The howls grew closer as Maya, Liam, Caleb, and Elara rushed back toward the pack grounds. Smoke rose above the trees - something was burning.
"We need to hurry," Liam said, his face tight with worry.
When they broke through the trees, chaos met their eyes. Alpha Marcus stood in the center of the grounds, surrounded by his loyal wolves. Several pack members were being held down, including Maya's father.
"Dad!" Maya gasped, rushing forward.
Alpha Marcus turned, his eyes gleaming with triumph when he spotted her. "There she is. The cause of tonight's... disruption."
"Let my father go," Maya demanded, her voice stronger than she felt.
"Of course," Marcus smiled coldly. "Once you publicly reject my son as your mate."
The words hit Maya like a physical blow. She glanced at Liam, who had gone still beside her.
"That's what this is about?" Liam asked his father. "You're punishing innocent people to force Maya to reject me?"
"I'm protecting our bloodline," Marcus snapped. "This girl comes from a family of rogues." He pointed at Elara. "Her own aunt was banished for betraying the pack."
Elara stepped forward, unafraid. "I was banished for loving someone you disapproved of, Marcus. Just as you now disapprove of Maya."
"She is not worthy!" Marcus roared.
"She is stronger than you know," Elara replied calmly. "Strong enough to lead this pack with your son."
Murmurs spread through the watching crowd. Elder Sophia pushed her way forward.
"The true alpha pair bond cannot be denied," she announced. "It is sacred among our kind."
Marcus laughed harshly. "Sacred? Nothing is more sacred than pure bloodlines. My son will mate with someone I choose, not some warrior girl with rogue blood."
Maya felt the sting of his words. She looked around at the scared faces of her pack, at her father being held down, at her mother clutching Serena protectively.
"Let them all go," Maya said suddenly. "Let them go, and I'll do what you want."
"Maya, no!" Liam grabbed her arm. "You don't understand what rejecting the bond will do to us both."
She pulled away from him. "I understand that people are getting hurt because of us."
"Listen to her, son," Marcus said smoothly. "She's already choosing to leave you."
Liam's face darkened with pain. "Maya, please. We can fight him together."
Maya felt torn in two. The mate bond pulled her toward Liam with incredible strength. Her heart ached at the thought of rejecting him. But looking at her family, at the frightened pack members, she couldn't see another way.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to Liam.
She turned to face Alpha Marcus. "Release everyone first."
Marcus nodded to his men. Maya's father was pulled to his feet, along with the others who had been held down.
"Now," Marcus said, satisfaction dripping from his voice. "Reject him. Publicly. So everyone can hear."
The pack gathered around, forming a circle. Maya could feel their eyes on her - some sympathetic, others curious, a few gleeful at the drama.
Maya took a deep breath and stepped into the center of the circle. Liam followed, his blue eyes pleading with her.
"Don't do this," he said softly, so only she could hear. "There's another way."
"What other way?" Maya whispered back. "He'll hurt my family."
"We can challenge him, right now," Liam urged. "The true alpha pair bond gives us that right."
For a moment, Maya wavered. Could they really win against Marcus and his loyal wolves?
"Enough whispering," Marcus barked. "Make your choice, girl."
Maya looked at her family one more time. Her father's face was bruised. Her mother looked terrified. Little Serena was crying.
She made her decision.
"I, Maya, daughter of Thomas," she began, her voice ringing clear across the silent grounds, "reject Liam as my mate."
The words felt like glass in her throat. The moment they left her mouth, a sharp pain shot through her chest. She gasped, clutching at her heart.
Across from her, Liam stumbled backward as if physically struck. His face twisted in agony.
"I...reject...the mate bond," Maya continued, each word harder than the last. The pain was spreading through her body now, burning like fire in her veins.
"Say it all," Marcus commanded, his eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction.
Maya fought to stay standing as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. "I reject you, Liam, son of Marcus. I refuse this bond."
The moment the final word left her lips, something inside Maya tore apart. She cried out, falling to her knees. Around her, the pack watched in shocked silence.
"Maya!" Her mother rushed forward, catching her before she collapsed completely.
Through tears of pain, Maya saw Liam. He stood rigid, his face a mask of hurt and fury. Their eyes met across the circle, and the look he gave her was filled with such betrayal that Maya had to look away.
"It is done," Marcus declared, satisfaction heavy in his voice. "The bond is rejected."
Elder Sophia shook her head sadly. "You cannot truly break a true alpha pair bond. You've only damaged it, and them in the process."
"Take your daughter home," Marcus told Maya's parents, ignoring the Elder's words. "This matter is settled."
Maya felt her father lift her gently. She was too weak to walk, the pain still pulsing through her body in waves.
As they carried her away, she caught one last glimpse of Liam. He stood alone in the center of the circle, his hands clenched into fists, watching her go. For a moment, she thought she saw tears in his eyes.
Then Darren, Liam's friend, stepped up beside him, whispering something in his ear. Liam nodded, his expression hardening into something cold and dangerous.
At home, Maya's mother helped her to bed. "What were you thinking?" she whispered, pressing a cool cloth to Maya's burning forehead. "A mate bond can't be rejected without consequences."
"I had to protect you," Maya murmured, her voice weak. "He would have hurt Dad worse. Maybe Serena too."
Her mother sighed. "There are things about our family you don't know, Maya. Things Elara could have told you if you'd had more time."
"What things?" Maya asked.
But her mother just shook her head. "Rest now. We'll talk tomorrow."
That night was the worst of Maya's life. The pain of the rejected bond tore through her body in waves. She tossed and turned, burning with fever one minute, shivering with cold the next.
And worse than the physical pain was the emptiness - a hollow feeling where the bond had been, like part of her had been ripped away.
By morning, the worst had passed, but Maya still felt weak and sick. When she tried to stand, the room spun around her.
"You shouldn't be up," her mother scolded, coming in with a cup of herbal tea.
"I have to train," Maya insisted. "I can't let everyone see me weak."
"Maya," her mother said gently, "rejecting a mate bond isn't like breaking up with a boyfriend. It affects your wolf, your very essence."
"I'll be fine," Maya said stubbornly, though she didn't feel fine at all.
At the training grounds, Maya tried to focus, but her movements were slow and clumsy. Caleb watched her with concern.
"You look terrible," he said bluntly. "You should be resting."
"I'm fine," Maya snapped, then immediately regretted her tone. "Sorry. I just... don't want to talk about it."
Caleb nodded, though his eyes remained worried. "Have you seen Liam today?"
Maya's heart twisted painfully at the mention of his name. "No. Why would I?"
"Because he looks even worse than you do," Caleb said. "And he's been asking about you."
Before Maya could respond, a commotion broke out at the edge of the training grounds. Maya turned to see what was happening and froze.
Liam stood there, his normally perfect appearance disheveled. His hair was messy, his eyes bloodshot, as if he hadn't slept at all. When their gazes met across the distance, that familiar pull tugged at Maya's heart - weakened but still there.
Liam started walking toward her, his expression unreadable.
"What is he doing?" Maya whispered.
"I don't know," Caleb answered, moving protectively closer to her.
The entire training ground fell silent as Liam approached. He stopped a few feet away from Maya, his blue eyes boring into hers.
"You rejected me," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "In front of the entire pack."
Maya swallowed hard. "I had no choice."
"There's always a choice," Liam replied. "And you chose wrong."
Something in his tone sent a chill down Maya's spine.
"What do you want, Liam?" she asked, trying to sound stronger than she felt.
A cold smile spread across Liam's face, so unlike the vulnerable boy she'd glimpsed the night before. "I want you to know what you've done. Last night, after you left, I made a choice too."
"What choice?" Maya's heart pounded with sudden fear.
Liam leaned closer, his voice dropping so only she could hear him. "I've accepted Alpha Rowan's invitation to join his pack."
Maya gasped. Alpha Rowan led their most dangerous rival pack.
"You can't be serious," she whispered. "That would be betrayal."
"Funny word coming from you," Liam replied bitterly. "You rejected me, Maya. Now I'm rejecting everything else."
As he turned to leave, Maya grabbed his arm. "Liam, wait. You don't understand—"
The moment their skin touched, a jolt of electricity shot through them both. Maya stumbled back, gasping. For a split second, Liam's cold mask slipped, revealing raw pain underneath.
Then his walls came back up. "Too late for explanations, Maya. Much too late."
As Liam walked away, Maya felt the sickness inside her grow worse. The room began to spin. Distantly, she heard Caleb calling her name as darkness closed in around her.
Her last thought before consciousness slipped away was a terrifying realization: Liam wasn't just hurt. He was dangerous. And she had created her worst enemy.