The Discarded Mate's Divine Vengeance

My chest felt like it was going to f***ing explode. The pain twisted down my spine, stealing the breath from my lungs until I was gasping on the freezing stone floor. I looked up, staring at the man standing on the dais. Max. Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack. The man I had kept in my stupid, pathetic prayers for the last three years. Tonight was the Blood Moon Ceremony. The night of destiny. I could feel the bond. My inner wolf let out a soft, desperate whimper, recognizing the scent of sandalwood and blood that belonged to Max. He’s my mate. This man is my destiny. But the look in Max’s eyes? There wasn’t a single shred of warmth. There was only pure, sickening disgust. "Lilya," Max’s voice boomed across the grand hall, echoing off the ancient stone walls and reaching the ears of hundreds of nobles and warriors. "You are nothing but a defective omega." He sneered, looking down at me like I was a diseased rat. "You have no power, no lineage, and that miserable wolf inside you is too much of a coward to even show itself. You are a disgrace to this pack." My chest tightened. I couldn't breathe. You bastard. Beside Max, a woman smiled wickedly. Olivia. Her fingers, dripping with expensive jewels, curled tightly around Max’s muscular arm. She stared at me with triumphant malice. "Max, baby... have some pity on her," Olivia whispered, her fake-sweet tone making my stomach churn. "Don't be too harsh. She is just a pathetic orphan we took pity on, after all." Max didn’t take his eyes off me. He puffed out his chest, unleashing his dominant Alpha aura. The pressure slammed into me, forcing my body down until my nose almost touched the freezing stone floor. "I, Alpha Max of the Bloodmoon Pack," he shouted, his voice dripping with absolute authority. "I, hereby REJECT YOU, Lilya, as my fated mate and future Luna!" SNAP. An unbearable, agonizing pain detonated inside my chest. It felt exactly like a giant, invisible hand had reached into my ribcage, grabbed my heart, and crushed it into pieces. "Aaargh!" I screamed hysterically, clutching my chest as my wolf howled in agony before collapsing into a dead, silent darkness. The fated bond. He had forcefully, brutally torn it apart. Fresh blood dripped from the corner of my lips. My head spun, and my vision blurred with hot tears. The entire hall erupted into whispers. People were laughing, pointing, completely enjoying the spectacle of a broken omega. I looked up at Max through my blurry vision. "Why, Max? Why would you do this...?" "Why?" Max let out a cold, remorseless laugh. He wrapped his arm around Olivia’s waist, pulling her flush against him. "Because Olivia brings a powerful alliance from the Southern Pack. And you? You're just a f***ing burden." "But we are fated mates!" I screamed, my voice hoarse and cracking. "F*** the Moon Goddess!" Max spat back viciously. "I don't need a crippled mate dragging me down!" Olivia stepped forward, her red silk gown flowing elegantly around her legs. She looked down at me, a victorious smirk plastered across her face. "My Alpha has rejected you, Lilya," Olivia whispered loudly enough for the front row to hear. "But if we throw you into the forest now, people might think we are cruel. Besides, who is going to clean the wolf pens if not you?" Max smiled with dark satisfaction. "A brilliant idea, my love." He stepped down from the dais, his heavy armored boot stopping just inches from my bleeding face. "Lilya. As of tonight, your status is revoked. You are no longer a pack member. You are the lowest slave of the Bloodmoon Pack." "Put the silver collar on her!" Max ordered his guards. "Give her a burlap sack. Starting tomorrow before dawn, she scrubs the entire castle!" CLANG! A heavy iron collar lined with pure, burning silver was violently snapped around my neck. The silver instantly poisoned my bloodstream, suppressing whatever tiny shred of wolf energy I had left. The metal seared my skin, burning me alive. But beneath that physical agony, something else shattered inside me. My stupid love for Max died instantly. It was replaced by a pure, black, venomous hatred. I swear to the gods, I thought, clenching my fists until my nails pierced my palms, one day, I will make both of you crawl at my feet. Two weeks passed like a never-ending nightmare. Every single day, I was beaten, spat on, and fed rotting scraps. My arms were covered in burn marks and fresh whip scars from Olivia, who made it her favorite hobby to torture me. This morning, heavy rain poured over the castle. I was on my hands and knees in the muddy outer courtyard, scrubbing the cobblestones with bare, freezing hands. My body was one massive, aching bruise. "Scrub faster, you useless i***t!" a guard barked, kicking me hard in the side. THUD. I collapsed face-first into the black mud, coughing up dirty water and blood. Suddenly, a massive war horn echoed across the sky. HOOOOOOOOOONG! The sound carried a wave of dark magic that made the ground violently shake. The guard instantly froze, all color draining from his face. The synchronized sound of hundreds of heavy iron boots approached from beyond the main gates. An overwhelming, dominant, and utterly lethal aura saturated the air, forcing every inner wolf in the courtyard to whimper in submission. Max and Olivia came running out, sweating in absolute panic. "He... why is he here?" Max whispered, trembling violently. "The Overlord of the Dark Realm... The Lycan King!" BOOM! The giant iron gates were blown into pieces with a single wave of dark energy. Through the dust and rain, a terrifying legion of black-armored knights emerged. And leading them, riding a monstrous black warhorse, was him. Robin. The Lycan Overlord. The most ruthless, cold-blooded man in the empire. His wild, raven-black hair was soaked by rain. His eyes—glowing like erupting craters, a piercing crimson—swept across the courtyard. Max stumbled forward, bowing as low as he could. "Your Majesty, King Robin... It is our honor—" "Silence." Robin’s voice carried a lethal weight that could stop a man's heart. He completely ignored Max and Olivia. Instead, the Lycan King’s glowing crimson eyes slowly shifted... and locked dead onto me. Onto the broken girl kneeling in the mud, wearing a torn sack, with a burning silver collar around her neck. Robin’s eyes widened. The cold look morphed into an overwhelming storm of absolute obsession. He vaulted off his massive horse, walking straight toward me in long, predatory strides. Robin stopped right in front of me. This terrifyingly muscular monster of a man slowly dropped to his knees in the filthy mud—an act he had never done for anyone in his life. His massive hand gently tilted my chin up, lifting my filthy face to meet his gaze. A strange, suffocating heat suddenly exploded inside my chest. A dormant golden spark deep within my soul flared to life. "Finally..." Robin whispered, his deep voice trembling with violent rage and absolute worship. His eyes shifted, glaring at the silver collar on my neck. Then, he turned his head to look at Max with murderous bloodlust. Robin let out a low, earth-shattering growl, his dark aura exploding around us. "Who..." Robin snarled, his voice a promise of absolute death, "...dared to put a collar on my f***ing Queen?"