The rejection changed everything. By the time I left the Moon Temple, the entire pack knew what had happened. Whispers followed me through the streets, slipping from one person to another like a disease. Some wolves openly stared while others quickly looked away when they noticed me watching. The pity in their eyes was unbearable. I kept walking, ignoring the burning ache in my chest and the tears threatening to fall. Just a few hours ago, I had believed I was the luckiest woman in Blackwood Pack. The Moon Goddess had revealed Alpha Kael Blackwood as my fated mate. For one beautiful moment, I thought every dream I had ever carried in my heart was finally coming true. Then Kael destroyed those dreams with a few cruel words. The memory haunted me with every step I took.

I walked deeper into the forest until the sounds of the village disappeared behind me. The moonlight filtered through the trees, painting silver patterns across the ground. Normally, I loved this forest. It had always been my escape whenever life became overwhelming. Tonight, however, even the familiar woods felt different. Empty. Cold. Lonely. Much like the future stretching out before me. I stopped beside a large oak tree and wrapped my arms around myself. For the first time since leaving the temple, I allowed the tears to fall. They slipped silently down my cheeks as the pain I had been holding back finally broke free. I hated Kael for what he had done. I hated him for rejecting me. I hated him for humiliating me in front of everyone. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop loving him. That was the cruelest part of all.

A sudden crack echoed through the darkness. Instantly, I froze. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me. Every instinct screamed that something was wrong. Slowly, I turned toward the sound, my eyes searching the shadows between the trees. The forest had gone unnaturally quiet. No birds. No insects. Nothing. Fear crept down my spine. Before I could react, three large figures stepped out from the darkness. Rogues. My heart nearly stopped. Their clothes were torn, their eyes wild, and their expressions filled with hunger. They weren't looking for a fight. They were looking for prey.

I backed away slowly, but they spread out and surrounded me. The largest one smiled, revealing yellow teeth. "Looks like we've found something valuable tonight." The others laughed. Panic surged through me. I knew I couldn't outrun them. Still, I refused to surrender without a fight. The first rogue attacked. I moved quickly, barely avoiding his claws.

The second came from the side, forcing me to spin away. For several moments, I fought with everything I had. Adrenaline fueled every movement, but I was badly outnumbered. A powerful blow slammed into my side and sent me crashing against a tree. Pain exploded through my body. My vision blurred. The rogues moved closer, sensing victory.

The largest one grabbed my throat and forced me to look at him. "Any last words?" he asked with a cruel smile.

Then a growl shook the forest.

The sound was so powerful that the ground itself seemed to vibrate. The rogue immediately released me and stepped back. Fear replaced the confidence on his face.

Every rogue turned toward the darkness. I recognized the scent before I saw him. My heart skipped painfully. A massive black wolf emerged from the shadows, his silver eyes glowing beneath the moonlight. Kael.

For a moment, nobody moved. Then chaos erupted. Kael launched himself at the rogues with terrifying speed. The battle was brutal and merciless. One rogue was thrown across the clearing before he even had time to react. Another barely avoided Kael's claws. The Alpha fought as a storm unleashed. Within moments, the rogues realized they were hopelessly outmatched. The survivors fled into the darkness, disappearing between the trees.

Silence returned.

My breathing was uneven as I stared at him. Slowly, Kael shifted back into human form. Moonlight illuminated his face, revealing cuts and bruises from the fight. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. The bond between us pulsed painfully, reminding me of everything I wished I could forget.

"You rejected me," I finally whispered.

Kael looked away.

"Then why did you save me?"

His jaw tightened.

The silence stretched between us.

Finally, he met my eyes.

"Because I couldn't stand by and watch you die."

My heart betrayed me at those words. Even after everything, part of me wanted to believe he cared. Part of me wanted an explanation. Wanted a reason. Wanted anything that could make sense of the pain he had caused.

Before I could speak again, Kael's expression suddenly changed. Every muscle in his body became tense. His eyes locked onto something beyond the trees.

"What is it?" I asked.

He stepped in front of me protectively.

A cold voice echoed through the darkness.

"We finally found her."

My blood ran cold.

Dozens of hooded figures stepped from the shadows and surrounded us. The leader lowered his hood and smiled directly at me.

And somehow, I knew they hadn't come for Kael.

They had come for me. Fear gripped my chest as I stared at the strangers surrounding us. There were too many of them. At least twenty stood among the trees, their dark cloaks blending into the night. The leader's smile sent a chill down my spine. It wasn't the smile of someone meeting a stranger. It was the smile of someone who had finally found what he had been searching for.

Instinctively, I took a step backward.

Kael immediately moved with me.

The simple action caught me off guard.

He positioned himself between me and the hooded figures without hesitation, his broad shoulders blocking me from their view. It was such a natural movement that it almost made me forget everything that had happened between us.

Almost.

The leader noticed it too.

His smile widened.

"Interesting," he said. "The Alpha rejects his mate in public, yet here he is protecting her with his life."

My breath caught.

Mate.

The word hung heavily in the air.

Several of the hooded figures exchanged surprised glances.

Kael's expression darkened instantly.

"Leave," he growled.

The warning in his voice was deadly.

The leader laughed.

"We didn't come all this way to leave empty-handed."

A dangerous silence followed.

The bond between Kael and me pulsed painfully. For one brief moment, I saw something flash across his face. Not anger. Not hatred.

Fear.

Not afraid for himself.

Fear for me.

And for the first time since the rejection, I began to wonder if Kael had been hiding something far more dangerous than I ever imagined.