Chapter 1

At the marking ceremony, Jaylen, the Beta of the Lynch Pack, hung up after speaking with Thalia, a Delta warrior, and without hesitation, rejected me as his mate. His alpha tone, sharp and commanding, cut through the silence of the grand hall.

"I, Jaylen Lynch, Beta of the Lynch Pack, reject you, Briar, Omega of the Lynch Pack, as my mate," he declared, his voice cold and unwavering.

The room froze. The weight of his words pressed down on me, and I felt the mate bond between us fray, a searing pain that radiated through my chest. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, but I stood firm, my expression calm.

Jaylen continued, his tone dismissive. "Thalia’s struggling, and I don’t want her to suffer. We’ll put the marking on hold for now."

He stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. "Take off the marking pendant. I’ll return it to you after I’ve calmed her."

"You should change out of the ceremonial dress too," he added, his voice indifferent. "Thalia wants to repurpose the fabric for her wolf’s training gear."

This was the sixth time he’d rejected me during our six years together. I removed the pendant and handed it to him, my hands steady. Jaylen turned to leave, pausing only to remind me to appease the pack members and suggesting we reschedule the marking later. I nodded, a faint smile on my lips, and waited until he was gone before dialing a familiar number.

"It’s done," I said softly. "Does your offer still stand?"

The voice on the other end trembled with excitement. "Of course it does. Wait for me—I’m on my way back."

Almost simultaneously, a photo appeared on my phone: Sam, the Gamma of the Lynch Pack and Jaylen’s uncle, dressed impeccably, striding toward a private jet. "Ten hours," he’d written.

I exhaled deeply, a faint smile curving my lips. Jaylen unexpectedly returned and saw my expression, his brow furrowing. "Briar, why are you smiling?"

"You’re getting better at hiding your sadness with a smile, aren’t you?" he asked, his tone patronizing.

Hide my sadness? He misunderstood. In the past, I would have been shattered, reduced to hysterical tears. The first time he’d rejected me had been on his birthday. I’d prepared a surprise and arrived at his home with a spiced honey cake I’d baked, only to find him passionately kissing Thalia.

I’d lunged forward to confront her, but Jaylen had kicked me hard against the wall, leaving my head bleeding. In front of the pack members, he’d been furious, fiercely protecting Thalia and demanding we end the mate bond. I’d panicked, begging him not to leave me, willing to pretend I hadn’t seen anything. Eventually, I’d fainted from blood loss, and Jaylen had left with Thalia without a second glance.

Now, as I looked at him, there was no emotional turmoil in my eyes. "Go. Don’t waste any more time."

Jaylen’s expression softened, his voice sickly sweet. "She’s got me wrapped around her finger, sees me as her whole world."

"Don’t overthink it," he said. "We’ll pick a good day later to mark and celebrate."

I’d heard these empty promises too many times. That day, I’d been in the infirmary for a month, and Jaylen hadn’t visited me once. His social media had been filled with photos of him and Thalia on pack runs, kissing under the misty skies of Scotland and embracing in the sprawling fields of Ireland.

Even ignoring my health, Jaylen had called me at two in the morning, demanding I join him and Thalia for a pack challenge at the Grand Canyon. Thalia had been scared but wanted to test her limits, so Jaylen had suggested I set an example for her, despite knowing I’d had a fear of heights since childhood. Reluctantly, I’d agreed.

Standing on the high platform, I’d trembled, the gaping void below making my head spin. The pack warriors had noticed my fear and cautiously comforted me. But Thalia had taken advantage of my distraction and shoved me off forcefully. I’d hit a pillar beneath the platform and then plummeted haphazardly. The intense pain in my back had nearly caused me to faint. I’d bitten down hard, enduring the agony and dizziness until I was finally pulled back up.

Once on solid ground, I’d vomited, but Jaylen had only kicked me in my injured spot. "Go throw up somewhere else; you’re disgusting Thalia!" He hadn’t even noticed my distorted spine, leaving with her without a care.

I’d had three broken ribs and spent three months in the infirmary, left with serious, lasting complications. How had I endured those months of pain and despair? Reflecting on this, I let out a derisive laugh and walked out silently, only to bump into Thalia head-on.

She was trembling with sobs. "I knew you couldn’t let her go! Jaylen, are you really going to mark her and leave me behind?"

Jaylen’s face softened, none of the impatience or contempt he showed me present. He rushed forward, pulling Thalia into his arms. "Silly girl, what are you talking about? You’re the most important person to me. Briar doesn’t mean anything; she’s not even fit to shine your shoes."

Bowing my head, I quietly bypassed the two of them and left. Suddenly, Thalia burst into tears behind me. "You say you don’t care about her, yet why did you give her the pendant from the auction?"

That pendant had been my grandmother’s, her most cherished possession. Later, my father, burdened by gambling debts, had had to give it away. When I’d seen it in the auction catalog, I’d been overjoyed and begged Jaylen to win it for me, offering all my assets in exchange.

A sense of unease rose in my heart, and I quickened my pace toward the exit. My arm was grabbed suddenly. Jaylen forcibly removed the pendant from my neck. "Thalia likes it; let her wear it for a few days."

I tried to stop him, but he pushed me aside, and I crashed into a table stacked with ceremonial goblets. "Crash!"

Despite my efforts to avoid them, many goblets landed on me, sharp fragments cutting into my skin. Ignoring the pain, I held onto Jaylen’s leg desperately. "Give it back! You know how much it means to me!"

Jaylen frowned, his alpha tone sharp. "Don’t be so ungrateful!"

He dragged me over to Thalia. "Here."

Thalia sniffled, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Where’s all this blood coming from? So gross!"

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she tossed the pendant out of the window into the fountain outside. "It’ll be clean after a wash!"

"No!"

I cried out in anguish, staggering and rushing outside, leaping into the icy water to search desperately.

"My pendant, my pendant!"

The water took on a pale pink hue as my wounds soaked in the frigid depths, pain causing my whole body to tremble. Tears fell heavily into the water, creating ripples.

Grandma, I’m sorry; I couldn’t even protect your most cherished pendant.

The sky gradually darkened, chill setting in as my teeth chattered, legs stiff like wooden planks, yet I refused to give up searching through the water. Four hours later, I slowly lifted my waist and held the recovered pendant to my chest. The northern wind howled, leaving me freezing, my mind heavy with fever.

I dialed emergency services, sheltered in a windless corner waiting for the ambulance. By the time I saw the flashing lights, I was close to fainting. A figure barged past me, heading straight for the ambulance as I finally succumbed, collapsing onto the ground.