Chapter 28
I stared at Tyler, my heart pounding in my chest.
His words replayed in my mind like a haunting echo—“The truth about why I rejected you.”
What truth?
My throat tightened as I forced out the words. “What do you mean, the truth about why you rejected me? You rejected me because you didn’t want me.”
Tyler’s jaw clenched. “That’s far from the truth.”
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. “Don’t lie to me, Tyler. You made it perfectly clear three years ago. You humiliated me in front of the entire pack. You threw me away like I was nothing. That was your choice.”
Tyler exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “It wasn’t my choice, Aurora. Your father didn’t want us to be mates.”
I blinked. “What?”
Tyler nodded slowly. “Your father never wanted us to be together. Even though the mate bond chose us, he already had other plans for you.”
My stomach twisted. “What other plans?”
Tyler’s golden eyes darkened. “He promised you to Killian and his pack.”
I’ve already known it from Killian, but I still felt like the ground beneath me had cracked open.
Tyler continued, his voice dropping lower. “But that wasn’t the only reason.”
My breath hitched. There was more?
“It was also because of Debbie.”
A sharp pain stabbed through my chest at the mention of her name.
Debbie. The girl who had stolen everything from me. The girl who had stood beside Tyler when he rejected me, smirking while my world collapsed.
I crossed my arms, my voice ice-cold. “What does Debbie have to do with this?”
Tyler hesitated. And that hesitation made my blood boil.
“TELL ME!” I snapped.
He sighed, looking away for a moment before finally meeting my gaze again. “Debbie’s family is powerful, Aurora. More powerful than you think.”
I frowned. “So? Your family was powerful too. You were the Alpha. Why would that matter?”
Tyler’s fingers curled into fists. “Because Debbie’s family wasn’t just powerful. They were dangerous. They had influence over the High Council.”
My stomach dropped. The High Council? The group of elders who governed all werewolf packs. The ones who controlled laws, punishments, and the balance of power.
Tyler continued, his voice tight with frustration. “Debbie’s father had close ties with the council. He was already plotting an alliance with my pack. He wanted Debbie to be my Luna.”
I inhaled sharply. “So you just let them control you?”
Tyler flinched. “I was young, Aurora. Young and being told that if I didn’t accept Debbie, there would be consequences.”
“Consequences?” I whispered. “What kind of consequences?”
Tyler exhaled, his shoulders tense. “They threatened my family, my pack. They told me that if I refused to make Debbie my Luna, they would strip Silver Moon of its status. They would isolate us, cut off our alliances, ruin us politically. My father… he was terrified. He begged me to accept Debbie.”
My head spun.
Tyler didn’t just reject me out of cruelty. He rejected me because he was pressured. Manipulated. Forced.
But that didn’t erase the pain.
That didn’t erase the years of humiliation and suffering I had endured because of him.
My hands trembled as I whispered, “So you rejected me because of all these pressures?”
Tyler’s expression darkened, but he nodded. “Yes. I didn’t want to, Aurora. I swear I didn’t. But I—”
I took a step back.
No.
No, no, no.
This changed nothing. This didn’t erase what he did. This didn’t undo the way he had broken me, abandoned me. I felt my breathing quicken, my heart hammering violently in my chest.
And then… I laughed. A sharp, hollow, bitter laugh.
I shook my head, my voice dripping with pure disgust. “You want me to believe you? You actually think that after everything, I’m going to just believe you, Tyler Xander?”
Tyler’s face fell. “Aurora, I—”
“You are an Alpha!” I snarled. “How could you not stand up for a Luna? How could you let them control you?”
He swallowed hard, but I wasn’t done.
“Me. Your Luna. Your mate. And you just let them take me away?”
My voice rose, shaking with fury. “The fact that you treated me like trash and couldn’t even stand up for yourself is insane to me, Tyler. But what’s even more insane is that you actually think coming here and dumping this on me will change anything.”
I took another step back, my nails digging into my palms.
“So no, Tyler. I don’t believe you.”
Tyler’s face twisted with something unreadable. “Aurora, please—”
“Shut up.”
His lips parted, as if he wanted to argue, but I cut him off.
“You don’t get to come here and rewrite history. You don’t get to drop this on me and expect me to forgive you. You made your choice, and I made mine.”
I turned toward the estate, my blood boiling in my veins.
“Aurora—”
I spun around so fast, my hair whipped across my face.
“Get the hell out of Killian’s territory.” My voice wasn’t just angry. It was final.
Tyler stared at me, his jaw tight, his fists clenched. “I just wanted you to know the truth, Aurora. I didn’t have a choice!”
I laughed again, stepping back toward the door.
My lips curled into a cruel smirk. “It’s too late for the truth.”
And with that, I left him behind.
