Second Chance To The Alpha's Rejected Heir

Chapter 2: The Public Rejection

Echo's POV

I didn't sleep.

Not after the library.

Not after the prophecy.

Not after Kieran told me the Council intended to force the Nullification Ritual.

The rain continued all night.

Hammering against my bedroom windows.

Keeping time with the thoughts racing through my head.

Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the same words.

"The Council ordered me to reject you."

"They'll force the ritual."

"The prophecy has started."

I sat on my bed staring at my phone.

No new messages.

No explanation.

No miracle.

Just silence.

The kind of silence that comes before a storm.

At 6:14 a.m., my phone vibrated.

I lunged for it instantly.

My heart sank.

It wasn't Kieran.

It was an Academy announcement.

MANDATORY PACK ASSEMBLY

8:00 A.M.

ALL STUDENTS REQUIRED TO ATTEND

A second message followed immediately.

Attendance will be recorded by Council order.

Council order.

The words made my stomach twist.

Nothing good ever came from those words.

Nothing.

I pressed a hand against my stomach.

Seven weeks.

Still our secret.

Still safe.

For now.

A knock sounded at my bedroom door.

"Echo?"

Grandma.

I quickly wiped my eyes.

"Come in."

She stepped inside carrying a mug of tea.

Then stopped.

Her gaze immediately found my face.

She knew.

Grandmothers always knew.

"What happened?"

My throat tightened.

For one dangerous moment I almost told her everything.

The baby.

The prophecy.

The Council.

The ritual.

Instead I forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

She snorted.

"That's the worst lie you've ever told."

I looked away.

Because if I met her eyes, I would break.

Grandma sighed.

Then set the tea on my nightstand.

"Whatever happens today, remember something."

I frowned.

"What?"

A strange expression crossed her face.

Fear.

Real fear.

"Hawthorne women survive."

My pulse skipped.

The words felt important.

Like a warning.

Like a promise.

Before I could ask what she meant, she turned toward the door.

"Grandma?"

She paused.

"What do you know about the Hawthorne Prophecy?"

The color drained from her face.

For one second

just one

terror flashed across her eyes.

Then it vanished.

Hidden.

Buried.

Locked away.

"You should stay away from old stories."

The answer chilled me.

Because it wasn't a denial.

And suddenly I knew.

She knew exactly what the prophecy was.

And she didn't want me anywhere near it.

---

The Academy courtyard was packed by 7:55 a.m.

Hundreds of students stood shoulder to shoulder.

Teachers lined the edges.

Council guards occupied every exit.

Nobody was leaving.

Nobody was talking loudly.

Everyone could feel it.

Something was wrong.

I stood near the back.

Alone.

Watching.

Waiting.

Praying.

Then the gates opened.

Silence crashed across the courtyard.

Every voice died instantly.

Every head turned.

And my heart stopped.

Kieran walked through the gates.

Not alone.

A girl stood beside him.

Tall.

Elegant.

Silver hair.

Emerald-green eyes.

Beautiful in the way a blade is beautiful.

Dangerous.

Sharp.

Cold.

Vivienne Crowe.

She walked as though the entire world already belonged to her.

And perhaps it did.

Her hand rested lightly on Kieran's arm.

My stomach dropped.

Not because she touched him.

Because he didn't pull away.

His eyes found mine instantly.

Pain flashed across his face.

Raw.

Unhidden.

Then disappeared behind a mask.

A mask I'd never seen him wear before.

The mask of an Alpha.

The mask of someone about to sacrifice everything.

Elder Voss stepped forward.

"Today marks the activation of a historical alliance."

The crowd murmured.

Confused.

Uneasy.

I already knew where this was going.

I just wasn't ready to hear it.

"The Blackthorn-Crowe Treaty."

Shock rippled through the Academy.

Questions erupted.

Whispers spread.

Voss raised a hand.

Silence returned.

"As of this morning, Alpha Heir Kieran Blackthorn has entered a formal mating agreement with Vivienne Crowe."

The world tilted.

My vision blurred.

Students gasped around me.

I heard someone say my name.

Heard someone whisper.

Poor Echo.

I stared at Kieran.

Only Kieran.

And Kieran stared back.

His eyes begged for forgiveness before he had even spoken.

Then Elder Voss delivered the killing blow.

"Any prior attachments are hereby dissolved by Council authority."

The crowd turned.

Toward me.

Every.

Single.

Person.

Heat rushed to my face.

Humiliation burned through my veins.

Everyone knew.

Everyone.

The girl Kieran Blackthorn loved.

The girl being discarded.

Publicly.

My lungs refused to work.

Then Elder Voss stepped back.

And nodded toward Kieran.

The crowd held its breath.

This was the moment.

The future Alpha stepped forward.

I saw his hands.

Clenched into fists.

I saw the tension in his jaw.

The pain in his eyes.

The way his entire body looked ready to break.

He didn't want this.

I knew it.

He knew it.

The Council knew it.

But none of that mattered.

Because they had him trapped.

Kieran swallowed.

Then spoke.

His voice carried across the entire courtyard.

Clear.

Powerful.

Dead.

"Echo Hawthorne and I are no longer together."

The words hit harder than any punch.

Gasps erupted around us.

My chest caved inward.

No.

No.

No.

His eyes locked onto mine.

And I realized something horrifying.

He wasn't looking away because he didn't care.

He was looking away because he cared too much.

Every word was killing him too.

"I accept the Council's decision."

The crowd erupted.

Whispers.

Questions.

Rumors.

I couldn't hear any of it.

Because my heartbeat had become a roar inside my ears.

I felt sick.

Actually sick.

My stomach churned violently.

A hand instinctively moved to my abdomen.

Protective.

Terrified.

The baby.

Our baby.

Nobody could know.

Nobody.

Not now.

Not here.

Not with the Council watching.

Vivienne noticed.

Her gaze followed the movement.

For a split second her emerald eyes narrowed.

Then she smiled.

The sight sent ice through my veins.

Because it wasn't a kind smile.

It wasn't a victory smile.

It was a predator's smile.

Like she'd just spotted something interesting.

Something worth hunting.

Fear exploded inside me.

Kieran saw it too.

His entire body tensed.

The look he gave Vivienne was pure warning.

The look she gave back was amusement.

And suddenly I understood.

This wasn't over.

Not even close.

This was the beginning.

---

The assembly ended.

Students flooded the courtyard.

Nobody approached me.

Not at first.

They just stared.

Whispered.

Pointed.

I stood frozen.

Unable to move.

Unable to breathe.

Unable to process what had just happened.

Then somebody laughed.

A quiet laugh.

Cruel.

Another followed.

Then another.

The humiliation hit all over again.

I turned and walked away.

Fast.

Before anyone could see me cry.

Before anyone could see how badly I was breaking.

Before anyone could see the future Alpha's rejected girlfriend falling apart.

I made it halfway across campus.

Then someone grabbed my wrist.

My entire body tensed.

I spun around.

Kieran.

His face looked wrecked.

Like he'd aged ten years in ten minutes.

"Echo."

I ripped my hand free.

Pain flashed across his features.

Good.

Because I was hurting too.

"You don't get to touch me right now."

His throat worked.

"I had to."

The words snapped something inside me.

"Had to?"

I laughed.

The sound was ugly.

Broken.

"You stood in front of the entire Academy and rejected me."

"They were watching."

"I don't care!"

Tears blurred my vision.

"I don't care, Kieran!"

His own eyes looked suspiciously bright.

"They would've forced the ritual."

The reminder hit like a slap.

Silence fell between us.

Heavy.

Painful.

Real.

Because that was the problem.

He wasn't lying.

The Council would.

And both of us knew it.

His voice dropped.

"They're already watching you."

My pulse froze.

"What?"

"I saw guards assigned this morning."

Fear crawled down my spine.

"The Council thinks the prophecy has already begun."

I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself.

Around the secret hidden beneath my heart.

Kieran noticed.

His eyes softened instantly.

Then shattered.

Because he knew exactly what I was protecting.

Our child.

Our future.

Everything.

"We're going to find another way," he whispered.

I wanted to believe him.

God, I wanted to.

But the look in his eyes told me the truth.

He had no idea how.

And neither did I.

Somewhere behind us, the Council bells began to ring.

One.

Two.

Three.

The sound echoed across Blackthorn territory.

Ancient.

Ominous.

Final.

A warning.

A countdown.

And for the first time, I couldn't shake the feeling that fate had already started moving.

That somewhere in the shadows, something had awakened.

Something that knew about the prophecy.

Something that knew about my baby.

Something that was already coming for us.

And I had no idea that before this week ended...

The Council would try to suppress the prophecy forever.