Chapter 2
The party hall was grand and lavish.
Every influential figure in Sliverpine and the Alphas of all the werewolf packs had gathered there.
I stood off to one side wearing an ill-fitting maid uniform while holding a heavy serving tray.
My face looked deathly pale, and the bandage wrapped around the back of my hand was soaked with fresh blood.
In the middle of the crowd, Vincent held Selena close at her waist and accepted endless well wishes from the guests.
Selena wore the bright smile of someone who had claimed total victory.
"The two of you make such a perfect pair," one guest remarked.
"Word travels fast that Miss Hart is about to awaken a high-rank wolf spirit. Our pack is truly fortunate," another guest added.
People who once fawned over me now acted as if I didn't exist at all.
Vincent's eyes wandered through the crowd and landed straight on me.
He let out a cold laugh and waved me over. "Come here."
I moved toward him stiffly, my legs shaking with every step I took.
"Pour a drink for Selena," he ordered.
I reached for the wine bottle but could barely steady my trembling hands as red liquid flowed into the glass.
Selena let her hand slip on purpose.
The glass shattered on the floor, and red wine splattered all across my clothes.
"How can you be so clumsy?" Selena exclaimed in feigned surprise.
Vincent's expression turned dark. He kicked me hard in the knee.
I dropped heavily onto the scattered glass shards.
Sharp pieces cut into my knee and fresh blood began to trickle out.
"You are completely worthless. You can't even handle such a simple task," he said harshly.
He bent forward, grabbed me by the collar and lifted me off the ground. "Did you do this on purpose? Are you jealous of Selena?"
I looked back at him and felt a wave of nausea rise up inside me.
"Jealous of her?" I let out a harsh, hollow laugh. "Why would I be jealous of someone who steals and lies?"
Right after I finished, Vincent struck me hard across the cheek.
My head jerked to the side and the taste of blood filled my mouth.
The entire hall fell quiet and every guest fixed their eyes on the unfolding scene.
"Chloe, you are pushing your luck too far," Vincent snarled through gritted teeth.
He turned toward the gathered crowd. "I have an important announcement to make under the light of this full moon tonight."
He took a black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it to show the bone ring that marked the status of the pack's Luna.
"Selena will be my one and only Luna," he announced.
Loud applause broke out across the hall.
Vincent then faced me again and looked down with icy disdain. "As for Chloe, she will lose all her rights as a pack member starting today. She is exiled from our territory forever."
The exile ritual took place at the altar on the hills behind the settlement.
The bright full moon cast pale silver light all over the stone structure.
I was bound to a stone pillar with blood covering my body.
Vincent stood directly in front of me while holding a silver dagger in his hand.
This ritual was meant to sever a werewolf's bond with the pack totem, and it brought terrible agony.
"You get one final chance. Bow in submission and apologize to Selena, and I'll leave you in the basement as a constant source of blood for her," Vincent said in a frigid tone.
I lifted my head and met his gaze. "Go ahead and do it."
He froze for a moment before anger swept over his face. "If this is what you want, fine."
He drove the silver dagger deep into my left shoulder without hesitation.
The blade pierced the exact spot where the pack totem had been branded into my skin.
I tilted my head back and let out a shrill scream.
The silver made a hissing sound as it touched my blood.
My flesh curled and burned, the smell of burnt flesh filling the air.
The pain overwhelmed me.
Vincent twisted the dagger cruelly in my shoulder.
"Chloe, remember this pain. This is what happens when you betray me," he snarled.
I didn't know what he meant by saying I betrayed him.
I swallowed the blood gathering in my throat and stared straight into his dark green eyes.
"Vincent," I spoke weakly, yet every word carried pure hatred. "Do you truly believe I care about this pack?"
I drew in a breath and gathered the last traces of strength remaining in my body.
Then, I spoke the old ritual words beneath the glowing full moon. "Before the Moon Goddess, I, Chloe Rivers, formally reject Vincent Baker as my fated mate," I declared.
A powerful surge rippled through the air, and the spiritual link between Vincent and me broke completely.
Vincent froze on the spot.
His large frame shook and his face turned pale.
Breaking a mate bond brought severe backlash that cut deep into an Alpha's very being.
He stumbled backward several steps and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Have you lost your senses? How dare you break this bond alone?" he shouted. A clear alarm showed in his eyes.
"You thought I was tainted." I let out a cold laugh while blood dripped down my chin. "We have no ties left between us now."
Just then, a fierce heat began to race through my veins.
The Omega scent I had long suppressed rose up alongside an ancient wolf aura and flooded the surroundings.
The ropes wrapped around my body snapped apart all at once.
The crowd burst into shocked murmurs.
"She is changing. Stop her and end this now," Selena shrieked in terror.
Vincent pressed a hand to his chest and moved to grab me.
A fierce gust of wind swept across the scene.
A wave of Alpha power far more powerful than Vincent's crashed over the entire area.
Every werewolf of lower rank fell to their knees under its weight.
From the shadows, a pair of glowing red eyes slowly appeared.
"Who dares lay a hand on my prey?" a deep, gruff male voice rang out, carrying unyielding authority.