Chapter 4 His brutal rejection

Chapter 4

Ruby’s POV

I watched as the red liquid slowly floated in the air and formed two separate rings. It was time now. Liam would call out my name next. I took a big swallow as I moved one step forward, my legs trembling slightly, but what I heard next wasn’t what I was expecting.

“Lily Brevfield, tenth descendant of Gregamore!” Liam’s voice boomed across the ceremony grounds.

I felt shock sap through my system as my heart shook, same as my hands. This was not what he had said he would do… this was not the plan! The world seemed to tilt beneath my feet as a wave of cold horror washed over me, freezing the breath inside my lungs.

I watched as everything got blurry in my tears while people jubilated around me, cheering and clapping as my heart was being chopped at in pieces. I watched Lily happily make her way up the platform, her face glowing with pride as the blood ring now fitted firmly on her finger. Liam smiled happily at her with a warm, tender look in his eyes that I had never once received. Even his smile looked different with her.

My knees felt weak, and the world around me suddenly sounded distant almost like a dull ringing in my ears. I could feel the intense hotness from the mating bond on my neck as it glowed beneath my skin like a branding iron as though protesting against what was happening.

Without even thinking, I pivoted around as I ran before I was noticed by someone else and ruined all of Liam’s plan. This must be part of his plan he had failed to mention. It had to be. He already had me, his true mate, and our baby that would pop out anytime soon. I tried to steady my erratic breathing as the cool night air rushed against my face and the sound of drums faded behind me into the quiet woods.

I stopped running as I burst out into the open space with the river right in front of me, the quiet water rippling under the moonlight. This was the exact spot where we had first met, where his wolf had recognized me and where he had claimed me.

“Ruby…”

I heard Liam’s whisper, followed by the sharp crack of a branch behind me as he came closer. My hands flew to my face to dab my tears off, wiping at my damp cheeks. I needed to trust him, even though my chest felt tight and my throat burned from crying.

“You chose her… and not me…” I whispered as I turned around to face him. The deep pain I was going through was very visible from the way my voice cracked on the words.

“I had to. You are nobody, without a surname. I need someone with a backing who can be a support when I need it. Lily provides just that. You and I know that if not for my brother’s death, there was no way I would become the next Alpha. I need to secure my position,” Liam said calmly, standing feet from me as the air tossed his perfectly brown hair that framed his face. His total composure only made my tears flow faster.

“So what would happen to me? And our child?…” I asked as I took a desperate step towards him, but I gasped as I watched him take a step backwards, putting distance between us as he couldn’t even meet my eyes.

“I am doing this for you, Ruby. I can bring you into the pack as a concubine when I finally become Alpha… but the bond cannot stay,” Liam said coldly.

“What do you mean?” I gasped, my eyes widening and my eyelids shaking. It was almost like I already knew the horrible answer, and sure enough, that was it.

“I, Liam Creek, reject you, Ruby, as my mate.”

It all seemed like I was watching everything happen as a third party, detached from my own reality. My hand flew to my chest as the blinding, agonizing pain from the rejection struck me like a heavy blow right in the gut.

I went stumbling backwards as I choked on a mouthful of blood, my ears ringing wildly as my knees hit the hard ground. My eyes snapped up to see him still watching me, his features cold and completely devoid of even the last spark of warmth I had occasionally seen in there.

“This is the only way, Ruby. You should understand,” Liam said in finality. A single line of dark blood dripped past the side of his lips, obviously from the internal pain of tearing apart the sacred mating bond.

With one cold, last look at me, he turned his back to me and stalked away into the night, leaving me alone kneeling in the dirt. My vision blurred heavily with tears and my chest shook like wild waves in shock and pain… there were just too many emotions for me to properly process. ''Everything was gone just like that...no! noooo!!!''