Juliet
SLAP !
Juliet staggered backwards as Alpha Walton's palm connected with her cheek, the force nearly sending her sprawling across the marble floor.
The metallic tang of blood filled her mouth as she fought to stay upright, her knees wobbling like a newborn fawn's. Pain bloomed across her face, hot and sharp, but she didn't dare cry out.
"Where the hell is Sofia? " he roared, his golden eyes flashing dangerously. "Answer me, Juliet !"
She flinched, her wolf Rosie whimpering deep inside her.
Today was supposed to be the grand union—the day Frostfang Pack would secure its future through Sofia's mating with America's most powerful Alpha, Kaius Blair of the Blackwood Pack.
Everyone in the werewolf community knew of Alpha Blair's reputation: ruthless, merciless, a man who had built his empire through blood and calculated decisions.
The rumors about him made Juliet's skin crawl.
They said his bloodline was so potent it could drain the life force from any female who wasn't his true mate. And by all accounts, he hadn't found her yet.
This wasn't a love match.
It was a business transaction wrapped in ancient tradition.
Their failing pack was trading Sofia for protection and financial stability.
"I...I don't know where she is," Juliet stammered, eyes lowered as expected of an Omega like her. "I haven't seen Sofia since yesterday."
The pack guards exchanged uneasy glances behind Alpha Walton.
"Alpha," one of them spoke up, "according to the latest reports, Sofia left the territory with Jasper last night. Their scent trail leads toward the eastern border."
Jasper.
The name hit Juliet like a blade between the ribs.
Just hearing it cracked open old wounds she'd barely managed to keep stitched shut.
Her destined mate. The warrior who once whispered forever into her hair.
The only person who'd ever treated her like she was more than what the Waltons used her for—a living blood bank for their sickly golden girl.
For years, they'd siphoned her life drop by drop to keep Sofia breathing, never once asking how much it cost her.
Jasper had been the one to slip her soup when she was too weak to stand.
The one who'd held her steady when her legs gave out, who'd brushed the damp hair from her forehead and promised, "One day, you'll be free."
And now he'd run off with Sofia.
A fist of nausea clenched in Juliet's gut. She stumbled back, bracing herself against the wall.
Alpha Walton kept barking orders. The guards scrambled to obey.
But their voices faded. All Juliet could hear was the roar in her head.
Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone. She wasn't thinking.
She just needed to hear his voice. She needed it to make sense.
Each ring felt like a countdown to devastation.
He picked up.
"What do you want? " His voice was cold. Flat. Nothing like the warmth she once knew.
"Jasper," Juliet whispered. "They're saying you left with Sofia…"
"Listen carefully, Juliet," he said. Every word was sharp. Precise. "Whatever you thought we had was a mistake. You're nothing but a worthless Omega. No status. No value. Sofia is an Alpha's daughter. She's powerful. Sensual. Everything you could never be. She's my choice. My future. Accept it and move on."
Juliet's heart stopped.
"I, Jasper Reed, reject you, Juliet Austin, as my mate," he said.
The pain hit her like a freight train. She doubled over, clutching her chest. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think.
It felt like someone was ripping her ribs apart. Like they'd reached in and torn her heart out with their bare hands.
Her breath came in short, broken gasps. Her vision blurred. She thought she might actually die.
Rosie howled inside her.
But Juliet wouldn't beg.
She wouldn't fall apart for someone who had already chosen to break her.
Her voice trembled."I, Juliet Austin, accept your rejection."
Each syllable burned. But she said them anyway.
She had to. She wouldn't let him keep the last word.
The mate bond snapped.
Suddenly, Luna Cara Walton burst into the room. Her hair was a mess for once. Her designer suit looked wrinkled and worn from pacing.
Linda trailed behind her, pale and jittery.
Sofia Walton's younger sister—spoiled, sharp-tongued, and used to getting her way.
She'd spent most of Juliet's life making it hell, always the first to mock, to shove, to twist the knife and smile.
Now she looked like she might throw up on the carpet.
"Any news? " Luna Cara snapped. Her voice cracked with panic. "The Blackwood delegation arrives in thirty minutes. Do you even realize what happens if we don't deliver the bride? "
Alpha Walton ran both hands through his graying hair. "They'll take it as a direct insult. Blair won't let it slide. He'll crush us."
"We'll be ruined !" Linda shouted. She started pacing frantically. "He'll take our businesses. Our land. Everything. All because Sofia couldn't keep her legs shut !"
Juliet stood in the corner and said nothing. She just watched them fall apart. A small bitter part of her liked it.
These people had drained her like a blood bag for years, they had never treated her like a person.
She didn't care about the fate of Frostfang Pack.
"Someone has to take Sofia's place," Cara said. Her voice was sharp and cold. "The contract only says a bride. It doesn't name her."
Linda froze. "Don't look at me. I'm not becoming that monster's broodmare."
"Then who? " Alpha Walton barked.
The room went quiet.
Then Linda turned her head toward Juliet. Her smile was slow and cruel.
She pointed at her.
"Why not her? " Linda said. "No one will miss an Omega. She's been bleeding for this family for years. Let her be useful for once."
Juliet's whole body turned to ice.
They looked at her like she was property. Like they were picking a piece of meat.
Rosie growled inside her. Juliet didn't wait.
She ran for the door. Her heart pounded hard in her chest.
Her feet hit the floor fast. But she wasn't fast enough.
Something slammed into the back of her head.
A flash of pain ripped through her.
Then everything went dark.
Her last thought wasn't a prayer. It was a cry.
A desperate call to the Moon Goddess.
Please. Don't let this be how my story ends.
