Chapter 3

3

I stared at him, confused. "What did I do?"

“Elsa’s being checked out after being traumatized, and you need me here now?”

“No, Andrew!” Gabriel interjected. “Elisabeth didn’t ask for this. I brought you here!”

“Gabriel, you’re smarter than this. If she hadn’t made a fuss, you wouldn’t have come looking for me.” He said it with such certainty, as if he’d seen me causing trouble with his own eyes.

I laughed, a hollow sound. “Andrew, is that how you see me?”

“Isn’t it? Last time Elsa got hurt, wasn't it because you wanted those berries from the cliff?”

His words took me back six months. It was almost Andrew’s birthday. I wanted to surprise him with the berries. But I couldn't shift. Elsa offered to get them. She climbed the cliff, easily picked the berries, and then, when Andrew arrived, she deliberately let go and fell.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” Andrew’s taunt brought me back. I didn’t answer. I looked at Elsa and saw the triumph in her eyes. Then, she played the saint.

“It’s okay, Andrew. Elisabeth didn't mean it... and Elisabeth, the ceremony is tomorrow. Don't say things you don't mean about not being Andrew’s mate.”

Her fake concern disgusted me. I took a deep breath and looked at Andrew. “I mean it, Andrew. Tomorrow, I won't become your mate.”

I’d loved him since my father brought him into the pack. But I wasn’t desperate. I wouldn't chase him.

Andrew’s face darkened.

“Do you know what you’re saying?”

“I do.”

Breaking the bond, rejecting the Moon Goddess… it came with a heavy price. I was just an omega, but I was willing to gamble. Maybe I’d survive. I couldn’t stand this life anymore, being led around by Andrew, having no self. Even if I still loved him.

Silence. Then, Andrew scoffed.

“Elisabeth, don’t come crying to me when you regret this.”

I didn’t speak for the rest of the afternoon. Watching the sunset, I asked Gabriel, “If I don’t make it, you’ll take me to my father, right?”

Gabriel jumped up, his eyes red.

“Don’t talk like that! You’re going to be fine!”

I laughed, a strange calmness settling over me. Fine? Who knows? Omegas rarely survived the rejection.

…

With a sense of hollowness, I let Gabriel lead me to the ceremony. Murmurs rippled through the crowd when they saw me. The alpha traditionally went first. Andrew stood on the platform, backlit, his expression hidden.

Gabriel helped me up, his voice low and urgent.

“Does it have to be today? Can't you wait? Your wound…”

Andrew cut him off. “Gabriel, she’s not a child. She knows what she’s doing.”

“Don’t worry, Gabriel. I’ll be fine.”

Gabriel, frustrated and worried, shifted, his eyes slitting, then forced himself back. The shift was a sign of extreme distress.

I squeezed his shoulder. “I’ll be okay.”

He didn’t reply. After a moment, he jumped off the platform.

Moonlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the statue of the Moon Goddess. The goddess’s staff split the beam, bathing Andrew and me in its light. The pack held its breath as I spoke.

“I, Elisabeth, reject Andrew as my mate!”

“I, Andrew, reject Elisabeth as my mate!”

The crowd erupted. The statue hummed. Agony slammed into us. I screamed. Andrew shifted involuntarily, his bandages ripping open, blood welling up.

It was excruciating, like every bone in my body was shattering and reforming. I could barely breathe. Someone scooped me up. The familiar scent calmed me. Gabriel.

He shifted and carried me to his room. The door slammed shut. His scent filled the air. I opened my eyes, blurry with pain, and saw him pacing.

"Come closer. Your scent...it helps."

Only a mate's scent could ease the pain. Gabriel's eyes widened. My face burned. I knew how crazy it sounded, but it was true. His scent soothed the burning.

He shifted back, his bare chest pressing against mine, his scent enveloping me. My mind began to drift.