Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Yulia's POV 

Dominic had not shown up for the mating ceremony at the expected hour. Then, he appeared with a wolf, one he accused of being a rogue that wasn’t actually a rogue. 

Suddenly, it all began to make sense. This was all planned by Dominic. 

“Dominic,” I said, my voice trembling with restrained fury. 

“You know that’s a lie. I have taken care of this pack for as long as I can remember. I have been devoted to its peace and growth. Why would I suddenly collude with rogues to steal the pack’s treasury, when you know how much I care for its prosperity?”

I spoke as though to no one, yet my gaze never wavered from Dominic. He only stared at me briefly before looking away, his expression tight, his lips curling into a hiss of disdain.

“Beta…” I called out, my eyes finding his father’s, a plea for intervention burning behind my words. I took a step forward, intending to approach him, to demand his support, but Dominic suddenly gripped my hand. He dragged me back and shoved me to the floor with unyielding force.

“You colluded with rogues to steal all of the pack’s treasury,” he spat, his words venomous, “just like the shameful woman you are!”

I was momentarily speechless, my mind racing to grasp how this had all spiraled into such chaos. I had met with Dominic only last night, discussing the future of the pack and our shared life as mates. He had told me then, with eyes that had looked at me differently than anyone else, how smitten he was, how in love he had grown after learning more about me.

And now he stood here, in front of the entire pack, slandering and accusing me of treachery, shattering my reputation in the blink of an eye.

I forced myself upright, my legs trembling. 

My eyes swept across the crowd, searching desperately for someone who would believe me. I rushed forward to Henna, she was the one person I could always count on for anything. 

"Henna, please you have to believe me. You know me, and you know that I can’t be a part of what he’s accusing me of.”  I pleaded, rushing towards her, reaching for her hands, desperate for her to look at me, to see the depth of sorrow and panic I was battling.

But to my shock, Henna pulled her hands away from mine. Slowly, she began to approach Dominic, completely ignoring my desperate plea.

"You want me to help you stand against my lover, Yulia? You do have a lot of audacity asking me to do that for such a lowly traitor like you," she spat, her voice dripping with contempt.

"What…?" I managed to whisper, my legs trembling as I fought to steady myself. Confused by what she had just said or what she might even mean from it.

"Didn't you know?" she asked, her tone almost casual, as if revealing some obvious truth I was supposed to have already known.

Pain and disbelief twisted through my chest, but I forced myself to focus on Dominic. My eyes searched his, demanding an explanation. 

"I’ve dated Yulia for years," Dominic snapped, his voice very unwavering, "and in all those years, I found out she was a liar and a manipulator, whose only plan was to loot the pack’s treasury once given the chance!"

I froze, my mouth went dry, my heart threatening to shatter under the weight of his allegations.

"What are you saying? You and I know that isn’t true!" I tried to protest, my voice trembling, but the words felt hollow, swallowed by the tension that seemed to choke the entire clearing.

"It was a pity I thought you would change, Yulia," Dominic continued, his gaze cold. "I even abandoned my one true love for you because you were my fated mate…"

My knees gave way, the weight of his words crushing me. I tried to hold myself together, tried to resist the pain, the humiliation, the disbelief. But he wasn’t done.

"Because of your treacherous acts, which have become too rampant to ignore, I, Dominic, reject you, Yulia MoonFang, from being my fated mate! From this day forward, I cease to recognize you as my mate or the one meant to stand by my side!"

The floor met me with a sickening thud as I collapsed, coughing up blood, due to the mate bond rejection, my body trembling as if it couldn’t contain the ache that had consumed my heart. I tried to resist the pain, to tell myself it was a mistake, that I would soon be proven innocent. But as my eyes lifted, everything fell apart. 

Dominic was kissing Henna. Right before me, right in front of everyone.

A wave of nausea, humiliation and disbelief crashed over me. My chest ached, tears streaming down my face as I watched the scene unfold. 

"I’d like everyone to know," Dominic announced,"that I will be returning to the love of my life, who has proven herself, not just as a morally sound she-wolf, but as an epitome of what traitors should emulate."

Tears blurred my vision as I mouthed my acceptance of his rejection, my body shaking, my mind screaming in denial. How could he do this to me! How could they… my step sister and my mate.. Why.. I kept asking myself but despite how many times I did, no answers came forth.