The silence hung in the room like a thick fog. Eliza still hadn't managed to say a word, her eyes were fixed on Lucas, her heart in pieces, even though he hadn't really started to speak, Aura cried softly inside her because Klaus had already told her everything, but Eliza didn't understand the reason, not yet.
Lucas remained firm, as if he were facing a mission.
"I am here to formalize the rejection of the mate bond with Eliza, I, the future alpha of the Golden Mist pack, reject you, Eliza, beta of the Golden Mist." he said, without hesitation, each word a sharp blade.
Eliza staggered back, as if she had taken a physical blow, her eyes widened, the air seemed to no longer enter her lungs.
"What?" she whispered.
Caio, who had until then remained on alert, exploded in a step forward.
"Have you gone mad?! If you do that... if you break the bond, she will become a rogue! Do you know what that means! You brat!"
Lucas looked at him coldly.
"I know exactly what I'm doing, to keep a strong pack I need a luna up to par and Eliza doesn't even come close to that."
"Are you going to destroy my sister's soul for pride? Just because she doesn't come from the lineage you expected?" Caio advanced, his eyes shining with rage. "She is stronger than half of the training students! The moon goddess chose her, and you dare to refuse that?"
Eliza remained silent, trembling, Aura cried, howled inside her, but was too weak to fight against the pain that grew with each second.
Lucas then took a deep breath and said, in a harsher tone:
"I didn't come here to argue, I came to offer a less cruel way out, you can leave the pack, I have contacts in another, distant, where no one will know about the bond, there she will be able to live... with some dignity."
Caio pushed him hard against the door.
"You are a coward, are you going to assume another as your luna just because she is more"noble"? You coward, when your parents find out about this."
Lucas didn't push him back, didn't react, he just looked into Caio's eyes and replied:
"On the next full moon, I will assume another as my future luna, someone worthy of the position, I am not willing to build the future of the pack alongside someone who does not represent what an alpha needs."
Silence returned to reign, but now it was dark, heavy, like the harbinger of a storm.
Eliza then took a step forward, her voice low, broken:
"I... am not enough? Sara rejecting me for not having noble blood!"
Lucas hesitated for a moment, his eyes seemed to break, as if Klaus, his wolf, was still screaming inside, but it was only a second.
"No, you won't be a good luna, you are not strong nor do you have alpha blood in your veins." he replied.
Aura howled.
Eliza fell to her knees.
Caio knelt beside his sister, holding her tightly.
"We're leaving," he said through gritted teeth, glaring at Lucas with disgust. "But remember this: the goddess may have given you a mate, but it was you who chose to despise her and one day... you will regret it, my sister will remake herself in pain but you I hope to live with yours."
Lucas didn't answer, he just turned... and left.
The sound of the door closing echoed like an end.
An end that perhaps marked the beginning of something much greater.
The sky was gray, as if reflecting the pain that hung inside the house from the moment Lucas walked out the door. Eliza didn't say a single word, she sat on the sofa, her eyes lost somewhere in nowhere, her soul crushed under the weight of rejection.
Caio walked from one side to the other, preparing everything with haste and contained anger, his wolf roared inside, begging for justice, but he knew that now, the most important thing was to protect his sister.
Mary returned shortly after the event, her eyes were red, but there was firmness in them, she had said goodbye to her parents, leaving a note with everything she needed to explain, that was the right decision, she would not abandon her mate, and much less the friend who was like a sister.
With the bags ready, she entered the room and looked at Eliza, she wanted to hug her, say something to comfort her, but the girl's pain was too dense, all she could do was approach and hold her hand, Eliza didn't react, not even blink.
"We're ready," said Mary, softly.
Caio took a deep breath and picked up the last backpack as he passed his sister, knelt before her and touched her hand.
"The goddess may grant you another mate, Eliza, I know it seems impossible now, but... just have faith." He swallowed hard. "You are stronger than you think and we will overcome this together, as we always have."
Nothing, no reaction.
He stood up, clenching his fists, Eliza stood up on her own, the suitcases already next to the door, she walked as if in a trance, but her eyes shone with pain and grief.
Outside, the car was waiting for them.
Mary went in the back seat with Eliza, who kept her gaze fixed out the window the whole time, she didn't cry, she didn't speak, she just existed as if she were adrift.
Caio drove in silence, his eyes attentive to the road and to his sister in the rearview mirror, his thoughts were firm: they needed to reach the Northern Pack before the next moon. Dante, the alpha there, owed him favors, and it was time to collect them, Caio knew that Dante would never deny shelter to someone loyal, especially if it was for justice.
The trees became shadows along the road, a new path opened before them, uncertain, unknown... but loaded with the promise of a new beginning.
And even if Eliza didn't know it yet... destiny had bigger plans than anyone there could imagine.
The Northern Pack stood imposingly in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by dense forests and a respectful silence that only ancient territories could maintain. The gate opened as soon as the car was recognized, and Caio didn't even need to explain who he was, his name still carried weight there.
Dante waited at the entrance of the main house, tall, firm expression, unshaven beard and dark eyes like the moonless night, he exuded authority, but what few knew was that, behind the rigid posture, there was a wolf extremely sensitive to other people's emotions.
When the three got out of the car, his eyes immediately caught on the female figure among them, Eliza, his heart beat faster, in a way that had never happened before, a strange warmth ran through his body, and his wolf, restless, manifested with a clear phrase:
"It's Her..."
Dante frowned, it couldn't be her, she didn't look at him, she didn't react to his presence, she didn't even seem to notice him, she just walked alongside her brother, with slumped shoulders and a lowered gaze, there was something broken in her and he felt that like a sting in his soul and his wolf, no matter how much he tried, couldn't make contact with her wolf, it was a sign of sadness.
He greeted Caio with a firm handshake.
"You arrived at a good time, you will always have shelter here, especially for a loyal and fearless soldier like you." he said, glancing at Eliza, who didn't even blink.
"Thank you, Dante, we need a new beginning, these here are my recent mate Mary and my sister Eliza."
"And you will have it, let's go inside, I'll show you the rooms to settle in, you must be tired from the trip."
He guided them through the large dark wood house, with long corridors and windows that overlooked the forest, stopped in front of a double door and smiled at Mary and Caio.
"Couples are not separated in my pack, you know what to do." The smile was discreet, but genuine. "This is your room."
Mary blushed, and Caio nodded respectfully.
Soon after, he walked to the door next door and opened it.
"Here is your room Eliza," he said, turning slowly to her.
It was at that moment that he really looked at her.
She raised her eyes, but only for a second, and in that brief moment, Dante saw everything: the pain, the rejection, the wounded and silent soul, his wolf took a step forward inside him, as if he wanted to go out, touch, heal.
"She is hurt... we need to take it slow."
Dante said nothing, he just nodded, respectful.
"If you need anything..." he said, his voice softer than he normally used "my room is at the end of the hall."
Eliza just entered the room and closed the door behind her, without a word.
Dante stood still for a moment, his heart still racing, something inside him had changed, but would it be possible for a bond to be born from a wounded soul? A rejected she-wolf?
He didn't know.
But he knew he would do everything possible to not let her fall apart.
Alpha Dante, 28 years old
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