Rejected and heartbroken, Aria flees her pack to escape the pain of betrayal. Kael, the loyal Beta of his pack, endures a similar rejection but cannot abandon his responsibilities. When fate brings Aria into Kael's territory, neither expects to feel the pull of a second chance mate bond. As past scars and pack politics threaten to tear them apart, they must fight not just for each other-but for a love powerful enough to defy destiny.
The cold air bit at Aria's cheeks as she ran through the dense forest, her breath visible in the moonlight. Twigs snapped beneath her boots, but she didn't stop. Couldn't stop. Not when her world had just crumbled around her.
He had rejected her.
No explanation. No hesitation. Just the cold, heartless words she never thought she'd hear from her destined mate.
"I reject you, Aria of the Silver River Pack. I want nothing to do with you."
Her wolf howled in agony inside her, the bond snapping like a whip across her soul. The pain was so visceral she had collapsed in front of him. She could still hear the laughter from his friends, the way they'd watched her fall apart like it was entertainment.
She had given him everything-her trust, her heart, her loyalty. And now... nothing. Less than nothing.
Her fingers curled around the strap of her small backpack. She hadn't taken much-just essentials and a few personal items. She didn't even care where she ended up. Anywhere but there. Anywhere but the place that held so many broken memories.
The moon hung full and bright overhead, casting silver light over the forest. Aria's legs finally gave out, and she sank to her knees by a stream. Her chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing, but her wolf mourned too loudly within her.
He was supposed to love us... he was meant for us.
"I know," Aria whispered, burying her face in her hands. "But he didn't."
She stayed there for hours, maybe longer, letting the forest soothe her in the only way it could. When the sky began to lighten, she forced herself to move again, unsure where she was headed, but unwilling to go back.
---
Miles away, in a different part of the forest, Kael was training with his Alpha when the pain hit him like a blow to the chest.
He staggered, eyes wide, clutching at his ribs as if that could keep his heart from breaking. The sudden void, the loss-it could only mean one thing.
"She's rejected you?" Alpha Ronan asked, lowering his training sword.
Kael could barely nod. "Without a reason. Just... done."
He dropped to one knee, growling low as the bond disintegrated within him. His wolf snarled in pain, furious and helpless.
Ronan laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Kael. She didn't deserve you."
Kael said nothing. The pain was raw, burning through every vein. As Beta, he was used to keeping a strong front. But this-this was agony beyond anything he'd trained for.
He didn't understand why his mate had walked away. Had he done something wrong? Had she been forced?
It didn't matter now. The bond was gone.
He straightened slowly, ignoring the tears stinging his eyes. "I'm fine," he muttered.
Ronan didn't push. He knew Kael well enough to give him space.
But that night, when the pack howled under the full moon, Kael remained silent. His heart was too heavy, too shattered to lift his voice with them.
---
Days passed.
Aria wandered, surviving on the little food she had, avoiding humans and wolves alike. She crossed rivers, slept beneath trees, and ignored the ache in her chest as best she could.
Until one night, exhausted and lost, she stumbled across a border she hadn't meant to cross.
She didn't know it then, but the moment her foot stepped into the Darkfang Pack's territory, her entire life would change.
She collapsed just inside the tree line, unaware of the patrol closing in, unaware that fate was about to give her something she'd never believed she deserved:
A second chance.
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
My boyfriend called, "Baby!" as he jumped out of bed and scrambled to pull his pants off the ground. "Please, I can explain my love." Shutting my eyes, I inhaled deeply and tried not to cry when I realized that my dream of the man not being my boyfriend had been dashed. "What?" I asked, "What do you want to explain?" How did you lie about having a business meeting while you were in bed enjoying yourself with my best friend, even though I told you I was in serious pain, is that it?" I stood there, my heart pounding, and tears streaming down my face...
On the day of their wedding anniversary, Joshua's mistress drugged Alicia, and she ended up in a stranger's bed. In one night, Alicia lost her innocence, while Joshua's mistress carried his child in her womb. Heartbroken and humiliated, Alicia demanded a divorce, but Joshua saw it as yet another tantrum. When they finally parted ways, she went on to become a renowned artist, sought out and admired by everyone. Consumed by regret, Joshua darkened her doorstep in hopes of reconciliation, only to find her in the arms of a powerful tycoon. "Say hello to your sister-in-law."
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Everyone was shocked to the bones when the news of Rupert Benton's engagement broke out. It was surprising because the lucky girl was said to be a plain Jane, who grew up in the countryside and had nothing to her name. One evening, she showed up at a banquet, stunning everyone present. "Wow, she's so beautiful!" All the men drooled, and the women got so jealous. What they didn't know was that this so-called country girl was actually an heiress to a billion-dollar empire. It wasn't long before her secrets came to light one after the other. The elites couldn't stop talking about her. "Holy smokes! So, her father is the richest man in the world?" "She's also that excellent, but mysterious designer who many people adore! Who would have guessed?" Nonetheless, people thought that Rupert didn't love her. But they were in for another surprise. Rupert released a statement, silencing all the naysayers. "I'm very much in love with my beautiful fiancee. We will be getting married soon." Two questions were on everyone's minds: "Why did she hide her identity? And why was Rupert in love with her all of a sudden?"