"I accept the rejection."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Cold.
Empty.
For a moment, I wasn't even sure I had been the one who said it.
But the effect was immediate.
A sharp pain tore through my chest....stronger than before, deeper than anything I had felt when Ethan spoke those words.
This was different.
This wasn't just heartbreak.
This was the bond.
Breaking.
I gasped, my fingers clutching at my chest as if I could hold something together that was already slipping through my grasp.
It felt like something inside me was being ripped apart.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Like the moon itself was watching…
And taking back what it had given.
A strangled sound escaped my throat as my knees buckled slightly, but I forced myself to stay upright.
Not here.
Not in front of them.
Not in front of him.
The pain pulsed once more sharp, unforgiving....
And then…
Gone.
Just like that.
The connection that had formed only moments ago....
The thread that tied me to Ethan...
Severed.
Completely.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
"She accepted it…"
"That fast?"
"Pathetic…"
The word hit harder than anything else.
Pathetic?.
I swallowed, lifting my head slowly.
If they expected me to cry…
To beg…
To break completely in front of them...
They would be disappointed.
I'm stronger than that....
I said to myself....
Tried to pull myself together....
"Pathetic," Selene echoed softly, just loud enough for me to hear.
I didn't look at her.
I couldn't.
Because I knew if I did...
If I saw that look on her face.....
I might lose the last bit of control I had left.
So instead…
I turned.
One step.
Then another.
Each movement felt heavier than the last,
like my body was resisting the idea of leaving everything behind.
The ground beneath my feet felt unfamiliar.
Unsteady.
But I kept walking.
Because staying would destroy me faster.
The whispers followed.
Soft.
Relentless.
"She didn't even fight…"
"What did she expect…"
"She should be grateful he even looked her way…"
My hands clenched at my sides, nails digging into my skin.
I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
Because if I stopped...
If I let those voices catch up to me....
I would shatter.
And i didn't want to do that in front of them....
"Interesting."
The voice cut through everything.
Deep.
Cold.
Powerful.
It wasn't loud.
But it didn't need to be.
Because the moment it sounded....
Everything stopped.
The whispers.
The movement.
Even the air itself felt like it had stilled.
My steps faltered.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me not to turn around.
Not to look.
Because something about that voice....
Something about the presence behind it....
Wasn't normal.
Wasn't safe.
Slowly…
I turned.
And that's when I saw him.
He stood at the edge of the crowd.
Tall.
Still.
Scary.
And really handsome.
Completely out of place.
The people around him had moved back ....far back....leaving a clear space, like no one dared stand too close.
Like his presence alone demanded distance.
He was dressed in black.
Not the kind of black worn for ceremony.
Not the kind meant to impress.
This was different.
Simple.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
His posture was relaxed.
Too relaxed.
Like nothing around him mattered.
Like he didn't need to try to command attention.
Because he already had it.
My breath caught as his gaze lifted....
And locked onto mine.
Everything else disappeared.
The crowd.
The field.
The noise.
Gone.
All I could see…
Was him.
His eyes were unlike anything I had ever seen before.
Silver.
Not soft.
Not warm.
Cold.
Sharp.
And far too aware.
It felt like he was looking straight through me.
Seeing everything.
Every weakness.
Every crack.
Every piece of me I had tried so hard to hold together.
I couldn't look away.
Even though something deep inside me told me I should.
Whispers began again.
Quiet at first.
Then louder.
"Is that…?"
"No way…"
"It can't be…"
But it was.
I knew that face.
Everyone did.
The stories.
The rumors.
The fear.
They all pointed to one person.
The Lycan King.
My pulse quickened.
What was he doing here?
No one invited him.
No one would dare.
And yet...
Here he was.
He was here.....
Standing in the middle of my worst moment.
Watching.
Me.
The space between us felt charged.
Heavy.
Then...
He moved.
The crowd parted instantly, like a wave pulling back from the shore.
No one spoke.
No one stopped him.
No one even tried.
Each step he took was slow.
Measured.
Controlled.
And with every step closer.....
The air grew tighter.
Harder to breathe.
Until he stood in front of me.
Too close.
Close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him.
Close enough that I could see the faint tension in his jaw.
But his expression remained unreadable.
"You were rejected."
His voice was calm.
Flat.
Not a question.
A statement.
I swallowed.
"Yes."
I said.....
The word came out quieter than I intended.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze moved over me slowly.
Taking in everything.
My trembling hands.
My uneven breathing.
The tear tracks I hadn't realized were still on my face.
But there was no pity in his eyes.
No mockery.
Just something I couldn't quite understand.
Something… intense.
Something that made my pulse stutter.
Then....
His gaze lifted again.
Meeting mine.
And the world seemed to hold its breath.
Because whatever he was about to say...
I knew it would change everything.