Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: REJECTED BY MY MATE.

EVERLY:

I quickly shifted back and stood watching Isabella as blood seeped through numerous parts of her body. My father was the first to burst into the room, followed by my stepmom.

They gasped in shock when they saw her. “What's the meaning of this?” my father thundered.

Isabella was crying pitifully and I knew she was just putting on a show. “She…she attacked me” she stammered, pointing at me. “She spent the night with a stranger and I only came to caution her as my sister. She got angry and attacked me.”

“What?.” my father was the first to react.

Elana rushed to her side and helped her to her feet “You worthless bitch!” She barked as she glared at me. “How dare you lay your filthy hands on my daughter?”

“You’ve always been a disappointment, Everly” my father said, his voice boiling with rage. He probably mind linked with some guards and ordered them to come. In a flash, some guards were in my room, dragging me to the dungeon, where all offenders are kept and punished with starvation and sometimes death.

I struggled frantically, trying to free myself from their grip. My efforts were futile since the soldiers were much stronger and held me tightly.

Just then, a knock at the gate echoed throughout the house. It was a loud and commanding sound that caused my father and the guards to go silent.

My heart rushed into my throat as I looked around the bend and saw the front gate fly open, showing a tall, powerful person standing confidently.

Viktor.

His eyes surveyed the compound, which was sharp and deadly.

I froze, my thoughts whirling. What was he doing here? Has he come to take me with him? Was he ready to finally acknowledge as his mate?

My father stiffened, his posture wary as he faced the imposing man. “Alpha Viktor?”

Viktor’s gaze flickered to him, dismissive and cold. “What is going on here?.”

A hush fell over the compound, heavy and tense. My father’s face twisted in confusion, then anger. “Everly is a bitch. Look at what he did to his sister,” he pointed to Isabella who leaned on her mother, sobbing.

Viktor’s eyes darkened, a faint growl rumbling in his throat. “Did you do that?,” he said smoothly, his gaze moving past my father to lock onto me. The intensity of his gaze was like a dagger, cutting through my flesh.

For a moment, I was paralyzed, as I felt torn between calling his bluff and asking for forgiveness.

Ruby, (that's the name I gave my wolf after that manifestation) surged within me, encouraging me and filling me with a sense of confidence I hadn’t known was possible. Call his bluff, Ruby, whispered, her voice filled with fierce loyalty. He's no good to us.

“So what if I did?” I said before I could stop myself. “I have the right to defend myself. I've had enough of being treated like trash.”

Viktor glared at me for a few seconds. “You will get what's coming to you,” he growled, turned around and left.

I waited for the guards to drag me to the dungeon but my father ordered them to leave me alone. But I was made to do the dishes, do the laundry, and scrub the floors until my fingers felt numb.

That night, I went to bed on an empty stomach.

—

It has been two days since that incident happened and as I stepped into the castle, my heart raced with uncertainty. Viktor's words a few days ago about me getting what's coming to me, hasn’t left my mind and as soon as I was summoned to the castle, I hurried to him with mixed feelings.

I really wanted him to make me his but I was afraid of the person he was.

The evening was cold, but the chill in the air was nothing compared to the icy knot twisting in my stomach. I gazed up at the full moon which hung high above the pack’s ceremonial clearing and wished for the best.

A lot of people have gathered and the moon’s glow illuminated the faces of my packmates who were present.

As I wondered what the occasion was, some warriors came and led me to the centre of the crowd. My eyes darted from one face to another in confusion. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I was about to be marked by my mate, Alpha Viktor.

I stood at the center of the crowd, my heart racing as I waited for Viktor, my mate, to join me. This was a traditional way of solidifying a mate bond in Werekingdom. Today, Viktor and I will be made one in the eyes of the Moon Goddess and the pack.

But something felt off.

Whispers rippled through the crowd, and their murmurs felt like needles against my fragile skin. My step-sister, Isabella, stood near the front, with a smug smile tugging at her perfectly painted lips. She’d been hovering around Viktor for days, but I’d chosen to ignore it. After all, I was his legitimate mate, chosen by Moon Goddess herself.

Or so I thought.

Suddenly, Viktor emerged with his beta and gamma. His expression was unreadable as he approached me. His tall, imposing figure commanded silence, and the pack fell still as he stood next to me. I smiled up at him but he everted his gaze.

“Everly.” His voice was calm, but there was no warmth in it.

I smiled, tentative but hopeful. “Yes Viktor—”

“Don’t,” he interrupted, raising a hand. His tone was sharper now, colder. “It's Alpha to you.”

I blinked, my words caught in my throat. “What’s wrong?”

He stepped closer, his height towering over me. He looked at me with eyes devoid of any form of affection or tenderness. “Everly Gray, I, Viktor Kelvin Johnson, Alpha of the Silver Cross Pack, reject you as my mate.”

Gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it and my knees felt weak and ready to buckle. But I stood firm, refusing to let them see me fall apart.

“W-What are you saying?” My voice cracked, a painful tremor I couldn’t control.

Viktor’s jaw tightened. “You’re unfit to stand by my side. You’re weak, Everly. A liability. To make the matter worse, you have been sleeping around, spending the night with strangers, probably humans. I need someone with integrity, someone who can match my strength, not someone who drags me down.”

His words were like knives, each one cutting deeper than the last. “But... we’re mates. The Moon Goddess—”

“The Moon Goddess made a mistake,” he snapped, his voice dripping with finality.