Kira POV:

Dorian's threat was a shard of ice in my heart. I stood frozen, watching him turn his attention back to Cora.

I took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in my throat, and forced myself to speak.

"Dorian, it was an accident."

He didn't even look back. He just let out a cold, mocking laugh that was more insulting than any curse.

Cora nestled against him, looking at me with the triumphant gaze of a victor. Her eyes screamed, See? He chose me.

I clenched my fists, the pain of my nails digging into my palms keeping me grounded. "Regardless, I am your Luna. In public, you should-"

"You should be quiet."

Dorian cut me off. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried the undeniable weight of his Alpha's Command.

My body flinched against my will. The power in his voice forced me into silence. Around us, the nurses quickly looked down, refusing to witness my public humiliation.

Cora began to recount the "accident" to Dorian, her words laced with implications, painting me as a jealous, vicious woman who had intentionally hurt her.

"...I saw her car coming, I thought she would stop, but she didn't... Dorian, I don't want to accuse her, but the look in her eyes was terrifying..." Cora sobbed, burying her face in his chest.

I tried to scream at him through our Mind-Link. "She's lying! Dorian, can't you see it?"

"Be quiet." His voice in my head was even colder than it had been out loud, a wall of iron that slammed my mental projection back at me.

My inner wolf let out a painful howl, mourning the state of our broken bond.

Dorian patted Cora's back soothingly. Then he finally looked at me, his eyes like those of a stranger observing a nuisance.

"I don't want to see you here," he said, each word a stone dropped onto my heart.

"I am..." I wanted to say, I am your mate. I am the mistress of this Pack.

"You are nothing," he interrupted again, his tone final. "Now, leave."

It wasn't a request. It was an order. As the Alpha King, his words held a binding force for every member of the Pack, including me.

My legs felt like they were filled with lead, but I couldn't resist the command. I felt my dignity being stripped away, piece by piece, leaving me exposed under everyone's gaze.

I saw Cora lift her head from Dorian's embrace. She gave me a tiny, almost imperceptible smile of victory.

That smile shattered my last defense. I turned, each step an agonizing effort.

I could feel the weight of everyone's eyes on my back—pity, scorn, amusement.

I didn't look back. I was afraid they would see the tears in my eyes. I couldn't cry in front of my rival.

The cold night air hit my face like a slap as I walked out of the hospital doors. I didn't feel it. My heart was already frozen.

I walked aimlessly down the empty street, the city's neon lights blurring into a smear of colors.

Where was I supposed to go? To the house that was nominally our "home"? I didn't want to go back there.

Moon Goddess, why did you give me a Fated Mate like this? If this is destiny, I would rather have never had it.

As I was lost in my despair, the sound of several cars braking suddenly came from behind.

I looked up sharply, it was his familiar black Bentley. The window rolled down slowly, revealing Dorian's cold, sharp profile.

"Get in," he commanded, his voice flat and empty of emotion.

Kira POV:

He was a king on a throne, and I was his lowly subject. His command was another humiliation.

I didn't move.

I didn't want to obey him anymore. I didn't want to be a doll he could position and discard at will.

Dorian's patience seemed to run out. He pushed the door open, his tall frame unfolding from the car with an oppressive aura.

He loomed over me, his shadow swallowing me whole. "Kira, I don't want to say it a second time."

I gritted my teeth and meeting his gaze. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't your mistress be waiting for you?It seems like she really relies on you. "

"You want to clarify this, and I'm giving you the opportunity to do so."His tone left no room for argument."To a place where we can make things clear."

In the end, I pulled the door open and got in. I knew I couldn't defy him. Not yet.

The car moved smoothly through the night, the silence inside as heavy as a shroud. I watched the streetlights streak past the window, feeling like I was being driven to my own execution.

He didn't take me to our "home." He didn't take me to his apartment. He parked by the side of a secluded, moonlit lake.

He killed the engine but didn't get out. The space inside the car felt small and suffocating. His scent of cedar filled the air, an unwelcome reminder of our bond, a cruel taunt of his coldness.

As I was about to explain what had just happened, he interrupted me.

He turned his head, his deep-set eyes dark in the dim light. "Kira, we need to talk about our... arrangement."

A cold laugh bubbled in my chest. We had an arrangement to talk about?It seems he wasn't actually interested in my explanation; he was probably more concerned with eliminating my existence.

He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one. The red glow of the flame illuminated his handsome face for a second, the smoke blurring his expression.

"I don't want you causing any more trouble for Cora," he said. His first words were still for her.

"I didn't cause her trouble! It was an accident!" I raised my voice, my emotions spiraling out of control.

"Whether it was an accident doesn't matter," he said, flicking ash from the tip of his cigarette. His tone was flat, almost cruel. "What matters is that we need to solve the problem between us."

My heart sank. I knew it was coming.

"I, Dorian Carlisle," he looked at me, his words slow and deliberate, like a cold, solemn ritual, "am requesting to perform 'The Rejection' with you, Kira Sterling."

My mind went blank. A buzzing sound filled my ears.

Even though I had imagined this moment a thousand times, hearing the words from his own mouth felt like my soul was being torn in two.

I could feel my inner wolf howling, raging against the betrayal of her mate.

"The Rejection requires the consent of both parties to be complete." I heard my own voice, trembling but firm. "And I, Kira Sterling, do not accept your rejection."

Dorian seemed taken aback. He probably hadn't expected me to refuse so directly. He crushed the cigarette in the ashtray, his brow furrowed.

"This has nothing to do with Cora," he said, his tone stiff. "We were never right for each other from the start."

"Not right?" I laughed, a bitter, tear-filled sound. "You didn't say that when you performed The Marking. You didn't say that when the Moon Goddess bound us together."

"That was a mistake," he replied coldly.

"It's because of her, isn't it?" I stared at him. "You rushed back from your trip abroad to be with your lover, and now you're in a hurry to get rid of me, the inconvenient Luna?"

He was silent. He didn't admit it, but he didn't deny it either. His silence was the most hurtful answer of all.

A bone-deep chill washed over me. He hadn't come back for Pack business. Not for our anniversary. He came back to discard me.

I looked at his handsome, cold face, and a crazy thought formed in my mind. The more you want to get rid of me, the more I will make sure you can't.

"Dorian, I'll say it again," I said, each word spoken with all the strength I could muster. "I will not accept. As long as I don't agree, I am the one and only Luna of the Nightfall Pack. You can forget about putting that woman in my place."

A flash of anger crossed his eyes, and something else... something I couldn't read. He started the car again, the roar of the engine like a beast's snarl.

The roar of the engine echoed in the small space. Dorian's hands gripped the steering wheel, the veins on the back of them standing out, a clear sign of his fury.

He wrenched the wheel, the car making a sharp U-turn and speeding back towards the city.

The sudden acceleration threw me against the door. I grabbed the handle to steady myself.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice trembling with the car's movement.