The pain didn't stop.
It spread.
From my chest… to my lungs… to every inch of my body until even breathing felt like punishment.
I couldn't hear the music anymore.
Couldn't see the faces clearly.
Everything blurred into shadows and whispers.
"Rejected…"
"By the Alpha…"
"How embarrassing…"
Each word was a dagger, digging deeper into wounds that hadn't even begun to close.
My knees buckled.
I would have hit the ground if a hand hadn't caught my arm.
Strong. Firm.
Possessive.
My entire body froze.
The moment his skin touched mine, my wolf reacted violently.
Not in fear.
Not in pain.
But in recognition.
Another pull.
Another bond.
My breath hitched.
No… no, this couldn't be happening again.
"Careful," a low voice murmured near my ear, smooth and dangerous. "You wouldn't want to collapse now… not when all eyes are on you."
I knew that voice.
My stomach dropped.
Slowly too slowly I turned my head.
And met his gaze.
The Beta.
The Alpha's brother.
His lips curled into a smirk, eyes glinting with something dark… something hungry.
My wolf growled softly, uneasy.
"Y-you…" My voice trembled. "Why do I feel"
"Oh?" he tilted his head slightly, amused. "So you feel it too."
Panic surged through me.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head as I tried to pull away from him. "No, this is wrong"
"Wrong?" he cut in, tightening his grip on my arm. "Or inconvenient?"
My heart pounded erratically.
The bond between us pulsed stronger, louder, suffocating.
How was this possible?
One mate was already rare.
Two?
Impossible.
"I…" My voice broke. "I don't understand"
"You don't need to," he said, his thumb brushing lightly against my wrist.
I flinched.
Not because it hurt.
But because of the way my body reacted.
Betraying me.
Responding.
"No…" I whispered again, more desperately this time.
Behind him, I felt it
The Alpha's gaze.
Heavy. Watching.
But he said nothing.
Did nothing.
Like I no longer mattered.
The realization cut deeper than his rejection.
A hollow laugh bubbled in my chest, but it came out broken.
Of course.
Why would he care?
He had already thrown me away.
"Look at you," the Beta murmured, leaning closer. "Rejected… humiliated… and yet fate still clings to you."
His fingers tightened just enough to remind me I wasn't free.
"You should be grateful."
Grateful?
My head snapped up, anger flashing through the pain.
"For what?" I demanded, my voice shaking but louder now. "For being treated like a joke? For being passed around like I'm nothing?"
His smirk widened.
"For being wanted," he said simply.
The words made my stomach turn.
That wasn't want.
That was possession.
That was hunger.
And I could see it now clear as day in his eyes.
Not love.
Not even respect.
Just desire.
Cold dread settled in my chest.
"I won't accept this," I said, forcing strength into my voice even as my body trembled. "I won't be bound to you."
Something dark flickered across his face.
"Oh?" he said softly. "You think you have a choice?"
The bond pulsed again stronger this time, like it was trying to force itself into place.
My wolf whimpered.
I clenched my fists.
"No," I whispered fiercely. "Not like this."
For a moment, silence stretched between us.
Then
He laughed.
Low. Amused. Dangerous.
"Then let me make it simple for you."
His grip shifted, pulling me closer too close.
The entire crowd seemed to hold its breath.
"I claim you."
My heart stopped.
Not again.
"I, Beta"
"Don't!" I gasped, struggling against him, panic flooding my veins. "Don't do this"
"claim you as mine."
The words wrapped around me like chains.
Tight. Suffocating.
Wrong.
Everything about this was wrong.
The bond surged violently.
I cried out, pain ripping through me as my body fought against it against him against fate itself.
And through it all…
I heard it.
That same laughter.
Soft.
Distant.
Cruel.
As if the Moon itself was watching… and enjoying my suffering.