Chapter 9
1118 Words
My breath hitched.
This couldn’t really be happening. I’d only known my mate—Wyatt—for a few days. What information could Everett possibly think I had?
My confused expression must have revealed my thoughts because Everett’s eyes narrowed.
“Not about my i***t brother,” he snapped. “I want information about Alpha Michael. What are his plans regarding the new treaty?”
I blinked, trying to think. My head ached, a sharp throb pulsing behind my right temple. I’d heard whispers about a new treaty—something that might alter pack borders and alliances—but as an omega, I’d never been involved in that kind of discussion. It wasn’t my place. I cleaned floors, washed sheets, served meals.
“I don’t know,” I said quietly.
Everett growled low, the sound vibrating the walls.
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
I flinched, bracing for a hit—but nothing came. I peeked up through my lashes and found him still staring at me, his face hard as stone, but his fists stayed at his sides.
He was holding back.
Why?
He was supposed to be the other half of my fated mate bond. I should’ve felt safe in his presence—drawn to him. And in a way, I was. My body ached for his touch, for connection, even as my mind screamed to run. I didn’t understand why he was fighting the bond so viciously.
His expression remained icy, but the longer I stared at him, the more I sensed it was a mask. There was something beneath it. Something struggling.
I took a shaky breath.
“Everett… I know nothing. In my pack, I’m a servant. I usually just clean the Alpha wing—I barely ever speak to Alpha Michael. Please, let me go. I’ll tell Wyatt this was all just a misunderstanding.”
I tried to soften my voice, pleading with my eyes, hoping he might see I wasn’t a threat. But my words only seemed to ignite him further.
“YOU THINK I’M SCARED OF HIM?” he roared, the sound thunderous in the small basement. I recoiled, pressing into the back of the chair.
His face twisted with fury.
“Obviously this was a mistake. You pathetic little girl.” He sneered.
“I, Everett Sparks, Alpha of Oak Wolf Pack, reject you.”
His words sliced through me like a blade.
I gasped, pain erupting in my chest, radiating outward like a wildfire. My breath came in ragged shudders, and tears streamed down my cheeks as I slumped forward—kept from collapsing entirely only by the ropes that held my wrists.
My heart wasn’t just broken—it was ripped apart.
I looked up at him one last time as he turned toward the stairs.
And for just a moment, just a flicker, I saw it in his eyes.
Regret.
But then it was gone, and he disappeared up the stairs, footsteps slow and heavy. The door creaked shut behind him.
I vomited what little was left in my stomach, my body wracked with pain. I collapsed against the chair, trembling violently. Amethyst howled in agony inside my head. I could feel her grief, her confusion. One of our mates had rejected us. Did that sever the bond entirely? Would Wyatt’s bond fade too?
My body was too weak to think. The pain pulled me under again, dragging me into a cold, heavy sleep.
I didn’t know how much time had passed.
When I opened my eyes again, Everett stood before me—but something was… off.
His eyes were black. Not with rage—but with power.
“Hello, little wolf,” he said softly.
I pulled back instinctively, confused and afraid.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “I’m not Everett. I’m Ford—his wolf.”
My breath caught. Amethyst stirred weakly in the back of my mind, suddenly more alert.
The wolf’s bane was wearing off.
I nodded slowly, trying to process what I was seeing. Ford moved with calm, deliberate grace. His energy felt completely different from Everett’s—steadier, wiser, older.
“Okay, Ford,” I said, my voice hoarse. “What… what do you want?”
He smiled gently. Not a cruel smirk like Everett’s—but a real, warm smile. It looked strange on Everett’s face. Disorienting.
He circled around behind me, and I felt him begin to undo the ropes on my wrists.
“I won’t have control for long,” he said. “My human is… difficult. But I needed to speak with you.”
The ropes fell from my wrists, and I gasped as sensation returned to my arms.
Ford stepped in front of me again and took my hands carefully in his.
“Please don’t accept his rejection,” he said. “The bond still exists. It only breaks when you accept it. I need my fated mate.”
His words landed like stones in my chest.
I blinked at him. “You… you want me?”
“Yes,” he said, voice quiet and reverent. “If you accept the rejection, I will lose you. And I will leave Everett—with the Moon Goddess’s blessing.”
My lips parted in shock. I’d heard the stories—legends that a wolf could leave its human if the bond was severed and the goddess no longer saw value in the pairing. But it was rare. Dangerous. Sacred.
Ford leaned in and kissed me gently.
I kissed him back, tears slipping down my cheeks. It was tender. Soft. And devastating.
I felt guilty—because I knew Everett could feel this too, trapped behind the walls of his own mind.
Ford pulled away, eyes now clouded with growing tension.
“You must go, little wolf,” he said urgently. “Everett is fighting me. He’s angry. He’s almost back.”
His voice dropped to a huskier tone, laced with something darker.
“Please. Before I lose control… and hurt you.”
With a final kiss, he released me.
My legs were weak, but I stood. My body ached, my mouth was dry, but I moved.
I stumbled up the stairs, each step an effort. At the top, I slammed the door behind me and gasped in the fresh air. It was a cabin—isolated, unfamiliar. Nothing like the ones at my pack.
No phone. No allies. No clear direction.
But there—on a nearby table—sat a ring of keys.
I stared at them.
I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know how to drive. But I’d watched people do it before.
It couldn’t be that hard… right?
- Writer
