Chapter 2: My Rejection

Hilda Kane POV

The moment I demanded Stuart swear he was telling the truth, his face changed.

Behind him, Gareth's lips trembled slightly, a dark, unreadable gleam flickering through his eyes.

The hall fell deathly silent.

Sonia let out a low growl inside my mind. Her claws raked across my consciousness, sending a throbbing pressure through my temples.

'He doesn't dare swear. He's afraid of the curse!'

"So tonight wasn't the first time." I stared into Stuart's eyes, red as fire. "The betrayal has been going on for a long time."

'He's a liar! Why didn't we see it sooner!' Sonia snarled. 'He defiled our bond.'

I closed my eyes, and more memories flooded into my clearing mind.

He'd been so good at lying.

There were times I'd noticed Stuart coming back to the packhouse freshly showered, smelling clean and crisp. When I asked, he said he'd been training during the day, worked up a sweat, and didn't want me to smell it—so he'd showered at the training facility before coming home.

There was never any training. Only sex with someone else. He'd washed away every trace of foreign scent, not leaving even the faintest hint of another wolf. Then he'd climb into our bed, hold me, kiss me, and tell me he loved me.

And I hadn't suspected a thing.

'He severed the mindlink.' Sonia's voice was tight. 'Every single time he betrayed us. He was so thorough.'

But tonight, he must not have had time to cover his tracks. Or perhaps the sacred aura of the Moon Goddess's temple had made his carefully hidden betrayal cut through with brutal clarity, disturbing the mate bond like never before.

Oh—he'd done this in the Moon Temple... My heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

"Fine," Stuart finally spoke, his expression grim, his voice low—nothing like the tenderness from before. "I admit it. Gareth and I are in love."

Behind him, Gareth flinched as though Stuart's words had struck him. He stumbled back a step, then looked at me with something like terror, biting down hard on his lip.

"But I love you too." Stuart reached for my face. I turned away. "You're my mate. My Luna. You matter to me."

I stared at him. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"An Alpha can have two lovers." He spoke slowly, as if soothing a child who didn't understand the world. "You both stay by my side. I'll take care of you both. As Luna, you'll still be revered by everyone."

I could hear my own breathing, terrifyingly loud. "You want me to share my mate with someone else?"

Stuart nodded, a faint smile touching the corner of his mouth. "He's your brother. Not some stranger. You love him too, don't you? We can all live together. Hilda, my love for you won't diminish by even a fraction."

A violent chill ran through my body.

I looked at Gareth. He kept his head down, utterly still.

"Don't be like this, Hilda," Stuart stepped forward. "I love you. You know that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"So the only thing you're sorry about is not telling me sooner? You—you betrayed me!"

Stuart frowned. "Don't be selfish, Hilda. Gareth will do his best to coexist with you peacefully."

My stomach lurched. The sour taste of bile filled my mouth.

"No. I can't do this." I straightened my spine, swallowed hard, and spoke each word with deliberate force. "Listen carefully. I, Brunhilde Kane, reject you, Stuart Dormer, as my mate."

The color drained from Stuart's face in an instant. He let out a scream and collapsed to his knees, both hands clutching his chest, his red hair falling in disarray. Gareth stood frozen, shock written across his face.

At the same time, the side of my neck seared as though touched by flame. Sonia whimpered in agony. My legs buckled, but I clenched my jaw and stayed on my feet.

"From this moment, I sever the bond between us."

"No!" Stuart flailed his arms in anguish. "Hilda, don't! I love you."

There was not a shred of hesitation in my heart. "You don't deserve to say that word!"

Suddenly Gareth's face was inches from mine. He seized the front of my clothes. "How dare you! How can you reject your own mate?! He's the Alpha—have you lost your mind?"

The next second, he shoved me hard. My body flew backward, the back of my skull cracking against the stone wall. Blinding pain exploded through my head.

Then darkness crashed down over me. I lost consciousness.

---

I didn't know how much time had passed before the throbbing in the back of my skull dragged me out of the darkness. I opened my eyes and saw the familiar chandelier overhead.

The master bedroom of the packhouse.

I was lying in my own bed, covered by a gray blanket. My cheek was swollen and stinging. I gripped the edge of the mattress and pushed myself upright, and my stomach immediately heaved.

This bedroom. This bed.

When I wasn't at the packhouse, had Stuart brought Gareth here? Had they lain right here, under this very blanket, defiling the place where I slept every night?

I threw off the blanket and staggered out of bed. The moment my feet hit the floor, my legs nearly gave way.

'Leave.' Sonia's voice was faint but resolute. 'We have to get out of here.'

Just then, the bedroom door swung open.

My father stood in the doorway, his face drawn with fatigue. He saw me gripping the bed for support and strode quickly to my side.

"Hilda, my little princess. You've been wronged."

Tears welled in my eyes instantly. "Dad, he... he betrayed me. And Gareth... you won't believe—"

Father nodded, his expression pained and sorrowful. "I already know what happened. I can only imagine how much pain you're in right now."

"Come. Stuart's downstairs," Father whispered, his arm firm around me as he helped me up. "This is serious. We need to find a proper resolution."

I stared at his clenched jaw, and a faint warmth stirred in my chest. My father had never been good with words, but I knew he cared about me. I nodded, placed my hand in his, and followed him out.

The moment we reached the ground floor, I caught the lingering smell of hard liquor in the air, mingled with that familiar forest scent that clung to Stuart.

Once, that scent had made me feel safe. Now I knew it was nothing but a façade—the clean mask he put on after washing away his sins.

Every light in the living room blazed, stinging my eyes.

Stuart stood by the sofa, his red hair disheveled, his shirt collar askew. The moment he saw me, he moved toward me.

"Hilda." He opened his arms to embrace me.

"Don't touch me."

Stuart's hands froze in midair.

"I know you're angry." His red eyes fixed on me, his voice carefully soft. "I've already punished Gareth. He shouldn't have said those things to you, and he certainly shouldn't have hurt you. You're the Luna—he owes you unconditional respect."

I lurched back a step.

Punished.

In the Moon Temple, while he was fucking my brother, he'd used that same word.

"My little sweetheart, you love it when I punish you like this, don't you."

I looked at Stuart's face, and my stomach clenched so violently I nearly vomited right there.

"Don't touch me. Stay away from me!" I ground out through clenched teeth. "You make me sick."

Stuart's face went white.

Father walked to the sofa and sat down, gesturing for me to sit as well.

There were only the three of us in the room. Outside the windows, nothing but darkness. Not a sound.

Father let out a sigh. "Hilda, take back your rejection."

I thought I'd misheard.

"What?"

"You heard me." Father looked at me steadily. "You and Stuart are mates chosen by the Moon Goddess. You cannot destroy Northwind Pack over what happened tonight."

I stared at him, ears ringing. Upstairs, just moments ago, he'd called me his little princess. He'd said I'd been wronged. And now he was telling me to take it back.

"Father," I drew a deep breath, my tone heavy and grave, "Stuart betrayed me. He's been having an affair with Gareth. And it's been going on for a long time!"

Father's gaze flickered.

"Gareth will be Stuart's future partner. That they... developed feelings for each other is only natural."

My hands began to shake. I looked at my father. The muscles in his face twitched, but his expression remained composed.

A sudden thought slammed into me.

"You already knew about them?" I demanded in disbelief. "You... you condoned their betrayal?"

"Hilda, don't make this uglier than it needs to be." Father frowned. "Stuart is willing to take responsibility for both of you. That's the best possible outcome."

Stuart took a step forward. "You're my Luna. No one can replace you."

The air seemed to freeze solid.

I looked at him, then back at my father. Father actually nodded.

"There's precedent in pack history," he said. "Powerful Alphas have had more than one mate. You're siblings—sharing a mate isn't something unacceptable."

I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Sharing a mate. They said it so calmly, as though discussing a business contract—and the share allocated to me was the title of Luna, which I was apparently supposed to feel grateful for.

I suddenly laughed, but the sound was so ugly that even I didn't recognize it.

"So this is the solution you've come up with."

"Hilda." Father's voice dropped low. "You must think of the pack's greater good. Northwind's Alpha and Luna have never divorced. There has never been a case of a Luna publicly rejecting her Alpha. If word gets out, it's a humiliation to the Alpha—and to the entire pack!"

I looked at him, my eyes bloodshot. "His betrayal isn't a humiliation? Gareth hitting me isn't a humiliation?"

Father didn't answer.

Something shattered inside my chest, the shards scraping across my heart like razor blades.

Stuart grabbed my hand.

"Hilda, I'll make it up to you. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you. You'll always be my wife—the most honored Luna of Northwind."

I wrenched my hand free.

"I don't want it. I don't give a damn about the title of Luna. Whoever wants to be your Luna can have the job—better yet, change the pack laws so men can hold the title too, and Gareth can be your precious Luna!"

Crack! Father's palm struck my face with full force.

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