Chapter 2
Xander left for the pack council bright and early the next morning.
Seraphina's rejection had caused a massive uproar.
She came from a high-status pureblood Omega family, yet her fated mate was an absolute nobody Beta.
In our world, bloodlines meant everything. This was the ultimate humiliation.
The pack elders demanded answers from Xander, furious that a scandal happened on his territory.
Sitting alone in the empty cabin, I gently traced the edges of the moonstone.
I slowly pushed my energy into the rock.
The cold stone flared with a faint pulse, answering me like a distant echo.
I stood up and started packing up my things.
I grabbed the gaudy dresses Xander bought me that I absolutely hated.
I grabbed the stupid couple's trinkets he brought home but never actually looked at.
I grabbed the photo albums from his bookshelf, the ones supposedly documenting our sweet memories.
One by one, I tossed them into the fireplace.
The flames roared to life, eagerly swallowing up years of fake affection.
Leo showed up later that afternoon.
He brought an absurdly expensive vial of Omega scent stabilizers.
"The Alpha sent this," Leo mumbled. He refused to meet my eyes as he set the box on the table. "He said you were probably stressed from yesterday.
"Your scent might be out of whack, so this will help."
I stared at the syringe and let out a dry laugh.
Xander did not care about my stress. He just wanted to make sure my pheromones were completely stable so I could soothe his next rut.
"Tell him I said thanks," I replied, pushing the box right back toward Leo. "But I won't be needing it."
"Why?" Leo asked.
"Because I'm rejecting the mate bond with Xander."
Leo's face drained of all color. The glass of water in his hand slipped, shattering loudly against the floorboards.
"Elara! Have you lost your damn mind? Do you even know what you're saying?" he yelled. "Rejecting a fated bond will literally kill you!"
"That sounds a hell of a lot better than being half-dead like I am right now," I said, looking out the window.
Before Leo could argue, the front door burst open.
Xander stood in the doorway. His face was twisted in absolute rage. The blue in his eyes had entirely bled out, replaced by the blazing golden irises of a furious wolf.
He closed the distance between us in three long strides. His hand locked around my wrist like a vice.
"Reject the bond? Who gave you the right to even utter that garbage, Elara?" he snarled.
His grip was brutal. Pain shot up my arm.
"Is this seriously because I didn't stay with you yesterday? I told you I'd make it up to you! Why do you have to be so incredibly petty?" he demanded.
"I'm not being petty," I replied, meeting his furious gaze with dead calm.
"Then what is this? Is it about Seraphina?" He scoffed. "Elara, I have told you a thousand times, she is basically a sister to me. Why can't you let this go?
"I am your fated mate! What more do you possibly want from me?"
I watched a muscle jump in his jaw.
"Xander, aren't you exhausted?" I asked quietly.
He froze.
"Constantly bouncing between me and her, spinning lie after lie. Isn't it exhausting?" I pressed. "Whenever you lie, your sandalwood scent turns incredibly bitter."
Xander instantly dropped my wrist and took a step back.
"What kind of bullshit are you talking about?" His voice wavered for a split second.
"You know exactly whether it's bullshit or not," I muttered. I rubbed my bruised skin.
The cabin fell dead silent.
Leo stood frozen in the corner, looking like he forgot how to breathe.
"Fine. Fantastic," Xander suddenly barked out a laugh. There was zero warmth behind it. "If you think I'm so awful, then you don't need to be Luna."
He turned around and snatched the ceremonial Luna robes off the hanger. They were studded with genuine moonstones.
"I'll be having a chat with the Elders to permanently shelve your coronation," he threatened. "At least until you learn some basic submission."
He actually thought that was a threat.
"Suit yourself," I replied flatly.
My sheer apathy set him off completely.
The remaining gold in his eyes flared brighter, a terrifying sign of an Alpha on the edge of shifting.
The crushing weight of his Alpha command flooded the room. It pressed down on my chest until I could barely draw a breath.
"Don't test my limits, Elara," he growled, syllable by syllable.
Right on cue, a sweet, high-pitched voice drifted in from the porch. "Xander? Are you in there?"
It was Seraphina.
She stood timidly in the doorway, clutching a thermos to her chest.
"I... I heard Elara was feeling down, so I brewed her some calming chamomile tea," she offered weakly.
She took one look at the heavy tension in the room and visibly shrank back. "Oh no. Did I interrupt something?"
Xander's oppressive aura vanished instantly.
He took a deep breath. His entire demeanor softened as he walked over to her. It was a gentle tone he had never once used on me.
"No, your timing is perfect." He took the thermos and gently pulled her inside by the hand. "Elara, Seraphina went out of her way to check on you. Drop the attitude."
I stared at their intertwined fingers and kept my mouth shut.
My silence seemed to cut Seraphina deeply. She ducked her head.
Her eyes welled up with fresh tears. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If it weren't for me, you two wouldn't be fighting."
"It has nothing to do with you," Xander soothed her immediately. "She's just being entirely unreasonable."
He turned his head to glare at me. His eyes returned to that freezing, familiar blue. "Because Seraphina was rejected by her mate, her inner wolf's spirit is badly damaged.
"The Elders have ruled that she needs a cleansing ritual in three days.
"The ritual requires a high-ranking Omega to kneel and act as a scent-guide to stabilize her.
"I've already volunteered you to the council."
My blood turned to ice.
A cleansing ritual was reserved for wolves whose minds were shattered by rejection.
The guiding Omega was required to kneel on the dirt like a lowly servant, offering up their pheromones to the afflicted wolf.
It was the ultimate, soul-crushing degradation.
"Xander, you're out of your mind!" Leo finally snapped, unable to hold it in.
"Shut up!" Xander barked.
He looked down his nose at me. His eyes were full of absolute, untouchable authority.
"This is the price for your defiance," he stated coldly. "And it is your one and only chance to earn back my trust.
"In three days, I am going to make sure the entire pack sees that you, Elara, are still my most submissive Omega."