Rejected by the Alpha Marked by Fate

Chapter3

The scent of burning incense filled the grand hall, thick and sweet, meant to bless our union. The Thornveil elders sat in their high-backed chairs, murmuring their blessings while the warriors stood in formation, their expressions unreadable. My mother, Sienne, and the maids had spent all morning braiding silver threads into my hair, her fingers gentle, her eyes sad. She had always sensed things before they happened. I wished I had listened.

I stood at the altar, wrapped in ceremonial robes of deep crimson and black, colors of unity and power. My hands trembled slightly as I adjusted the lace cuffs. Valtor hadn't spoken to me all morning. Not a word. His silence had been a heavy thing, pressing against my ribs, making it hard to breathe. I searched his face for answers, but his gaze was locked forward, his jaw tight.

Something was wrong.

The high priest raised his staff, signaling for silence. The murmuring guests fell quiet, and I swallowed hard. This was the moment we had waited for, Despite my father's cruelty, despite my pack's indifference, I had always believed that Valtor and I would have each other. But as I reached for his hand, a shiver ran down my spine.

"Valtor," I whispered, barely moving my lips. "What's wrong?"

His fingers curled into a fist. He didn't look at me.

The priest continued, reciting the sacred words that would bind our souls. My stomach twisted. Why wouldn't Valtor speak? My heart pounded against my ribs, drowning out the priest’s voice. I felt it before it even happened like an oncoming storm.

Then, Valtor took a step back.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. My throat went dry.

"I can’t do this." His voice was low, hoarse, filled with something I didn’t understand rage, grief, disgust?

"What?" My voice cracked. I reached for him, but he flinched.

His eyes, those storm-gray eyes that once held nothing but warmth for me, were cold. "I reject you, Thalia."

A sharp ringing filled my ears. My breath caught.

No. No, this wasn’t real.

The room erupted into whispers, some sharp, some pitying. The warriors exchanged uneasy glances. The elders shifted in their seats. I felt the world tilt beneath my feet.

"Valtor, this isn’t funny." My voice was barely above a whisper, but the desperation bled through.

His fists trembled at his sides. "Did you think I wouldn’t find out?" His voice was louder now, sharp enough to cut.

"Find out what?" I demanded. My pulse thundered.

"That you’ve been sleeping around with one of my warriors"

The words crashed into me like a dagger to the chest. The room went silent.

I heard the rustle of my mother’s dress as she took a sharp step forward. My father sat motionless, his expression unreadable.

"That's a lie," I choked out. "Who told you that?"

Valtor’s lip curled. "Adrian."

A strangled sound escaped me. Adrian. Of course. I turned, searching the crowd for my half-brother, and there he stood calm, composed, a satisfied gleam in his stormy blue eyes. The way he tilted his head, almost daring me to call him out, made bile rise in my throat.

"You're going to believe him?" I snapped, my voice shaking. "Valtor, you know me. You know I would never"

"Don't," he interrupted. "I don’t want to hear your lies."

"I’m not lying!" My hands trembled. "Please, listen to me."

Valtor's jaw clenched, but he didn’t move.

"Adrian is manipulating you!" My voice cracked as I fought back tears. "He’s always hated me. Why would you"

"Enough!" His voice boomed through the hall, making my breath hitch. "If there was even a shred of truth in your words, you wouldn’t be standing here pleading like a desperate fool."

My heart twisted painfully.

"Valtor," I whispered, tears threatening to spill. "Don’t do this."

His hands trembled before he shoved them into his pockets. He stared at me for a long moment, something flickering in his eye doubt, hesitation but then his expression hardened.

"I won’t bind myself to a traitor."

And then he turned and walked away.

I felt the rejection like a blow to the gut. The bond between us once warm, once filled with something unbreakable shattered. The pain was instant, burning through my veins like fire, My knees buckled, but I refused to fall.

The crowd was silent, watching, judging.

I turned to my father. He did not look at me.

The Thornveil elders sat in silence, their disappointment weighing heavy in the air. The warriors of my pack looked away, as if my shame was something they could catch. My mother, the only one who moved, stepped forward and wrapped a shawl around my shaking shoulders.

"Come, my child," she murmured, her voice the only kindness in the room. "Let’s go home."

But home was not a place I wanted to be.

As she guided me away, the whispers followed. Disgraceful. Shameful. Unworthy.

I clenched my fists, swallowing back the sob rising in my throat.

This was Adrian’s doing. And Valtor had let him.

I would never forget this.

Later That Night

The silence in our home was suffocating. My mother sat beside me, her hand resting over mine, but her warmth couldn’t thaw the ice in my chest. I had barely moved since we arrived. I didn’t speak. I just sat there, replaying the moment Valtor turned his back on me.

"Thalia," my mother murmured softly.

I blinked.

"You must eat something."

I shook my head. I felt hollow, my stomach twisted in knots.

A sharp knock echoed through the hall.

My blood turned cold.

My mother stiffened. Her fingers tightened around mine for a moment before she rose. She cast me a worried glance.

I heard murmured voices. Then silence.

The voices beyond the hallway had turned into sharp whispers, their urgency slicing through the heavy silence of the house. Then, suddenly

The doors slammed open.