My mate Darius looked at me as if I were something beneath him.

“Accept it, Serena,” he said. “This is bigger than you. I’m thinking of the pack, something you clearly wouldn’t understand.”

The laughter that followed was deafening, the sound ringing in my ears as I turned and ran.

The cool night air hit my face as I stumbled into the forest, tears streaming down my cheeks. My knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my chest as the mate bond burned through me like fire.

Why? I asked, my voice shaking.

He’s a fool, Asha, my wolf growled, though her voice was tinged with pain. He’ll regret this.

But I wasn’t so sure.

The voices from the hall carried into the night, faint but sharp enough to pierce through my despair.

“She’s nothing,” Liana’s voice said, sweet and mocking. “Just a pebble under our feet.”

The words echoed in my mind as I curled into myself, the bond screaming its agony through every part of me.

The next morning, I stayed in my room, my body numb with exhaustion. But I couldn’t hide forever.

A sharp knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts.

When I opened it, Darius stood there, his presence as overwhelming as ever.

“What do you want?” I snapped, though my voice lacked strength.

He leaned against the doorframe, his lips curling into a smirk.

“I thought about it,” he said casually, as if last night hadn’t happened. “And I’ve decided I can’t let you go entirely.”

I blinked at him, stunned. “What?”

He stepped inside without waiting for permission, his dark eyes scanning the room.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he said, his voice soft but patronizing. “The bond. It’s still there. I can feel it too.”

My stomach churned. “So what?”

“So,” he said, his smirk widening, “I’ve come up with a solution. You’ll stay by my side. Secretly, of course. Liana doesn’t have to know.”

It took a moment for his words to sink in, but when they did, my chest burned with anger.

“You want me to be your mistress?” I asked, my voice rising.

“Don’t think of it that way,” he said, waving off my words as if they were ridiculous. “You’ll be fulfilling the bond, and I’ll be securing the pack’s future. It’s a win-win, really.”

My hand moved before I could stop it. The sharp crack echoed in the room, louder than anything I could’ve said.

For a moment, Darius froze, his head snapping to the side. But then, to my horror, he laughed. Low and cold. His smirk widened as he turned back to me, his dark eyes glinting with amusement.

“You really are braver than I thought,” he said, his voice sharp and mocking. “But bravery won’t save you.”

Before I could back away, his hand shot out, gripping my wrist. His fingers dug into my skin just enough to remind me of his strength, his dominance. He pulled me closer, his breath brushing against my ear.

“I’ll have my way, Serena,” he murmured. “Sooner or later, you’ll accept your place.”

The heat of his presence suffocated me, but I yanked my arm free, my heart pounding. “Never,” I spat, my voice trembling with fury.

The cold smirk never left his face. “We’ll see,” he said, stepping back, his expression unreadable now. “Don’t forget—no one else will have you. I’m your mate, Serena. No one else would want a rejected Luna.”

His words cut deeper than I wanted to admit, but I forced myself to lift my chin. “You’re not my alpha, Darius. Not anymore.”

I didn’t wait for his response. I turned and walked away, my knees shaking, my chest heaving.

---

The days that followed were worse than I could’ve imagined.

Darius didn’t touch me again, but his cold disdain was suffocating. He didn’t need to lay a hand on me to make his feelings clear. Every time I entered a room, he acted as if I were invisible. When his gaze did fall on me, it was with an indifference that cut deeper than anger ever could.

But that wasn’t the worst of it.

The pack turned against me, their whispers trailing me everywhere I went.

“Rejected by the alpha.”

“She’s not Luna material.”

“Pathetic.”

Even my so-called friends avoided me. Camila, the one person I thought I could count on, barely acknowledged me. Her loyalty shifted overnight, her laughter now reserved for Liana’s jokes and Darius’s approval.

And Liana...

She didn’t even try to hide her glee. Every time I saw her, she was draped over Darius, her golden hair spilling over his arm, her smile smug and victorious. She didn’t need to say anything most of the time—her presence was enough.

But when she did speak, her words were weapons.

“Oh, Serena,” she said one morning, cornering me in the hallway. “You look so tired. Are you sleeping well? Rejection must be so exhausting.”

I clenched my fists, my wolf Asha growling in my mind. Don’t react. She’s not worth it.

Liana leaned closer, her tone dropping to a mockingly gentle whisper. “You should try accepting it. Maybe then you’ll stop embarrassing yourself.”

I walked away without a word, but her laughter followed me, light and cruel.

The whispers turned into more than just words.

Little things started happening. My training gear disappeared. My meals vanished before I could get to them. Someone spilled water on my papers during a meeting, offering a fake apology as the pack laughed behind me.

I tried to endure it, to stay strong, but the weight of it all was suffocating.

It all came to a head one night.

I returned to my room after another long day, my steps dragging with exhaustion. As I approached my door, I noticed it was slightly ajar.

My stomach sank.

Be careful, Asha warned, her tone sharp.

I pushed the door open and froze.

My belongings were scattered everywhere. My clothes were ripped, my books torn apart. The small mirror on my desk was shattered, shards of glass glinting in the faint moonlight.

But it was the word scrawled across the wall that sent a chill down my spine.

“UNWORTHY.”

---

The pack meeting two days later was supposed to be routine, but the tension in the air told me otherwise.

I sat near the back of the hall, keeping my head down as the pack gathered. Liana stood at the front, radiant and poised, her golden hair gleaming under the chandeliers.

When she smiled, I knew something was coming.

“I’m so sorry to interrupt,” she said, her voice sweet and apologetic, “but I have something important to share.”

Darius, standing beside her, raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Liana turned to face the crowd, her expression carefully composed. “It’s come to my attention that one of our own has been... dishonest.”

Whispers rippled through the room as she continued.

“An heirloom belonging to my family has gone missing,” she said, placing a hand over her heart. “It’s a priceless piece, one that holds great sentimental value.”

“And I’m heartbroken to say that I believe Serena is responsible.”