Chapter 4
Going Rogue.
The only person I’d confided in about Alpha Bren was Clara. So, when I started getting those pitiful looks from pack members as I walked through the grounds, I knew he’d told someone else.
For days, I tried to keep things feeling normal. I stayed far from the Pack House, throwing myself into training sessions and hanging out with friends who weren’t part of the recent ceremony. Meanwhile, Clara and everyone who graduated were being called into the Pack House to learn their roles in our future leadership.
Every afternoon, after class or a walk in the woods, Clara would find me. She’d smile and try to cheer me up with cupcakes or cookies, knowing my weakness for baked goods. They reminded me of my mom and dad. But no matter what she did, the ache never left.
Every morning, the pit of dread in my stomach felt heavier. My wolf was a shadow, silent and curled up like she’d been caged. She didn’t want to shift, didn’t want to fight. It was as if she’d given up. I wished I could disappear into the back of her mind and escape everything.
I felt useless. Flat. Clara and I used to dream of being princesses, giddy over the thought of meeting our Prince Charming. Now, after supposedly meeting mine, I felt discarded, like the glass slipper fit perfectly but was tossed aside. And despite avoiding Bren, the bond still pulled at me like a wound that refused to heal.
I was stuck in this loop of waking up in pain and falling asleep with it, the only relief coming when sleep swallowed me. I’d wake up and wonder, *Why wasn’t I good enough?* Maybe it was my looks, maybe my strength. Bren always aimed for the best. And in his eyes, that clearly wasn’t me.
When the pitying glances started coming from more and more pack members, I knew something had shifted. Clara noticed it first, though she tried to spare me the details. The whispers followed me to training, through the hallways, and in the woods. Bren had spoken. about our bond, and it hurt more knowing Clara would never betray me like that.
“Mia,” Clara said gently as we headed to our weekly pack dinner, where I’d have to face Bren
for the first time since he rejected me. Her voice was soft, like she was trying to break bad
news. “We don’t have to go. Let’s skip it. We can go back to my place, watch movies, and eat
your favorite double fudge brownie ice cream.”
I shook my head, fighting the urge to vanish from existence. My self–worth felt like dust, and
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no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop feeling empty. It was pathetic. I’d always been
strong and full of life, and now… now I was just a broken werewolf craving something I’d never
have.
We took our seats in the back, where a few people threw me pitying glances as they walked by. Then came Olive, the girl who beat me at the ceremony. She paused and met my eyes, biting her lip.
“I’m sorry, Mia,” she whispered, her voice thick with discomfort.
I forced a smile, swallowing the humiliation. “It’s okay,” I said quietly, even though it wasn’t. Rejections like this didn’t happen. Especially not to Alphas‘ mates. A Luna was supposed to
strengthen the pack, not be tossed aside.
Clara scowled, leaning close. “This is wrong. We should speak to the King about this. Bren
shouldn’t get away with this crap.”
“I don’t want to,” I snapped, more harshly than intended. Tears burned at the back of my eyes,
but I refused to let them fall. “I don’t want to be with someone who doesn’t want me, Clara.”
She sighed, and I could hear the words she’d been holding in. “But Mia,” she said, her voice
cracking, “Bren needs you. You’re an Alpha’s mate. The pack needs you. Without you, we’ll be
weaker.”
I didn’t answer. What could I say? Bren had decided I wasn’t good enough, that the pack was better off without me. I was humiliated, and no argument would change that.
The dinner bell chimed, pulling our attention forward. The higher–ups were seated at the long table, with Alpha Bren at the head. His Beta stepped forward, delivering the same tired speech
about training, strength, and honor. Then, Bren took the microphone.
My heart clenched painfully as our eyes met for the briefest moment. He looked away quickly,
like the shame of what he’d done was too much to bear.
“As many of you know,” Bren said, his voice steady, “I found my mate earlier this week.”
The room buzzed with murmurs, curious eyes turning my way. The rumor mill was working
overtime, but I kept my gaze on the ground, bracing for the blow.
Bren’s voice echoed through the hall. “I believe there’s a stronger Luna for our pack. Someone
with the physical tenacity to fight alongside us if needed. We are the strongest pack in the
world, and we need a leader who embodies that strength.”
The pride in his voice stung like salt in a wound, and my chest tightened until I could barely
breathe. Everyone nodded in agreement, and I felt myself sinking deeper into the bench. *Was
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I really that weak?*
Clara squeezed my hand, her grip fierce. “You’re not weak,” she whispered, her eyes blazing with anger.
Bren launched into another motivational speech about the strength and unity of our pack. My gaze drifted to his Beta, Jake, and the elders–gladiators from another era, men who valued brute force above all else. Was Bren truly behind this, or was he just a puppet?
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Bren’s voice rose again. “I have one more
announcement,” he said. “To ensure our pack remains the strongest, I’ll be mating with the most powerful female among us.”
Emery Gates, the ceremony’s victor, stepped onto the stage, greeted by applause like she was a star on a red carpet.
“Motherfucker,” Clara hissed, her eyes darkening with fury.
I grabbed her arm, partly to keep her calm but also to steady myself. My wolf felt like she’d been stabbed with silver, and the pain was so raw I nearly doubled over. Emery and Bren stood together, hands intertwined, a picture–perfect pair.
*Oh God, I thought, *I’m going to be sick.*
But I couldn’t let myself break. Not here. Not in front of everyone waiting to see me crumble. I clenched my fists and whispered to myself, *Pull yourself together, Mia. Pull yourself f*****g together.*
