Rejected From False Mate Bond

I woke to the sound of hushed voices outside my prison cell. My back still burned from Zara's carving, the words "WORTHLESS OMEGA" now permanent scars across my skin. The pain had become a constant companion, a reminder of Reese's betrayal every time I moved.

The door creaked open, and my father's face appeared, lined with worry and determination.

"Camila," he whispered, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "We need to leave. Now."

I struggled to my feet, wincing as the movement pulled at my wounds. "What's happening?"

"My cousin in neutral territory," he explained, helping me steady myself. "He's agreed to take us in. There's a shipment of supplies leaving tonight—we can hide in the back."

Hope flickered in my chest for the first time since my mother's death. "Reese will never allow it."

"We won't give him the choice," my father said, his voice hardening with resolve I'd never heard before. "I've been planning this for days. The new moon is tomorrow—security will be lighter."

I nodded, allowing him to lead me through the shadows of the pack house. We moved silently, avoiding the main corridors where pack members might spot us.

"Almost there," he murmured as we reached the service entrance.

Suddenly, bright lights flooded the area. Beta Marcus stepped forward, his face grim but his eyes avoiding mine.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Campbell," he said, genuine regret in his voice. "I had no choice."

Behind him stood Reese, his expression cold and calculating.

"No choice?" my father spat. "You betrayed us!"

Marcus flinched but didn't respond.

"Report," Reese commanded, his Alpha tone making Marcus straighten immediately.

"Mr. Campbell has been in contact with outsiders," Marcus said mechanically. "He planned to smuggle himself and Camila out during the new moon."

My father's face drained of color. "You've been monitoring me?"

"Of course," Reese replied casually. "Did you think I wouldn't notice your treachery?"

He stepped closer, his Alpha aura pressing down on us both. "Let me make something perfectly clear. If you attempt to leave Moonveil territory, I will exile your entire family—including Camila. She will be marked as a rogue, hunted by every pack within my influence."

My father's hands trembled as Reese's words sank in.

"You're a dead man if you try to leave," Reese continued, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "And Camila will suffer far worse than she already has."

---

The pack dinner that night was a mockery of normalcy. I sat beside my father, both of us under guard, picking at food we couldn't taste.

Zara approached our table, a crystal glass of wine in her hand. "A toast," she announced loudly enough for nearby tables to hear. "To loyalty."

She placed the glass before my father. "Drink."

He hesitated, looking to Reese for guidance. The Alpha nodded once.

With no choice, my father took the glass and drank deeply.

Zara's smile widened as she watched him. "Such a good puppy," she cooed.

Minutes later, my father's eyes began to droop. His words slurred as he tried to speak.

"What did you—" I started, but Zara's hand clamped over my mouth.

"Wolfsbane," she whispered in my ear. "Just enough to make him... compliant."

Two rogues I'd never seen before appeared beside our table, lifting my unconscious father.

"Where are you taking him?" I demanded, struggling against the guards who held me in place.

"To give him a proper marking," Zara replied, following them.

I fought wildly, managing to break free just enough to follow at a distance.

In a small room off the kitchen, they had my father strapped to a chair. Zara heated silver tools in a small fire, their tips glowing orange.

"A wolf's collar," she explained conversationally as she pressed the first tool against my father's neck. The sizzle of flesh made me sick.

He didn't wake as she worked, the wolfsbane keeping him unconscious through the torture.

"There," she said finally, stepping back to admire her work. "Now everyone will know he belongs to me."

The symbol was complete—a collar with a chain, permanently tattooed around his neck.

"If you try to run again," Zara whispered as my father stirred awake, "I'll kill your precious daughter."

---

Despite everything, we tried again during the new moon.

My father had recovered enough to walk, though the collar around his neck was a constant reminder of Zara's cruelty.

"This way," he urged, pulling me toward the eastern border where the forest grew thickest.

We'd barely made it past the pack's hunting grounds when headlights appeared behind us.

"Run!" my father shouted, pushing me toward the trees.

A van screeched to a halt, and three males jumped out—the same rogues who had helped Zara with the tattoo.

"Going somewhere?" one asked, grabbing my father.

"Let him go!" I screamed, lunging forward.

Another rogue caught me, holding me back as they forced my father into the van.

"Camila!" my father shouted as they drove off. "Remember who you are!"

I followed on foot, desperate to keep them in sight. The van sped along the main road, swerving wildly.

At an intersection, I saw it happen—the rogues shoved my father from the moving vehicle directly into the path of an oncoming truck.

The impact was sickening. My father's body crumpled under the wheels, the wolf collar tattoo clearly visible even from where I stood frozen in horror.

As the truck drove away, I stumbled to what remained of my father, his eyes already growing cold.

"Camila," he whispered with his last breath. "Find... your strength."

Then darkness claimed him, and my world ended once more.