CHAPTER 5 Engagement Night

There were gasps and murmurs from the audience, as no female in history has willingly rejected their mate. It was such a scandalous affair as both sets of parents wanted to keep it hushed that Matthew had been cheating, which was partly why the rejection ceremony was happening.

Lily wasn't having any of it. Appearances be damned. They wanted to embarrass her publicly, so she wanted everyone to know the truth.

"I… Matthew Hunter, the first-born son of Kenneth Hunter…accept your rejection," Matthew managed to say. As soon as the words left his mouth, he could feel their mate bond fully snap. Baldur howled in anguish within him as his bond with Dina snapped away even though he refused to accept the rejection.

Lily fought the urge to collapse there on the stage. She welcomed the pain, embraced it as this was nothing compared to the anguish she felt over the betrayal. "I wish Matthew and Brandy well with their upcoming mating ceremony," Lily finally said. She turned to leave but was stopped by Brandy's grip on her wrist.

"We accept your blessings dear sister. We hope to see you at our mating ceremony as I won't be able to go through with it if you aren't there by my side," Brandy said with a smug smile, wanting to see Lily lose her composure.

Lily resisted the urge to scream at Brandy and punch her in the face. She kept her face calm and relaxed despite an eye twitch. Lily pulled her wrist free before grabbing her hand with her bloodied hand.

Lily looked deep into Brandy's eyes trying to convey the hatred and anger she felt for her through her eyes. It didn't go unnoticed that Brandy stepped back due to the intensity of Lily's gaze. "Of course, Brandy. I wouldn't miss it for the world," Lily answered before removing her hand from hers.  With another curtsy, Lily left the entertainment hall. She didn't collapse into tears until she reached her bedroom.

"Dad! You can't be serious!" Lily exclaimed as she was dragged down the hallway by her father.

After the rejection ceremony, Lily stayed in her room to mourn the loss of her mating bond for two days. She prayed and begged the Moon Goddess for forgiveness. Lily never wanted to do this, but she didn't have a choice. She couldn't be tied to an unfaithful mate for the rest of her life.

On the second night, her father, Kenneth, kicked the door in to drag her out. Because Garrett didn't attend the rejection ceremony, Kenneth was hell-bent on Lily being bonded to Garrett immediately.

After receiving a phone call that Garrett was back from a business trip and was staying at the Blueberry Suites, Kenneth knew that he had to get Lily to him.  He forced her to go to the pack doctor to have every test done to show that she was still pure and genetically tested to show she had no defects before getting her ready to go to the hotel.

"You shut up!" Kenneth exclaimed. "Do you know how your little stunt made us seem to the other packs?"

"You look powerful and smart, right? That's what you wanted!" Lily snapped back and Kenneth slapped her.

"You embarrassed us! You wore your wedding dress. You were supposed to be the regretful mate, not an over zealous harlot!" Kenneth raged.

"Harlot? I'm the harlot? Of course, you wouldn't talk bad about your dear daughter Brandy," Lily retorted.

Kenneth slapped her again and Lily growled in warning at him. "Don't you dare! You're not stupid. You should have known better. No Alpha will want an Omega. Because of your antics, Brandy can't even use your dress. By ensuring your bond to Garrett, Alpha Jack promises to pay for everything," Kenneth retorted.

"What about what I want? You got what you wanted! Brandy will be Matthew's Luna! Why must you do this to me? You could disown me. You could expel me from the pack!" Lily asked as she was brought to a door. She should've taken her friend up on her offer to go out of state with her for the holidays. Perhaps she would've been able to avoid all of this.

"You made your decisions and I have made mine. Maybe if you hadn't tried to keep your money from me, this wouldn't be happening. Your little stunt didn't work," Kenneth sneered.

"No! That money doesn't belong to you! I worked so hard…"

"You have no say! You only received privileges because you are my daughter. You hold no value. You are a tool and nothing else. The quicker you understand that, the better off you'll be!" Kenneth snapped, cutting Lily off. He pried the jacket off his daughter, revealing her attire: a silky white camisole. "Hopefully, he'll teach you how to behave and know your place in the world."

For the first time in her life, she wanted to physically harm her father. Lily wanted to shift and maul her father, but she was still too weak from the broken mate bond. She was helpless as Kenneth opened the door to the room and shoved her inside, causing her to fall hard on her butt. Her father slammed the door in her face, locking it behind him.

Lily beat on the door when she realized she couldn't open it. 'Calm down Lily. Let's see if there is another way we can get out,' Dina said. Lily nodded and began to explore the room.

The room was decorated with honey hues, for they gave a sense of home away from home, of a place of nurturing safety. However, Lily didn't feel safe at all. She felt like her whole world had been turned upside down.

Tonight was her engagement night as her father explained it. It was more like she was being offered up on a silver platter to a predator.

When she realized the windows were locked and couldn't break them, Lily quickly turned the lights off and sat down on the bed. The room was now pitch black and eerily quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the fan that was hiding Lily's rapid breathing.  Lily lay stiffly on the bed, feeling like her body was under a spell. She was unable to move.

Lily heard the door opening, and light entered the room, blinding her for a moment. She closed her eyes in fright, afraid of what would happen next.