JANE
They froze.
"Jane..." Cole whispered, his eyes wide.
I looked in between them searching for a hint of humor, a prank, something to explain what I just saw but nothing came.
Instead Cole gaze met mine...Cold and unapologetic. Not a single flicker of guilt.
"You shouldn't be here." He said flatly.
I stared at him, at them, my breath shaking. "It's our anniversary."
"Jane stop this..." he growled, stepping forward.
"Don't." I raised my hand out to stop him from getting any closer. "Don't you dare. You have no right to get angry, only I do."
The air thickened with the scent of betrayal, it was sharp, acrid and choking. My hands trembled, claws threatening to break through my skin. "You made vows to me. To us. To the pack. Now, you go ahead and do this. Why?" I asked, needing some sort of closure.
Cole's jaw tightened. "You wouldnt understand".
A scoff escaped me. "Try me".
He ran his hand through his slicked- back hair. "I'm gay, okay? But the goddess blessed you as a mate for me when I wanted him." he glanced at Matteo who flushed under his gaze. "Matteo is the one I love. He always has been way before I even met you."
I could feel a piece of my heart falling apart. Tears burned my eyes threatening to spill but i refused, he wouldn't have that satisfaction.
"Then why didn't you reject me when you found out we were mates. You could have done that, sparred me the humiliation, and still be with your lover."
I could have done something with my life other than being in this futile relationship, gone places, met new people. Would the rejection have hurt? Yes. Would I get over it? Hell yeah!
He laughed, the sound bitter and sharp "And be looked down upon? Not a chance. You know how wolves treat gay Alpha's. No respect. To them no luna means no heir which equals the downfall of that pack. They call them names. Cock-suckers. Cowards. I couldn't let that happen to me."
He took another step forward. I noticed the way his head cocked to the side and an eerie smile played on his lips. I had never seen this side of him. This was not the cheerful man I fell in love with.
"So i used you. Pretended to love you for show in front of the Pack, in private. Claimed to be busy when all I did when i was free was spend quality time with my beta. I drugged you with Earl grey tea so you won't come snopping at night."
The tea. The omega. Her trembling hands. The refusal to look me in the eyes. It all made sense.
"No one would suspect a thing darling, not when the beta works in my office. I spent every free moment with him."
Matteo's throat cleared, smirking.
"You can probably guess what we did everynight while you were out cold."
I could imagine it, cole having sex with Matteo, then coming to me afterwards pretending like he didn't just commit a grave sin against our bond.
A knot of disgust formed in my stomach. I did love him, not anymore. If he thought he could just play around behind my back while I play the part of the loving, naive housewife, he was dead wrong.
"Oh, I understand perfectly." My voice shook. Not with weakness but because i had come to a decision. I know my worth and i refuse to be played any longer with these two bastards.
"I Jane Leone, hereby reject you Alpha Cole brown as my mate and renounce my role as luna of silverfang pack."
The moment the words left my mouth, the candles on the pedestal flared violently, then, one by one, they went out. Sunlight still spilled through the glass ceiling but, it felt colder now. Even the air seemed to recoil, recognizing the bond severing.
A sharp burning pain sliced through my heart, the bond tearing free. It felt like fire consuming my whole heart. I gasped, stumbled backwards from the impact. Then...nothing. No warmth. Just a strange numbness that filled my heart.
Somewhere deep inside, my wolf grieved the mate my heart no longer recognized.
Cole's body jerked. His hand shot to his chest as if to hold his heart in place. He fell to his knees, his other hand braced the floor for support.
A strangled sound escaped him, half a gasp, half a growl. Sweat dripped down his temple, his breathing turned ragged and breathless.
"Stop..." he rasped, chest heaving. "Jane dont..."
It was too late. the bond was unraveling, tearing him apart from the inside. His eyes were wild with disbelief, pain, and fear. He looked like a man drowning on dry land.
For a heartbeat, I almost pitied him. Keyword. Almost.
The man who thought he'd never feel regret was now gasping on the floor, choking on the consequences of his own choices.
The sooner cole accepts my rejection, the better it would be for him. It has always been like this for werewolves...the one who intiates the rejection feels less pain whereas the other party feels triple the weight of the pain. They can only be free of it once they accept the rejection.
The physical part is just the beginning. If Cole persist any longer, the rejection will do far more than just make breathing a struggle for him.
Hallucinations. Mania. Depression. Sleepless nights... In summary, sooner or later, he would be a mad man if he didn't accept his new reality. Mad alpha's and peaceful packs do not go hand in hand.
Matteo, ever the supporting Alpha's new husband rushed over to him smoothing his hand over his back and whispering words of comfort in his ear, to which earned him a snarl from cole in his direction.
I frowned at his words. "Don't stress over her baby. She's just an ungrateful, unattractive bitch."
Tempted would be an understatement at how much I wanted to have a go at his face and make him eat those words.
Cole growled, a low reverberating sound filled with malice. "I don't accept your rejection." He hissed.
The audacity. His funeral not mine.
I turned to leave but from the corner of my eye, I caught the subtle nod he gave someone behind me.
Before I could react, a large hand gripped my shoulder. A swift and precise strike landed on the side of my neck. It hit a particular pressure point that steals away a person conciousness in an instant.
"Forgive me, Luna," murmured jacob, the pack's gamma. His voice regretful as i went limp in his arms.
Then everything went dark. The last thing I heard was Cole's voice, enraged and shaky.
"Lock her in the pit. No one is allowed to speak to her or see her unless i say so."