I Cut Our Secret Mate Bond, Why Are You Begging at My Northern Throne?

"Just wait until I secure the Alpha title," Julian promised, hiding our secret mate bond for three agonizing years while I worked the night shifts in the pack clinic. I believed him. I thought our love could withstand anything. But at the annual Moon Festival, my Alpha walked onto the grand stage hand-in-hand with a noble high-born she-wolf, introducing her as his true destined mate. His mother scoffed, spitting that a lowly Omega like me deserved nothing more than kitchen scraps. They thought I would cower, cry, and beg for crumbs. Instead, I severed our mental bond right then and there, tasting the bitter iron of betrayal. I walked out into the freezing snow, shedding the weak identity I wore for him. They thought I was a nobody. They didn't know my bloodline traces back to the wealthiest Northern Pack Lord. And when the feared Rogue Alpha King knelt before me at the Inter-Pack Summit, whispering, 'Rule by my side, little Omega,' Julian realized he had just discarded a queen.

***

The wind rattled the loose windowpane of my small cabin, letting in a bitter bite of autumn air.

I stood in front of the cracked mirror, smoothing down the front of my dress. It was made of cheap silver fabric I had bought with three months’ worth of kitchen wages, stitched by hand by candlelight after my shifts ended. The stitches along the left seam weren't perfect, but in the soft glow of the oil lamp, the material shimmered like moonlight on water.

*"Wear silver tonight,"* Julian had whispered into my ear last night behind the training grounds, his hands warm against my waist. *"When the moon reaches its peak, I’m bringing you up to the dais. No more hiding. I’m announcing you as my mate to the entire pack."*

I touched my collarbone where his scent always lingered in my memory. For three years, we had kept everything quiet. He was the Alpha’s only son, the pride of the Red Moon Pack, and I was an orphaned Omega working in the pack kitchens. But tonight was the Moon Festival. Tonight, he promised, rank wouldn't matter anymore.

I glanced at the small clock on the rickety nightstand.

8:15 PM.

He had promised to come for me at eight.

"He's just busy with the opening ceremony," I told myself softly.

Outside, the distant thrum of drums echoed through the trees, followed by cheers and the crackle of the great bonfire being lit in the central square.

I sat down on the edge of my cot, keeping my back straight so I wouldn't wrinkle the fabric.

Half an hour passed. Then an hour.

By 9:30 PM, the silence inside my cabin felt suffocating against the roar of the celebration down the hill. My chest tightened with a sudden prick of panic. What if something had happened? What if rogue wolves had probed the northern border again, or there had been an accident during the opening hunt?

Julian wouldn't just leave me waiting without a word. Not tonight.

I grabbed my thin woolen shawl, wrapped it around my shoulders, and pushed open the cabin door.

The crisp night air hit my face as I hurried down the dirt path toward the grand pavilion. Strings of golden lanterns hung between the pines, illuminating the paved courtyard where hundreds of pack members drank, laughed, and danced. The rich smell of roasted meat and mulled cider hung thick in the air, but my stomach twisted into tight knots.

I skirted the edges of the crowd, keeping my head down to avoid the scowls of higher-ranking wolves who hated sharing space with an Omega.

When I reached the arched entrance of the open-air pavilion, the crowd suddenly grew quiet. A ripple of excited murmurs spread through the hall, and everyone turned their attention toward the elevated dais at the far end.

I stepped onto my toes, searching for Julian's tall frame.

I found him immediately. And the breath was knocked clean out of my lungs.

Julian stood at the center of the dais, bathed in the full glow of the harvest moon. He wore his midnight-blue ceremonial Alpha robes, trimmed in heavy gold thread. His dark hair was combed back, his posture commanding and regal.

He was smiling—a broad, radiant smile that made my heart leap for half a second before plummeting into an icy abyss.

He wasn't standing alone.

His fingers were laced tightly with those of a woman beside him. She wore an emerald gown spun from raw silk, dripping with diamonds that caught the torchlight. Selena. The daughter of Alpha Silvercrest from the Silvercrest Pack, the wealthiest elite territory in the region.

She leaned her head lightly against Julian's shoulder, glowing with triumphant pride.

"Members of the Red Moon Pack," Alpha Robert’s deep voice boomed over the crowd as Julian's father raised his hands. "Under the blessing of the Moon Goddess, my son Julian has chosen his future Luna! Tonight, we unite our bloodline with the great Silvercrest Pack!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the pavilion. Glasses clinked, wolves howled in celebration, and Julian pulled Selena into his side, pressing a tender kiss to the crown of her head.

My legs went numb. The world seemed to tilt, the music and cheers fading into a shrill, ringing buzz inside my ears.

*No. This is a nightmare. This isn't happening.*

Without realizing it, my feet carried me forward. I pushed past Beta families and warrior ranks, stumbling into the open space directly below the steps of the dais.

"Julian?" My voice came out as a cracked whisper, barely audible over the roaring crowd.

Yet, somehow, he heard it.

Julian’s eyes flicked down. When his gaze locked onto mine, his triumphant smile vanished instantly. His fingers twitched against Selena’s waist, and for a fleeting second, raw guilt flashed across his handsome face.

Then his expression smoothed over. His shoulders squared, his jaw tightening into cold, unyielding stone. He didn't let go of Selena's hand. He didn't take a single step toward me.

Selena noticed his distraction and followed his line of sight. Her sharp green eyes scanned my cheap silver dress, my bare neck, and the dirt clinging to the hem of my skirt. A venomous smirk spread across her red lips.

Before anyone else could speak, a sharp, clacking sound echoed on the stone steps.

Julian’s mother, Luna Evelyn, stepped forward. Her cold, aristocratic face was twisted in disgust as she looked down at me.

"What is this trash doing in the grand pavilion?" Evelyn’s voice rang out, deliberately amplified with her Luna aura so every wolf in the hall could hear.

The cheers died instantly. Hundreds of eyes turned to stare at me.

"Luna Evelyn..." I choked out, my hands trembling against my dress. "Julian... he told me—"

"Quiet!" Evelyn snapped, cutting me off like a whip across the face. She turned to the crowd with an amused, dramatic sigh. "It seems some lowly Omegas forget their place the moment our future Alpha shows them a shred of basic charity."

Laughter rippled through the front rows.

Evelyn walked down two steps, staring directly into my eyes with pure malice. "Did you actually believe you were special, Chloe? You are an orphan Omega scrubbing pots in the cellar. Julian was merely entertaining himself with a harmless distraction during training season. Did you honestly think someone of his bloodline would ever let a stray like you stand beside him?"

The words struck my chest like physical stones. Blood rushed to my ears, hot and suffocating.

I looked at Julian, begging with my eyes for him to speak. To say anything. To tell them it wasn't a lie.

Julian shifted his weight. He looked away, staring straight ahead as if I were nothing more than a speck of dust on the pavilion floor. The cowardice in his posture was louder than any shout.

Selena chuckled, a light, melodic sound that carried clearly through the hushed hall. She picked up a crystal goblet of dark red wine from a nearby tray, walked gracefully to the edge of the platform, and looked down at me.

"Poor little thing," Selena purred, her eyes glittering with cruelty. "You really dressed up for the occasion, didn't you?"

With a flick of her manicured wrist, she inverted the goblet.

The heavy, dark red wine poured through the air, splashing violently across the front of my handmade silver dress and splattering over my bare feet.

"Consider that your tip for the kitchen work tonight," Selena sneered. "Now clean yourself up and get out of our sight."

Cruel laughter erupted all around me. Pointing fingers, mocking whispers, and cold smirks closed in from every side.

Tears welled in my eyes, burning hot against my lashes. My throat tightened so hard I couldn't draw breath.

Then I looked back up at the dais.

Julian was watching me again. There was a flicker of shame in his dark eyes, but it was buried beneath a wall of arrogant defiance. He raised his chin, standing taller beside his wealthy bride, silently daring me to make a scene and ruin his perfect night.

He had never intended to claim me. Every whispered promise, every late-night rendezvous, every tender touch—it had all been a game to pass the time until his arranged marriage was finalized.

The burning heat behind my eyes suddenly went cold.

The tears didn't fall. They froze solid, locking away the last shred of warmth I had ever carried in my heart.

The trembling in my hands stopped.

I didn't scream. I didn't beg. I didn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break on the floor.

Holding Julian’s gaze, I slowly straightened my spine. I let him see the absolute disgust in my eyes until his jaw clenched and he looked away first, unable to hold my stare.

He was an Alpha by blood, but beneath his fine robes, he was nothing more than a spineless coward.

I wiped a single drop of wine from my collarbone, turned my back on the dais, and walked out into the cold night without shedding a single tear.