_Lisa’s POV_ I followed Kael through the hallway. My footsteps were slow and shaky, like my legs weren’t mine anymore. My body still ached from the shift. My heart ached even more. Every step closer to the living room made the air feel heavier, like I was walking through thick fog. I could hear laughter, the clinking of glasses, voices chatting and celebrating. They had no idea what was coming. Kael didn’t look at me. His jaw was tight. His body was tense. I wanted to reach out to him, to stop him. But I didn’t know what I would say. What could I say to someone who had just shattered me into pieces? He marched toward our parents like he was going into battle. Alpha Alexis and Luna Grace were seated with my mom and dad near the center of the room. They were in deep conversation. Kael didn’t hesitate. “Alpha,” he said, his voice loud and clear. “I need to speak with you. All of you.” Alpha Alexis looked up, his brow furrowing. “Is everything alright, son?” Kael stood tall. “I have something important to say.” Luna Grace waved a hand. “Not now, Kael. We’ll talk later. We’re in the middle of something.” Kael didn’t wait. “Lisa is my true mate.” The words dropped into the room like a thunderclap. Everything fell silent. My chest tightened. My fingers curled into fists at my sides. “My wolf, Alexander, has recognized her wolf as our mate,” Kael went on, his voice hard. “And she feels the same. Her wolf responded too.” Alpha Alexis and Luna Grace stared at him in stunned silence. My parents exchanged glances. Then my father said what I had been dreading. “But that’s impossible. Lisa’s wolf hasn’t emerged. Even if she’s twenty-one, she’s… wolfless.” I stepped forward, forcing the words out even as my throat burned. “Dad… my wolf emerged today. Her name is Sierra. She came out during the run.” Everyone turned to look at me. I felt the weight of their stares pressing down like stones. I wanted to shrink. To disappear. But Sierra gave me strength. We are not weak, she whispered. Stand tall. I swallowed and looked at my father. “What Kael said is true. We’re… mates.” Kael let out a harsh breath beside me. “I can’t accept her,” he said flatly. “I’m in love with Roxanne. She’s the one I want. I want her as my Luna. I want to take her as my chosen mate.” My heart twisted. Even saying it here, in front of everyone, he didn’t hesitate. I waited for someone to speak. For someone to say this was wrong. That this was cruel. Luna Grace’s voice came next, soft and uncertain. “Kael… son, you can’t do this. Lisa is your true mate. You can’t reject the bond just like that. This would be wrong.” But Alpha Alexis raised a hand, silencing her. “No,” he said firmly. “Kael is right.” I froze. “Roxanne is a better fit to be our daughter-in-law,” he continued. “She’s strong. Well-trained. Everyone respects her. She’s already accepted in the pack. Lisa…” He looked at me with blank eyes. “Lisa would never survive as Luna.” My heart cracked again. He turned to my parents. “You two don’t have any objections, do you?” I held my breath. My father shook his head. “No.” My mother nodded slowly. “We agree. Roxanne is a better choice.” Sierra growled inside me. They don’t care. None of them care. “What about me?” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “What about my happiness?” They looked at me like I was a child who didn’t understand how the world worked. “If Kael breaks the mate bond with me,” I continued, “I’ll never have another mate. I’ll be alone for the rest of my life.” My father shrugged. “You could take a chosen mate too. Just like Kael.” I stared at him, shocked. “But a chosen mate and a true mate aren’t the same. You know that.” “Maybe not,” he said, “but you’ll survive.” I blinked fast, trying to keep the tears back. I didn’t want to cry in front of them. Not now. Alpha Alexis stepped forward, his voice calm and cruel. “Lisa, my son doesn’t love you. That’s the truth. And you’ll never be happy with someone who doesn’t love you back.” His words sank deep. “It’s better,” he said, “for you to find someone who does.” I felt like I couldn’t breathe. They were all so calm about it. So logical. Like I was just a problem to be solved. I was nothing more than a mistake they were trying to correct. Sierra’s voice trembled in my mind, full of anger and pain. They don’t care, Lisa. Not about you. Not about us. They never did. I know, I whispered back. I know. They only care about Roxanne. About Kael. About power and appearances. My wolf growled softly. We should leave. We should never look back. But I couldn’t move. I stood there, my heart in pieces, surrounded by people who were supposed to protect me. Love me. And not one of them had stood up for me. Not even my parents. My mother sat quietly, not meeting my eyes. My father looked relieved, like a burden had been lifted. Alpha Alexis looked proud. Kael looked… empty. Only Luna Grace looked sad. Her eyes flicked to mine with something close to regret, but she said nothing. I was alone. Utterly, completely alone. And the worst part? They didn’t even see it. They thought they were doing the right thing. That they were saving me from a future filled with heartbreak. But they were wrong. Because I was already heartbroken. I turned my face away, trying to hide the tears gathering in my eyes. Sierra whimpered. We should have never come back downstairs. I nodded silently. Maybe she was right. I wanted to scream. To shout. To tell them all how cruel they were. How selfish. But my voice was gone. My body was numb. Everything I had hoped for—all the dreams I had when I first felt the bond—had been ripped away in an instant. I wasn’t enough. Not for Kael. Not for my parents. Not for anyone. And as I stood there in the middle of the room, surrounded by people who were supposed to love me… …I realized something cold and terrifying: They never really saw me. Not as a daughter. Not as a mate. Not as anything that mattered. And that broke something inside me. Something I didn’t know would ever heal. __________________ I lay curled on my bed. The blankets were pulled tightly around me like they could protect me from the storm inside. But nothing could stop the ache that had rooted deep in my chest. My pillow was soaked. My eyes were swollen from crying. My body shook with silent sobs. I couldn’t stop replaying it. Over and over again. His eyes. Kael’s eyes. Cold. Hard. Cruel. I remembered exactly how he looked at me, like I was nothing. Like I was just some stranger in his way. I hadn’t been ready for it. Not at all. It had happened just after everyone left the living room. I had followed him outside. I was desperate. I was still hoping he might change his mind. But he hadn’t. He turned to me, his expression unreadable. “I, Kael Blackthorn,” he said, his voice sharp as ice, “reject you, Lisa Evans, as my mate.” I felt it like a blade to the heart. I had gasped, the bond tearing inside me like something sacred was being ripped apart. My knees had gone weak, and for a second, I thought I might collapse. But I couldn’t let him see me fall. Sierra had growled in pain, howling in my mind. Say it, Lisa, she had whispered. Say the words. Free us. I blinked back tears and forced myself to meet Kael’s eyes. “I… I accept your rejection.” And just like that, the bond was broken. The pain didn’t stop. It only grew worse. But the worst part? Roxanne was standing behind him the whole time. She didn’t say a word at first, but her smirk said everything. Later, when Kael walked away, Roxanne approached me. I should’ve walked away. I should’ve ignored her. But I was frozen, too stunned to move. She tilted her head and smiled. “You really thought you had a chance with him, didn’t you?” I said nothing. Her voice was full of poison. “Kael was never yours, Lisa. He was always mine. Even fate knew you weren’t worthy.” I clenched my fists. My heart was already broken—her words just rubbed salt into the wound. “I hope you leave,” she added. “You don’t belong here. You never did.” Now, lying in my room in the dark, her words echoed in my mind. You never did. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, but I couldn’t breathe. I felt like I was drowning in sadness. “I can’t stay here,” I whispered aloud. Then let’s go. Let’s leave this behind. We deserve more than this. Tears rolled down my cheeks again. “But where would we go?” Anywhere, she said. Anywhere but here. We’ll find our own path, Lisa. We’ll build our own life. One without them. I wiped my eyes and sat up slowly. I knew she was right. We would never be happy here. Not with Kael choosing Roxanne. Not with my parents turning their backs on me. Not in a place where I was always the shadow, never the light. “He needs to be out of sight,” Sierra whispered. “Only then can we begin to forget.” I nodded. I got up and pulled out a small bag from under my bed. My hands trembled as I opened my dresser drawers and started packing. I didn’t have much—just some clothes, a hoodie, a brush, and a pair of shoes. I tucked in the photo of me from when I was still a kid. I added a small pouch of money I had saved over the years. It wasn’t much, but it would get me somewhere. My fingers hesitated on the door handle. I glanced at the clock. 3:07 AM. The house was silent. Everyone was asleep—my parents, Roxanne… probably even Kael. Most of the pack would be asleep too. Just a few guards on patrol. If I moved quietly, I could get past them. I looked around my room one last time. The posters on the wall, the faded rug, the cracked window I used to stare through when I felt lonely. I had spent so many nights here, dreaming of being loved. Of being seen. But not once had those dreams come true. I didn’t belong here. Not anymore. And I didn’t bother leaving a note. They would understand why I left. Or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe they wouldn’t even care. With my bag slung over my shoulder, I opened the door slowly and stepped into the hallway. It was dark and silent. I tiptoed past Roxanne’s door, careful not to breathe too loud. My heart pounded in my chest with every step. This was it. There was no going back now. And then— A floorboard creaked. I froze. And that’s when I heard it. A sound behind me. Someone was awake.