Chapter 2 The Rejection

"I, Jackson Lycan, reject you-Nyra Black-as my mate. You are weak and unworthy of being my Luna."

I didn't even hear the words that followed.

I couldn't even feel the ground beneath me. All I felt was something aching deep inside my chest-cracking, beating faster, like my heart was breaking apart one piece at a time. This moment didn't feel real. It felt like I was trapped in another nightmare.

This was supposed to be my ceremony-the night the Moon Goddess awakened that part of me. I have waited my entire life for this.

The night I finally get to connect with my wolf.

But instead of a powerful awakening... I got silence.

I could feel the pull of the moon, the tug at my very core, but still, nothing. I strained to feel her presence-the wolf that should have been there, but she was silent. My body ached with the emptiness, a gnawing cold that grew deeper the longer I waited.

And then those words. Rejection. Humiliation. All of it, right there, in front of the entire pack.

My heart pounded. My body trembled. But I couldn't move.

"This has to be a mistake," Jackson muttered, stepping back like I was something filthy. His golden eyes-usually so unreadable-were burning now.

Not with confusion, not even disappointment, but disgust.

"She hasn't shifted. She doesn't even have her wolf. How the hell could the Moon Goddess pair me with her?"

The air shifted. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, like waves crashing into me from every direction.

Jackson scoffed, shaking his head.

"No. No, I refuse. I need a mate who's strong-someone who can stand beside me when war comes. Not... not this. Even my wolf is rejecting her. A weak mate is worse than no mate at all."

His golden eyes burned with disgust as he took a step back, his voice sharp and cutting. "I refuse. I need a mate who's strong, not..." He paused, his lip curling. "Not you."

"Alpha, that's enough!" Aran's voice broke through the crowd, low but urgent. He stepped between us, trying to calm the storm with his presence.

"This isn't the time. She hasn't awakened yet-you don't know what she's capable of."

But Jackson wasn't hearing him. He wasn't hearing anyone.

And still, I stood there-numb, shaking.

My breath was shallow. My mind couldn't catch up with the pain.

Why didn't my wolf come forward?

Why tonight of all nights?

I clenched my fists, fingernails digging into my palms until I felt warm blood.

But even that didn't ground me.

This morning, I had been so full of hope. My biggest worry had been whether the Alpha would notice me-not as a mate, but just as his Beta's little sister.

When Mom told me he'd be attending, I was nervous but happy.

Did he already know I was his mate?

Or had he only come to support Aran?

I couldn't even guess now. Nothing made sense anymore.

I could hear Aran and Jackson still arguing-sharp words, low voices-but it all blurred into the background. My head felt heavy, my heart even heavier.

Then, arms wrapped around me-familiar and warm.

"Baby, are you okay?" my mother whispered, pulling me into a hug.

I didn't answer; I couldn't.

Tears fell silently as she held me tighter, gently swaying us like I was a little girl again.

Jade and Naria came to either side of me, their presence comforting in a way words couldn't be.

"If he wasn't the Alpha, I would have knocked him out for uttering those words," Jade hissed, his jaw clenched tight as he held his ground. His voice was low, barely containing his fury.

Naria's eyes burned with fire.

"He didn't even hesitate, like it meant nothing. Who rejects someone with those cruel words?" she muttered, her eyes flashing with anger. She clenched her fists, as though ready to throw herself at him, but Jade's firm hand on her wrist held her back.

"Don't. He's not worth it. Not tonight."

I couldn't say anything; I just let them hold me while my chest continued to shatter.

Then, Jackson turned away. He didn't say another word; he just walked off like none of it had happened.

But when he looked at me one last time, something strange flickered in his eyes-fury.

Pure, sharp, burning fury.

I didn't understand it.

He was the one who rejected me, so why did he look so angry?

He got into his car and drove off, the screech of his tires more unbearable than his rejection.

The silence that followed was deafening.

"Nyra..." Aran approached me, his expression torn. "I know this night was supposed to be yours. I shouldn't have brought him here. I... I'm sorry."

He looked like he was carrying the weight of the entire night on his shoulders.

He always did.

After Dad died, he became more than just my brother. He was my rock. My protector.

And now? He looked like he had failed me.

"It's not your fault, Aran," I whispered, my voice barely there.

Naria glanced up at the sky.

"The moon's almost out. Do you think... maybe she'll still meet her wolf?"

"I don't think she will," Jade said quietly. "But... let's give it time."

I didn't wait.

I turned and ran.

"Nyra!" I heard my mom call out. "Where are you going?"

"She needs space," Aran said gently. "Let her go. She'll come back when she's ready."

I kept running as fast as I could, heading to the woods, through the thick night air.

I didn't know where my legs were going.

All I needed was to get away from the stares, the pity, the eyes that watched me and made me feel even sadder.

His voice echoed in my head.

You are weak and unworthy.

And the worst part?

A part of me believed it.

I didn't stop until I fell to my knees, panting, my chest heaving as I tried to breathe through the pain.

The woods around me were thick with unfamiliar roots.

The trees blocked the sky, and the moonlight I had so desperately waited for was gone-swallowed by the clouds.

I looked around, disoriented.

"Where... am I?"

I had run too far. Farther than I had meant to.

A cold breeze cut through the trees, sending chills down my body.

Then I heard it.

A crack. A snap. Leaves crunching.

Not one step. Not two.

Many.

I froze.

"Who's there?" I called out with my trembling voice.

Silence.

Then, more footsteps.

From every direction.

Every crunch of the leaves underfoot sent my heart racing faster, and when the footsteps stopped, the silence that followed was suffocating. I was alone, vulnerable. I could hear nothing-nothing but the pounding of my own heartbeat, and the whisper of the wind through the trees.

I turned in circles, my eyes wide, heart pounding.

My fingers reached for my pocket-but my phone... I had given it to Naria.

Of all nights.

The footsteps came closer.

Then-suddenly-everything stopped.

Not a sound.

Not a breeze.

Just silence.

Thick. Cold. Terrifying.

And then...

Darkness.