Chapter 2
759 Words
Chapter Two
“What—?”
The word broke apart as another surge hit Rumi. Stronger this time and searing and then a voice in her head said ‘Mine’.
But the voice wasn’t hers, it was deeper and possessive. No, it couldn’t be.
It’s Impossible…
Rumi staggered forward.
“No…”
Her body moved without her permission, pulled toward him by an invisible force she couldn’t fight.
Every instinct, every nerve, every breath dragged her closer.
The Alpha stopped, his gaze snapped toward her. And for the first time in her life Rumi felt seen.
Truly seen.
Their eyes locked in that instant and the world disappeared.
Rumi couldn’t look away.
She didn’t want to.
Even as fear coiled in her stomach, even as the weight of hundreds of eyes pressed down on her, something stronger held her in place.
The bond. It was real, it had to be.
The way her chest burned, the way her pulse raced, the way every part of her recognized him, it couldn’t be anything else.
“Alpha?” someone said cautiously.
The word seemed to break the moment. Alpha Rolan’s expression hardened.
The flicker of something—shock, recognition, something else—vanished, replaced by cold calculation.
“What,” he said slowly, his voice cutting through the silence, “is this?”
Rumi swallowed.
“I… I don’t know…” Her voice sounded small, weak even. This is all Wrong, everything is wrong.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
“She’s reacting to him—”
“ how’s that even possible.”
“She doesn’t even have a wolf!”
Rumi flinched, but the bond didn’t fade. If anything, it grew stronger.
So painfully strong that her knees buckled.
She hit the ground hard, gasping as the pressure inside her chest built to unbearable levels.
“Make it stop…” she choked.
Alpha Rolan stepped closer until he was towering over her.
“Look at me.” He demanded.
She didn’t want to, but she did because the mating bond wouldn’t let her resist him. Even before the bond Rumi was never at liberty to resist the Alpha’s command because she was an Omega, and hardwired to do his biddings.
Their eyes met again and the bond surged.
Unmistakable. She was his mate.
Rum’s breath hitched as hope filled her eyes.
Alpha Rolan’s jaw tightened. And then—He laughed. A cold, loud and dismissive laugh.
“This,” he said slowly, “has to be some kind of a joke.”
The words hit harder than any blow.
Rumi flinched as if struck.
The bond pulsed between them, frantic, desperate—like it was trying to prove itself.
But he… dismissed it.
Just like that.
“Alpha—” one of the elders stepped forward cautiously. “The bond—”
“I am aware of what it feels like,” Alpha Rolan cut in sharply, his gaze never leaving Rumi and there was no warmth in it. Only irritation and disgust.
“She is an Omega,” the Alpha continued, his voice carrying across the courtyard. “A defective one at that; this is clearly a false reaction.”
False…The word echoed painfully in Rum’s chest.
“But—”
“I said,” his voice dropped dangerously low, “it is false.”
Silence fell instantly.
No one challenged him. No one defended her.
Of course they wouldn’t.
She was nothing and she’s got no one, she was alone in this world.
A soft, elegant laugh broke the tension.
“All this fuss over her?”
Rumi turned and saw her, the woman chosen to be Luna.
Madeline Sandstorm.
She was beautiful, poised, and powerful; everything Rumi wasn’t.
She walked forward gracefully, her eyes sweeping over Rumi with thinly veiled disdain.
“This is the Omega everyone’s whispering about?” she asked lightly.
No one answered, they didn’t need to.
“She doesn’t even smell like a wolf,” Madeline added, wrinkling her nose slightly.
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Rumi’s cheeks burned.
The Alpha turned to Madeline, his demeanor shifting—subtly, but noticeably.
“Madeline,” he said.
Madeline smiled.
“I assume whatever this is is over?” she asked, glancing dismissively at Rumi.
Alpha Rolan didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
The word shattered something inside Rumi.
He turned back to the crowd.
“As I was saying,” he announced, his voice firm, authoritative, “Madeline Sandstorm will be my Luna.”
Applause and cheers erupted.
The bond inside Rumi cracked and splintered.
- Writer
