Pearl's POV

I wasn't supposed to be here.

Servants weren't allowed at royal mate ceremonies. But Kael had said he had promised to claim me today. That everything we shared, every stolen touch, every whispered word, was leading to this.

He told me to wait and so I did.

I brushed my hair. Made sure I scrubbed my skin to look clean. I even borrowed a dress that clutched around me like an armour.

The Alpha King stepped forward and raised a hand.

"Tonight," he boomed, "we witness not just the naming of an heir, but the solidification of power. And as customs dictate, our Alphas must also present their Lunas, mates chosen by the Moon Goddess."

My heart leapt into my throat.

This was it.

Kael stood at the center, golden and regal in his ceremonial armour, flanked by his Beta and guards. He looked every inch the Alpha. And somewhere deep down, I still believed I belonged beside him.

"Alpha Kael," the king called. "Step forward and name your mate."

The whole room held its breath.

He stepped forward, tall and proud.

And then - he smiled.

But not at me.

At her.

Mara.

She stepped forward from the crowd, her silver gown hugging every cruel curve of her body, her painted lips twisting in triumph. The same lips I had seen Kael kissed a few moments ago while I stood watching like a ghost.

He reached for her hand, lifted it like she was a prize.

"This," he said loudly. "is the woman I have chosen to stand beside me as Luna."

My knees locked. My vision blurred. A roaring filled my ears.

What?

No. He couldn't. He told me. He kissed me. He held me.

"She is strong," Kael continued, voice clear, "noble-born, and fit to lead."

Then he looked directly at me.

"Unlike others who mistake pity for affection."

The crowd laughed.

It echoed in my bones.

I stood frozen, the blood draining from my face as Kael took it further.

"I'm aware of the rumours," he said with an easy smirk. "That I was bound to an Omega."

More laughter. Whispers. All eyes turned to me.

Some recognized me. Most didn't. But they didn't need to.

He made sure they knew.

"I reject that claim," he said, voice cold as stone. "I never acknowledged such a bond and I never will. It was one-sided... a delusion."

Mara pressed closer to him, pretending to look shocked. Kael didn't flinch.

"An Omega?" One noblewoman whispered, covering her mouth with a gloved hand.

"Was she serious?" Another scoffed. "How pathetic."

The world spun. My fingers clutched at the fabric of my dress like it was the only thing keeping me upright.

My mate, fate mate, was standing before everyone and calling me a mistake.

I tried to move, to walk away, but my legs wouldn't listen.

Kael gave me one last glance, cold, calculating and final.

"I want to make it clear," he said. "I choose Mara. Not the Omega girl who mistook a few kind words for love."

The laughter grew louder. I felt it like knives against my skin.

A servant beside me muttered. "What was she even thinking?"

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I ran.

Out of the hall. Down the corridor. Through the servant's wing. Past the kitchens. Until I collapsed behind the stables, gasping and choking on the sobs I'd kept in for days.

I wasn't just rejected. I was humiliated in front of kings, queens, and the whole damn realm.

Kael didn't just refuse me. He crushed me. And I had no one. Not even the goddess who made this bond.

I stumbled through the hallway like a ghost, blinking back tears I swore wouldn't cry.

Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe he was pretending. Maybe —

A laugh stopped me cold.

"She actually believed he'd choose her."

Two pack warriors leaned against the wall, arms folded, smirking. I didn't know their names. But they knew mine. Everyone knew who I was now.

The Omega who thought she could be Luna.

The mate he never claimed.

I turned and walked faster, ignoring the whispers, the stares. My hands clenched at my sides.

Why would the Moon Goddess bind me to someone who would never love me?

I'd spent years dreaming of my mate. Hoping he'd be different. Better. Not like the others who tossed scraps my way and expected gratitude. Not like the ones who spat in my food or pushed me down the stairs for laughs.

But Kael... Kael had touched my cheek like I mattered. He'd held me in the garden when I cried after Mara poured boiling water on my hands.

He'd said, "You're stronger than they know."

He made me believe I was more than just an Omega."

Now he made me look like a fool.

I reached my quarters, if a closet with a straw bed could be called that, and collapsed onto the mat. My body folded in on itself, grief and shame curling through my spine.

I remembered the night he first pulled me into his arms.

"I can't claim you," he'd whispered. "Not yet. But soon."

Soon.

Fucking liar.

The tears came then. Quiet ones. The kind that swallowed me whole because no one cared if I screamed.

The door burst open before sunrise. Rough hands grabbed me by the arms.

"Wh — What's going on?" I gasped.

A warrior shoved a rolled-up scroll in my face. "By order of Alpha Kael, you're to be removed from pack territory by dawn."

My stomach dropped. "Removed?"

"Banished," another corrected. "For your delusions, daring to insult the Alpha's mate and trying to deceive the pack."

"What deception? I never —"

A fist cracked against my cheek and stars danced in my vision.

"You seduced him, you witch!" The first one growled. "You used the mate bond to manipulate His Highness. Alpha Kael had said so himself."

I froze.

He... He wouldn't. He couldn't.

Another blow landed, this one to my ribs. I coughed and tasted blood.

Mara stepped into the room, her arms folded, her lips curled in a sleek smile.

"I always knew you were pathetic, Pearl, but trying to claim the Alpha? That's new even for you." She clicked her tongue. "Told you he'd never want you. He was just playing. Everyone knew."

I stared at her. "You knew...?"

"Oh sweetie," she leaned down. "He told us everything. The little touches. The way you begged. It was hilarious."

My world tilted sideways.

He told them. Everything.

Every private word. Every fragile moment. Every piece of me I thought was safe.

Mara's smile sharpened. "Don't worry, though. His real Luna will never be a charity case. You'll be forgotten soon."

I was dragged outside, wrist bound. The sun had barely risen but already a crowd had gathered. Spectators. Pack members. Some I used to call friends. Most I'd served. All silent.

No one stepped forward. No one stopped them.

Kale wasn't there.

Of course he wasn't.

The guards marched me to the edge of the territory, beyond the last line of pine trees where the wild things roamed.

"Please," I rasped. "Let me explain..."

A slap silenced me.

One guard leaned in. "Keep watching if we see you back here, we won't be this kind."

He cut the ropes from my wrists and shoved me forward.

I stumbled into the underbrush, barefoot, bleeding, alone.

Behind me, the border gates slammed shut.

Ahead of me, only darkness.