Rejected by Her Mate, Claimed by Four Alphas

CHAPTER 5

Clara’s POV

The moment the bond shattered, pain like I had never known ripped through me. It felt as if someone had reached into my chest and torn out my heart with bare hands. I collapsed to my knees, a scream tearing from my throat.

"Warriors!" Jaden called, his voice distant through the haze of agony. "Take her to the forest and make sure she never returns."

The forest. In our world, that wasn't exile. It was execution.

I tried to stand, to run, but my body wouldn't respond. The severance of our mate bond had left me weak, disoriented. The room spun around me, black spots dancing in my vision.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the hallway. Three of Jaden's most trusted warriors burst into the room, their faces grim as they took in the scene—their Alpha standing protectively over a pregnant woman, and me, crumpled on the floor.

"Alpha?" the largest one, Marcus, questioned.

"She attacked Liana," Jaden said coldly. "She tried to harm my child. Take her deep into the forest and end it."

End it. So casual. As if my life meant nothing. As if the years I had devoted to him, to this pack, could be discarded without a second thought.

Strong hands gripped my arms, hauling me to my feet. I tried to struggle, but my limbs felt heavy, uncoordinated. The pain of the broken bond still radiated through my body, making it hard to think, to move.

"Please," I gasped, looking at Jaden one last time. "Don't do this."

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes—doubt, perhaps, or the ghost of what we had once shared. Then Liana's hand slid onto his arm, and his expression hardened again.

"You are nothing to me now," he said, turning away. "Get her out of my sight."

The warriors dragged me from the room, my feet barely touching the ground. Through the pack house we went, past curious onlookers who whispered and pointed. News of my disgrace would spread quickly. By nightfall, I would be nothing but a cautionary tale—the Luna who wasn't worthy.

Outside, the cold night air hit me like a slap, clearing some of the fog from my mind. The forest loomed ahead, dark and forbidding. Once I entered those trees, I wouldn't come out again.

My wolf stirred within me, her presence stronger than I had ever felt it. "Fight," she urged. "We cannot die like this."

Marcus and the other warriors marched me across the clearing toward the tree line. They didn't bother to bind my hands—they didn't see me as a threat. To them, I was just a broken mate, too weak from the severed bond to resist.

Their mistake.

As we reached the edge of the forest, something shifted inside me. The pain of the broken bond was still there, a jagged hole in my chest, but alongside it rose something new—a power I had never felt before, wild and untamed. My wolf, no longer restrained by the mate bond that had kept her submissive, unfurled within me.

I waited until we were well into the trees, away from the eyes of the pack. The warriors relaxed slightly, thinking the hard part was over.

"Should we let her run?" the youngest warrior asked. "Give her a head start?"

Marcus shook his head. "Alpha said to end it. We do it quick and clean."

"Not even a chance to defend herself?"

"She has no chance against the three of us," the third warrior said with a smirk. "Besides, look at her. She can barely stand."

I kept my head down, letting them believe I was defeated. The power within me continued to build, coursing through my veins like liquid fire.

"Turn around," Marcus ordered, shoving me forward. "I'll make it quick."

I stumbled, then spun—not in submission, but in attack. My fist connected with his jaw with a force that surprised even me. He staggered back, eyes wide with shock.

"What the—"

I didn't give him time to finish. The power surged through me, lending strength to my limbs. I kicked the youngest warrior in the chest, sending him flying into a tree. The third one came at me with a snarl, his teeth elongating as he began to shift.

But I was faster. My wolf's strength flowed into my human form, a partial shift that gave me claws without the vulnerability of the transformation process. I slashed his face, opening deep gashes across his cheek.

"She's fighting back!" he yelled, blood streaming down his face. "Grab her!"

Marcus recovered, lunging for me. I ducked under his arm and ran, deeper into the forest. Behind me, I heard them crashing through the underbrush.

"Alpha!" Marcus called through the pack mind-link. "The rogue is resisting! She attacked us!"

I felt the moment Jaden received the message. His voice thundered through the pack bond, a connection I could still feel even though our mate bond was broken.

"Clara Ashburn has betrayed the pack," his voice rang out. "She has gone rogue and attacked my warriors. Anyone who sees her is ordered to eliminate her on sight. She is a traitor and a rebel."

The words hit me like physical blows. Traitor. Rebel. Rogue. Everything I had fought against becoming.

I ran harder, my lungs burning, my legs pushing to their limit. The forest blurred around me, branches whipping at my face, roots threatening to trip me. But I didn't slow down.

Behind me, I heard more voices joining the chase. Jaden had called for reinforcements. The entire pack would be hunting me now.

I pushed myself toward the eastern border, hoping to lose them in the dense undergrowth. My body ached, the pain of the broken bond still radiating from my chest. But something else was happening too—with each step, each breath, each surge of adrenaline, I felt stronger. The power that had awakened inside me continued to grow.

A warrior appeared in front of me, cutting off my path. I didn't stop to think. I feinted left, then dove right, rolling under his outstretched arms. He cursed, spinning to follow, but I was already back on my feet and running.

My wolf's voice grew stronger. "The border," she urged. "We're almost there."

I could see it ahead—the stone markers that separated Shadowcrest territory from the neutral grounds. If I could just reach it—

A weight slammed into my back, sending me sprawling. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. A warrior pinned me down, his claws digging into my shoulders.

"Got her!" he shouted.