After He Abandoned Luna Ritual, I Rejected Him

Chapter 3

I didn't want to go to the banquet, but Roman ended up dragging me there against my will.

The event was held on the rooftop terrace of the fanciest hotel in the city.

The second Lena stepped into view, every eye in the room locked on her. She was wearing my custom-made gown, the Luna necklace around her throat, and her arm looped through Roman's. She looked for all the world like the real Luna.

"Isn't that the Luna necklace? Why is she wearing it?"

"I heard the Alpha even gave her the master bedroom to stay in..."

Wave after wave of pitying glances washed over me.

I stood off in the corner, clutching a wine glass so tight my fingertips went pale. Then I took a deep, steadying breath, shoving that sharp, throbbing ache in my chest down as far as it would go.

It was fine. I'd be able to leave soon enough.

A few allied Alphas pulled Roman aside to talk business. Before he left, he even thoughtfully grabbed me a warm glass of milk. "I'll dance the first dance with you later."

Halfway through the banquet, the air felt too thick to breathe, so I wandered out to the balcony to get some fresh air.

Lena sauntered over, swirling a glass of red wine in her hand. "See that, Willow? All I have to do is act a little fragile, and the Alpha will hand over every single thing that's supposed to be yours on a silver platter."

My face stayed ice-cold. "What's your point?"

A flicker of unhinged madness glinted in her eyes.

Before I could blink, she dumped the entire glass of wine all over herself, grabbed the balcony railing, and threw herself backward. "Ahh! Willow, don't push me!"

I reacted on instinct, reaching out to yank her back.

But just then, a dark shadow came barreling toward us!

It was Roman.

He shoved me hard out of the way, grabbed Lena by the wrist, and hauled her back over the railing before she could fall.

Thud!

My lower back slammed full force into the decorative silver pointed edge on the pillar behind me. The burning sensation from the silver spread quickly through the wound, and I clamped a hand over my waist, breaking out in a cold sweat from the agony.

Roman didn't even glance my way. He was holding Lena tight, his voice shaking so badly you could hear the panic in every word. "Lena! Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Lena curled up in his arms, sobbing piteously, her face streaked with tears. "Alpha, I was so scared. Why would Willow push me?"

Roman turned to look at me, his eyes cold and blazing with fury. "How dare you lay a hand on her?"

"I didn't push her." My whole hand was trembling.

I tried to push all my hurt, all my frustration, all the raw pain I was feeling through the mate bond to him. I needed him to know I hadn't pushed her, that I was hurt too.

But all I picked up from him was a wave of frustration and disappointment over me being "disobedient and unreasonable".

"Stop using the mate bond to mess with my judgment!" He unleashed his full Alpha pressure, unilaterally and forcefully sealing our soul connection.

In that split second, the bond between us was ripped clean apart.

The searing, soul-deep pain made my vision go black, and I almost collapsed where I stood.

Lena cried even harder in his arms. "Alpha, don't be mad at Willow. Maybe I did something wrong to upset her. It's all my fault, really..."

"None of this is your fault." Roman soothed her immediately, then looked back at me, his voice even colder than before. "Willow, look at her. She's a mess. Are you really still going to refuse to apologize?"

Seven years together, and he didn't even bother asking for my side of the story before he decided I was guilty.

"Whether I pushed her or not, just check the security footage. That'll tell you everything."

Roman immediately ordered someone to pull up the security footage.

Lena's expression froze for a split second, then she spoke in a faint, wobbly voice. "Alpha, my head's spinning so bad... I think my wounds are opening up..."

At that, Roman tensed up instantly. He swept Lena into a bridal carry and practically sprinted toward the elevators. "Go home first," he tossed over his shoulder without even glancing at me. "We'll talk about this when I get back."

Clutching my throbbing waist, my legs gave out and I slowly sank down onto the cold, hard floor.

The searing burn from the silver ornament was growing worse by the second.

But compared to the sharp, splitting ache in my chest, the physical pain barely even registered.

*****

The next afternoon, I was lying on my side in bed trying to rest when Roman walked in.

He shoved the door open with a loud creak, a dark, stormy scowl on his face, and stepped right up to me. "Willow, about last night..."

I cut him off coldly. "I didn't push her. You can check the footage yourself."

Roman's face went stiff for a moment, and his voice dropped. "I know. I already looked into it."

"So what are you here to say?"

He suddenly crouched down in front of me, a faint edge of pleading creeping into his tone. "Word about last night got out. Everyone's calling Lena a homewrecker, saying she seduced me. If this keeps up, she won't have a place in the Pack anymore."

I stared at him, silent and unblinking.

His voice shifted into the unnegotiable Alpha authority all Pack members knew to obey. "At tomorrow's Luna ceremony, I want you to publicly apologize to Lena."