Marked By His Rival

"Magnus, please, don’t—" My voice cracks as I reach for him, but the cold look in his eyes freezes me in my tracks. He stands a few feet away, his broad shoulders stiff as he stares across the clearing at the crowd of onlookers. The wind stirs the leaves, but it’s not enough to mask the tension that’s hanging in the air, thick and suffocating. I want to step closer, to hold him, to remind him of the bond we share, but I know better now. I know better than to believe in fated mates. "Step back, Lena," Magnus says, his voice ice, his words an order. I flinch. "What... what do you mean?" He doesn't answer right away, his eyes scanning the crowd, the gathered members of both packs, his pack and the rival one. My heart pounds in my chest, the realization dawning too late. "You—" I swallow hard, "you can't mean this. We're fated. We're destined to be together." The words taste bitter in my mouth. They’ve always felt like a fairytale, something that only exists in the stories told by elders. But with Magnus, I had always believed them, believed that maybe, just maybe, fate would be kind to me. He tilts his head slightly like he’s examining a stray piece of trash. "Lena, you’re not my mate." His words are a slap in the face, cruel and unforgiving. A breath hitches in my throat. "What... what are you saying?" The world around me seems to blur as I try to comprehend the words that just shattered everything I thought I knew. His eyes meet mine with no flicker of remorse, just the cold emptiness that’s always been a part of him. "I’m rejecting you." The words fall from his lips as if it’s nothing more than an inconvenient chore to him. "No!" I take a step forward, my heart racing. The world spins, but my legs remain steady, as though my body knows before my mind that this is the end. "You can’t do this. Magnus, you can’t." My voice cracks, and the pain—so deep, so sudden—takes my breath away. "I can," he says, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It’s already done." I feel the world tilt. My body shakes, and the crowd goes silent, though I hear the murmurs of my pack behind me, their whispers laced with pity and disgust. I try to hold it together, but the sting of betrayal makes it impossible. My chest tightens as though someone’s squeezing my heart in their fist. The cold wind bites at my skin, but it does nothing to distract me from the numbness settling over me. My breath is coming fast, shallow, desperate. “Please, Magnus. Don’t do this to me,” I beg, my voice small, almost pleading. But he doesn’t even seem to hear me. The murmurs from the rival pack are more distinct now. I glance to the side, where Elias stands—his eyes are sharp, calculating, a storm of emotions swirling behind his cold gaze. His pack is all around him, watching with a mix of curiosity and disdain. I notice how his jaw clenches, and his muscles tense. He’s not moving, not saying anything. Just watching. And for some reason, I feel the weight of his stare more than I ever should. I don’t want to look at him. Not now, not when my world is falling apart. But I can’t help myself. His presence, dark and looming, makes everything feel worse. Magnus turns away from me, signaling to his Beta, Victor, who steps forward with a sly grin. "This is the reality, Lena. Your place was never here. You were never meant for this life." I’m frozen, unable to speak, unable to fight back. The sting of his rejection cuts deeper than any wound I’ve ever felt. A scream builds in my chest, but I can’t let it out. The world around me is spinning, and it feels like the ground beneath me is crumbling away. But the worst part? It’s the look of satisfaction in Magnus’s eyes. His rejection isn’t about me. It’s not about our bond or fate. It’s about his power. His future. And I was nothing but a pawn to him. A tool to secure an alliance with Elias’s pack. "You will stay in your place, Lena," Magnus says, turning his back on me. "You can go back to your pack. I won’t have you in my life." My chest aches, but there’s a simmering rage building deep inside me. "I don’t need you," I snap, the words coming out of me before I even know I’ve spoken them. Magnus pauses, his back still turned to me, but there’s no hesitation in his voice when he responds. "No, you don't." My pack is no better. I glance around, hoping to find even one familiar face, but all I see are averted gazes. They won’t meet my eyes. They all know. They all know what this means. I turn, my heart thundering in my chest. The cool air feels like ice on my skin, but nothing compares to the frozen ache in my heart. I can hear the quiet whispers of my pack now, gossiping, exchanging looks—like I’m a failure, a disgrace. The rejection is worse than I ever imagined. It’s not just Magnus; it’s my entire world crumbling around me. I try to take a step back, to hold on to something—anything—but my legs give out beneath me. I fall to my knees, clutching at the grass, my fingers sinking into the earth as if it might somehow hold me together. The wind picks up, and for a moment, I think I might suffocate under the weight of it all. A heavy silence settles over the clearing. The air is thick with judgment. The rival pack watches us, Elias still standing motionless, his eyes never leaving me. I force myself to stand again, shakily rising to my feet. I wipe away the tears that I never even realized were falling, and as I do, I see him—Elias. He’s looking at me, not with pity, but with something darker. Something I can’t quite place. And then he steps forward, his eyes locked onto mine, never wavering. My heart stutters, and for a moment, I forget to breathe. But the moment is brief, and I quickly push it down. He’s the enemy. I shouldn’t feel anything for him. Not when Magnus was my mate. Not when I had already given my heart to someone else. I turn away, desperate to escape the crowd, to flee from the pain that threatens to consume me. But before I can take a step, a low voice calls out, cutting through the haze of my thoughts. "You’re not alone, Lena," Elias says, his voice low but firm, sending a chill through me that has nothing to do with the wind. I freeze. The words sting, but they also pull at something deep within me. I shake my head, forcing myself to move forward, to escape this nightmare, but my legs don’t seem to work. "Elias, stay away from me," I manage, my voice hoarse, my throat closing around the words. "I don’t need your help." His gaze sharpens. He steps closer, his presence overwhelming, and despite myself, I can feel the pull of his aura. "But you do, Lena," he says softly. "And whether you admit it or not, you’ll need me before this is over." I open my mouth to protest, but before I can speak, a harsh voice cuts through the tension. "Enough, Elias." It’s Magnus. His voice is dripping with venom. "Stay out of this. She’s mine to deal with." But Elias doesn’t flinch. He stands his ground, never once breaking his gaze from me. The wind on my face feels like the cruelest thing I’ve ever known. Alone, abandoned, in the very moment I should have been chosen.