Alpha Kael pulls the chains on my wrists and pushes me to my knees.
Blood drips onto the cold floor as I kneel, begging him to believe me.
“I didn’t lie to you, please,” I say, my voice scratchy. “You have to believe me!”
But he doesn’t answer.
I gaze into his silver eyes — those same powerful Alpha eyes I fell madly in love with at the age of 18 — but all I see there now is ice.
He won’t listen. He won’t believe me.
With a breaking heart, I gather my courage and say, “Do it.”
“What?” he asks.
“Do it,” I repeat.
His jaw tightens. “You’re not going to beg for mercy?”
“There is none, remember?”
Those were his words once. And mine too.
He stops for a moment, then walks behind me to the podium.
I stare at the stone floor, bracing myself, as tears roll down my cheeks.
I feel the eyes of every wolf in our pack glaring at me.
Then he says the words I never thought I’d hear.
“I, Alpha Kael Winters of the Shadow Ridge Pack, reject you, Talia Hale, as my mate and Luna.”
The words cut like a knife.
My wolf howls inside me, a raw, painful cry as the mate bond breaks. It leaves me breathless. Every wolf in the hall feels it. Some look away, unable to bear my agony.
“Do you accept?” Kael finishes, his voice rough. Pain stabs through my chest as his words echo in my ears, and I fall back.
My hands, bound in chains, instinctively cover my stomach, but Kael doesn’t notice. Or maybe he doesn’t care. If only he knew.
I try to steady myself and look at Ronan, my brother and Kael’s Primary Beta. He stands next to Kael, watching everything with a cold expression. He knew. He didn’t warn me. The betrayal cuts deep.
The sharp smell of perfume stings my nose as Sabrina steps forward. She’s my former best friend, now standing beside Kael. Her hand curls around his arm like a snake wrapping its prey.
“Make her accept, Kael,” Sabrina says sweetly, but her words are full of venom.
Kael grabs my hair, forcing me to look at him. His scent of pine and frost fills my nose. Tears burn behind my eyes, but I won’t let them fall.
“Answer me, Talia Hale!” His Alpha command shakes me. “Do you accept my rejection?”
I stare at Sabrina, wondering how she turned Kael against me. What lies did she tell him? How did she destroy his love for me after three years as his mate?
Kael yanks my hair again. “Answer me, dammit!”
I force myself to meet his icy gaze. My vision blurs, and my heart shatters. The pain radiates through my wolf, Eira, who whimpers inside me.
“Do it,” Eira whispers. “For the Heir.” That’s when I know what I have to do.
I lift my chin and speak, though my voice cracks. “I, Talia Hale, accept your rejection, Alpha Kael.” My whisper carries like a death sentence through the silent hall.
The final break burns through me like fire. I clutch my chest where the mate bond once was, but I don’t collapse. Not here. Not in front of her.
For a moment, Kael’s face changes. Is that regret? Pain? But it’s gone before I can be sure, erased by Sabrina’s smug smile.
“This is destiny, remember, Talia?” Sabrina sneers. “Or did you think you were above it all?” Her words sting, but I keep my face blank.
“You have your chosen Luna now, Alpha Kael,” I say bitterly, avoiding Sabrina’s glare but unable to hide my hurt. “I hope she gives you a worthy heir.”
Kael’s eyes darken, but he doesn’t reply. He unlocks the chains on my wrists, setting me free.
I stand and walk away, each step heavier than the last. The pack watches me go, their stares full of judgment.
I meet Ronan’s gaze. His face is cold, unreadable. His silence feels like the worst betrayal of all. My own brother won’t defend me.
I’m alone now. Truly alone. Unwanted, even by my blood. The emptiness inside me grows, and leaving feels like my only choice.
“Wait!” Sabrina’s sharp voice cuts through the hall. I stop, my heart pounding.
Slowly, I turn to face her as she walks toward me, Kael following. Her cold eyes lock onto mine, and her lips twist into a cruel smile.
“She can’t leave,” Sabrina says with authority. “We can’t risk her betraying Shadow Ridge’s secrets to another pack.”
Kael’s face hardens. My breath catches as fear tightens my chest. Did he tell her? Did he share the pack’s deepest secret? The one he promised to only ever share with me?
Kael’s jaw clenches. For a second, his eyes soften, but then he nods. His voice is cold. “She’s right. Talia stays.”
A bitter laugh rises in my throat, but I swallow it. Of course, at Sabrina’s command, he’ll keep me here.
“As my slave,” Kael adds, his words cutting like a blade.
Before I can protest, strong hands grab my arms. Chains wrap around my wrists again, and I’m dragged away by guards. The pack watches, some with pity, others indifferent.
The dungeon is cold and damp. The air smells like mildew and despair. A guard shoves me to my knees on the stone floor. My body shakes as Kael and Sabrina step inside. Sabrina’s cruel smile glows in the dim light.
“Teach her, Alpha,” Sabrina says, handing Kael a whip. “Show her how to behave like a slave.”
Kael hesitates, the whip heavy in his hand. For a moment, I see a flicker of the man he used to be. But then his eyes harden. He lifts the whip, and the first lash slices across my back.
I bite back a scream and cover my stomach, shielding the life growing inside me. Eira whimpers in my mind, urging me to stay strong.
“Weak!” Sabrina snarls. “Prove she means nothing to you, Kael! Show me!”
Kael’s hand trembles, but he obeys. The whip cracks again and again, each strike pushing me closer to the edge. My body shakes, and my breath comes in gasps. Tears streak my face, but I refuse to beg.
“Kael,” I croak, my voice barely audible. “Why?”
He looks pained as he says, “You know why. I need a Luna who can give me an heir.”
His words hurt more than the whip. My vision fades as I slump to my knees. The truth hovers on my lips — I’m carrying his child — but Eira stops me.
“No!” she commands. “Sabrina must not know.”
I swallow the words, the secret locked inside me. Kael turns away, his shoulders stiff. Sabrina’s laugh echoes as they leave me broken and bleeding on the dungeon floor.
I curl around my stomach, rocking back and forth, holding onto my baby. Hours pass like years as the cold seeps into my body.
Footsteps wake me. My wolf stirs weakly as a voice calls my name.
“Talia!”
It’s Rhea, my cousin and closest friend. She rushes in with food and water. My chains rattle as I reach for the flask with shaking hands.
“Slowly,” she says, helping me drink. “You need your strength.”
The water soothes my throat, and I eat the bread she offers hungrily. When I’ve eaten enough, Rhea speaks again.
“Why didn’t you tell him?” she asks softly. “About the baby?”
I shake my head. “Eira wouldn’t let me. Not with Sabrina there.”
“Sabrina?” Rhea frowns. “But why? Talia, if Kael knew you were pregnant…” She leans closer. “He’d take you back. You know he would.”
I press my hands to my stomach and meet her worried gaze. “This isn’t just any child, Rhea.”
“What do you mean?”
I take a shaky breath. “The Prophecy,” I whisper. “The one Grandma told me before she died.”
Rhea gasps. “You mean…” Her eyes widen. “about the Celestial Heir?”
I nod, tears falling. “It’s him, Rhea. My child is the Heir.”
Rhea grabs my chains. “Please, tell Kael! He would protect the Heir with his life — the Prophecy said this child is destined to unite all the packs. Isn’t that the future you both dreamed of building together?”
I shake my head, wincing. “You don’t understand.”
My mind flashes to that full moon night when Kael led me down to a hidden chamber beneath his office and showed me Shadow Ridge's most guarded secret. The truth burns in my throat, begging to be shared with my cousin, but I swallow it back. Even thinking about it is too dangerous.
“Promise me,” I say urgently. “Promise you won’t tell anyone who the father is.”
“But how long can you hide it?” Rhea asks. “Everyone will know when you start to show.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “Once he mates with Sabrina, he won’t even remember my scent.”
“Time’s up!” a guard yells, his footsteps echoing. He leers at me as he opens the cell.
“Everyone will just assume a guard took advantage of me,” I whisper, disgusted but resigned. “I’ll make sure of it.”
As Rhea stands, I ask the question burning inside me. “When is the mating ritual?”
Rhea pauses at the door. “Tonight.”
My heart shatters again. I nod, barely holding myself together.
“I’ll bring more food tomorrow,” Rhea promises, tears in her eyes.
As her footsteps fade, I curl around my stomach. Let them think what they want. I will endure anything to keep my child safe.
Minutes feel like hours as I wait. The thought of Kael mating with Sabrina is unbearable. My wolf stirs weakly, sensing my despair.
Then I catch it — Kael’s scent. Pine needles and frost. Footsteps approach, and there he is, standing alone outside my cell.
My breath catches in my throat. His steel-gray eyes are softer now, like they were before everything fell apart. He looks at me the way he used to, and it hurts more than the whip.
“How are you?” His voice is quiet, almost gentle.
Tears sting my eyes. The secret of our child burns in my throat, but I hold it back. I can’t risk Sabrina finding out.
“Why, Talia?” Kael’s voice breaks. “Why did you lie to me?”
My chest tightens. “Lie to you?” I whisper, shaking my head. “About what, Kael? I would never lie to you.”
For a moment, his face softens. His eyes drop to my hands, clenched in my lap. Then he sighs. “I guess you had no choice.” Slowly, he reaches out, taking my hand. His touch is warm and familiar, but it only deepens the ache.
“Once the mating ritual is complete,” Kael says softly, “Sabrina will be secure as Luna. Then I can free you.” He kneels, his scent wrapping around me. “I still need you, Talia. Your mind, your strategy. Help me unite the packs, like you always have.”
My voice catches in my throat. If he only knew the truth. Our child, the Celestial Heir, is meant to unite the packs.
I want to scream at him. Rip him apart. Ask him how he could do this to me, to us, after all we’ve shared.
But I stay silent and nod, accepting his offer of protection — for my baby’s sake.
Kael’s hand brushes my back, touching the raw marks left by the whip. I stiffen, pain flashing through me. His touch lingers, as if he wants to heal what he’s done.
“I’m sorry,” he whispers, his voice barely audible. “Forgive me, Talia. As Alpha, I couldn’t show weakness. Not then.”
That’s when I understand — he has finally become the ruthless Alpha he always wanted to be.
A tear slips down my cheek. I whisper back, “No mercy.”
Kael’s eyes glisten for a moment before he blinks it away. He takes my hand again, firm but gentle. My heart screams for me to resist, but I don’t pull away.
“Talia,” he whispers, his voice breaking. “I need you. One last time. Please.”
Then he lifts my hand, guiding it down to his hardness, and I feel him, rigid and pulsing with desire. The sensation sends a rush of wetness between my thighs, my body reacting against my will.
Then he wraps his hand around the back of my neck and pulls my face into his, breathing heavily. “Let me taste you one last time.”
My mouth parts in anticipation, and when his lips meet mine, I know I should twist away. But as his hands cup my face with heartbreaking tenderness, I realize I can’t deny him this goodbye.
Kael's kiss is a fierce claim, his lips pressing hard, yet there's this moment, this fleeting softness when he pulls back slightly, his breath coming in rasps. His eyes, a storm of gray, search mine for permission, for that silent okay to proceed.
“Talia,” he whispers, his voice rough with need, yet tender with longing. He pushes my hand down again, and as my fingers wrap around his hard dick, I get wet, so wet I soak through my underwear. “Will you let me inside you again?”