"I, Alpha Kian Blackthorn, reject you, Aria Vale, as my mate and Luna."
His words sliced through me like a blade.bI stood there, in front of the entire pack, dressed in the ceremonial gown my mother picked out waiting for the man the Moon Goddess had chosen for me to claim me as his mate.
But instead… he humiliated me.
I froze. For a heartbeat, I couldn’t breathe. My mother’s eyes locked with mine from the crowd, silently pleading with me to stay quiet, to not make a scene. But I couldn’t let him have the last word.
"I, Aria Vale, accept your rejection, Alpha Kian."
The words tasted like ash. The gasps from the crowd barely registered in my ears as I turned and walked away before anyone could stop me before anyone saw the test hidden inside my purse. The one I took that very morning. Positive. Two lines that changed everything. Banished from my pack, disgraced, and alone, I disappeared carrying more than just heartbreak with me. Nine months later, Alpha Kian finds me again. Only this time, I'm no longer the broken girl he cast aside. And he’s not ready for the truth I’ve been hiding.