Lysandra Pov:

I woke up to someone pounding on my door like they were trying to break it down with their bare fists.

"Miss Vane! Miss Vane, you need to wake up right now!"

I groaned and pulled the pillow over my face. The bed was too comfortable. The room was too quiet. And I really, really didn't want to deal with whatever fresh hell today was going to bring.

The pounding continued. "Miss Vane, please! The council has been summoned! You have to be there in thirty minutes!"

Council? What council?

I dragged myself out of bed and stumbled to the door, yanking it open. Mira was standing there looking absolutely frazzled, her hair coming loose from its bun and her eyes wide with panic.

"What's happening?" I asked, my voice still rough with sleep.

"Emergency council meeting. The High Priestess called it. Everyone has to attend." She thrust a dress at me. It was dark blue and looked even more uncomfortable than yesterday's torture device. "You need to get dressed. Now."

"Can I say no?"

"Not unless you want the Crown Prince to literally drag you there himself."

I took the dress with a sigh. "Fine. But I'm not doing anything fancy with my hair."

"I don't have time to do anything fancy anyway," Mira said, practically pushing me back into the room. "Just get dressed. Quickly."

Twenty minutes later, I was in the dress (which was indeed uncomfortable and had about a thousand buttons again), my hair was in a messy braid, and I was following Mira through the palace corridors at what could only be described as a speed walk.

Servants were whispering as we passed. I caught fragments of their conversations.

"...can't believe she's still here..."

"...heard the Alphas want her gone..."

"...disgrace to the prophecy..."

Great. So the gossip mill was already in full swing.

The council chamber was packed when we arrived. And I mean packed. It looked like every important person in the kingdom had showed up for this meeting. Council members, pack representatives, nobles, advisors. All of them were staring at me the moment I walked in.

The five Alphas were already seated at the head of the long table. Kieran sat in the center like he was holding court, his expression cold enough to freeze fire. Theron was sprawled in his chair, looking at me like I was something he'd scraped off his boot. Cassian had those weird silver eyes fixed on me with what could only be described as clinical disgust. Darius was examining his fingernails (again), but I could see the contempt on his face. And Zane was in the shadows, radiating pure murder energy.

The High Priestess stood beside the table, looking ancient and exhausted.

"Miss Vane," Kieran said, his voice like ice. "How generous of you to finally join us."

"I was asleep," I said. "Some of us actually need rest."

"Some of us also need to learn punctuality," he shot back.

"Some of us didn't ask to be here at all," I countered.

His eyes flashed gold. His wolf was close to the surface. "Sit. Down."

There was an empty chair at the far end of the table, as far from the Alphas as possible while still being in the same room. I walked over and sat, feeling every single pair of eyes tracking my movement.

"Now that we're all present," Kieran began, his voice formal and cold, "we can address the disaster from last night."

"Disaster is putting it mildly," said an old Alpha with grey hair and a scar across his face. "We had a prophecy ceremony. The Blood Moon chose. And all five Alphas rejected their mate. This is unprecedented."

"Because the choice was ridiculous," Theron said bluntly. He didn't even glance at me. "The Moon Goddess chose a wolfless orphan to save the kingdom. That's not a prophecy. That's a joke."

Several people nodded in agreement.

"The Moon Goddess does not joke," the High Priestess said firmly.

"Then she made a mistake," Zane said from his corner, his voice flat and cold. "It happens."

"It does not happen!" The High Priestess slammed her staff on the ground. "The Blood Moon has chosen mates for thousands of years. It has never been wrong."

"There's a first time for everything," Darius said, finally looking up from his nails. "And this is clearly it."

I sat there, listening to them talk about me like I wasn't in the room. Again. This was becoming a pattern.

Lysandra POV :

"The prophecy states that five Alphas must unite with the chosen woman to stop the Void," the High Priestess continued. "Without that unity, the kingdom will fall."

"Then the kingdom will have to find another way," Kieran said. "Because I will not be bound to someone who weakens my bloodline."

"She doesn't even have a wolf," Theron added. "How is she supposed to fight Void beasts? Ask them nicely to leave?"

A few people actually laughed at that.

I felt my face burning but kept my expression blank.

"The girl is useless," said the scarred Alpha. "No power. No wolf. No training. She's a liability and not an asset."

"Exactly," Cassian said, speaking for the first time. Those silver eyes were cold as they landed on me. "I've examined her thoroughly. There's no magical signature. No power. Nothing. Binding myself to her would actively weaken my abilities."

"So we're all in agreement," Darius said. "The rejection stands. We find another solution to the Void problem."

"There is no other solution!" The High Priestess looked like she was about to cry. "The prophecy is clear!"

"Then we'll make a new prophecy," Kieran said dismissively. "Petition the Moon Goddess for a different ceremony. A better candidate."

"You cannot simply petition for a new prophecy!"

"Watch me."

The High Priestess turned to look at me, her eyes desperate. "Child, please. Say something. Make them understand."

All eyes turned to me.

I looked at the five Alphas. At their expressions of disgust and contempt. At the way they couldn't even stand to look at me properly.

"Actually," I said, standing up. "I agree with them."

Dead silence.

"What?" the High Priestess whispered.

"I agree," I repeated. "They don't want me. I don't want them. So let's just end this now."

Kieran's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I reject this bond too." I looked at each of them in turn. "I reject you, Kieran Silvercrest. I reject you, Theron Ironfang. I reject you, Cassian Nightweaver. I reject you, Darius Goldmane. And I reject you, Zane Shadowmere."

I felt something snap inside my chest. Five threads breaking, five bonds severing completely. It should have hurt. The legends said mate rejection was supposed to be agonizing.

Instead, I felt... lighter.

The five Alphas looked surprised for about half a second. Then Theron actually smiled. It wasn't a nice smile.

"Well," he said. "That makes things easier."

"Agreed," Darius said. "No more pretending we have to tolerate her presence."

"This is perfect," Kieran said, and he actually looked relieved. "The bonds are broken on both sides. We can move forward without this... complication."

"Finally," Zane muttered. "I was getting tired of smelling weak blood every time she walked by."

"This is madness!" the High Priestess cried. "You're all mad! The prophecy..."

"Is over," Cassian said coldly. "The bonds are severed. We're free."

"You're not free!" The old woman looked like she was about to collapse. "You've doomed yourselves! All of you!"

"What are you talking about?" Kieran asked, finally showing a hint of concern.

"The prophecy is a binding," she said, her voice shaking. "Once the Blood Moon chooses, the connection is formed. Rejecting it doesn't break the bond. It damages it. And damaged bonds kill."

The room went dead silent.

"Kill how?" Theron asked slowly.

"Slowly and very painfully." The High Priestess looked at each of us. "The broken bonds will drain your life force. All six of you. You'll grow weaker, sicker. Within a year, you'll be dead."

"That's ridiculous," Darius said, but he didn't sound as confident as before.

"It's in the sacred texts. The bonds cannot be broken without consequence."

"Then we'll find a way to reverse it," Kieran said firmly.

"There is only one way to reverse it," she said. "Accept the bonds. Properly. All six of you."

"No," Zane said immediately.

"Absolutely not," Theron agreed.

"I'd rather die," Cassian said flatly.

I almost laughed at that. Almost.

Lysandra POV:

"You will die," the High Priestess insisted. "All of you. Unless you accept the bonds."

"Then we die," Kieran said, and he meant it. I could see it in his eyes. "I will not bind myself to a wolfless weakling. I'd rather face death with dignity than live as a laughingstock."

"Same," Theron said immediately. "I'm a warrior. I face death every day. If this is how I go, so be it. At least I won't be tied to a dead weight."

"My reputation is worth more than my life," Darius added. "Being bound to her would destroy everything I've built. Death is preferable."

"I've made my peace with death a long time ago," Zane said quietly. "This changes nothing."

"Your pride will kill you," the High Priestess said desperately.

"Better than the alternative," Cassian replied, his silver eyes cold. "I've spent my entire life building my power. I will not throw it away to save myself by binding to someone who has nothing to offer."

They all meant it. Every single word. They genuinely would rather die than be mated to me.

The room was in chaos now. Council members shouting, arguing, some agreeing with the Alphas, some begging them to reconsider.

I just stood there, feeling numb.

"Miss Vane," the High Priestess said, turning to me with tears in her eyes. "Surely you don't want to die. Surely you'll convince them to..."

"Why would I convince them of anything?" I interrupted. "They've made their position very clear. They'd rather die than be with me. And honestly? I feel the same way about them."

"You can't mean that," she whispered.

"I absolutely mean it." I looked at the five Alphas. "You five have made it crystal clear that you think I'm worthless. That I'm weak. That I'm an embarrassment. So why would I want to bind myself to you? Why would I spend what's left of my life tied to people who despise me?"

"See?" Kieran said. "She agrees. Problem solved."

"You're all going to die!" the High Priestess screamed.

"Then we die," I said simply. "I'd rather die free than live as someone's unwanted burden."

"This is insanity," the scarred Alpha said. "We need to find another solution."

"There is no other solution," the High Priestess said, her voice breaking. "This is it. Accept the bonds or die."

"Die it is, then," Theron said, crossing his massive arms.

"Agreed," the other four Alphas said in unison.

"I vote for death too," I added. "Since apparently that's what we're voting on."

The High Priestess sank into a chair, looking defeated. "You're all fools."

"Maybe," Kieran said. "But we're fools with our pride intact."

"Pride won't save you from the Void," she said weakly.

"Neither will binding ourselves to a wolfless orphan," he shot back.

I should have felt something. Hurt, maybe. Anger. Something.

But I just felt tired.

"If we're done here," I said, "I'd like to go back to my room."

"You're dismissed," Kieran said, waving his hand like I was a servant.

I walked out of that council chamber with my head held high, even though I could feel everyone staring at me. Could hear the whispers starting up again.

"...she actually agreed to die..."

"...no self-preservation instinct..."

"...good riddance..."

Mira was waiting outside, her face pale. "Miss Vane, I heard everything. Are you... are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I lied. "Just peachy. Apparently I'm going to die in less than a year, but at least I won't have to deal with five Alphas who think I'm garbage."

"This isn't funny," she said.

"I know. But if I don't laugh, I'll cry, and I'm not giving them that satisfaction."

She walked me back to my room in silence. When we got there, she turned to me with worried eyes.

"There has to be another way," she said. "Some way to break the curse without accepting the bonds."

"If there is, the High Priestess would have mentioned it." I sank onto the fancy couch in my sitting room. "Face it, Mira. We're all screwed."

"But you don't want to die."

"Of course I don't want to die," I said. "But I also don't want to spend my life with five people who literally said they'd rather die than be with me. That's not living. That's torture."

She didn't have an answer for that.

After she left, I sat alone in my fancy rooms and stared at nothing.

I was going to die.

In less than a year, I would be gone.

And the crazy thing was, part of me was almost relieved. At least death would be peaceful. At least I wouldn't have to keep fighting, keep pretending, keep being strong when everything inside me was broken.

My wolf stirred, angry at my thoughts.

She didn't want to die. She wanted to fight. Wanted to show these idiots exactly what they'd rejected.

"Not yet," I whispered to her. "Let them think they've won."

I was stronger than all five of them combined.

But they didn't need to know that yet.

Let them think I was weak. Let them think I was nothing.

I'd save the kingdom without them. I'd stop the Demon King. I'd do it all alone, just like I always had.

And when I succeeded, when they realized what they'd rejected, I'd be long gone.

Dead, probably, from these broken bonds.

But at least I'd die knowing I was worth something.

Even if they never figured it out.