Chapter 2

SERENA POV

"Well done, my child."

I recognized my mother's voice immediately.

"I knew you would never disappoint me. I raised you well enough. You always know what we want, and you always know how to satisfy us. Good job, my daughter."

Despite the pain crushing my chest, despite the agony burning inside me, I turned around and smiled. I made myself look calm, composed, as if nothing had happened. As if my heart hadn't just been torn apart.

"Good evening, Mother," I said softly. "What are you and Father doing here?"

"Nothing," she replied lightly. "We only wanted to see what you and that little mate of yours were up to." Her lips curved into a pleased smile. "But you did well. You made us very happy today. You proved to me that I raised you properly. You never forgot our teachings."

My stomach twisted.

"What- you know about him?" I asked, forcing surprise into my tone. "Mother, Father, trust me. I want nothing to do with him. I just rejected him. I was only playing along to see how a mate bond feels."

Every word hurt, but I had no choice.

"We know, Serena," my father, Alpha Asher, said calmly. "We were watching. We saw everything that happened."

My mother nodded in approval. "And you did well by rejecting him without us having to tell you or take action ourselves. That is how an Alpha's daughter should behave. You need someone of status. Never forget, you are meant to be with the Alpha King. That boy was nothing but a rogue."

"Yes, Father," I said quietly. "I know my duty. I will never forget it."

"That's good," my mother said, satisfied. "We'll be leaving now."

They turned and walked away.

Even after they were gone, their voices carried back to me. Werewolves had heightened hearing, and unfortunately, I heard everything.

"Didn't I tell you to relax?" my mother said proudly. "She would never defy us. I know the daughter I raised. She will always obey."

"I know," my father replied. "I should have trusted you. Now stop talking. Enough bragging."

Their footsteps faded.

I sank fully onto the damp forest floor, my body trembling as if I had run for miles. My hands shook, fingers scraping the soil as I tried to anchor myself. Every heartbeat felt like a hammer striking my chest. Breathing was heavy, ragged, shallow.

I tried to stand. I really did. But my legs buckled beneath me. The forest spun, leaves blurring into streaks of green and gold. My head throbbed, splitting with every thought of him, of what I'd done.

Artemis growled in frustration inside my mind. You're weak, Serena! Stand! Fight! He's out there, our mate!

I shook my head, tears streaming freely. My body felt like it belonged to someone else, so fragile, so breakable. I had been told all my life that I was destined for strength, for leadership. Yet here I was, crumpled on the cold earth like a child.

A shiver ran down my spine, not from the cold but from the raw, unrelenting ache in my chest. My mind was screaming, my heart bleeding. Every instinct, every fiber of my being screamed to reach him, to call him back. But my body refused.

When I finally reopened the mental barrier I had placed between Artemis and me, her anguish poured into me like a tidal wave.

I had blocked her when my parents were there. She had wanted to take control, to fight them, to claw at them for making me have no choice but to reject our mate.

And she was right.

I rejected him because of them.

As soon as the connection reopened, Artemis surged forward, her pain crashing into mine. She howled inside me, furious and broken.

Why is my life like this?

Why are my parents like this?

Every other parent wishes for their child's happiness. They protect them. They listen. They care.

But mine never did.

All they ever cared about was power. Position. Pack alliances. What could make the Crescent Moon Pack stronger.

To them, I am nothing but a tool. A bargaining piece. A daughter born only to be traded to the Alpha King of the Werewolf Kingdom to secure protection, favor and provide a male heir of royal blood.

Because in their eyes, I am weak.

A woman.

Someone unfit to rule or protect the pack on her own.

My dreams mean nothing to them. My feelings mean nothing. My happiness is meaningless compared to their ambition.

Is it so wrong to crave their affection? Is it wrong to want them to love me as their daughter, not as a future queen or political shield?

"You are nothing but a coward, Serena," Artemis snapped inside me, her voice sharp with fury. "I told you to let us confront them. To challenge them. But you said no because they are our parents."

"Yes," I whispered brokenly. "I am a coward."

My chest tightened, and tears streamed freely now, soaking into the earth beneath me.

"I had no choice," I cried. "I let our mate go to protect him. I had to."

Artemis softened, her anger turning into pain. "I know," she said quietly. "And I didn't mean it like that. But we can't keep obeying them forever. Our mate was supposed to be our refuge. Our strength. The one who would complete us and make us whole."

Her voice cracked.

"But because of them, we were forced to reject him. And it hurts. It hurts so much."

I clutched my chest, feeling the ache pulse with every heartbeat.

"We can't keep suffering just to be a good daughter," Artemis continued. "To them, we aren't really their child. We're someone meant to follow orders. Someone who must never complain. Never resist."

I knew she was right.

But knowing didn't change anything.

"They're my parents," I whispered weakly. "What am I supposed to do?"

But the truth was already there.

They were hurting me. Breaking me. Slowly, deliberately.

The pain Artemis and I were going through was unbearable. It wrapped around my heart, crushing it, until even breathing felt difficult.

I had never known pain like this before.

Nothing hurts more than emotional pain. It seeps into every part of you. Even my body ached as if I had been beaten, even though no physical blow had been struck.

And it all started the moment I met Jayden.

The moment I laid eyes on him one week ago, I knew.

He was my mate.

I fell for him instantly. Completely. He carried an oppressive, restrained aura around him that didn't match an ordinary rogue at all. Even without his ability to shift, his presence was powerful. Commanding. Dangerous.

He felt like someone with a past. Someone with secrets. Someone far more than what he appeared to be.

And yet, he was gentle with me.

He did everything he could to make me smile. To make me feel seen. Safe. Wanted.

That one week we spent together was the happiest time of my life.

For the first time, I forgot about my parents' expectations. Forgot about duty. Forgot about being an Alpha's daughter.

Artemis and Zion got along easily, like they had known each other forever. Even though Jayden couldn't shift, his wolf was still there. Strong. Present. Connected.

Even now, I could still feel the mate bond.

It hadn't shattered. It hadn't disappeared.

It felt... hidden. Buried. Waiting.

I had promised to take him to my parents today.

I had been so happy. So hopeful.

Until I accidentally overheard my parents' conversation last night.

That was when everything changed.

That was when I realized I could never choose myself.

And that was when I knew.

Loving Jayden meant losing him.

Chapter 3

SERENA POV

I didn't mean to hear it.

If I had known that standing still for just a few seconds longer would shatter everything I loved, I would have run. I would have covered my ears. I would have shifted and disappeared into the forest until my lungs burned and my legs gave out.

But I stayed.

And as much as it destroyed me, I am also glad I did, because hearing their plans was the only reason Jayden was still alive.

I stood frozen in the corridor outside my parents' room, my hand hovering inches from the door. Artemis flickered alert inside me. I could hear my parents' steady heartbeats even through the walls, smell the faint trace of their cologne, and catch the suppressed tension in the air.

Every instinct screamed danger, every fur along my spine bristled. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure they would hear it. Every breath felt shallow, forced, like my chest was being slowly crushed.

Then my name slipped from my mother's lips.

"Serena and that rogue," Luna Lily, my mom said calmly, almost amused. "He truly believes he belongs here."

My breath caught painfully in my throat.

I pressed myself closer to the wall, my pulse racing wildly.

"He's Serena's mate," my father replied flatly. "I've already confirmed it."

Artemis rumbled low in my mind, claws scratching the edges of my thoughts. Our territory, our mate, threatened, I felt a flare of possessiveness so strong it made my chest tighten. "Stay back" I said and she hissed, fierce and warning. "He's ours. No one touches him."

The world tilted.

Mate.

They knew.

My legs trembled, weakness flooding through me, but I forced myself to stay upright. Every instinct screamed at me to burst into the room, to confront them, to defend him, but fear rooted me to the spot.

My muscles twitched with the urge to leap, my heart pounding in time with Artemis' desperate cries. I wanted to protect him, even if my legs wouldn't obey.

"So it's true," my mother continued, her voice smooth and thoughtful. "I suspected as much. She's been softer lately. Smiling. Distracted."

My father scoffed. "She was planning to bring him to us tomorrow. To ask for our approval."

Approval.

The word sliced straight through my chest.

I had imagined it so differently. I had imagined them angry, shouting, resistance but eventually, understanding and accepting him. I had imagined them seeing Jayden for who he truly was. Gentle. Loyal. Good.

I had hoped.

How foolish I had been.

My mother laughed softly. "A rogue who can't even shift. Fate truly has a cruel sense of humor."

"He's useless," my father said coldly. "And dangerous. If the Alpha King ever learns that our daughter's mate is a nobody, our pack will be ruined. We will lose everything. Serena becoming Alpha would be the end of us."

There was a pause.

Then my mother spoke again, her tone slow and deliberate.

"We can't reject him openly," she said. "Not yet."

My heart skipped violently.

"What do you mean?" my father asked.

"We pretend to accept him," she replied smoothly. "Let Serena believe we've softened. Let the rogue believe he's safe."

A chill crawled down my spine.

"And then?" my father asked.

"And then," she said calmly, "we arrange an accident."

My hands flew to my mouth as nausea surged through me.

"We caught him red-handed," she continued, unbothered. "Accuse him of attempting to force himself on one of our pack girls. A crime no one will forgive."

My stomach lurched violently, bile rising in my throat. Artemis snapped violently, raking claws against the inside of my mind, teeth bared, growling with a fury that made my head spin.

Rage, betrayal, protectiveness, it coursed through me as if my veins carried wildfire instead of blood. My wolf wanted to hunt, strike, tear apart anyone who dared threaten our mate.

"No one will question it," my father said slowly, understanding dawning in his voice. "A rogue. No status. No protection."

"Exactly," my mother replied. "We execute him quietly. Cleanly. We look righteous. Serena will be heartbroken, yes, but she'll recover. She always does."

My vision blurred.

They were planning to kill him.

Jayden.

My mate.

Using lies. Using cruelty. Using my trust.

I staggered back, my knees threatening to give out.

Artemis screamed inside me, her voice raw with terror and fury.

They'll kill him, Serena. They'll kill him.

My chest felt like it was caving in. Every breath burned. My hands shook uncontrollably as tears spilled down my face.

I couldn't let that happen.

I wouldn't.

There was only one way to save him.

Only one.

I had to make him leave.

I had to make him hate me.

I had to reject him so completely, so cruelly, that he would never stay. Never look back. Never come near this pack again.

Even if it destroyed him.

Especially if it destroyed me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered into the empty hallway, my voice breaking. "I'm so sorry."

That was why I rejected him.

That was why I looked into Jayden's eyes and forced those hateful words past my lips. Why I watched the light fade from his gaze. Why I felt the bond tear and bury itself deep inside my chest instead of breaking completely?

That was the moment I chose his life over my heart.

And I don't regret it.

I never will.

Because loving him while keeping him here would have meant his death.

I pushed myself upright, wiping my tears as best as I could. Artemis trembled inside me, wounded but resolute.

We must stay strong, she said quietly. We can't break now.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice hollow. "I know."

And with that, I turned away from everything I loved and faded into the darkness.

************************************************

JAYDEN POV

Pain.

That was all there was.

Pain and silence.

The forest swallowed me as I ran, my feet pounding against the earth, my chest burning, my thoughts spiraling out of control.

I didn't understand.

One moment, she was warm. Gentle. Herself.

The next, she looked at me like I was nothing.

Like I meant nothing.

"I was just curious how mate bonds felt."

The words echoed in my head like a blade, slicing deeper with every repetition.

I stumbled to a stop, gripping a tree trunk as my breathing turned ragged. My hands shook violently.

She lied.

She had to be lying.

Because the Serena I knew wouldn't look at me that way. Wouldn't say those things. Wouldn't destroy me so completely.

Or maybe I was wrong. Maybe I don't know the real her.

Maybe I was just a fool.

A rogue who believed fate cared about him.

I laughed bitterly, the sound broken and hollow.

Pain slammed into my chest without warning. I gasped, dropping to one knee as something inside me twisted violently.

Zion roared inside my mind, his voice no longer weak, no longer restrained.

She broke the bond, he growled. And in doing so, she broke the seal.

"What seal?" I rasped, clutching my chest as fire spread through my veins.

My body convulsed. Bones cracked. Muscles tore and reformed. Power surged through me in a violent wave, raw and uncontrollable.

I screamed as the earth beneath me cracked.

The air shifted.

The world bowed.

Golden light exploded from my body, blinding and fierce, and for the first time in years, no, in my entire life, I felt whole.

Complete.

Free.

I threw my head back and shifted.

The moonlight kissed every leaf, every stone, and I smelled the tension of the forest, every predator and prey around me. Zion's senses flared, brushing against Serena's presence miles away, searching for her, needing her. My Lycan hummed in tandem, alive, aware, ready.

My Lycan emerged massive and powerful, silver-black fur glowing beneath the moonlight, eyes blazing with ancient authority.

Memories flooded back.

The ambush. The betrayal. The seal forced onto me. My exile.

The truth slammed into place.

I wasn't weak.

I was never weak.

I was a Lycan prince.

And she rejected me.

My wolf snarled, rage and heartbreak colliding violently within me.

"She played us," Zion growled. She chose power over us.

I stared up at the moon, my heart hardening, something dark and resolute settling deep in my chest.

"No," I said quietly. "She chose pain."

I rose to my feet, power still humming through my veins, my jaw tightening.

If she thought she had broken me.

She was wrong.

"I'll become stronger," I vowed to the night. "Stronger than anyone who ever looked down on me."

My eyes burned with cold resolve.

"And when I return," I whispered, "they'll regret ever treating me like nothing."

The moon watched silently as I disappeared into the shadows

A rejected mate no longer.

But a king in the making.

Chapter 4

SERENA POV

THREE YEARS LATER

It has been three years since I rejected Jayden.

Three long years of agony, suffering, pain, and heartbreak.

There isn’t a single day that passes without me feeling the weight of that decision. The pain never truly faded. It still feels fresh, sharp, as if it happened only yesterday. I cannot forget him. I cannot forget the memories we shared, no matter how hard I try.

Now, I am the Alpha of my pack.

At least, that is what the title says.

In truth, I am nothing more than an acting Alpha, an empty position with no real authority. My parents still hold the power. They always have.

I never wanted this role. I never asked for it.

The pack pretends to accept me. They bow their heads, show respect, and call me Alpha, but behind their eyes, I see doubt. Mockery. Disbelief. They do not truly see me as their leader.

Artemis would bristle inside me, sensing the unease hidden behind their polite bows. My pack, my own people, trying to deceive me, the anger that surged through my chest felt primal, like claws raking at my ribs.”

Still, none of them dare voice their opinions.

Not because they believe in me, but because they fear me.

Despite their underestimation, none of them can defeat me. They know it. I know it. And that alone keeps their mouths shut.

My parents are careful. They never disrespect me in public. To the outside world, they present the image of supportive parents who raised a powerful female Alpha. They believe family matters and their true opinions should remain behind closed doors.

They fear that if others discover how much they despise female Alphas, it could cause unrest. Worse, it could invite outsiders to challenge our authority, using the excuse that we have no male heir.

So they play their roles well.

People from other packs envy me. They whisper about how lucky I am to have parents who “support” a female Alpha. Some even wish they were me.

If only they knew the truth.

I was trained to be strong. Brutal, even. Relentless.

Not out of love but out of necessity.

Artemis had taught me to survive, to read danger before it arrived, to anticipate threats. Every harsh word, every cutting look from my parents triggered instincts honed in my wolf form, to fight, to flee, to endure, to assert dominance when threatened. My body remembered even when my mind wanted to forget.

I have no friends. “We don't need them,” Artemis suddenly said in my mind. “You alone is enough for me”

People think I am arrogant. Cold. Too prideful to associate with others. But the truth is far simpler and far crueler.

My parents never allowed me to form friendships freely. They only approved connections with people of status, Alpha daughters, council elders’ children, princesses of allied kingdoms.

But I disliked most of them.

They were rude. Selfish. Arrogant. Wearing false smiles and hidden intentions. I never fit into their world, no matter how hard I tried.

Being the only daughter of Alpha Asher and Luna Lily of the Crescent Moon Pack has never been easy.

Especially when they believe female Alphas are weak.

Especially when they despise what I was born to be.

From the moment I entered this world, my fate was sealed.

I was not raised as a child.

I was raised as a political chess piece.

I was forced to train relentlessly. No freedom. No affection. No warmth.

Since childhood, I have endured verbal and emotional abuse.

“A daughter will ruin us.”

“We never wanted her.”

“She is a burden.”

Words like those cut deeper than claws.

They never laid a hand on me, but sometimes I wish they had. Physical pain fades. Emotional wounds linger, festering in silence. They destroyed my self-esteem and carved trauma deep into my soul.

Some of that pain eased when I shifted at sixteen.

When Artemis awakened.

She became the best thing that ever happened to me.

She is me. My other half. My strength.

From that moment, Artemis was never silent. She breathed alongside me, hunted alongside, felt danger before I did, and roared when I needed courage. My senses sharpened, fur on my arms and spine rising with alertness, nostrils flaring at the faintest scent of deceit, ears tuning into whispers no human should hear.

The moment I awakened her, I was no longer alone. She became my confidant, my protector, my anchor. She knows my thoughts before I voice them, feels my pain before I admit it.

She encourages me. Grounds me. Gives me confidence when I have none left.

Without her, I don’t know how I would have survived.

The sound of the office door opening pulled me from my thoughts.

I looked up.

My parents walked in.

I was seated behind my desk, surrounded by pack documents and official reports, pretending, as always, that I was in control.

Their expressions were bright, excited, almost glowing with satisfaction.

“Mom, Dad, good afternoon,” I said, rising slightly from my chair. “Why are you here? I hope everything is fine.”

“Good afternoon, my dear,” my mother said warmly. “Everything is perfectly fine. In fact, the moment we have been waiting for, anticipating for years, is finally here.”

Her excitement was unmistakable.

My chest tightened.

“What do you mean?” I asked slowly. “What moment, Mom?”

She clasped her hands together, unable to hide her delight. “It has been announced,” she said, practically glowing. “The King’s Choosing Ceremony will commence in one month’s time. The Alpha King has finally decided to choose his mate.”

For a moment, the world went silent.

My mind went blank.

One month.

So this was it.

Artemis stiffened inside me, muscles coiled and senses flaring. Every smell, every shift of the air, every tremor in the floor beneath us screamed tension and anticipation. My body reacted before my mind could process the threat, a low, rumbling growl rolled through me, warning of the storm yet to come.

The moment I had dreaded for years. The moment that had been hovering over my life like a shadow I could never escape. The moment when I would finally become useful to them.

No wonder they were happy.

No wonder they looked so pleased and spoke nicely to me.

My heart sank heavily into my chest as the weight of her words settled in. Every suppressed fear I had buried over the past three years clawed its way back to the surface.

“Don’t you think this is a joyous event?” my mother continued cheerfully. “Not just for us, but for our pack as well.”

Joyous.

The word echoed bitterly in my head.

To them, this was a victory. A reward. Proof that all their planning, control, and sacrifice, my sacrifice, had been worth it.

To me, it felt like a sentence being passed. I wish to roar at them, and tell how I feel.

I forced my face to remain calm, neutral, the way I had been trained to do since childhood. I didn’t let them see the storm raging inside me. I didn’t let them see how my hands trembled slightly at my sides.

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms, suppressing the urge to leap, bare my teeth, or roar. Artemis snarled faintly, frustrated at my restraint, claws scraping the edges of my mind, wanting to strike, wanting to protect, wanting to hunt the deceit and control that reeked from my parents.

“Yes,” I said quietly after a pause. “It is joyous.”

Artemis stirred uneasily inside me, her presence tense and alert.

This was it.

The path had been decided long ago.

And now, it is finally closing in.