After My Mate Chose Her, His Enemy Claimed Me

The scent of bitter herbs and something acrid burned my nostrils as I approached the kitchen. I slowed my steps, my wolf suddenly alert within me. Something wasn't right.

"Mother, are you sure this will work?" Nadia's voice drifted through the partially open door.

"Of course it will," Aileen replied, her tone sharp with confidence. "The wolfsbane and moonshade will mask her scent completely. Lance won't be able to detect anything."

I pressed myself against the wall, my heart hammering. They were talking about me.

"But his wolf is getting stronger," Nadia whispered urgently. "He's starting to notice the servant."

"Then we'll increase the dosage," Aileen snapped. "I've been doing this for years, Nadia. I know what I'm doing."

I peered through the crack in the door. Aileen stood over a bubbling pot, her face illuminated by the fire beneath. The mixture inside was thick and black, releasing a pungent smoke that made my eyes water.

"What about the ceremony?" Nadia asked, pacing nervously.

"Everything is ready," Aileen replied, stirring the concoction. "By Winter Solstice, Lance will be yours completely."

My stomach twisted. They were planning something for the ceremony—something worse than what they'd already done.

I needed proof. Without evidence, no one would believe me over the future Luna and her mother.

Moving silently, I reached for a small vial I kept hidden in my pocket. If I could just get a sample of that mixture...

My fingers had barely closed around the vial when the floorboard beneath me creaked.

"Someone's there!" Nadia hissed.

I fled, the empty vial clutched in my hand, my wolf howling in frustration at our failure.

---

"Juliet!" Lance's voice boomed across the courtyard. "Come here. Now."

I froze, the treaty documents in my hands suddenly feeling like they were burning my skin. I hadn't touched them—I swore I hadn't—but there they were, in my quarters where Nadia had planted them.

The entire pack gathered as I walked to the center of the courtyard. Lance stood with his Beta and Gamma flanking him, his face a mask of cold fury.

"Explain this," he growled, holding up the stolen documents.

"I didn't take them," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"Silence!" he roared, his Alpha voice hitting me like a physical blow.

My knees buckled as the command slammed into me. The force of his power crushed down on my wolf, who whimpered in pain.

"Kneel," he ordered, his eyes flashing gold.

I fought against it, my muscles straining, but my body betrayed me. I fell to my knees on the cold stone, the documents scattering around me.

"Admit your treason," he demanded, looming over me.

I tried to speak, but his Alpha command pressed down on me like a weight, stealing my voice. Tears streamed down my face as I stared up at him, unable to defend myself.

"Pathetic," he spat, turning away. "Take her back to her quarters. I don't want to see her until the ceremony."

---

The Winter Solstice ceremony was a blur of pain and humiliation. I stood at the back of the great hall, watching as Lance took the stage with Nadia on his arm. She glittered in a silver gown that caught the light with every movement, her smile triumphant.

"Today marks a new beginning for the Blood River Pack," Lance announced, his voice carrying to every corner of the room. "We stand before you to announce our union."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd as Nadia stepped forward, her eyes finding mine across the room.

"Before we proceed," Lance continued, "there is one matter to address."

My wolf stirred uneasily within me as Lance's gaze locked on mine.

"Juliet Russell," he called, his voice cold. "Step forward."

The crowd parted as I walked to the center of the stage, my legs trembling beneath me.

Lance's eyes were devoid of emotion as he took my hand in his. Not in love, but in ritual.

"I, Alpha Lance Harrison of the Blood River Pack," he began formally, "reject you, Juliet Russell, daughter of the late Alpha Russell of the Silver Moon Pack, as my mate."

Each word felt like a knife twisting in my chest. The bond between us—already weakened by his neglect—began to tear.

"I release you from all claims and ties to me and my pack," he continued, his voice growing stronger with each word.

The pain was unbearable now, my wolf howling in agony as the bond snapped. I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath as darkness edged my vision.

Through the haze of pain, I saw Nadia's satisfied smirk as she placed her hand possessively on Lance's arm.

"It is done," Lance declared to the silent room. "Let no one question my choice or her place."

As darkness claimed me, my last thought was of my father's words: "The Moon Goddess never makes mistakes in her pairings."

But Lance had just rejected the sacred bond.

And I was dying because of it.