Chapter 10
1558 Words
Justin
My father's office was dark when I entered, the curtains drawn tight. The only light came from the harsh glow of a desk lamp, casting shadows across his desk piled with reports and half-drained tumblers of scotch.
He didn’t look up. “Sit.”
I obeyed, jaw tight. My wolf stirred with unease.
Karl finally raised his eyes. Cold. Disgusted. “We have a problem.”
I knew what he meant. I’d seen the way he looked at Olivia when she walked past. The way his lip curled.
“She’s not worthy of you,” he said, voice low and venomous. “You’re a future Alpha. And she’s nothing. An Omega. A kitchen girl.”
“She’s my mate.” My voice cracked on the word.
He slammed his hand on the desk. “That bond is a mistake.”
The silence stretched between us like a blade.
He leaned closer. “You’re going to reject her. Publicly. Brutally. You’ll humiliate her so thoroughly she never dares look at you again. And you’ll do it tonight.”
My stomach twisted. “Dad—”
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper. “Or I’ll have her sent to the brothel.”
The breath whooshed out of me. My hands shook, but I nodded.
Because I was a coward.
Olivia
The air outside was crisp, the scent of pine carried on the wind. I had just finished the late prep, arms dusted with flour, when Justin appeared at the kitchen doors. I smiled at him and opened my arms for a hug. He stood in the doorway, unmoving.
His face was unreadable. Cold. “Come with me.”
I hesitated. “Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer. Just turned and walked. I followed, heart pounding, my wolf tense with uncertainty.
He led me past the garden, past the storage sheds, toward the training ring. It was empty this late in the day, the sun hanging low over the trees, shadows stretching long across the sand and stone floor.
The moment we stepped inside, my instincts screamed.
“Justin?”
He turned to face me, jaw tight. “You need to listen. And don’t speak.”
I searched the horizon, the tree line, the windows of the main house. No one.
“Justin, what’s happening?” I whispered.
But I already knew.
He took a deep breath. “Olivia Jones—Omega of the Middle Moon Pack—I, Justin Strong, future Alpha, reject you as my mate. I sever the bond that connects us.”
“No,” I breathed. “No, please—”
“I reject you,” he snapped again, louder now. “You’re nothing. Just a pathetic kitchen girl who thought she could dream above her station.”
The words hit like knives. My knees buckled, pain erupting through my chest. My wolf howled in my mind, thrashing, as the bond unraveled in a blaze of agony.
Blood burst from my nose. My ears rang. My body collapsed to the ground, writhing with the shock of the break.
My heart shattered.
I screamed.
Cain
I was at the edge of the training field, alone in the shadows, practicing forms with my staff to clear my mind.
But my thoughts circled Gwen. Her red hair like wildfire. The way she held herself—dignified, even when unraveling. The ache of the bond pulled at me constantly, demanding I claim her.
Then a scream shattered the evening air—raw, primal, filled with pain.
I dropped the staff and ran.
I found them in the ring: Olivia crumpled, shaking and bleeding. Justin standing over her, face cold and proud.
“What did you do?” I thundered.
Justin turned, startled. “She’s fine. Just an Omega who forgot her place.”
I moved toward Olivia, crouching to cradle her as she writhed. Her scent was broken, the mate bond shredded. Her wolf was flickering—fading.
“She’s bleeding,” I growled. “She’s dying.”
Justin gave a flippant shrug. “She’ll survive. She was never meant for me.”
I stared at him. “You rejected your fated mate.”
His eyes gleamed with something darker. “She was a mistake. Besides…” He stepped closer, smirking. “I’ve always known who I really wanted.”
A pause. Then—
“Gwen. She was so sweet that night. Perfect.” His grin twisted. “Tight. Trusting. She thought I was her mate. Maybe I was. Doesn’t matter. She’s mine either way.”
My hands curled into fists.
“She’ll come back to me,” he went on. “They always do. And this time, she won’t have a choice.”
He didn’t notice the change in my breathing. The crackle of power just under my skin. The bond in my chest roaring at the threat.
“You should see her when she cries,” Justin added, eyes distant, voice softer. “So beautiful. So obedient.”
I was across the space in a second—close enough to see the smug satisfaction fade from his eyes as he registered the fury burning in mine.
“You speak of her again like that,” I said, voice low and shaking, “and I will rip out your tongue.”
His smile faltered.
I stepped back, barely keeping control. If I stayed a second longer, I’d bury him where he stood.
So I turned, lifting Olivia into my arms, and walked away.
Let him wonder why.
Let him fear it.
My hands moved instinctively, cradling her with care. Her skin was ice.
“You’re safe now,” I murmured.
I turned, glaring at Justin. “If I hear you so much as breathe near her again, I will end you.”
Justin's face paled and he puffed out his chest "I don't know who you think you are. I'm the future Alpha of this pack."
“I know this—when I claim my mate, I’ll never use her, break her, or treat her like trash. Gwen deserves better than a coward who hides behind his father’s orders. She deserves a real Alpha” I let venom coat my words.
He backed away without another word.
Gwen
There was a knock at the door, then a voice that sent chills down my spine.
“Open up. It’s Cain.”
I swung the door wide—and saw Olivia.
She was limp in his arms, blood still dripping from her nose. Her skin was gray. Her lips parted in shallow gasps.
“What happened?!”
“Rejection,” Cain said tightly. “In the training ring. He made her beg. And then he broke her.”
I helped him guide her to the couch. Jordan appeared with blankets, moving on instinct.
“She’s burning up,” I whispered.
“I’ll make her tea,” Jordan said, already in motion.
Olivia’s eyes fluttered open. “Gwen…?”
“I’m here,” I said, clutching her hand.
“He said I was nothing.”
My throat tightened. “He’s wrong.”
Across the room, Cain stood like a storm barely held back. His fists were clenched. His eyes burned with fury.
“This isn’t just a rejection,” he said. “This is a pattern. It’s how they control Omegas.”
My blood ran cold.
He looked at me, voice low and lethal. “It ends here.”
And in that moment, I believed him.
Cain
I watched her sleep, curled beneath the blanket, her breathing shallow but steady. Gwen hadn’t left her side, and Jordan hovered protectively nearby.
This was no longer just about investigation. It was personal. It was war.
My wolf growled quietly in my chest.
They would pay for what they did to Olivia.
And no one—no Alpha, no cowardly mate, no cruel system—would stop me from burning this rot to the ground.
Gwen
Later, after Olivia finally slipped into a restless sleep, I found Cain standing on the back porch, staring out into the tree line. The moon was high above us, casting silver across the clearing. I stepped beside him, pulling my cardigan tighter around my arms.
“She’s stable,” I said quietly.
He nodded, jaw tense. “Good.”
Silence stretched between us for a beat before I spoke again.
“I’ve seen things,” I said, voice low. “Heard things, growing up as the Beta’s daughter. Nothing I could prove. But…”
Cain glanced sideways at me. “Like what?”
“The pack records. They’ve been altered. I’ve seen names disappear. Young Omegas mostly.” I swallowed hard. “And my father… he always gets nervous when the Alphas talk about shipments. Like there’s something more behind the supply deliveries.”
His brows furrowed, expression sharpening.
I continued. “Karl keeps a ledger in his study—locked up tight. Even my father can’t touch it. And lately, I’ve noticed more security at the northern storage buildings. Too much for crates of grain.”
Cain’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “You’ve been watching.”
“I’ve been surviving,” I corrected.
He nodded once. “Keep your eyes open, Gwen. And if you see anything—anything at all—you tell me. Directly.”
“I will,” I promised.
- Writer
