Chapter 99 The Rejection
Kier’s POV
The doors to the council chamber slammed open under the force of my hand.
Every head turned.
Every council member seated in their high-backed chairs like they were gods looking down at the rest of us.
I didn’t bow.
Didn’t acknowledge them.
Didn’t give them anything.
“Release her.”
My voice carried through the chamber, sharp and absolute.
Silence followed.
Elder Orion leaned forward slightly, fingers steepled, his expression calm in a way that immediately set my teeth on edge.
“Alpha Blane,” he said smoothly. “You enter this chamber without respect.”
“I didn’t come here for respect,” I snapped. “I came for my mate.”
A ripple moved through the room.
Orion’s gaze didn’t waver. “Your authority as Alpha does not extend here.”
My jaw tightened. “She is under my protection.”
“She is under council authority,” he corrected.
I stepped forward, the air in the room shifting as my wolf pushed closer to the surface.
“You don’t get to just take her,” I said, voice low now, dangerous.
A few of the elders shifted uncomfortably.
“She left this pack without permission,” he said, tone measured. “She abandoned her duties. Her obligations. Her place.”
“She made a choice,” I shot back. “And last I checked, we weren’t prisoners.”
“You would have us believe that a Luna can simply leave?” another elder spoke up, scoffing. “Walk away from her responsibilities without consequence?”
“She wasn’t Luna yet,” I said, my voice cutting through theirs. “And she wasn’t anyone’s property.”
A murmur spread.
Tension snapped tighter.
Orion raised a hand, silencing the room.
“And yet,” he said, his eyes locking onto mine, “you claim her as your mate.”
I didn’t hesitate. “Yes, she is my fated mate,” I continued, stepping closer to the center of the room. “And she is the future Luna of this pack.”
A thin smile pulled at Orion’s lips. "All the more reason,” he said, “for her to stand trial.”
Something cold slid down my spine.
“She hasn’t done anything that warrants this,” I growled.
“She abandoned her pack,” Orion repeated. “That is enough.”
My hands curled into fists.
“Then I’ll stand with her,” I said. “Whatever this is, we handle it together.”
Orion’s smile widened slightly.
“Oh, we intend you to.”
The way he said it didn't sit right with me. Not even a little.
“And lucky for you, Alpha Blane,” he continued, leaning back in his chair, “we’ve decided not to delay the proceedings.”
“What do you mean?” I demanded.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he gestured toward the side doors.
“Bring her in.”
The doors opened.
And everything inside me stopped.
Sable.
She was flanked by four warriors, silver shackles locked around her wrists.
My vision tunneled.
My wolf surged forward, a snarl ripping through my chest as I took a step forward.
“What the hell is this?” I barked.
“She is a prisoner of the council,” Orion said simply.
“She is my mate,” I snapped back, my voice echoing with authority.
“She is under trial,” he corrected again.
I barely heard him.
Because I was looking at her.
Really looking.
Something was wrong.
Sable walked forward, but not like herself.
Her head was slightly bowed, her gaze fixed on the floor.
She didn’t look at me.
Not once.
“Sable,” I said, softer now.
Nothing.
Not even a flicker.
My chest tightened.
No.
No, that wasn’t right.
I reached for her through the bond.
Sable.
Nothing.
The connection slammed into something solid.
Blocked.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
What the hell?
Sable, I pushed harder.
Still nothing.
Panic edged into my chest.
Something was interfering.
Something was wrong.
“Sable,” I said again, louder this time.
Still nothing.
They guided her into the center of the chamber to a glass enclosure.
My blood ran cold.
“What is that?” I demanded.
“A containment measure,” Orion said.
“For what?” I snapped. “She’s not a threat.”
“She is being judged,” he replied. “We will ensure there are no… interruptions.”
My wolf snarled violently at that.
They locked her inside.
She stood there still, silent an unmoving. And she still hadn’t looked at me.
The council began.
“Sable Hale of Black Pine Pack,” Orion’s voice rang out. “You stand accused of abandoning your pack without permission. Of rejecting your duty. Of placing your personal desires above the structure and safety of your people.”
Every word felt like a blade.
“You are further charged with attempting to sever your mate bond to your fated mate, the future Alpha of this pack.”
My jaw clenched.
“You will answer for these actions,” Orion continued. “How do you plead?”
The entire room held its breath.
I leaned forward slightly, my voice low.
“Sable.”
Nothing.
Then her voice. “Guilty.”
The word hit like a punch to the chest.
“No,” I said immediately, stepping forward. “She’s not...”
“Silence,” Orion snapped.
I ignored him. "Sable, don’t.”
“She has entered her plea,” another elder cut in. “The trial will proceed.”
“No, it won’t,” I growled, my voice rising. “Not like this.”
“Do you have anything to say in your defense?” Orion asked her.
Silence stretched long and heavy.
Then she moved slowly and deliberately. Her head lifted.
And for the first time she looked at me.
My breath caught.
Because something in her eyes wasn't right. There was pain there deep and sharp. But there was something else too.
“Yes,” she said.
My heart stuttered.
“I do.”
Something in my chest tightened.
“Sable—”
“I, Sable Hale of Black Pine Pack…”
Every instinct in me screamed. Something was wrong. Stop this. Stop her. But I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.
“…reject you…”
The world cracked.
“Kier Blane of Black Pine Pack.”
It felt like something tore straight through my chest.
Like my soul was being ripped out piece by piece.
“No—”
Pain exploded through me.
The bond snapped.
I watched it happen.
Felt it.
Every thread.
Every connection.
Every piece of her that had been tied to me gone.
My knees nearly buckled.
Across from me she gasped.
Her body arching slightly as the rejection tore through her too.
Because it hurt her.
I could see it.
The way her face twisted.
The way her body trembled.
She didn’t want this.
“NO!”
The roar ripped out of me, shaking the walls, rattling the glass, echoing through the chamber like a war cry.
My wolf surged forward, furious, unhinged, ready to tear this entire place apart.
“No!” I shouted again, my voice breaking, my chest heaving as I stared at her. “Sable, no!"
But it was already done.
And I felt it.
The place where she had been empty.