Chapter 2 2. Mate

Aria

My stomach drops. The same fucking hands that held me last night, the same damn lips that whispered I love you and kissed me like I was his world are now all over Vanessa's face.

"Ethan, how could you," I choke out, my chest splitting open with a pain so sharp it steals my breath.

He freezes, pulling back just enough to meet my gaze. For a split second, I catch a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Then, he smirks.

Smirks!

"Aria," he says nonchalantly, like he wasn't just caught red-handed. "What are you doing here? Go away."

My wolf growls low in my mind, her anger and heartbreak twisting with mine. He lied, she snarls. He lied to us.

Vanessa, of course, looks smug as hell. She leans into him, her perfectly manicured nails trailing down his chest like she's marking her territory. "Oh, sweetheart," she purrs with a fake smile. "You didn't really think he'd pick you, did you?"

Ethan laughs cruelly, and his smirk stretches wider.

"You're such a goddamn joke," he begins, like I'm the punchline to some twisted, cruel comedy. "Did you really think you were anything more than a silly fuck? A poor, desperate little omega playing my girlfriend? Luna? You? Get real, Aria. You're a nobody. Always will be."

His words slam into me like a freight train. I blink, my throat dry, my ears ringing.

"You promised, Ethan. You said-"

"Yeah, and you believed me?" he cuts me off with a sharp, biting laugh. It's loud, cold, and heartless. "God, Aria, you're even more pathetic than I thought."

Vanessa giggles, her bright red lips curving into a satisfied smirk as she clings to his arm like a trophy. Ethan glances down at her, his expression softening in a way it never has for me.

"Why the hell would I pick you to stand beside me?" he continues in disgust. "A weak, pudgy little nobody? I need a Luna who's strong, beautiful like Nessa. Not some mid-tier omega with a sob story."

I swear, the air leaves the room. My hands start shaking, and I can barely see straight. "You don't mean that," I whisper, tears blurring my vision. "So... last night... it didn't mean anything to you?"

"Oh, you mean the fucking?" He smirks, and Vanessa throws her head back, laughing like I just told the funniest joke in the world.

"It was all a bet. I wanted to prove to my friends how easy you are ...a cheap whore. And guess what? You didn't disappoint."

Vanessa steps forward, her red dress clinging to her like some cheap second skin. "Hear that, ugly duckling? It was all a game. A pathetic, hilarious game."

People were staring now...whispering. Laughing. Every single one of their gazes feels like a knife to my chest.

"No," I manage, shaking my head so hard my hair whip around my damn face. "No, Ethan, you're lying. You're my mate!"

"Not anymore." He crosses his arms. "I, Alpha Ethan Stevens of the Full Moon Pack, reject you, Aria Whitlock, as my mate and future Luna."

My knees almost give out, and my wolf lets out this sorrowful howl in my head that made me wince. "No," I choke out, over and over, my hands clutching my chest trying to hold my shattered heart together.

Ethan rolls his eyes. "Accept the rejection, Aria. Or, I swear, when we get back to the pack, I'll have you banished. I don't need you. I don't want you. Hell, the sex wasn't even good."

His words stab my heart like a freaking knife. I can't breathe, can't think, can't do any fucking thing except stand there, crashing out.

But I can't afford to be Banished.

"I..." My voice is barely a whisper. "I, Aria Whitlock, accept the rejection."

The moment the words leave my mouth, pain explodes in my chest. My wolf howls louder, her painful cries echoing in my head as the bond snaps. It's like my soul's been ripped in shreds.

"Good," Ethan sneers. "Now, get your pathetic silly ass out of my sight. Oh, and don't forget to clear your shit out of my suite."

I look at him, pleading. "Where am I supposed to stay? The ship has a two-person room limit-"

"Not my problem," he cuts me off rudely. "Hell, jump overboard for all I care."

His words burn. They scorch. And before I can register, my legs carry me out of the party room, past the laughing crowd, and up the ship's deck.

I don't know how long I sat there, sobbing into the night. The stars above feel like they're mocking me, shining so brightly while my life has completely shattered. Ethan, my mate...my fucking mate has destroyed me. How could the Moon Goddess be so cruel? I gave him everything. My heart. My trust. My virginity. And for what? To be humiliated and tossed aside like trash?

Before I know it, I'm climbing onto the railing. The wind blows my hair around my face, and the ocean below looks so calm, so inviting. Maybe that bastard is right. Maybe I don't belong anywhere.

I'm so ashamed, too brokenhearted. There is nothing left for me in this stupid world. I know the bullying will only get worse, the gossip louder, the stares sharper. I'll be ostracized even more, torn apart by the same people who've always hated me.

And my friends... I can't bear the thought of them suffering because of me. They've stood by me through thick and thin, but this? This shame? It'll drag them down too.

It's not worth it. Not at all.

I close my eyes, ready to jump, when a voice carries through the night.

"Don't do it. Don't jump."

I freeze, my heart thumping. Slowly, I turn to see Alpha Lucas leaning against the railing, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. His alluring gray eyes glint under the moonlight, and for a second, I don't even know how to breathe.

"Why do you care?" I snap, tears still streaming down my face. "You've never even acknowledged my existence. Just go away."

"You're right," he sighs, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. "But are you really gonna jump, because some fucking asshole decided to be an even bigger asshole."

"You don't understand," I yell back. "My life is fucking ruined!"

He raises his eyebrow, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Alright, jump then."

I blink at him, confused. "What?"

"You heard me." He shrugs, leaning casually against the railing. "If you're so sure it's over, then jump. Go ahead."

I let out a frustrated sob, turning back to the water. But I can't fucking do this. My hands are shaking, and my legs stay frozen in place.

"What's the problem?" Lucas taunts. "Chicken?"

I whip around, ready to yell at him to fuck off, but the movement made me lose my balance. My foot slips, and before I can scream, Lucas lunges forward, grabbing me and pulling me back. My breath catches as I look up at him, his face inches from mine.

I land against his chest, his strong arms wrapping around me effortlessly.

Suddenly, fireworks explode in the sky above us, painting his sharp, chiseled features in flashes of red and gold. My heart skips a beat, and I'm unable to tear my gaze away from him.

My wolf stirr, and then it hit me-hard.

Mate.