Chapter Three: Collapse and Revelation
My head snapped up in shock. The words echoed in my ears like a death sentence.
Rejected.
He actually rejected me.
In front of everyone.
The mate bond I'd dreamed about for a year now, the one person who was supposed to love me no matter what - he just threw me away like garbage.
"Marcus, are you crazy?" Lucian stepped forward, his gentle face twisted with disbelief. "What are you doing?"
I watched as something flickered across Marcus's face. Pain. Real, deep pain that made his silver eyes dim for just a moment. His jaw clenched tight, and his hands curled into fists at his sides.
Even rejecting me was hurting him.
But then his expression hardened again, like a door slamming shut.
"Brother, stop this," Lucian said, reaching for Marcus's arm. "You don't know what you're saying."
"I know exactly what I'm saying," Marcus replied, his voice cold as winter wind.
Lucian tried to pull him away from me, but Marcus planted his feet. He wasn't done destroying me yet.
"You want to know the truth, Chloe?" Marcus asked, his voice carrying across the silent hall. "You'll have to wait until you die before I ever accept you as my mate."
The words hit me like a physical blow. My chest felt hollow, like someone had reached inside and pulled out my heart.
Until I die.
He would rather see me dead than be with me.
I heard my mom's sharp intake of breath somewhere behind me. When I glanced back, she was just arriving and seemed confused as she tried to understand what was happening.
"That's enough," Lucian said firmly, finally managing to drag Marcus back a step. "We're leaving. Now."
But Marcus kept his eyes on me as his brother pulled him away. That cruel smile never left his face, not until they disappeared through the great doors.
Then all eyes fell on me.
I stood there, frozen in the middle of the banquet hall. Every pack member stared at me with pity, shock, or curiosity. The whispers started up again, louder this time.
"Poor girl..."
"How cruel..."
"She must be devastated..."
My legs felt like water. My vision blurred at the edges. But I forced myself to move, one step at a time, toward where my mom stood, I could see my dad who just arrived wondering what was happening.
I took a step towards my mom.
"Sweetheart," Mom whispered, her voice filled with questions.
I tried to smile at them. They were so worried, so hurt for me. I wanted to tell them I was okay, that I would be fine.
But the words wouldn't come.
The room started spinning. Black dots danced in front of my eyes.
"Chloe?" Dad's voice sounded far away.
My knees gave out, and darkness swallowed me whole.
---
When I woke up, soft candlelight flickered across my bedroom ceiling. My head pounded like someone was hammering inside my skull.
"Easy," a gentle voice said. "Don't try to sit up too fast."
I turned my head and found Lucian sitting in the chair beside my bed. His brown eyes were full of concern, and he leaned forward when he saw I was awake.
"How do you feel?" he asked softly.
"Like I got trampled by a horse," I whispered. My throat felt raw, like I'd been screaming.
He winced. "I'm sorry. So sorry for what happened down there."
I stared at the ceiling, not wanting to look at him. He had his brother's face, just softer. It hurt to see the similarity.
“Where's my parents and sister?” I asked, slightly confused seeing him instead of them.
“Your mom and sister’s mostly calming your dad…”
I almost smiled as I stared at the ceiling. With my dad's rage, that was typical.
"Marcus didn't mean it," Lucian continued, his voice urgent. "He was being impulsive and stupid. He'll regret what he said."
I finally looked at him. "Will he?"
"Yes," Lucian said firmly. "I promise you, he will regret it. You two could be the most loving couple if you just give him a chance to…"
"Stop." The word came out harsher than I meant it to. "Please just stop."
Lucian fell silent, but he didn't leave.
I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. "You're both playing with me, aren't you?"
"That's not true…"
"Then why did your brother just humiliate me in front of everyone? Why did he say he'd rather see me dead?"
Lucian opened his mouth, then closed it. He seemed to want to say something but kept quiet.
"I want to be alone," I said quietly. "I don't want to deal with Marcus anymore. Or you. I just want to be left alone."
A loud noise came from outside my room. Voices raised in argument. Lucian's head snapped toward the door, and his cheeks flushed red.
I sighed. "That's him, isn't it? Marcus."
"I'll make him leave," Lucian said quickly, starting to stand.
"Wait." Something made me stop him. Maybe it was the way his shoulders tensed, or the guilty look on his face. "You know something, don't you?"
Lucian froze halfway out of his chair. "What do you mean?"
"That man in my dreams. The one I've been seeing for a year now." I studied his face carefully. "He has your build and your height. I thought maybe..."
"You've been dreaming about someone?" Lucian's voice was strange as he asked me.
"Every night since my accident when I lost my wolf. A man walking through the forest, always ahead of me. I never see his face, but I know he's meant to be mine." I swallowed hard. "I thought it was Marcus at first, but now I'm wondering if it was you."
Lucian's face changed completely. The color drained from his cheeks, and his eyes went wide with shock. “You lost your wolf?”
Chloe nodded, now confused,”I thought you knew?”
"Your accident," he said instead slowly. "When did it happen?"
"A year ago. Why?"
"And that's when you started having the dreams?"
I nodded, confused by his sudden change in tone.
"And when you lost your wolf?"
"Yes, the same night. Lucian, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."
He stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. His hands shook as he ran them through his hair.
"I thought..." he whispered to himself. "I thought you two just had a fight. I thought you were angry with him."
"I don't understand…?"
"You don't remember him," Lucian said, his voice getting stronger and more urgent. "You really don't remember Marcus at all."
"Should I?"
Lucian straightened, and suddenly he wasn't the gentle man who'd been comforting me. He was a doctor, focused and professional.
"Tell me about your accident," he said briskly. "Everything you remember."
"I... why?"
"Please, Chloe. This is important."
I sat up slowly, my head still pounding. "I don't remember much. I was found unconscious in the forest with a head injury. The healers said I was lucky to survive."
"Memory loss?"
"Some. Mostly just that night. And..." I paused, thinking. "Some things from before feel fuzzy. But the healers said that was normal."
Lucian's face went pale. "When exactly did this happen? What date?"
"June, two days before the full moon, almost a year ago. Why are you asking me this?"
He closed his eyes tight and cursed under his breath. Then he turned and rushed toward the door.
"Lucian, wait!" I called after him. "What's wrong?"
But he was already gone, the door slamming behind him.
Through the open doorway, I could see him running down the hallway. His voice carried back to me as he shouted for someone.
"Marcus! Marcus, we need to talk right now!"
I struggled to sit up higher, craning my neck to see out the door. There, at the end of the corridor, Marcus turned sharply at the sound of his name.
Lucian reached him and started speaking frantically, his hands gesturing wildly. I couldn't hear the words, but I could see the urgency in his movements.
Then Marcus went perfectly still.
Slowly, like he was moving through water, Marcus turned to look down the hallway. His grey eyes found mine across the distance, and for a moment, time stopped completely.
The anger was gone from his face. In its place was something I couldn't understand. Something that looked almost like... regret.
And pain.
Deep, terrible regret.