Marked for death

Rendell POV

“I reject you.”

Her words kept bouncing around in my head like a storm, sharp and never-ending. I'd been replaying them a million times since she said them—her voice clear and strong, filled with so much strength. She looked me right in the eye, and she just broke me.

I stood in the council hall, surrounded by stone walls and worried faces, but all I could feel was a mess inside me. I was the Alpha's son. Trained to be in charge, to be strong, to never look weak. I'd grown up thinking omegas were below us, useful at best, a pain at worst. But Elara… Elara was always different.

She made me stumble. An omega had done what no fight, no enemy, no war ever could—she messed with me.

The rejection stung more than I wanted to admit. I should have been angry. And I was. But not at her... I’m angry at myself.

Because deep down, I knew. I’d known all along that Elara looked at me too much. That she had built this dream around me. And I let her. I didn’t stop her. I didn’t stop myself, either.

For years, I watched her. Getting stronger. Smarter. More beautiful with every year. My wolf noticed it first—how his ears would perk up when she was around, how he would freeze when she walked by. I told myself it was nothing, just because we were around each other a lot.

But the bond proved me wrong.

When we made eye contact during the ceremony, it just hit me—burning, real, undeniable. She’s my mate. My Luna. But I still walked away. Not because I didn’t want her.

I wanted her. But I’d already been promised to Corrine—the Beta’s daughter. We needed that alliance. My dad had planned my life way before I could even argue. That I should marry Corrine and get the power, get more land and be a strong leader. There was no room for love in his plan.

But I still thought I could keep Elara around. Not as Luna. But… as mine. A mistress maybe.

The word just made me sick. That was my plan, to give her just a little bit and hope she’d be happy with it. To keep her quiet while I played the good Alpha with Corrine.

And she saw right through it. She saw the truth, and she rejected me. She was right to.

The council meeting just turned into background noise, the elders talking about borders and treaties, but I wasn’t listening. I was stuck in that moment, in those gray eyes saying those words I never thought I’d hear.

The room went silent when my dad stood up. Just him standing there made everyone shut up. He’s so tall, broad and in control. He looked down on everyone like he was better than us.

“She’s to be killed,” He said it, like he was discussing the weather—his voice cold, devoid of any emotion. His face was a mask, impassive, not a single trace of feeling to betray what he was about to do.

In that moment, it felt like ice had filled my lungs—sharp, suffocating. I gasped, but the air refused to move. My chest tightened, every breath a battle I was losing, as if the world had stopped spinning just to watch me break.

“What?” My voice cracked. Sounded weak. He noticed. My dad’s face didn’t change.

“The girl. Elara. She’s a danger to us.”

“She’s my mate,” I growled, louder than I meant to.

“She’s some lowly omega,” he corrected. “We ignored her. Thought she’d stay small. But the Moon Goddess has marked her—that makes her dangerous.” He started pacing, like he was explaining why he was going to kill someone.

“That family she comes from—it isn’t just rare. It’s old. Almost gone. There are stories about what they could do, Rendell. Change destiny. Talk to the Moon Goddess herself. They’re not just strong—they can see the future and have a link to the Moon Goddess.”

I stared at him, unbelieving, as if the words he had just spoken couldn’t possibly be real.

“So you want her dead… because she might be powerful?”

He stopped right in front of me, looking sharp. “Because she will be powerful. And power like that in the wrong hands ruins everything.”

“We have other options,” I said. “We can protect her. Hide her if we have to. Let her be my Luna and join the families.”

My dad’s jaw tightened. “And throw away the future I’ve built for you? For this pack?” He got louder. “You don’t get it, Rendell. This isn’t just about some girl. This is about staying in control. The second she was marked as your mate, she became a threat. And threats have to go.”

Then, I remembered something—something I didn’t want to. When I was ten.

Elara had fallen through the ice in the river, trying to save a pup. I ran to the edge, ready to jump in after her- freaking out. But someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me back.

“She’s just some worthless omega,” my dad had said. “Let her drown.” I was too young to argue. Too used to doing what I was told. But now… now I saw the truth.

He had wanted her dead even then. Not because she was weak. Because she was so strong.

I ran out of the council hall, flipping out. My wolf was pacing and howling, just slamming into the walls of my chest.

She was being taken to be killed. She’s going to die.

And I— I couldn’t save her.

Because if I did, I’d be going against my dad. Risking a war. Destroying everything I'd been working toward.

But as the bond between us faded, her heartbeat just barely there, I felt something sacred just tear apart. My wolf cried out in pain.

And I knew: I had already lost everything.

The halls of the Alpha house felt so cold.

I'd walked these halls since I was a kid—barefoot and wild, chasing shadows. But now, every wall felt like it was judging me.

I could almost smell Elara, like a ghost on the wind.

I clenched my fists, trying to breathe.

She was too good for me. And I had just thrown her away. I put a hand over my heart.

My wolf wouldn’t stop. Wouldn’t be quiet. Wouldn’t forgive.

He knew. He’d always known. From the moment she laughed during training. From the moment she stood in front of a kid and a wild dog with nothing but courage. From the moment her eyes met mine and the bond happened.

Standing there at the edge of the courtyard, watching the sun go down, I had this terrible thought.

If Elara died tonight, there would be no going back. Not for me. Not for the wolf inside me.

Not for the boy who once wanted to save her—and the man who still had a chance.