The great hall had never felt so cold.

Ivy stood at the far edge of the marble floor, her hands clenched tightly in the folds of her plain gray dress, trying to steady the storm raging inside her chest. The towering stone pillars, carved with centuries of Alpha victories, seemed to loom closer, as if closing in on her. Hundreds of wolves filled the chamber warriors, nobles, elders, servants all murmuring in anticipation.

Today was supposed to be a celebration.

Today was supposed to be hope.

Her heart thudded painfully as the massive doors at the front of the hall swung open.

Trumpets blared.

And he entered.

Rowan Blackthorn.

The Alpha King.

Her mate.

He strode down the aisle with lethal grace, broad shoulders straight, dark hair brushing the collar of his ceremonial cloak. Power rolled off him in visible waves, heavy enough to make lower-ranked wolves bow their heads without thinking. His presence alone demanded submission.

Her bond flared violently.

Heat surged through Ivy's veins, her wolf waking, stretching, crying out to his. The invisible pull tightened, aching, desperate, sacred.

Mine.

The word echoed in her bones.

For a moment just a foolish, fragile moment she allowed herself to believe.

That maybe he had felt it too.

That maybe he would stop. Turn. Look at her the way her soul begged him to.

But Rowan's gaze never strayed from the golden dais ahead.

Never once did he look her way.

The murmurs in the hall shifted into eager whispers as another figure appeared beside him.

Gloria Jay 

She was everything Ivy was not.

Tall. Graceful. Draped in liquid silver silk that clung to her perfect curves. Her pale blonde hair was braided with moonstones, her lips painted the soft rose of a future queen. Power shimmered faintly beneath her skin pure-blooded alpha lineage.

A true Luna.

The sight of her at Rowan's side drove a blade straight through Ivy's chest.

No.

Her breath caught painfully.

No, no, no

The elders rose as Rowan and Glory  stepped onto the platform. Silence thundered across the hall.

Elder Corvin lifted his staff, his ancient eyes sharp. "Pack of Blackwood," he boomed, "we gather today to witness the announcement of our Alpha King's chosen mate and future Luna."

The words rang like a death sentence.

Ivy's legs trembled. The mating bond inside her pulsed wildly, confusion and panic flooding through it. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

Rowan turned to face the crowd.

And finally finally his gaze found her.

For a single heartbeat, the world stilled.

His eyes widened.

Shock. Recognition. Something dangerously close to regret.

Their bond flared, white-hot.

Her wolf surged forward, crying out to him, begging, pleading.

Then his jaw hardened.

The connection slammed shut.

Just like that.

"As Alpha King," Rowan announced, voice cold and resolute, "I present Gloria Jay  as my chosen Luna."

The hall erupted into thunderous applause.

Cheers echoed off stone walls.

Gloria  smiled serenely, placing her hand on Rowan's arm, claiming him publicly.

Ivy couldn't breathe.

It felt like her lungs had collapsed.

Chosen.

Not fated.

Chosen.

Her knees nearly buckled.

She stared at them, disbelief warring with devastation. The bond inside her throbbed painfully, confused, torn, as if it didn't understand how something so sacred could be denied.

Rowan raised his hand, silencing the hall once more.

"There will be a public mating ceremony at the next full moon," he continued. "All packs under Blackwood rule are commanded to attend."

Applause thundered again.

Cheers.

Celebration.

All of it blurred into meaningless noise.

Ivy swayed, gripping the edge of a pillar to stay upright.

The next full moon.

In three days.

Three days until he sealed himself to another woman.

Three days until the bond that tied their souls would become a living, screaming wound.

She barely registered the movement near her.

Not until two guards appeared at her sides.

"Ivy Hale," one said stiffly. "You are summoned before the council."

Her head snapped up.

Summoned?

Whispers rippled outward, eyes turning toward her. Confusion flickered across faces. Pity. Curiosity. Suspicion.

Why would an omega be summoned during a royal announcement?

Rowan stiffened.

His gaze locked onto hers, something dark flashing in his eyes.

Warning.

Fear.

Regret.

She couldn't tell.

The guards gently but firmly guided her forward.

Every step toward the dais felt like walking into her own execution.

The crowd parted, their stares heavy, pressing against her skin. She kept her eyes lowered, heart pounding so loudly she was sure everyone could hear it.

When she reached the base of the platform, Elder Corvin studied her intently.

"You are Ivy Hale," he said slowly. "An omega of no recorded lineage."

"Yes, Elder," she whispered.

A ripple of unease swept through the council.

Rowan's fists clenched at his sides.

"You were seen reacting strongly to the Alpha's presence," Elder Corvin continued. "Explain."

The hall fell into suffocating silence.

This was it.

The moment she had prayed would never come.

Her throat closed.

"I" Her voice shook. "I felt the mating pull."

Gasps burst through the crowd.

Gloria  stiffened.

Rowan inhaled sharply.

Elder Corvin's eyes narrowed. "You claim the Alpha King is your mate?"

The words felt too big. Too impossible.

But they were the truth.

"Yes," Ivy said, lifting her chin despite the terror ripping through her. "He is."

Chaos exploded.

Outrage. Laughter. Fury.

An omega claiming the Alpha King?

Blasphemy.

Rowan stepped forward. "Enough."

The hall quieted instantly.

He descended the steps, stopping just in front of her.

Up close, his presence was overwhelming. Power, dominance, command it crushed her senses, made her wolf curl instinctively toward him.

His voice dropped low. "You are mistaken."

Her heart cracked.

"I'm not," she whispered. "You felt it too."

For a split second, his control wavered.

Then his expression hardened into something ruthless.

"There is no bond between us," he said coldly, loud enough for all to hear. "You are an omega. I am the Alpha King. Do not disgrace this hall with delusions."

Each word struck like a lash.

A sob burned in her throat, but she swallowed it down.

"I would never lie about this," she said hoarsely.

"You will not speak again," Rowan snapped.

Elder Corvin slammed his staff against the floor. "Enough. This matter will be addressed after the ceremony. Ivy Hale, you will remain under guard."

Guards seized her arms.

Panic surged.

"No please"

Rowan turned away.

Just like that.

He returned to Gloria's side, placing a possessive hand on her waist.

The message was clear.

He had made his choice.

And it was not her.

As she was dragged from the hall, the last thing Ivy saw was Gloria  faint, triumphant smile.

And the last thing she felt was her bond screaming in agony.

By the time the chamber doors slammed shut behind her, Ivy was shaking from head to toe.

Her world had shattered in a single announcement.

Mate.

Rejection.

Humiliation.

All woven into a single, unbearable truth.

She slid down the cold stone wall, clutching her chest as sobs finally broke free.

Somewhere deep inside, her wolf stirred.

Not weak.

Not broken.

Angry.

And for the first time in her life, Ivy felt something dark begin to awaken.

Something ancient.

Something powerful.

Something that did not belong to an omega at all.

Pain woke her.

Not the sharp kind.

Not the fleeting kind.

But the deep, soul-wrenching agony that felt like something inside her was being ripped apart and crushed at the same time.

Ivy gasped, jerking upright on the narrow cot in the guard chamber, her lungs burning as though she'd been underwater for too long. Cold stone walls surrounded her. Iron bars cut across the narrow window. Torches flickered, casting trembling shadows.

A prison cell.

Her chest tightened.

Memory crashed down on her in a brutal wave.

Rowan.

Gloria.

The announcement.

The rejection.

Her wolf howled inside her, raw and wounded.

She curled forward, pressing her fist to her sternum, trying to breathe through the agony. Every beat of her heart sent fresh lightning through her veins.

They had locked her away like a criminal.

A knock echoed.

Before she could respond, the door swung open.

Two guards entered, their expressions stiff, uneasy.

"The Alpha King summons you," one said.

Her heart stuttered.

Summons.

Hope flared before she could stop it.

Maybe

No.

She crushed the thought before it could bloom.

They escorted her through long corridors carved from ancient black stone. The deeper they went into the royal wing, the heavier the air became, thick with dominance and authority. Powerful wolves lined the hallways elite guards, council members, noble bloodlines.

Every gaze turned toward her.

Some curious.

Some hostile.

Some openly contemptuous.

The omega who dared claim the Alpha King.

The doors to the Great Hall opened.

And Ivy walked back into her nightmare.

The hall was even more crowded than before. Representatives from surrounding packs had arrived, their scents foreign and sharp. The tension in the air was suffocating.

At the front, Rowan stood upon the raised dais, flanked by the Elders.

And beside him

Gloria 

Her hand rested lightly on Rowan's arm, possessive. Her posture was flawless. Her chin lifted.

The future queen.

Ivy's steps faltered.

The bond inside her screamed.

Rowan's eyes found her.

Something dark flickered there conflict, tension, something dangerously close to regret.

But his face hardened.

Cold.

Controlled.

Royal.

She was guided to the center of the hall.

Alone.

Exposed.

Elder Corvin stepped forward, his voice echoing. "Ivy Hale, you stand accused of claiming a false mating bond with the Alpha King."

Murmurs erupted.

Shame burned up her throat.

"I did not lie," Ivy said, her voice shaking but loud. "I felt the bond. He felt it too."

Every muscle in Rowan's body tensed.

"You dare persist?" Elder Corvin snapped.

"I dare speak the truth," she whispered.

Gloria  let out a soft, delicate laugh. "This is becoming embarrassing," she said gently. "Poor thing. The mating heat can cause delusions in low-ranked wolves."

Laughter rippled through the hall.

Ivy flinched.

Rowan said nothing.

Elder Corvin raised his staff. "Alpha King Rowan Blackthorn. Do you acknowledge this omega as your fated mate?"

The hall went dead silent.

Every breath held.

Every eye locked on Rowan.

Ivy's heart pounded so violently she thought it might shatter her ribs.

He looked at her.

For a long, unbearable moment.

Their bond pulsed wildly, screaming, pulling, begging.

She could feel his wolf.

Conflicted.

Furious.

Restrained.

Then his jaw tightened.

"No," Rowan said.

The single word struck like a blade through her soul.

"I do not," he continued coldly. "There is no mating bond. This omega is mistaken."

Gasps.

Outrage.

Shock.

Ivy swayed.

The world tilted.

"No..." she whispered.

Rowan stepped forward, his gaze hard as steel. "I reject you."

The hall erupted.

But Ivy heard nothing.

Her bond exploded.

Agony tore through her veins, searing, violent, absolute.

She screamed.

The pain was beyond anything she had ever known worse than broken bones, worse than burns, worse than death itself.

It felt like her soul was being ripped in half.

She collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as white-hot lightning ripped through her body.

Her wolf howled in agony.

Her heart fractured.

Her vision blurred.

She barely registered Rowan's sharp intake of breath.

Barely saw him stagger back a step.

Barely heard the elders shouting.

The pain intensified.

Her skin burned.

Her bones vibrated.

Something inside her snapped.

Power surged.

Not omega power.

Not beta power.

Something ancient.

Something forbidden.

The torches lining the walls flickered violently.

Wind exploded through the hall.

The marble floor cracked beneath her palms.

The scent of dominance flooded the air.

Not Rowan's.

Hers.

A thunderous shockwave blasted outward, throwing warriors back several feet. Noble wolves slammed into pillars. Elders stumbled.

Rowan cried out, dropping to one knee.

A strangled gasp tore from his throat.

His aura flickered.

Shattered.

Ivy's head snapped up.

She stared at him in horror.

The Alpha King on his knees.

Power drained.

His dominance crumbling.

"What is happening?" Elder Corvin roared.

Ivy could feel it.

She was pulling something from Rowan.

Draining him.

Consuming his Alpha authority.

"No"  she whispered, terrified. "Stop please"

But her body no longer obeyed her.

Energy surged uncontrollably.

Rowan collapsed fully, both hands braced against the floor, his breath ragged, veins standing out in his neck.

The hall descended into chaos.

"Kill her!"

"Stop her!"

"Shield the Alpha!"

Warriors surged forward.

Elder witches began chanting frantically.

But the power only intensified.

Runes burned to life beneath Ivy's skin.

Her eyes flashed molten gold.

Her wolf roared.

And then

Silence.

The power snapped back into her body.

The hall went deathly still.

Ivy slumped forward, collapsing onto the shattered marble.

Rowan lay several feet away, pale, trembling, his dominance completely gone.

Horrified whispers swept through the hall.

"She drained him..."

"She stole his Alpha power..."

"She's a monster..."

Ivy tried to move.

Tried to breathe.

But darkness closed in.

The last thing she saw was Rowan struggling to reach her.

And  Gloria  screaming in fury.

Pain became everything.

It swallowed Ivy whole.

It tore through her veins, shattered her bones, burned through her soul.

She screamed.

The sound ripped from her throat, raw and broken, echoing violently through the vast Great Hall. Her knees slammed into the marble floor as white-hot agony detonated inside her chest. It felt as though something ancient had awakened inside her and was now tearing its way free.

Her wolf howled in terror.

The bond.

The rejection.

The shattering of something sacred.

It all collided at once, ripping her apart.

"Ivy!" someone shouted.

She barely heard it.

Her vision blurred, golden sparks exploding behind her eyes. The hall spun violently. Faces became shadows. Voices became distant echoes.

And then

Power surged.

Not the gentle warmth of omega energy.

Not the quiet resilience of survival.

This was something monstrous.

Something vast.

Something wrong.

A shockwave blasted outward.

Marble cracked.

Torches along the walls flared violently, flames bending toward her as if bowing. Warriors staggered backward, thrown several feet across the hall. Noble wolves slammed into pillars. The council's protective shields shattered like glass.

At the center of the chaos, Ivy gasped, her body arching as glowing runes ignited beneath her skin.

Rowan cried out.

The sound cut through the madness.

Ivy's head snapped up.

He stood frozen on the dais, his face drained of color. His aura once overwhelming, once crushing flickered violently around him.

And then it collapsed.

A strangled gasp tore from his throat.

His knees buckled.

"No" Rowan whispered, clutching his chest.

He dropped to one knee.

The Alpha King brought low.

A collective cry of horror ripped through the hall.

"What is happening?!"

"Protect the Alpha!"

"Kill her now!"

Ivy stared at him in terror.

She could feel it.

Power was pouring into her.

Not just energy.

Authority.

Dominance.

Alpha command.

She was draining him.

"No please stop!" she sobbed, clawing at her chest. "I don't want this!"

But her body no longer obeyed her.

The bond, broken and burning, had become a conduit.

Energy roared through her veins like wildfire.

Rowan groaned, collapsing fully to the floor, his hands braced against the shattered marble. Veins stood out sharply along his neck, his breathing ragged, uneven.

The once-invincible Alpha King was shaking.

Weak.

Helpless.

Elder Corvin slammed his staff down. "Witches! Containment circle now!"

Three witches rushed forward, chanting ancient words, their hands glowing as they attempted to erect a binding barrier around Ivy.

The power tore through it effortlessly.

Their circle exploded in a burst of blinding light, hurling them backward.

A scream ripped from Gloria Jay's throat.

She rushed toward Rowan, dropping to her knees beside him. "Rowan! Rowan, look at me please!"

But his eyes were unfocused, glassy with pain.

"I I can't feel my wolf," he rasped.

Gloria froze.

Her face drained of all color.

Around them, panic erupted.

This had never happened.

In the history of werewolves, an omega had never drained an Alpha's dominance.

Never.

Ivy's skin burned as the runes beneath it glowed brighter, crawling like living fire across her arms, her collarbone, her throat.

Her wolf was no longer howling.

It was roaring.

Ancient.

Feral.

Territorial.

Her scent shifted violently, no longer soft and submissive, but sharp, commanding, overwhelming.

Royal.

The entire hall reeled beneath it.

Wolves bowed instinctively, their bodies betraying them as her dominance crushed through the chamber.

Elder Corvin staggered. "Impossible..."

Rowan coughed, blood spotting his lips.

That was it.

The sight shattered her.

"No!" Ivy screamed.

She dragged herself across the broken floor, reaching for him. "Stop please take it back I don't want it!"

Her fingers brushed his.

The moment their skin touched

The power snapped back.

The energy collapsed into her body like a dying star, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.

The pressure vanished.

The flames settled.

The hall stilled.

Ivy slumped forward, collapsing beside Rowan, her body trembling violently as the last of the power sank into her bones.

Everything went quiet.

Deadly quiet.

Rowan lay unmoving.

His chest rose slowly, shallow breaths barely stirring.

His aura was gone.

Completely.

The Alpha King had no dominance.

No authority.

No power.

Only flesh and blood.

A broken silence spread across the Great Hall.

Then the whispers began.

"She drained him..."

"She stole his Alpha power..."

"She's a demon..."

"A monster..."

Terror.

Hatred.

Revulsion.

Ivy tried to push herself up, but her limbs refused to obey. Her body felt like shattered glass, every nerve screaming.

She turned her head toward Rowan.

His face was pale, strained, but alive.

Relief nearly crushed her.

At least he was alive.

"Seize her!" Elder Corvin roared.

Heavy hands grabbed her arms, yanking her away from Rowan.

"No-don't touch her!" Gloria screamed, throwing herself in front of Rowan.

"She did this!" one of the elders snapped. "She is a threat to the realm!"

"She must die," another growled.

Execution.

The word echoed in Ivy's mind.

Her heart clenched painfully.

Rowan struggled to lift his head. "Stop..."

The command was weak.

It held no power.

The realization slammed into him with devastating force.

For the first time in his life, his word meant nothing.

Shock flickered in his eyes.

Fear.

Something dangerously close to despair.

Ivy's chest tightened.

She had broken him.

Guards dragged her toward the exit.

Her strength was gone. Her body sagged uselessly between them.

She didn't fight.

She didn't beg.

She simply stared back at Rowan.

Their eyes locked.

The broken bond flickered weakly between them, pulsing with pain and something dangerously close to regret.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Then the doors slammed shut between them.

They threw her into a stone chamber deep beneath the palace.

Chains snapped around her wrists and ankles, cold iron biting into her skin.

The door slammed.

Darkness swallowed her.

Ivy slid down the wall, curling into herself as silent tears streamed down her face.

She didn't understand what she was.

What she had done.

What she had become.

But she knew one thing with terrifying certainty.

Her life as an omega was over.

Far beyond the Blackwood territory, ancient forces stirred.

Forgotten eyes opened.

Old blood recognized its own.

And deep within the shadows, a voice whispered her name.