THE ALPHA'S REJECTED MATE

BOOK 5CHAPTER 12: THE RITUAL

CHAPTER 12: THE RITUAL

Pain.

Cold stone under my back.

The smell of iron and herbs.

I opened my eyes.

I was in a cave.

Candles everywhere. Hundreds.

And in the center, a circle made of silver and blood.

Standing over me was her.

Serena.

But not Serena.

Her eyes were gold. Not human. Not wolf.

And behind her... 12 women in black robes. All chanting.

"Awake," Serena said. Her voice echoed. Layered. Like 3 people speaking. "Good."

"What did you do to me?" I croaked. My throat was raw.

"I saved you," she smiled. "From him. From this fake bond. From dying as his Luna."

She knelt. Traced a finger down my cheek. Her nails were black.

"Did you really think the moon goddess chose you?" she whispered. "Sweet Ava. The goddess hasn’t spoken in 200 years."

The chanting got louder.

"What is this?" I tried to move. Chains. Silver.

"The Ritual of Severing," Serena said. "An old magic. It cuts mate bonds. It cuts bloodlines. It cuts fate itself."

She stood. Arms wide.

"And with your blood, I’ll end the Blackwood line forever."

My blood went cold. "You’re insane."

"Am I?" She laughed. "My mother was the Alpha’s sister. The one he let die to save his precious pack 20 years ago. This is justice."

The women raised their knives.

And then the cave exploded.

Rocks. Fire. A roar that shook the earth.

Damian.

Half-shifted. 8 feet tall. Silver fur. Eyes glowing. Blood dripping from his claws.

"LET. HER. GO."

The 12 women attacked him at once.

What happened next was a blur.

Claws. Teeth. Magic.

Damian tore through them like they were paper.

But more kept coming. From the tunnels.

Serena grabbed me. Dragged me to the center of the circle.

"Too late!" she screamed over the chaos. "The ritual has started!"

The silver in the circle began to glow.

Burning into my skin.

I screamed.

Damian’s head snapped to me. "AVA!"

He killed the last woman between us and dove.

He landed in the circle with me.

The magic hit him too.

It was meant for one. Now it had two.

"Damian no!" I sobbed. "It’ll kill you!"

"I don’t care," he said, holding my face. "If you die, I die. If you live, I live. That’s what mates do."

The pain was unbearable. Like being torn in half.

Serena was laughing. "Watch them burn!"

The circle flared bright white.

And then... silence.

No pain.

No magic.

Just warmth.

The glow faded.

Damian and I were still there. Breathing.

But the chains were gone.

And on his chest... and on mine...

New marks.

Not silver.

Gold.

Intertwined. Both of us.

The Ritual didn’t sever us.

It BOUND us. Permanently. Irreversibly.

Soul to soul.

Serena’s smile dropped. "Impossible..."

Damian stood. Picked me up.

He looked at her. And for the first time, he didn’t look like an Alpha.

He looked like a god.

"You tried to break what the moon made," he said, voice low. "Now watch what happens when you can’t break it."

He turned. Walked out of the cave with me in his arms.

Leaving Serena screaming behind us.

Outside, the sun was rising.

The wedding day.

He set me down. Cupped my face.

"The ritual is done," he said. "We’re not engaged anymore, Ava."

My heart dropped.

He smiled. Sad. Beautiful.

"We’re married. By blood. By magic. By the moon herself."

He kissed me.

Not desperate. Not angry.

Just... home.

When he pulled back, he whispered:

"Now let’s go tell the world."

END OF CHAPTER 12

Word Count: ~1345

CLIFFHANGER: THE RITUAL BACKFIRED. THEY'RE MAGICALY MARRIED. GOLD BONDS. SERENA FAILED. WEDDING DAY STARTS NOW. BUY CHAPTER 13.