Chapter 2

Lilith POV

I didn't get far.

The forest was unforgiving, a labyrinth of shadows and biting wind. My grief was no longer just an emotion; it was a physical weight, dragging my feet through the deepening snow. I collapsed under the shelter of a large oak tree, shivering not merely from the cold, but from the shock ravaging my system.

My Mind-Link was still open. I hadn't figured out how to block it completely yet-I was just an Omega, untrained in the art of mental shielding.

Where is she?

Kane's voice reverberated in my head. It wasn't worried. It was annoyed. The appetizers are running low.

She's gone, Alpha, a Gamma warrior reported through the link. Her scent trail leads to the border.

Gone? Kane let out a mental scoff that grated against my skull like sandpaper. She's doing this for attention. She wants me to chase her. She thinks this little stunt will prove her 'passion'.

I curled into a ball, biting my lip until I tasted copper. He thought my heartbreak was a negotiation tactic.

Let her freeze for a few hours, Kane commanded, his tone dismissive. She'll come crawling back when she gets hungry. In the meantime... let us proceed.

I wanted to close my mind, to shut him out, but I was paralyzed.

Pack of Blood Moon! Kane's voice projected to everyone, amplified by his Alpha authority. Tonight is a night of celebration. Not just for the Solstice, but for our future.

No. Please, no.

I present to you my chosen mate. The one who will lead beside me. Serra of Silver Lake!

The mental cheer from the Pack was deafening. It echoed in my head like a thunderclap, shattering whatever hope I had left.

I lay there for hours. The cold seeped into my marrow, numbing my fingers and toes.

Eventually, a pair of rough hands grabbed my shoulders. I flinched, expecting a Rogue.

"Get up, girl."

It was a patrol from the border. Not Rogues. Kane's warriors. They dragged me back, not out of concern, but because the Alpha had ordered the 'trash' to be collected.

They didn't take me to the Healer. They dragged me straight to the center of the Pack grounds.

The ceremony was still ongoing, though it had transitioned into a bonfire party. The air smelled thickly of roasted meat and ale.

I stood there, shivering in my dirt-stained clothes, my hair a tangled mess of twigs and ice. The music stopped. The laughter died down. Hundreds of eyes turned to me.

Kane sat on a makeshift throne of logs, a goblet of wine in his hand. Serra was perched on his lap, looking pristine in a white fur coat.

"Look who decided to return," Kane said, his voice smooth and loud, carrying easily over the crackling fire. He didn't stand up. "Did the cold teach you some manners, Lilith?"

The Pack chuckled. A low, cruel sound.

Serra uncoiled from his lap and walked toward me. She moved with the grace of someone who knew they had won. She stopped a foot away, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, Lilith," she sighed, shaking her head. "You look terrible. Kane told me you ran off. Trying to make a scene on my big night?"

She reached out and patted my cheek. It was patronizing, like one would pet a dirty dog.

"You're young," she said, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "You don't understand how Alpha politics work. You thought working hard would make you royalty? Some things... you just have to be born for."

"Or sleep your way into," I muttered.

The silence was instant.

Serra's eyes narrowed. Kane stood up, his Alpha aura flaring. It hit me like a wave of heat, forcing my head down.

"Watch your tongue, Omega," Kane growled. "Serra is your Luna now. You will show respect."

He walked over and draped his arm around Serra's waist, pulling her close. He looked at me with eyes that held no recognition of the girl who had saved his life.

"You are lucky I am merciful," Kane said. "You abandoned your duties. But Serra has asked me to be kind. So, you can stay. But you are stripped of your rank as Head Omega. You will clean the latrines until I say otherwise."

He waited for me to cry. He waited for me to beg.

But something inside me had snapped in the woods. The fear was gone, replaced by a cold, hollow void.

I looked at Kane. I really looked at him. He wasn't a god. He was just a man who needed to step on others to feel tall.

"I wish you happiness," I said. My voice was hoarse, but steady. "Both of you."

It wasn't a blessing. It was a goodbye.

Kane blinked, surprised by my lack of hysterics.

"Bless you," I repeated, turning my back on him.

"I didn't dismiss you!" Kane roared, the Alpha Command lashing out like a whip.

My knees buckled, forced down by the magic in his voice. I hit the dirt hard. But I kept my head up.

I looked up at the moon, bright and full above the bonfire.

I reject you, I thought, focusing every ounce of my pain into the bond. Kane, Alpha of Blood Moon, I reject you as my Mate.

I felt a tear in my soul, a silent snap that only I could hear.