Reject the Bond!
1176 Words
MAYA’S POV
The moment the grand double doors swung open, the music seemed to falter.
I took a deep breath, stepping onto the polished marble threshold. I wasn’t wearing the cheap, faded fabrics everyone expected. I had spent the last of my savings on a sleek, midnight-blue satin gown that clung to every curve before cascading elegantly to the floor. The color perfectly matched the Astra varsity hue, but the styling was pure defiance. My dark hair fell in soft waves down my back, and for the first time since entering this academy, my head was held high.
Standing right beside me, looking devastatingly handsome in a sharp black tuxedo with a crimson silk tie, was Christian Black. The Bloodwood Captain offered me his arm, his eyes flashing with open admiration.
“You look absolutely breathtaking, Maya,” Christian whispered, his voice smooth and loud enough to carry to the nearest tables. “Let's give them a show.”
I placed my hand on his arm, and we walked down the grand staircase together.
The ballroom erupted into a frenzy of whispers. The shock was obvious. A scholarship student, a disgraced Beta’s daughter, walking into the exclusive Astra Homecoming dance on the arm of the wealthiest, most powerful Alpha from our rival academy. It was a declaration of war.
“Is that Maya Lin? What is Christian Black doing here?”
“Look at Ethan. Oh my goddess, look at his face.”
My eyes instinctively swept the room, searching the crowd until they locked onto the VIP section.
Ethan was standing near the balustrade, a glass of champagne held loosely in his left hand, his right arm still resting in the black medical cast. Victoria was draped over his shoulder, but Ethan wasn’t looking at her.
He was staring at me.
His storm-gray eyes were blown wide, completely frozen as he took in my transformation. The cold, indifferent mask shattered into a thousand pieces.
As Christian guided me onto the dance floor, Ethan’s hand clenched around his champagne glass so tightly.
“He’s losing his mind,” Christian murmured, a smug, low laugh vibrating in his chest as he pulled me into the rhythm of a slow waltz. He placed his hand firmly on my waist, spinning me gracefully under the glittering lights. “Every Alpha in this room is watching you, Maya. But Vance looks like he wants to tear my throat out.”
“Let him watch,” I said, offering Christian a brilliant, radiant smile designed specifically for the cameras and the onlookers. “He thinks he can control this school. He needs to realize he doesn't control me.”
Christian’s scent—warm amber and cedar—was comforting, but my instincts were hyper-aware of a different scent entirely. Even across a crowded ballroom, the breathtaking aura of burning ash and sharp mint was rolling off Ethan in waves. It was toxic and volatile.
Suddenly, the music changed to a deeper, more intimate tempo. Christian spun me out and pulled me back in, his chest brushing against mine.
Before he could take the next step, a terrifying force cut through the space between us.
An iron grip slammed onto Christian’s shoulder, tearing the Bloodwood Captain backward with supernatural strength. Christian stumbled, his eyes flashing a predatory gold as his fangs partially extended in an aggressive response.
Ethan stepped into the gap, completely cutting Christian off from me. His dark hair was wild, his bow tie completely discarded, and the top buttons of his white shirt ripped open as if he were suffocating.
His storm-gray eyes had entirely vanished, replaced by a blinding, glowing amber. His wolf was completely at the surface, his chest heaving as he stared down at me.
“Get your hands off her, Black,” Ethan growled, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that shook the crystal glasses on the nearby tables. The raw power of his command caused several lower-ranking Betas in the room to instantly drop their heads.
Christian snarled, stepping forward, his broad shoulders squaring up against Ethan’s. “She’s my date, Vance. You don't own your teammates. Back off.”
“She is my Mid-Forward,” Ethan spat back, stepping closer until he was practically towering over me, his massive frame shielding me from the rest of the ballroom. The scent of ash and mint was deafening, making my heart race violently. “She belongs on my field. In my academy. With me.”
“I don't belong to anyone, Ethan!” I snapped, my pride flaring up as I tried to step around him.
“Go back to Victoria and leave me—“
Suddenly, the lights in the grand ballroom violently flickered and died.
The music stopped instantly and a heavy silence fell over the entire crowd.
Before anyone could scream, silver lights began to pour through the glass skylights from the night sky above. It wasn't normal moonlight. It was thick, shimmering, and pulsating with divine energy.
“The Moon Goddess,” someone whispered in absolute awe.
In the center of the ballroom, the academy’s sacred Mate Crystal—a massive, ancient quartz pillar used to verify true fated matches—ignited. It didn't just glow; it blazed with a blinding, celestial white light that illuminated every single face in the room.
The crystal began to hum, a deep, resonant sound that buzzed right through the soles of my shoes.
Everyone watched in breathless silence as the divine energy shot upward from the crystal, piercing through the skylight and projecting two massive, glowing silver names directly into the night sky for the entire territory to see.
The letters formed perfectly, shining against the darkness.
MAYA LIN
ETHAN VANCE
A collective, horrified gasp echoed across the ballroom.
Victoria dropped her glass, the crystal shattering loudly against the floor. Headmaster Vance stood up from the VIP table, his face turning completely pale. Thousands of students immediately pulled out their phones, livestreams broadcasting the sky to millions of shifters across the pack networks.
I froze, my breath completely trapped in my throat, staring up at the names.
Beside me, Ethan stiffened, his gaze slowly dropping from the sky to lock onto mine.
Just then, a sudden, violent jolt of electricity shot through my veins, a phantom bond snapping into place, making my soul recognize him in a way that terrified me to my core.
Mate!
We were fated mates. The Alpha Captain and the traitor's daughter.
From the back of the room, a furious voice shattered the silence.
“No! It can’t be! She's a traitor!” Victoria shrieked, tears streaming down her face as she pointed at me. “She ruined your wrist, Ethan! She's trash! Reject her!”
The crowd instantly picked up the cue. The wealthy Alphas, the elite packs, the students who heard of my father and despised me because of him—they all began to murmur, their voices rising into a deafening, unified chant that echoed off the ballroom walls.
“Reject her! Reject her! Reject her!”
- Writer
