Dorian's Decree

"I, Elowen Thorne, accept your rejection."

The words left my mouth with unexpected steadiness. Dorian froze, his blood-flecked knuckles still clenched, eyes narrowing in disbelief. I'd surprised him. Good.

"What?" I gave a hollow laugh. "Did you expect me to beg? To cry and plead for you to reconsider?"

He recovered quickly, his tone frosty and distant. "Most would."

"Then I'm not most." I stared directly into his eyes, refusing to wilt under his gaze. "Banish me from this pack; I no longer see the use of remaining in a place where I'm nothing but your dirty secret."

Dorian stepped closer, his voice turning silky. "Oh no, Elowen. I want you here, by my side."

"Selene had taken up that duty." I backed away, bitterness dripping from every word. "Or did you forget while you were busy beating me?"

He reached out, tracing a finger along my bruised cheek. "I want you to be something quite different. Something more... entertaining."

I slapped his hand away. "I won't be your toy anymore. I'd rather die than let you touch me again."

His hand shot out, grabbing my wrist with painful force. "Others would be proud to even have such a position, but you ungrateful girl. After everything I've done for you."

I wrenched free, my skin burning where he'd touched me. "Done for me? You've done nothing but use me and throw me away! I would leave this pack whether you want it or not, with due respect, of course, Alpha."

His mouth formed a gradual smile that froze me where I stood. "Leave? That's not going to be a very nice thing to do, seeing as your mother cannot go with you."

The color drained from my face. "No... Leave my mother out of this. This is between you and me."

Dorian circled me like I was prey. "No, Elowen. There's nothing just between you and me anymore. Stay, and she'll remain in her current position—wretched as it is. Leave, and I'll make her life a living hell. I'll have her scrubbing floors until her fingers bleed, sleeping with the animals. Maybe I'll even let some of the more... frustrated males have their way with her."

"You wouldn't dare," I whispered, rage shaking my voice.

He laughed. "Try me."

My shoulders slumped in defeat. I thought about mate rejections I'd heard of—the crippling pain, the sense of loss that drove some to madness or suicide.

But all I felt was a hollow emptiness. How could you lose what you never truly had? The monster who'd pretended to be my mate had never truly been mine.

"I'll stay, but I refuse to be used by you, Dorian. I won't warm your bed while Selene's away."

He gripped my chin hard. "We would see about that, and it's no longer Dorian to you; we are no longer mates, remember? It's Alpha now, and I really hope you don't slip on that again. The punishment would be... creative."

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. "Yes... Alpha."

His mood shifted abruptly, cheerfulness masking the cruelty beneath. "Now I need you to come to the intramating ball celebration with me."

Confusion clouded my thoughts. "You are to attend the upcoming ball with your luna, Selene; what do you need me there for? To serve drinks?"

His eyes glittered with malice. "You will be there, dressed up like you still matter. I want you to watch as I announce to the whole crowd that she is my mate—my REAL mate. I want you to watch me kiss and touch her just as I did you, but she... she would be the Luna. I want you to watch as she takes your place, as everyone sees what you could never be."

"You're a monster," I whispered.

He leaned in close, his breath hot against my ear. "And you loved every minute of it, until I was done with you. At least I told you early enough to prepare. When the day comes, don't you dare be late. Also, I would send your mother in to help you pick something presentable for the occasion. I am sure you have something other than rags in there somewhere. After all, you need to look pretty while your heart breaks."

As he strode from the room, I made a silent promise to myself. I wouldn't cry in front of him again. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me broken. I had shed enough tears for a man who never deserved them.

---

When my mother arrived, the tight control I'd maintained in Dorian's presence shattered. I collapsed into her arms, my voice broken and raw.

"Mama... the baby's gone. My little one is gone forever."

She held me tightly, rocking me as if I were still a child. "My sweet girl, my precious daughter..."

"He was with her when it happened." I clutched my stomach, the emptiness there a physical ache. "He was with HER while our baby died inside me. The blood... there was so much blood..."

"Breathe, my darling. Just breathe." She stroked my hair, her voice thick with emotion. When my breathing finally steadied, she pulled back slightly, composing herself before whispering, "I know the Alpha rejected you."

"How did you know?" I asked, surprised. "I didn't tell anyone."

A sad smile touched her lips. "A mother can tell. The way you hold yourself, the emptiness in your eyes. But Elowen, listen to me—he was never the best for you; he would only hurt you more and more. You deserve so much better than that cruel man."

The tears came again, uncontrollable now. "The baby's gone. He cheated on me, and now the baby is gone. I couldn't save it, Mama. I tried to get help but no one came. No one ever comes."

She wiped my tears as her own fell. "Shhh, you would be alright. You are the strongest shewolf I know, and I am not telling you this simply because you are my daughter, but because it is true. You've endured what would break others."

I looked up at her with swollen eyes. "I do not feel very strong, Mama. I feel hollow... shattered."

"Your tears don't make you weak, nor do the mistakes." She cupped my face gently. "They make you real. They make you whole."

The tenderness in her voice soothed me momentarily, before his threats resurfaced, stealing my breath away.

The color drained from my face as I whispered, "He threatened you. Said if I ever left the pack, he would make you suffer."

Her face hardened. "That coward. Using me against you."

I gripped her hands tightly. "I won't let him hurt you."

"I've grown old in slavery," she said, her voice softening with resignation. "For me, this life is all I know now. But you—" her eyes grew bright with unshed tears, "You are young and beautiful with a clean heart. You deserve a life worth living, not this prison of fear."

Fresh tears streamed down. "He wants me at the mating ball. To watch him claim her publicly. To humiliate me one last time."

She wiped my tears away with gentle fingers. "Then you show him that you cannot be broken. That you are more than what he tried to make you."

I pulled her close, resolute in my decision. "No, Mama, I would never leave you here with him. Never; we are together in this and will always be. I would stay. But one day, I swear by the Goddess, we will both be free of him."

My mother gave a bitter laugh. "Free? A slave's daughter and a pack slave?"

"Yes. Free." Determination steadied my voice. "I don't know how yet, but I'll find a way. For both of us."