When their mate turned away Chapter 04
I raced to the hall on horseback, my heart pounding.
Inside, the alpha had been forced to sign two royal decrees for permanent bonding.
Derek Reed stood in the center, his gaze locked on me, possessiveness rolling off him in waves, his alpha
pheromones coiling around me.
Jason Cole crushed a pale Maya against his chest.
“If you two are so desperate for alpha attention, we’ll hold the bonding ritual tomorrow.”
“So you never disgrace the pack by going to Moonwolf Hall again.”
Jason Cole snarled, furious at what we’d done while he was gone.
“Guards,
take the princesses and clean them. Scrub every trace of other alphas off their skin.”
Maya shook violently, screaming in breakdown.
“Why? If you think I’m dirty, reject me! Let me go!”
“I don’t want your bond!”
Jason Cole ignored her.
Derek Reed grabbed my wrist and dragged me from the hall to the Moon Pool, shoving me into the cold
water.
“Iris, you don’t get to abandon your fated mate. Not ever.”
He stood over me, his voice ice.
Servants scrubbed me roughly with coarse cloths, the pain searing.
Derek Reed stared, expressionless, repeating coldly, “Not clean enough. Keep scrubbing.”
I was washed a hundred times in the freezing pool, my body stiff with cold, before they pulled me out.
When I saw Maya again, it was our bonding day.
She lay limp in Jason Cole’s arms, her eyes empty, like a broken doll.
The marks on her skin were darker than before-he’d tortured her all night with alpha pheromones.
I rushed to her and took her cold hand.
Maya clung to me like I was her last hope, refusing to let go.
Jason Cole released her, thinking we had nowhere to run.
“Talk, then change into your ritual robes.”
He turned to leave, adding coldly, “After bonding, you will both apologize to Mia.”
“If you refuse, I’ll let the whole pack see what kind of future Lunas you really are.”
The words stabbed Maya’s heart.
She stiffened, coughed up blood, and collapsed into my arms, sobbing.
“Iris, I want to go home.”
My heart sank. They both had extreme pheromone pride.
If we went through with this bonding, we’d be tormented forever, living in Mia Bennett’s shadow.
But before we climbed into the ritual carriage, I leaned close to Maya’s ear and smiled.
Derek Reed squeezed my hand, thinking I’d given in.
“Iris, Jason was angry. He won’t hurt you.”
I said nothing, staring straight ahead.
The carriage had traveled only a short distance when masked assassins attacked.
Just as they had for two years straight, Mia Bennett screamed loudly.
Derek Reed and Jason Cole turned at once to protect her.
In that exact moment, two blades plunged deep into Maya’s and my chests.
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in both our heads.
Rebirth mission complete: Permanent bonding ritual triggered. Faked death successful.
High-tier omega core retrieved. Rebirth into eternal life awaits.
Hot blood poured out, soaking the white moon-themed wedding robes only the alpha’s daughters wore.
Maya and I collapsed together, blood seeping into the silk beneath us.
We closed our eyes slowly, matching smiles of relief on our lips.
Ten years of pain were finally over.
A sharp, panicked feeling jolted both kings.
They froze mid-move, protecting Mia Bennett.
When they turned and saw us lying in blood, all color drained from their faces.
“Iris!”
“Maya!”
Their screams tore through the chaos, scaring crows into the sky.
Eyes bloodshot, they unleashed mad, violent rage.
They sliced through every assassin in minutes.
But when their hands reached for us, they trembled so hard they could barely move.
Mia Bennett stared in shock, bitter frustration boiling inside her.
They’d left her behind.
But their murderous fury terrified her into silence.
When she saw our bodies, her eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn’t thought we’d actually die.
She quickly composed herself and rushed forward, fake panic on her face.
“Derek, Jason! What’s wrong? Get the healer, hurry!”
“It’s all my fault. If you hadn’t protected me, the princesses wouldn’t have been hurt…
Neither king paid her any mind.
>>
Derek Reed shoved her away, lifted me gently, and ran for the palace, ignoring the blood on his clothes.
He whispered over and over, “Iris, hold on. I’ll get the best healers. Please, don’t leave me.”
Jason Cole’s hands shook as he pulled out every rare healing pill from the Moon Guard’s stores.
He stuffed them into Maya’s mouth, begging, his proud voice breaking for the first time.
“Maya, I’m sorry. Don’t die, please.”
“I won’t make you apologize to Mia anymore. Do whatever you want. I’ll obey you.”
“If you hate her, I’ll send her away forever. She’ll never come back.”
His voice died in his throat.
The pills slipped from Maya’s colorless lips, falling into the blood.
Her body grew colder by the second.
The freezing chill traveled through his clothes and squeezed his heart, leaving him hopeless.
He held her limp body, memories flooding his mind.
They’d survived countless battles and dozens of assassination attempts.
Every single time, he’d protected Mia Bennett first.
He never thought he’d lose his fated mate forever.