Chapter 4 You're Mine...

RAINE

One week later

I woke up slowly, as if returning from a formless realm. The air felt heavy in my lungs, and a dull ache pulsed in my head. My vision was blurry. Beside me stood a man I recognized as the healer of this pack.

"She's awake!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room.

Hurried footsteps followed, then my bedroom door burst open. Killian entered first, followed by Alpha Markus and the pack elders. Their faces were tense, their eyes fixed on me.

My mother came in right after them and rushed to embrace me.

"Raine..." she sobbed. "You're awake... finally, after a week." Her tears soaked my shoulder.

I was too weak to speak, too confused to ask questions. All I could do was listen as she explained everything-the week of chaos in the Shadowfang Pack. The calamities that came in waves after Killian's rejection of me. The wrath of the Moon Goddess. The truth that Killian and I were destined mates, bound by fate.

I looked at Killian, who stood there, silent, his eyes hollow. Deep dark circles hung under his eyes, his jaw clenched as if he was holding back unbearable pain. His fists were tight, restraining something-anger, regret, or torment.

"He nearly lost control on the third night," my mother said softly when she noticed me glancing at Killian. "His aura exploded so violently, it knocked two warriors unconscious. He was affected by the rejection too."

I could only stare blankly. My heart trembled faintly, but not enough to heal the gaping wound inside me.

Then Alpha Markus's cold voice cut through the silence. "Good. You're finally awake," he said with a flat, emotionless tone.

"You and Killian will rebind tonight. We don't have time for drama."

I looked at him, confused and hurt.

"No," I whispered. "I don't want to."

Alpha Markus tightened his jaw. "If you refuse, then your mother... I will make sure she never opens her eyes again."

I froze. WTF?

Why would someone like Alpha Markus-who once begged my mother to be his mate eighteen years ago-now threaten to kill her just to force me to accept Killian again?

It didn't make sense.

Or...maybe he never actually intended to hurt my mom. Instead, he just wanted to break me, because he knew-my mother was the only weakness I had in this world.

"Mom..." I whispered weakly.

She leaned closer, her voice barely audible, meant only for me. "Raine, listen carefully," she said with a trembling voice.

"You don't have to do this for me. But do it for yourself. If you keep rejecting your fate, this punishment and this curse, it will hurt you too."

I looked into her tired, swollen eyes-her sunken cheeks from a week of worry. She had suffered enough because of me.

"The Moon Goddess has decided. This isn't just about Killian or the Shadowfang Pack... it's about you too, My little moon."

I lowered my head. My heart rebelled, my soul screamed. But my mother's face shattered every piece of resistance inside me.

Slowly, I nodded.

And truly, it wasn't because I forgave Killian or Markus. It was because I wanted my mother to live.

And because the fire of vengeance still burned within me.

My father's death, that wound-was still fresh. It throbbed each time I saw Alpha Markus's cold eyes.

If I became Luna of this Pack, I would be closer to him. I could destroy him from within. I would repay every tear my mother ever shed.

I stared straight ahead and said in my heart that I accepted.

Suddenly, I heard a faint whisper from across the room. One of the elders near Alpha Markus leaned in and asked, though loud enough for us all to hear, "Alpha, what about Killian's arranged mate to Celine? The daughter of Alpha Baron from Moon Qyi Pack?"

Alpha Markus shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed on me.

"Cancel it," he said, coldly and without remorse. "There will be no alliance with Moon Qyi. Killian will reclaim his true Luna."

The room fell silent. The elders exchanged looks.

I knew... this was all for the "well-being of the Pack," or so they claimed with heavy, dramatic words.

But none of them ever truly cared for me as a person.

They always treated me like a burden. Like a scar that should've never existed. Even Killian-my stepbrother-who was now revealed to be my fated mate, never showed me I was worthy. He helped crush my spirit. He made me believe I was unlovable.

But now they wanted to make me a symbol of salvation. Do they really think I'd forget everything they did to me? No. This is the beginning of my revenge.

Time passed quickly, and night had fallen.

Even after I regained consciousness, they gave me no time to rest. The omegas bathed me in flower water, combed my hair, and wiped my skin like I was a doll to be displayed.

My mother helped me into a grand layered gown adorned with white and pale blue flowers. A dress fit for a queen.

Tonight wasn't just my wedding night. It was the night Alpha Markus would hand over his throne to Killian.

Tonight, Killian would be crowned Alpha of Shadowfang Pack. And I would be claimed again as his Luna.

The central field of the Pack was filled with thousands of wolves in human form. The line of elders stood in the center in ceremonial robes, their expressions serious and radiating magic.

The cloudy sky threatened rain, the air thick with spiritual energy.

I walked beside Killian, dressed in a gown embroidered with silver threads. He wore a black cloak bearing his family crest-symbolizing the Alpha blood he would inherit tonight.

All eyes were on us.

The oldest elder began reciting an ancient incantation. His voice echoed through the forest, as if welcomed by wind and earth.

"With the blessing of the Moon Goddess and the spirits of our ancestors, we pass the staff of leadership to the new Alpha of Shadowfang Pack-Killian Knight, son of Markus."

A loud howl burst from the pack members.

Killian raised his head and declared, "I, Killian Knight, swear under the light of the Moon Goddess to protect Shadowfang Pack with my life and blood. I will be its shield and fang, its leader and guardian."

Then Killian turned to me and stepped closer.

"I also reclaim my mate, Raine Bittley, as the true Luna chosen by fate."

Silence fell. All eyes turned to me.

My chest thudded hard. I looked straight into his eyes and replied in a clear, flat voice, "I accept."

Suddenly, the moonlight pierced through the clouds, shining down on us like a divine blessing.

The bonding ritual began, and the broken bond was restored.

I could feel it coursing through my veins-warm, powerful, and undeniable.

My wolf howled softly within me.

I looked up at Killian's face. My body moved on its own, guided by the stirrings of my soul. My lips parted, and I called to him softly as my wolf urged me, "Alpha Killian..."

His eyes locked onto mine. And in the next heartbeat, he replied, his voice thick with the power of his wolf, "You're mine, My little sexy."