The Prophecy's Reject

had disgust and shock written in their faces. My lips parted, but I found no words to say. My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. "I...uhm.." My voice was cracked, bre

"You see, Alpha? Even the Goddess warns you. She will betray you." Beta Lucious stepped closer. "Killian, you must reject her. If you don't, the prophecy will destroy us all." "No..." My voice came thin, desperate. "I would never...." Killian's chest rose and fell hard. His hand trembled against mine. His dark eyes fixed on me, and for a moment, I could've sworn I saw something. It seemed like...conflict, longing, pain. Did he... Did he really mean that? Before I could figure it out, his face hardened. All emotions were lost. "No," he muttered again, but this time to himself. "Alpha," Lucious pressed, "save the pack. End this bond now." "Killian," Lilith whispered sweetly, "you know it's true." The weight of the room pressed down on him. His grip slipped from mine. Cold shot through me like ice water. "No," I whispered. "Please... don't listen to them." Killian shut his eyes, jaw tight, then opened them. An inferno burned in them. "I, Killian Stormbane, Alpha of the Howlborne Pack..." His voice trembled just once, before it sharpened. "...reject you, Zylia Nightshade, as my mate." The words struck like claws ripping my chest open. "What?" My throat burned. "No... you can't..." Gasps washed the hall. "I am sorry," Killian said, but his gaze slid away from me. "But you just...." My voice cracked. "You just claimed me!" The priestess lifted her staff. "Repeat the words, girl. Release him." Tears stung my eyes. "I don't... I don't understand..." "You must," she snapped. Everyone looked at me with pity, curiosity, satisfaction. Lilith's smirk widened. My chest heaved. My heart shattered. Finally, broken, I whispered, "I... accept your rejection, Alpha Killian." The bond tore apart, and I gasped like all air had been ripped from my lungs. Killian turned, striding away without a second glance. Lilith glided after him, her smile like victory. "No!" I cried, stumbling a step after him. "Please, don't....don't leave" "Enough!" The priestess's voice cracked like a whip. "Zylia Nightshade is marked by betrayal. She must be banished at once!" "What?" My voice broke. The situation just got worse. "She cannot stay," the priestess declared. "She will doo