Chapter 3 The Rejection

Zaria's POV

Of course it's being two weeks. Two long, agonizing weeks of pain, whispers and judgemental stares.

My parents death were like an open wound, I carried -raw and aching, yet there was barely time to mourn them. The pack had quickly moved on and decided my fate. To them, I was nothing more than an Omega. The daughter of traitors. A stain on their honor.

Heartbreaking whispers followed me everywhere I went.

"She should have been executed with them."

"Look at her, pretending she belongs here."

"An Omega like her has no right to stand beside the future Alpha."

Those were the words that came from the same people who once sang my praises. I ignored everything -the pointed glances, the cruel remarks. I also endured the endless chores, scrubbing the floor until my fingers bled, running errands until my legs trembled, doing everything the pack demanded of me because what other choice do I have?

But I wasn't alone.

Callum had always been there, his presence was a silent shield against the cruelty of the Pack. He had made sure I wasn't tortured and cornered beyond the words they threw at me. If anyone dared to push too far anytime he was there, he made sure to give them a glare that would silence them.

And Aria, my best friend was always by my side. She had stood up for me when I was too exhausted to stand by myself. She made up excuses to ease me from the chores, made sure I ate when I had no appetite, and held me up when I seemed to crumble from the weight of everything.

Despite the rumours that we weren't fit for eachother, Callum who stood by me in ways I had never imagined.

Every night, he sneaked into my room.

Every night, as he thrust inside me, he whispered comforting words.

"I will protect you, Zaria."

"You are mine, no matter what happens."

"I won't betray you."

And every night he came, we made love.

Steamy, hot love. He would suck my nipples till I started feeling pains. Pushed his fingers inside me, hitting my sensitive bud. Made sure I took his dick in my mouth and sucking on it like my favourite candy. Rolled his tongue over my clit till I was thrashing from the thrill. Finally, he would make me kneel on the bed and slammed his cock inside my sheath.

I liked it. I like the pleasure that burned through my pains, leaving only the warmth of him in it's place. And I allowed myself to trust and believe in his promises.

I had to, there was no way about it.

Because when I become the mate of the future Alpha, everything would be worth it.

Tonight, the entire pack gathered inside the grand hall, their eyes gleaming with a mix of anticipation and disbelief -they couldn't believe that Callum, my Callum, would officially claim me as his mate.

I stood at the center of the hall -the same spot I had stood two weeks ago, pleading for my parents lives but today it was for an entirely different reason. My eyes gleamed with unshed tears but I quickly blinked it away-this was no place nor time to mourn.

I adjusted the straps of the fine silver silk dress Aria had gifted me the day before. It was a beautiful dress and must have cost a fortune for me, but for Aria it was nothing. Her parents, the Everwoods were the wealthiest family in the Pack.

My black hair cascaded over my shoulders. I had never felt more beautiful, more powerful. More hopeful.

This was it. After tonight, I would no longer become the Omega. No longer the daughter of traitors.

I will become Callum's bride.

Callum stood before me, his silver eyes unreadable. But....he doesn't look exactly himself.

I waited for him to take my hands and say those words that would change my fate forever. But then-he stepped back.

A hush fell over the room.

A cold , sinking feeling surge inside me as I watched him, confusion flooding my mind. Why was he hesitating?

Then he spoke.

"I, Callum Nightbane, future Alpha of the Nightbane Pack, reject you, Zaria Nightshade, as my mate and Luna."

The words cut through my chest like a dagger. My legs trembling as I tried to understand what was happening. I couldn't have heard him right. I must have been mistaken, right?"

The mocking gasps and murmurs from the pack confirmed that I had heard him right.

"He rejected her!"

"Pathetic! She really thought she could be our Luna?"

I looked up at at Callum, my body trembling, searching his face for some of explanation. This can't be? This has to be some kind of mistake or a prank. Right, it must be a prank.

He was mine. He had held me last night in his arms, whispered promises against my skin, sworn that he would protect me.

"Callum......." I tried to speak, but the words caught in my throat.

He didn't even look at me.

Instead he turned to Aria, who had a smile on her face. A knowing, triumphant smile.

"And I accept you, Aria Everwood, as my mate." Callum's voice was firm, final.

It felt like the word has disappeared. The pain in my chest was unbearable, more unbearable than when my parents were executed. It was like my soul had torn apart. The bond we had shared, the one I had trusted was shattering before my very eyes.

Then, as if to put the final nail on my coffin, Callum cupped Aria's face with the same hand that touched me, the same one roamed my body every night. And then he kissed her. Right there in front of everyone.

I wanted to scream, to rip them apart.

Pulling apart from the kiss, he turned to me, his eyes cold but his voice was even colder-icy. "Accept my rejection, Zaria Blackthorne." His tone was all formal, all business.

"But.... Callum." I wanted to argue, to remind him of everything but one glare from him was able to silence me, to tell me that nothing I say will change what has already happened.

Tears streamed down my cheeks, pain shook my body, tearing me apart from the inside out. But I managed to swallow past the lump in my throat.

"I, Zaria Nightshade, accept your rejection."

And that was it. I felt the bond breaking, the place he had marked me gleaming with intense pain. The pain was so overwhelming that I couldn't stand on my feet-I collapsed to the ground

The vision blurring, and the last words I heard before closing my eyes was Alpha Kael barking out command to the guards.

"Seize her."