Chapter Two
1238 Words
ROWAN
The cheers followed me long after I fled the Moonlit Grove.
Every howl of celebration felt like another blade twisting inside my chest.
I didn't know how long I ran.
The forest blurred around me as branches caught my dress and thorns scratched my arms. My wolf whimpered continuously, mourning the bond that had been ripped away before it had even had the chance to bloom.
Mate...
She sounded so small.
So broken.
"I'm sorry," I whispered through trembling lips. "I couldn't keep him."
She didn't answer again.
By the time I reached the healer's cottage, the music from the revel had become little more than a distant echo.
I pushed open the wooden gate with shaking hands. The scent of lavender and dried herbs usually calmed me.
Tonight...
Nothing could.
"Rowan."
Elder Mira stepped out from the garden, her weathered eyes widening the moment she saw me.
"My child..."
She hurried toward me.
Only then did I realize my cheeks were wet. I hadn't even noticed I was crying.
Without asking a single question, she wrapped her arms around me.
The warmth of her embrace shattered the last of my composure.
A sob tore from my throat. "It hurts." My voice barely sounded human. "It hurts so much."
"I know." She stroked my hair gently. "I know."
For several minutes, neither of us spoke. The only sound was my uneven breathing.
Finally, Elder Mira sighed. "You shouldn't stay here tonight."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Before she could answer, hurried footsteps approached the cottage.
It was one of the young servants from the Alpha Manor. "Miss Rowan!" He stopped to catch his breath. "Your parents are looking for you.They asked that you return immediately."
...
The Grey Manor was brighter than I'd ever seen it. Servants hurried through the halls carrying wine, flowers, and expensive dishes.
The celebration hadn't ended.
It had simply moved home.
No one noticed me as I entered.
Everyone was too busy congratulating Seraphina.
"...our future Luna!"
"...the prophecy has finally come true!"
"...Alpha Damien made the right choice!"
Their voices blurred together.
I climbed the staircase quietly, hoping to disappear into my room.
"Rowan." Father's voice stopped me.
I turned slowly.
Both my parents stood in the hallway. Seraphina was beside them while Damien stood only a step behind her.
He didn't look at me.
Not once.
Father folded his hands behind his back, his expression as composed as though we were discussing tomorrow's weather. "I trust you've had enough time to compose yourself."
I looked at him in disbelief. Not once had he asked if I was alright. Not once had he acknowledged the pain carved across my soul.
He simply continued. "The Moon Goddess has made her will clear."
"From this day forward, Seraphina is the future Luna of Silver Crest Pack. You will treat her with the respect her position deserves."
My fingers curled tightly into my palms until my nails bit into my skin. Father went on as if he hadn't noticed.
"Three days from now, Alpha Damien and Seraphina's mating ceremony will be held before the entire pack."
A heavy silence settled over the hallway. Then he delivered the final blow. "As Seraphina's sister, you will stand beside her throughout the ceremony."
I thought I'd misheard him. My lips parted, but no sound came out. "...You want me to watch?"
Mother met my eyes with a look that almost resembled sympathy. "People are already talking about what happened tonight," she said gently. "If you refuse to attend, they'll believe you're bitter."
"Let them think whatever they want," I whispered.
Her expression hardened. "You're a daughter of the Grey family, Rowan. Your feelings are no longer the priority."
Father gave a single nod. "Our family's reputation is."
A hollow laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. "So that's what this is about?"
I looked from my father... to my mother... then to Seraphina, who stood silently beside Damien, her fingers intertwined with his.
"Not one of you cares that he rejected me. Not one of you cares that my mate stood before the entire pack and shattered our bond."
My voice cracked. "You only care that people might think I can't smile while watching my own sister marry the man I love."
A heavy silence settled over the hallway. No one answered me. Not my father. Not my mother. Not even Damien.
I turned to him, clinging to the smallest, most foolish hope that he would say something.
Anything.
Tell them they were being cruel.
Tell them this wasn't necessary.
Tell them he hadn't wanted this either.
His gray eyes met mine for only a fleeting second. Pain flickered there. Then it disappeared behind the calm, unreadable mask of an Alpha. "...You should do whatever your family decides," he said quietly.
The last thread holding my heart together snapped. "So that's it?"
My voice trembled. "After everything we've been through... that's all you have to say?"
His jaw tightened, but he remained silent. Again.
Always silence.
Seraphina gently slipped her arm through his.
"Rowan," she said softly, "I know this is difficult for you."
I let out a hollow laugh. "Difficult?"
She lowered her gaze with practiced grace.
"I never wanted to hurt you."
“You b—” Before I could complete my cuss, Father's voice cut through the silence.
"Enough. This conversation is over."
He looked at me as though issuing orders to a warrior. "I expect you to conduct yourself with dignity. You are a Grey. Do not disgrace this family."
I swallowed the bitter taste rising in my throat.
Disgrace?
I almost wanted to laugh.
The man who had sworn he would spend the rest of his life beside me had rejected me before the entire pack. My own parents expected me to applaud while he marked my sister.
And somehow...
I was the one capable of disgracing this family.
Without another word, I turned and walked away.
...
Much later that night...
Unable to sleep, I wandered toward the rear gardens, hoping the cold air would quiet the ache inside me.
As I neared the old council hall, familiar voices drifted through the open window.
I recognized one of them immediately.
Damien.
I froze.
"...there was no other choice," he said quietly.
An elder replied, "If Rowan was truly your mate, why reject her?"
Silence.
Then Damien spoke again.
"Because I found the complete prophecy."
My fingers tightened around the stone wall.
"The child destined to become the Silver Wolf will be born to one of the Grey sisters."
"My duty is to this pack."
"I cannot gamble its future."
Another elder asked, "And you're certain it's Seraphina?"
Damien answered without hesitation. "Who else could it possibly be? The stronger sister. The one blessed since birth. The prophecy can only be referring to Seraphina."
Every word struck me like another blade to the heart.
He had mentioned the prophecy when he rejected me, but hearing the conviction in his voice—hearing how little faith he'd ever had in me—hurt far more than the rejection itself.
He mentioned *the stronger sister...*
Was that all I'd ever been to him?
The weaker one.
The one who could never measure up.
I had spent years believing he saw me differently. Believing that, when the rest of the pack looked at Seraphina, he looked at me.
I had been wrong.
- Writer
