The pack gathering was in full swing when Callie's scream cut through the night air like a knife. I turned from my conversation with Elena, the pack Healer, just in time to see her crumple to the ground in the center of the clearing.

"She's dying!" someone shouted. "The Alpha needs to see this!"

My stomach twisted as I watched Wells rush to Callie's side. His face was etched with concern that made my heart ache. Whatever was happening, it wasn't good.

Callie writhed on the ground, her body contorting in what appeared to be agony. Her skin had taken on an ashen gray tone, and sweat beaded across her forehead. She clutched at her stomach, tears streaming down her face.

"Wells," she gasped, reaching for him with trembling fingers. "I can't... I can't bear it anymore."

I moved closer, something feeling off about the scene before me. The scent in the air was strange—bitter and medicinal. Not the smell of illness, but something else. Something manufactured.

"What's wrong?" Wells demanded, cradling her head in his lap. His voice carried that Alpha edge that made everyone in the clearing fall silent.

"I'm dying," Callie whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. "The internal injuries... they're getting worse. The healer says..." She broke into sobs that shook her entire body. "The healer says I don't have long unless..."

Unless what? I wanted to ask, but something kept me silent.

"Unless you choose," she continued, her eyes finding mine across the clearing. "Choose between saving me or keeping your mate bond with her."

The clearing fell deadly silent. Every eye turned to Wells, then to me, then back again.

"Callie," Wells said, his voice breaking. "Don't do this."

"I can't live knowing I'm keeping you from your duty," she sobbed. "The Moon Goddess gave you to her, but I need you to survive. Please, Wells. Reject her. Save me."

I stood frozen as Wells looked up at me, conflict written across his features. The bitter scent in the air grew stronger, and I realized with a jolt what was happening. Callie was consuming herbs to mimic illness symptoms. I'd seen Elena use similar ones in healing rituals.

"Wells," I started, but he held up his hand.

"I have to do this," he announced, rising to his feet with Callie still in his arms. His eyes swept across the gathered pack members. "As your Alpha, I must make decisions that benefit the pack as a whole."

My hand instinctively went to my stomach, where an almost imperceptible flutter had begun just days ago. The secret I hadn't yet shared with anyone—not even Wells.

"Rory Warren," Wells declared, his voice carrying across the clearing. "I must perform the sacred rite of rejection with you."

The words hit me like physical blows. Each syllable tore through me as if claws were ripping at my insides.

"The rite of rejection?" Marcus, Wells's Beta, stepped forward in shock. "Alpha, think about what you're doing."

But Wells's eyes were fixed on me, pleading. "It's the only way to save her life. As Alpha, I command you to agree to this ceremony."

Pack law. He was using pack law against me. As a member of the Crimson Claw Pack, I couldn't refuse a direct command from my Alpha.

"I agree," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Wells's shoulders sagged with relief. "The ceremony will take place tomorrow night under the full moon."

The next evening came too quickly. The entire pack gathered in the sacred circle, torches illuminating the clearing as the full moon rose overhead. I stood opposite Wells, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.

"By the light of the Moon Goddess," the pack elder began, "we gather to witness the severing of a sacred bond."

I felt it then—the mate bond stretching between us like an invisible thread. As Wells began to recite the ancient words of rejection, I felt that thread begin to tear.

"I, Wells Peterson, Alpha of the Crimson Claw Pack..."

Each word drove into me like a physical blow. The pain was excruciating—worse than anything I'd ever experienced. It felt as if my very soul was being ripped apart.

"Rory Warren," he continued, "I reject you as—"

A scream cut through the night. Not Callie's theatrical cry, but a real, terrified shout from the edge of the clearing.

"Rogues!" someone yelled. "They're attacking!"

Smoke bombs exploded around us, filling the air with acrid wolfsbane smoke that burned my lungs and eyes. Chaos erupted as pack members shifted into their wolf forms, howling and snarling.

Through the smoke, I saw Callie standing at the edge of the clearing, a triumphant smile on her face as she watched the ceremony dissolve into pandemonium.

And Wells—my mate, my Alpha—stood frozen between us, his eyes wild with confusion as the world around us collapsed into chaos.

The world spun around me as I stumbled through the forest, my body screaming in pain from the rogue attack. Blood trickled down my arm where claws had torn through flesh, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony of the incomplete rejection ceremony still tearing at my soul.

My lungs burned as I gasped for air, the bitter scent of wolfsbane lingering in my nostrils. The chaos of the attack had given me a chance to escape, but where was I running to? The pack that should have been my home now felt like a death trap.

"Rory! You can't run forever!"

I froze at the sound of voices behind me. Three figures emerged from the trees—Delta wolves I recognized as Callie's most loyal followers. My heart sank as I realized I'd been herded toward the pack's border.

"Callie wants to make sure you never come back," sneered the tallest one, his eyes gleaming with malice.

I backed away, my heels hitting the loose rocks at the edge of the cliff overlooking the river. The water below churned violently, swollen from the storm that had rolled in overnight.

"Please," I begged, my hand instinctively moving to my stomach. "I'm carrying the Alpha's heir. The pack needs this child."

They laughed—cruel, mocking laughter that echoed across the gorge.

"Callie is the only one who matters now," the female Delta said, stepping closer. "Wells has made his choice. You're nothing but a rejected mate."

"He'll regret it," I whispered, more to myself than to them. "When he learns about the baby—"

"Baby?" The third Delta's eyes widened momentarily before his lips curled into a cruel smile. "Well, isn't that convenient. But I don't think Wells will ever know, will he?"

Lightning cracked overhead as rain began to pour, soaking through my clothes in seconds. The storm was getting worse, the river below raging with renewed fury.

"I won't let you do this," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. "The pack will—"

"The pack will do nothing," the tall Delta cut me off. "They'll think you ran off after the rejection. No one will look for you."

I lunged forward as they closed in, managing to shove the female Delta backward. She stumbled, nearly falling over the edge.

"Get her!" she shrieked.

Strong hands grabbed my arms, dragging me toward the cliff edge. I fought wildly, kicking and clawing, but my injured body betrayed me.

"Stop!" I screamed as they lifted me. "You can't do this! I'm still Luna until the ceremony is complete!"

"Former Luna," the female corrected, her face twisted with hatred. "And soon to be nothing at all."

With a final shove, they pushed me over the edge. The world tilted as I plummeted toward the churning water below.

"NO!" My scream was lost in the roar of the storm.

I hit the water with brutal force, the cold shocking my system. For a moment, I was suspended in the icy darkness, disoriented and drowning. Then the current grabbed me, pulling me under and tumbling me through its depths.

When I surfaced, gasping for air, I saw a figure being swept downstream ahead of me—Callie! Somehow she had fallen in too.

"Wells!" I cried out desperately as I spotted him at the riverbank. "HELP ME!"

He stood frozen at the edge, rain pouring down his face as he looked between us—his rejected mate and his chosen one, both drowning before his eyes.

Time seemed to slow as our eyes met across the distance. I saw the moment he made his choice.

With a powerful dive, Wells plunged into the rapids—heading straight for Callie.

"No," I whispered, the word carried away by the wind and rain. "Please..."

The last thing I saw before the current dragged me under again was Wells reaching Callie, pulling her to safety while leaving me to the mercy of the river.

Pain tore through my abdomen as I was slammed against submerged rocks. Something warm and wet spread between my legs—blood mixing with river water. My baby. Our baby.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to the life inside me as darkness crept in at the edges of my vision. "I'm so sorry."

The cold enveloped me completely as I lost consciousness, my body broken and my heart shattered beyond repair.

I don't know how long I floated downstream, a broken doll carried by the merciless current. When I finally washed up on the muddy bank, I couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

Through the haze of pain, I heard voices.

"Rory? RORY!"

Strong arms lifted me from the mud. I forced my eyes open to see Walker Hamilton's face above mine, panic and concern etched into his features.

"Hold on," he urged, his voice breaking. "Please hold on."

As he cradled me against his chest, I felt something warm and wet falling onto my face—his tears mingling with the rain.

"My wolf," I whispered, feeling the emptiness inside me. "She's gone..."

"That's not true," Walker said fiercely, his eyes glowing with determination. "She's just waiting. And I'll be here when she wakes up."

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me completely was Walker's face, his expression shifting from desperation to resolve as he carried me away from the river that had nearly claimed my life—and had already claimed so much more.

Darkness surrounded me, a void so complete that I couldn't tell if I was alive or dead. Voices floated around me, distant and distorted as if coming through water.

"Her pulse is weakening again," a female voice said, panic edging her words.

"Rory, stay with me," another voice commanded, deeper and more familiar. Walker. "You can't leave now."

Something warm pressed against my hand—his palm, calloused but gentle. I wanted to respond, to squeeze back, but my body refused to obey.

"The rejection trauma is too severe," the female voice—Maya, the Silver Moon Pack's healer—said. "Her spirit is drifting."

"Then we'll anchor it," Walker replied, his voice taking on that Alpha edge that made my heart flutter weakly. "Use the old Luna ritual."

I felt something cool touch my forehead—herbs mixed with water from the sacred spring. The scent was sharp and earthy, cutting through the fog in my mind.

"Rory Warren," Walker whispered, his breath warm against my ear. "Remember when we were children and you fell from that oak tree? You were so small then, but you got right back up. You're stronger than this."

Memories flickered through my consciousness—Walker's younger face, his eyes wide with concern as he helped me to my feet. The two of us racing through the forest, laughing...

"That's it," he murmured. "Stay with me."

Days blurred together in a haze of pain and half-consciousness. Sometimes I heard Maya's frustrated sighs as she changed my bandages or administered bitter medicines. Other times it was Walker's voice, steady and unwavering, telling me stories of our childhood, promises of safety.

"I won't leave you," he would whisper when night fell. "Not until you're ready to wake up."

On the seventh day, something shifted inside me. A warmth began to spread from my chest outward, like sunlight breaking through clouds. I felt my eyelids flutter.

"Rory?" Walker's voice was rough with exhaustion. "Can you hear me?"

I forced my eyes open, the light stabbing at my vision. Walker's face came into focus above me—unshaven, dark circles under his eyes, but his expression lighting up with relief.

"You're awake," he breathed.

Memory crashed back like a tidal wave. The rejection ceremony. The rogues. The river. My hand flew to my stomach.

"The baby," I whispered, already knowing the answer from the hollow feeling inside me.

Walker's face crumpled with shared grief. "I'm so sorry."

Tears burned behind my eyes, but wouldn't fall. Something else was building inside me—something hot and fierce.

"Wells," I managed, my voice a rasp. "He chose her."

Walker took my hand carefully, as if I might shatter. "When you were both in the river, he... he saved Callie first."

A sound escaped me—not quite a cry, more like a growl. The pain inside me transformed, crystallizing into something sharp and deadly.

"Rory?" Walker's eyes widened.

I felt it then—a presence inside me, stirring for the first time. My wolf. She had been dormant all my life, but now she was rising, born from betrayal and loss and rage.

"Something's happening," I gasped as heat flooded my veins.

Walker's expression shifted from concern to awe. "Your wolf," he whispered. "She's awakening."

She surged forward with a fury that took my breath away. Not the gentle, submissive presence I'd expected—this was a predator, forged in trauma and fury. Her power coursed through me, silver-streaked and wild.

"Hello, Aurora," she growled inside my mind.

Weeks passed as I recovered in Silver Moon territory. My body healed faster than Maya had expected, my new wolf lending me strength I'd never possessed before.

"Again," Walker instructed as we stood in the training clearing. "Feel her strength merging with yours."

I closed my eyes and reached for Aurora. She responded immediately, our consciousness blending until I couldn't tell where I ended and she began.

"Now," Walker said quietly.

I struck out with a speed and power that sent the training dummy flying across the clearing.

"Good," Walker nodded, his eyes reflecting pride. "You're learning fast."

I stared at my hands, still trembling slightly from the exertion. "Why now? After all these years?"

"Sometimes trauma awakens what was always there," Walker said gently. "And sometimes... sometimes what doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

I looked up at him, this Alpha who had saved me when my own mate had left me to die.

"I want to be strong enough," I said, my voice steady with newfound resolve. "Strong enough that no one can ever hurt me like this again."

Aurora growled her approval inside me, and I felt my eyes flash silver.

"Then we'll make sure you are," Walker promised.