Chapter 2 None

Chapter 2

Evangeline's POV

The second our eyes meet, everything stops.

The noise dies. Chatter. Laughter. Trays clattering. It all fades into this weird silence that hums under my skin. Ronan's storm gray eyes lock onto mine from across the cafeteria and something inside me breaks open.

It starts small. Just a spark. Then it spreads. Hot and bright. Like fire crawling under my skin.

My wolf wakes up. Really wakes up for the first time in months. She stretches. Howls. Surges toward him like she's found something she's been searching for her whole life.

Mate.

The word whispers through me. Soft but certain. My breath catches. My fingers shake so bad my fork slips and clatters on the table.

No. This can't be real.

Not him. Not Ronan Nightbane.

The future Alpha. Untouchable. The one person who would rather die than be tied to an Omega like me.

My pulse pounds in my throat. I grip the table edge but it doesn't help. The bond hits me full force. A surge of warmth. Energy. Everything I didn't know I was missing. I can feel it. A thread pulling between us. Dragging me toward him while my brain screams to stay away.

Across the room, Ronan freezes. His fork drops. The sound cuts through everything. His friends look at him. Confused. He doesn't answer. Just stares at me like I've committed murder.

The bond pulses again. Demanding. Alive.

He goes pale. His jaw clenches. Then he whispers one word.

"No."

It's quiet. Barely there. But it cuts me open. Conversations stop. Heads turn. Dozens of eyes swing between us. Waiting.

Luna grabs my arm. "Evangeline... what's happening?"

I can't answer. Can't breathe. The pull is too strong. Too wild. My wolf is losing it. Begging me to go to him. To finish what fate started.

Ronan shoves his chair back. The screech makes everyone flinch. He stands fast. His friends murmur something but he ignores them. Starts walking toward me.

Every step makes the bond throb harder. My wolf almost purrs. Desperate. But there's no happiness in his face. Only horror. Only disgust.

"Stay back." My voice shakes.

He doesn't listen. He moves like something's dragging him forward but every muscle fights it. His jaw tight. Hands in fists.

When he stops at my table, I smell him. Pine. Rain. Something darker. My wolf whines. My heart aches.

"What did you do?" His voice cuts.

My eyes go wide. "I didn't-"

"You did something." His tone gets louder. "Some trick. Some spell. You think you can fake a bond with me?"

The words sting. My throat closes around a sound I won't let out. "I didn't do anything. I swear."

He leans close. His breath touches my cheek. The bond flares. Burns. But his next words freeze it.

"Listen to me." His voice shakes with anger. "Whatever this is, it's not real."

I flinch. The cafeteria goes silent again. Dead quiet. Students watch. Phones already up. Recording.

"It's real." I hate how small I sound. "You feel it too. I know you do."

For one second I see it. Confusion. Pain. Maybe fear. In his eyes. But it vanishes. His face turns to stone.

"I feel nothing." The lie comes out smooth.

The bond twists inside me. Screaming that he's lying. I feel his wolf pushing against his control. Feel the chaos he's trying to hide. But he won't give in.

He won't accept me.

"You're lying." I barely breathe it.

Something in him breaks. "I am Ronan Nightbane. Heir to the Crescent Moon Pack. I was born to lead. Not to be chained to someone like you."

The words hit harder than fists. Around us, whispers spread. Omega. Nobody. Pathetic.

Ronan keeps going. Louder now. Crueler. Like he needs to convince himself as much as everyone else.

"And you." He spits the word. "Are nothing. A stray. An Omega with no pack. No strength. No worth. The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes. But maybe this time she did."

Laughter ripples through the room. My face burns. My wolf whimpers. Wounded and confused.

"Ronan, please-"

"I reject you." The words slam into me. "I, Ronan Nightbane, reject you as my mate."

The bond convulses. Pain rips through my chest so hard I gasp. The invisible thread between us twists and tears. But it doesn't break. It can't. The connection runs too deep. Too real. It flickers. Weak and bleeding. But still there.

Ronan feels it too. I see panic flash across his face.

"Why isn't it working?" he demands.

Tears blur everything. My voice comes out broken. "Because it's real. You can't reject the truth."

His face goes cold. Cruel. "Then I'll make sure everyone knows the truth."

He turns to the crowd. Voice rising like a command. "Listen to me. There's no bond. No destiny. Just a desperate Omega trying to cling to something she'll never have."

More laughter. Someone whispers, "Pathetic." The shame burns hotter than the bond.

"She means nothing to me." He keeps going. "She is nothing to me. The Moon Goddess wouldn't curse me with an Omega mate. This is her delusion. Not mine."

Every word tears me apart. Piece by piece. I try to hold together but my body shakes. My vision spins. It feels like drowning in air.

He looks at me one last time. Expression carved from ice.

"Stay away from me, Evangeline. From my friends. From anything that's mine. If you don't, I'll make you regret it."

Then he walks away. Just like that.

The crowd parts. His friends follow. Silent.

And I'm standing here. In the middle of a sea of eyes.

Nobody moves for a long moment. Then whispers start. Phones still recording. Someone snickers. Someone else mutters, "That's what happens when you aim too high."

I can't breathe. Can't think. My chest aches with every heartbeat.

Luna touches my shoulder. "Evangeline, let's go-"

"Don't." My voice cracks. "Please don't."

She pulls back. Tears in her eyes. She doesn't understand. Nobody does. The bond is still there. Pulsing faint like a wound that won't close. I can still feel him. Angry. Ashamed. Confused. But walking away.

I stand on shaky legs. Grab my tray even though I can't taste anything anymore. Food might as well be dirt.

Every step toward the door feels like dragging chains. Whispers follow me like ghosts.

"Did you see her face?"

"She really thought she was his mate?"

"What an embarrassment."

By the time I hit the hallway, cafeteria noise is distant. My knees almost give out. I press my hand to the wall. Try to breathe steady. But tears won't stop.

The bond is still alive. I feel it beating weak against my ribs. Proof the Goddess doesn't make mistakes. Proof that no matter how much he denies it, we're tied by something bigger than pride.

But to him I'm just an Omega. A mistake he wants erased.

That realization cuts deeper than any rejection.

I slide down the wall until I'm sitting on cold tile. The hallway's empty now. Just me. My tears. The echo of his voice in my head.

"I reject you."

I close my eyes and let the pain crash over me. Wave after wave. My wolf howls. Broken and lost. But underneath the pain, something else stirs. Something small and quiet.

A spark.

A whisper.

Not love. Not anymore.

Anger.

Resolve.

He humiliated me in front of everyone. He took my heart and crushed it because he was too scared of what people would think.

Maybe one day he'll regret it.

Maybe one day he'll feel this pain too.

But not today.

Today I let the tears fall. Tomorrow I learn how to never need him again.

I sit there for a long time. Long enough that the bell rings. Students flood the hallways. Some stare. Some whisper. Most just walk past like I'm invisible.

Maybe that's better. Being invisible.

Eventually I force myself up. My legs wobble but they hold. I wipe my face with my sleeve. It doesn't help much. My eyes are probably red and swollen. I look like exactly what I am.

Broken.

Luna finds me before the next period. She doesn't say anything. Just walks beside me. Her presence is the only thing keeping me from falling apart again.

"You don't have to explain," she finally says. Soft. Kind. "But if you need to talk..."

I shake my head. Can't find words yet.

She nods. Squeezes my hand once. Then let's go.