enjoying this. Enjoying watching me being sold off to what they all believed was certain death.

Then, suddenly, we heard a loud thud of footsteps approaching from behind; they weren't just one set of footsteps, but many, and one of them stood out. There was a new presence in the room that stood out more than the others; his footsteps were powerful, which led to a change in the aura of the room. The strong scent of power, danger, and most of all, the intoxicating smell of dominance-that scent of whiskey and cedar, laced with leather and the sharp, clean scent of impending storm-and I felt my wolf stir within me.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. The very air became thick, suffocating. I felt my legs shake with the intensity of the change in aura.

I've heard stories about him, after the battle between the sun and the moon, about how he was the only one of the Valek's blood and how he had conquered nations and kingdoms, and he became not just the alpha king but was rumored to be a Lycan, the forbidden gift passed down from the Valek's family.

Everyone knew of this history, but never would anyone believe that the Dominion Crescent pack would ever have anything to do with my pack, now a low-class pack like mine, and then be married off to one.

"Alpha King Thorne Valek," I heard Desmond whisper as he quickly stood up from his throne, his eyes leaving me for a second as he brushed past me. I dared not lift my head.

Not because of Desmond but because of him, who was behind me, for his aura made me freeze, and for some reason, I felt my wolf stir inside me.

'That was strange,' I thought.

I watched as the members of my pack bowed down to him. It was so easy for us to submit to the presence in the room.

"Welcome to the Duskfall Pack," Desmond said, standing a few meters apart from the alpha king, and I felt myself almost chuckling at the thought that Desmond wasn't as powerful as he thought he was.

But I didn't hear any response from him; rather, I felt footsteps start walking in my direction. It was that same heavy footstep, and each one made my heartbeat increase sporadically.

Then I felt him, his magnificent self, standing beside me, and then he stopped, not moving. My eyes were bent to the ground, my legs not moving as I bowed my head down, like I was too shaken to even move. His presence was so overwhelming that I felt like I would squirt in his presence. I hadn't felt any sort of energy like this.

"Is this my bride?" I heard him speak for the first time; he hadn't responded to their greetings, he hadn't even spoken a word since his arrival, and his voice sounded like ice-thick, commanding, and filled with so much power that I felt my insides shiver and my wolf purred within me, like she wanted to push herself back, for some reason she had awakened and was now trying to make herself known to the alpha king. I didn't know the reason behind all of this, but I will find out from her.

"Yes, she is your bride; she will be obedient and do whatsoever you want her to do, and she can also be your slave," Desmond said so fast, like he was on the verge of breaking apart. Suddenly, the alpha growled at his words, quickly shutting everyone up, and he hadn't left where I was standing, which made his growl, in fact, more fearsome than I could imagine.

"I asked you a question, and you do not speak to my bride like that," he said, his words shocking me to the core, and I heard everyone in the room gasp at his words, not believing what he was saying.

Then I felt him moved forward and I let out a breath I felt like I've been holding for what felt like ages but then that was a short one because instantly, I felt a hands gently being placed on my chin and I felt my chin being lifted up slowly from its bowing position and instantly I felt loads of shocks spasm through my body, the place where he was touching me felt like I had electric shocks past through me in a hurried stride and I felt my lips parted at the sensation and the moment my eyes found his, my eyes widened with shock, his eyes was the coldest I've ever seen, energetic shining silver eyes with a red fearthery vertical slit in the middle that looked so divine that I felt my legs loosed its firm for a second and my heartbeat radically increased so fast that I felt like my breathing had stopped for a moment.

His eyes never left mine for one second, and I felt like I saw his face muscle twitch and then quickly recoil back to itself as he stared at me for another second, his thumbs came caressing my side lips, which made my lips part with shock, and I knew if he continued with this, I might make a fool out of myself and perhaps fall to the ground instantly.

His hands then dropped down from my face, and I gave out a short breath, which I believed he saw, and then he turned and looked back at the elders and every member of my pack present.

"I will take her as my bride, and the deal is closed. This deal officially makes me not just your alpha king but also opens doors for any sort of trades and formalities. My Beta will take care of the deal, and you shall be settled in kind."

I felt my heart drop at his words; my pack was selling me off to the cursed alpha, and I couldn't do anything about it.

That was when my eyes caught Lily; for some reason, I felt her lips pressed in thin lines as she glared at me, her murderous gaze meeting mine, and then she smirked, her eyes still shining with hate, and for a moment, I wondered what the problem was. Wasn't this all what she wanted-to kick me out and become Luna?

But it was the Alpha King, Thorne Valek, and he was my birthday gift.

But as I stared into those silver eyes, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't the only one who had just received a gift.

Something told me he had gotten exactly what he came for, too.