Jaselyn's POV

Pain has a scent. It’s sharp and metallic, like blood on steel. It sinks into you, saturating every breath, clinging to your skin until it becomes impossible to tell where it ends and you begin. I thought I understood pain before today. I thought I had lived it, endured it. But this was different.

This was agony, and it had Zane’s name on it.

The morning light filtered through the tall windows, golden and soft, a cruel contradiction to the cold reality settling over me. The memories come flashing back quickly. The Peace Ball, his captivating scent, those soft words whispered. His touch. I sat up slowly, the sheets pooling around my waist as I looked at him. He stood near the window, already dressed, his back to me. His posture was rigid, deliberate.

“Get dressed,” he said, his voice low and unfamiliar.

I blinked, confused, clutching the sheet to my chest. “What?”

He turned, and his amber eyes met mine. The warmth I had drowned in last night—the tenderness that had made me believe in miracles—was gone. In its place was something distant, calculating.

“Last night was a mistake,” Zane responded.

I froze. The words didn’t make sense. They couldn’t. “A…mistake?” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nila, my wolf, growled deep within me. He’s ours, she said, her voice thick with panic. He can’t mean this.

Zane didn’t flinch. “Whatever you thought this was, it isn’t. I have a Luna. I have responsibilities. You don’t fit into my life.”

My chest tightened, and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. “You’re my mate,” I pleaded, each word trembling under the weight of my desperation.

He froze for a moment, his jaw tightening. I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes—hesitation, guilt—but it vanished as quickly as it came. “Not anymore.”

The air in the room turned frigid, and I felt Nila recoil, whimpering softly in the back of my mind. “No,” I murmured, shaking my head. “No, you don’t mean that. The bond—”

“The bond means nothing,” he interrupted, his voice sharp enough to cut. He stepped closer, looming over me. “I, Zane Black, Alpha of the Moon Blood Pack, reject you, Jaselyn Everhart, as my mate and Luna.”

The pain came instantly. It wasn’t just emotional—it was physical, a tearing, searing agony that ripped through my chest like claws. I gasped, clutching at my heart as I doubled over. A scream tore from my throat, raw and guttural, as if the rejection had reached into the depths of my soul and shattered it into pieces.

Nila howled in anguish, her cries echoing in my mind. The bond that had tied us, the connection that had felt unbreakable, was unraveling strand by strand.

Through the haze of pain, I saw Zane standing there, unmoving. His expression was unreadable as I writhed on the floor, tears streaming down my face.

“Please,” I gasped, my voice breaking as I reached out to him.

He stepped back, his face hardening. “Don’t,” he said sharply. “Don’t touch me.”

“Why?” The word tumbled from my lips, broken and desperate. “Why are you doing this?”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving me behind with nothing but the scent of cedarwood and rose lingering in the air—a cruel reminder of what I had lost.

“Jaselyn, Jas? Jas!” Nila called, breaking me out of my shell shocked state. “You have to get up, we have to go.” She said and I scoffed.

“Why? What's the use? It doesn't matter what he does anymore, does it? He betrayed us, he rejected us.” I remind her.

“Yes, all of that is true but it's not the end of the world. I understand how you feel, I can't explain how hurt I feel right now, it's like a part of me was stripped away. The precious connection nurtured by Selene was suddenly broken away but it doesn't mean we should wallow in self pity. Have you forgotten the plans we had? Let's save a lot and leave the Pack, I'm sure we'll find happiness somewhere else, mate or not.” Nila tried to encourage me but I could tell how pained she actually was.

It's times like this that I'm absolutely grateful to have a wolf like her.

It hurts, it hurts like I could have never imagined but she's right, I need to pick myself up. As long as I'm alive, there's hope for a better future. Besides, he already had someone else but still chose to take my virginity and then have the audacity to tell me it was a mistake. If he was able to reject me so easily, why should I cry for him? A douchebag like him doesn't deserve my tears or even my love. He deserves whatever karma's going to cook up for him.

I won't fall apart, I won't give him a chance to see me miserable. I'll go on living like nothing happened.

“That's the spirit! It's gonna take a lot more to break us.” Nila cheered and I slowly crawled out of the bed.

My legs were unstable for the first few minutes, I was so sore it felt like I'd been hit by a truck. After regaining my balance, I picked up my clothes and put them on. I wove my hair into a braid and washed my face. I took a deep breath before finally leaving the room.

The hallway was mostly empty except for employees here and there tidying up from yesterday's extravaganza. They barely spared me any attention as I passed by, something I'm grateful for.

I try to find my way to the exit but only end up getting lost in the huge palace. I rest beside a door for a moment to try to retrace my steps but the door suddenly opens and I fall backwards. I close my eyes and brace myself for impact but the pain never comes. Instead, I feel strong arms wrap around my back securely and pull me flush against a hard body, successfully breaking my fall.

I don't even need to look at the face to know who it is. His encroaching scent wafts into my nostrils and I have to stop myself from mock gagging, already having gotten more than enough of a healthy dosage.

I pulled back but his arms never left my body, he just stared at me blankly, like he was waiting for me to do something. Perhaps he thinks I've come to beg to be taken back. Like hell.

“Despite being the Alpha, the rules of the rejection also apply to you. You should follow your own advice and refrain from touching me.” I taunt and push him off of me, finally freeing myself from his grip.

His brief look of confusion satisfies me more than it should.

“You say that but you're the one falling into my arms. If you've come to plead with me, I suggest you save your breath. I already told you everything I needed to.” He states and I pull on a mocking smile.

“You know Alpha, being indecisive doesn't suit you. If you're looking for a girl who will fall at your feet, crawl, cry and beg just so you can take her as a side piece and dump her whenever you please, do carry on with your search, I'm not the one you're looking for. I happened to lose my way and ended up here and on that note, thank you for saving me from falling.

Even though we're not mates, you're still the Alpha of this Pack and as a Pack member, I'm entitled to your assistance. So if you would be kind enough to have someone show me the way out of here, we won't have to endure each other anymore.” I said in a sickeningly sweet voice and he frowned.

“Ask directions from any of the staff you find around, I have better things to do.” He said and stormed off while I counted down from ten just to be able to stop the flood of emotions swirling within me from bursting out.

One thought echoed through my mind, cold and certain: I will never be weak again.

If Zane Black thought he could break me, he was wrong. He’d unleashed something far more dangerous than heartbreak.

He’d unleashed me.