Chapter 2: The Royal Rejection

Thalia’s POV

The white silk dress Vance had sent felt like a cold shroud against my skin.

In my first life, I had cried tears of joy while putting it on, foolishly believing it was a symbol of his devotion. Now, I knew the sickening truth. He had chosen this exact material because it was paper-thin, intentionally making me look fragile, helpless, and inferior to the wolves surrounding me.

"Oh, Thalia, you look so... sweet," Elena said, smoothing down the back of my dress with a fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

She, on the other hand, wore a plunging crimson gown that screamed for attention.

"But remember, don't talk too much tonight. The elders hate the sound of human voices. Just leave everything to Vance, okay?"

I caught Elena’s reflection in the mirror. I watched the way she eyed the cheap jewelry I wore with pure, unadulterated condescension.

"Of course, Elena," I replied smoothly, keeping my voice entirely dead and emotionless. "I know exactly what to do tonight."

"Good. Glad you know your place," she scoffed, patting my shoulder before strutting out of the room.

The moment I stepped into the grand hall of the Crescent Pack, the atmosphere turned suffocatingly heavy. Hundreds of pairs of predatory eyes flashed in the dim light, staring down at me with a sickening mixture of disgust and hunger. The overwhelming stench of sweat, cheap alcohol, and heavy wolf pheromones flooded my senses, making my human stomach churn violently.

At the far end of the hall, seated high on a raised dais, Vance sat on the Alpha’s throne.

He looked devastatingly handsome in his tailored black suit, his dark hair styled perfectly, flashing that charismatic smile that had successfully fooled the entire pack. The moment his eyes locked onto mine, he stood up and extended his hand.

"Come here, my Thalia," his voice boomed, laced with Alpha command, forcing the noisy room into an instant, submissive silence.

I walked forward, passing rows of elite warriors who growled and sneered as I brushed past them. Every single step I took felt like a countdown to his destruction. I ascended the stairs of the dais, my gaze locked onto Vance’s lying brown eyes.

Vance grabbed my hand. His palm was warm, but to me, it felt like the exact same hand that had plunged a silver knife deep into my throat. A wave of pure nausea hit me, making me want to rip my hand away, but I forced my muscles to stay absolutely still.

"Elders, pack members," Vance announced, his voice vibrating through the massive hall. "Tonight, I stand before you to name the woman who will walk beside me as the Luna of the Crescent Pack. Even though she has no wolf, her loyalty to this pack is unquestionable. I, Alpha Vance, officially declare Thalia as my betrothed!"

A few forced cheers erupted from his loyal guards, but the majority of the pack elders simply glared, their disapproval rolling off them in thick waves. In the corner of the room, I saw Elena smirking, knowing this betrothal was nothing but a deadly sham.

Vance pulled a silver ring with a small red gemstone from his pocket, aiming directly for my ring finger.

"Accept this ring, Thalia, and promise to always submit to my side," Vance murmured, his eyes flashing with a silent, heavy demand for total obedience.

I stared at the ring, then looked up into Vance’s face. This was it.

Before the metal could even touch my skin, I violently snatched my hand back.

The sudden movement caused the entire hall to drop into a deathly, suffocating silence. It was so quiet that the sharp crackle of wood in the fireplace sounded like a gunshot through the room.

The fake smile on Vance's face froze completely. His eyes darkened dangerously, a clear sign that his inner wolf felt utterly humiliated.

"Thalia?" Vance hissed, dropping his voice into a low, threatening growl meant only for my ears. "What the hell are you doing? Put the ring on. Now".

I squared my shoulders, staring directly into his gaze with a fierce defiance he had never seen from me before.

"I refuse," my voice wasn't loud, but in the dead silence of the hall, it echoed like a thunderclap.

"What?!" one of the pack elders shouted from the front row, slamming his hands on the table as he stood up. Murmurs erupted through the crowd like wildfire.

"Thalia, stop playing fucking games in front of my pack," Vance gripped my forearm tightly, his claw-like fingers digging deep enough to bruise through the silk of my dress.

The pain was sharp, but his fury only brought me a rush of pure euphoria.

"You don't know what you’re saying. Obey me!"

"I know exactly what I’m saying, Alpha Vance," I snarled, ripping my arm out of his grasp with a powerful jerk.

The onlookers gasped in horror. A packless human had just broken an Alpha's physical grip.

"I, Thalia, with full clarity, reject this betrothal. I refuse to be a part of the Crescent Pack, and I refuse to be your mate."

Vance’s face contorted into a deep, purple rage. His Alpha aura exploded from his body, slamming into the room so hard that several human servants in the corner dropped to their knees, gasping for air. The invisible weight crushed against my chest, trying to force me to bow, but the pure hatred burning in my soul was a thousand times stronger than his pathetic Alpha magic.

"You dare humiliate me in front of my own pack?!" Vance roared, his eyes shifting into a rabid yellow, the color of his wild inner beast. "You are nothing but a useless human I dragged off the streets! Without me, you are nothing but wolf food!"

"Then let the wild wolves eat me," I challenged, looking down at him with the sharpest, most condescending glare I could muster. "Because standing by your side is a fate far more sickening than death."

Before Vance could order his guards to seize me, I spun around and marched down the steps of the dais, my stride unbroken. The stunned silence of the pack escorted me out, while behind me, Vance’s feral roar of frustration shook the very foundations of the hall.

The hunt was officially on, and I knew exactly where to run.