But no one would save me.
They pushed me into the cage, and the heavy door closed behind me with a loud bang. The people watching started yelling again, their cruel voices all mixing together.
The cage was picked up and put on a wagon, and they pulled me through the open area. I held onto the metal bars so tight that my fingers became white.
But then—
“Wait!”
Owen stepped in front of the cart, holding up a hand. The procession stopped, and the sudden silence was more terrifying than the cheers had been.
“I think we’re forgetting something,” he said in a loud voice that everyone in the courtyard could hear. I felt cold fear run down my back. What else did he want from me?
Owen came closer to my cage and looked right into my eyes. "Rejection."
My heart stopped beating.
The bond, The sacred mate bond.
Rejection wasn’t just about breaking a connection—it was agony. A physical and emotional torment that could cripple even the strongest wolf.
I had seen it once before, when a warrior rejected his mate. She had screamed for three days straight before her wolf finally gave up and died within her.
Owen smirked. “You know, Ariana, I’ve saved this moment just for now. Because if I reject you here… the pain will stay with you until you reach the Night Walker Pack. In your weakened state, you'll be deemed useless to them. And we all know what happens to useless things in the Night Walker Pack, don't we?”
I knew what that meant. The Night Walker Pack discarded the weak, cast them into the wilderness to die slowly, or worse, they used them for sport.
“No, Owen… please, I’m begging you. We were supposed to be forever.”
But he straightened, his voice echoing loud and clear for everyone to hear.
“I, Alpha Owen, reject you, Ariana James, as my mate and future Luna.”
Pain. Blinding, soul-shattering pain ripped through me as though claws had torn into my chest and pulled my heart out. I screamed, my voice raw and broken as the bond between us broke apart with force.
The crowd watched in silence as I rolled around in agony, clutching my chest and gasping for air that wouldn’t come. Some turned away, unable to watch. Others leaned forward, fascinated by my suffering.
Through the haze of pain, I managed to whisper, “I… Ariana James… accept your rejection.”