Chapter 4
After I told Andrew I refused to be his mate, I didn’t say another word for the rest of the afternoon.
I sat by the window, staring at the horizon as the sun dipped lower, casting the sky in shades of gold and crimson. A strange sense of detachment settled over me.
A quiet acceptance.
Would I survive this?
Probably not.
My fingers curled against the cool windowsill. “Gabriel… if I don’t make it, will you take me to my father’s grave?”
Gabriel, who had been leaning against the wall in tense silence, jerked upright.
His eyes flashed, pupils narrowing with alarm. “Don’t say that.” His voice was sharp, almost desperate. “Nothing is going to happen to you.”
I let out a soft laugh, feeling an eerie calm wash over me.
But he was wrong.
Because everyone knew—when an omega rejected their fated mate, the consequences were brutal.
The air was thick with tension as Gabriel escorted me to the ceremony grounds.
As soon as we arrived, the whispers started.
“She actually came…”
“An omega rejecting an alpha? That’s suicide.”
I ignored them.
Above, the full moon shone brightly, casting silver light over the grand stone altar where Andrew stood.
His silhouette was sharp, regal—his face unreadable.
Gabriel’s grip on my arm tightened as he helped me up onto the platform. His voice was low and urgent. “Did it have to be today? You’re still injured—”
Andrew cut him off coldly. “Gabriel, she’s not a child. She should know the consequences of her actions.”
His words stung.
But I forced a small smile. “Don’t worry, Gabriel. I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t look convinced.
His wolf instincts flared in his eyes, the vertical pupils flashing before he exhaled sharply and stepped away.
I turned toward Andrew.
The crowd fell silent.
Above us, the Moon Goddess’s statue gleamed under the celestial light. At its center, the artifact embedded in its hands split the moonbeam in two—one falling on Andrew, one on me.
The ritual had begun.
I took a steady breath, lifting my chin.
“I, Elisabeth, reject Andrew as my mate.”
The words echoed through the open air.
A heartbeat passed.
Then another.
Andrew’s lips curled into something between a sneer and a smirk. His voice was like steel when he finally spoke.
“I, Andrew, reject Elisabeth as my mate.”
Gasps. Whispers. Disbelief.
The Moon Goddess’s statue began to glow.
And then—the pain hit.
I sucked in a sharp breath as agony tore through my body, like molten fire melting my bones, only to shatter and rearrange them again.
Andrew dropped to his knees, a strangled growl ripping from his throat before he shifted—his wolf form trembling, bleeding from reopened wounds.
I barely registered the sound of my own scream.
The world spun.
The sky blurred.
And then—warmth.
Strong arms wrapped around me, lifting me from the altar. A familiar scent surrounded me—earthy, deep, grounding.
Gabriel.
He shifted back to human form, holding me tightly, his arms strong and unwavering as he carried me away.
My body felt like it was breaking apart, but his presence was soothing.
By the time we reached his quarters, my head laid on his chest, my breaths shallow.
Gabriel paced the room, his fists clenching and unclenching, his frustration rolling off him in waves.
With effort, I forced my heavy eyes open. “Gabriel…” My voice was weak, strained.
He froze, instantly kneeling beside me. “I’m here.”
I swallowed, my throat raw from screaming. “Come closer.”
He hesitated, his brows furrowing. “Why?”
I exhaled shakily. “…Your scent. It helps.”
His eyes widened slightly.
In the pack, only a mate’s scent was supposed to ease this kind of pain.
Yet Gabriel’s scent was calming me.
I saw the moment he realized it too.
Something flickered in his gaze—something dark, unreadable.
Then, slowly, he moved closer.
His warmth surrounded me as he pressed against me, his bare chest brushing my fevered skin. His scent wrapped around me like a cocoon, grounding me, soothing the unbearable pain.
My vision blurred.
The last thing I saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Gabriel’s face—his expression caught somewhere between concern and something else.
Something forbidden.
