Chapter 4

NIMA’S POV.
I stood near the edge of the room, frozen.
I had not moved since I heard it.
The words were still in my head.
“True mate.”
Me?
Lochlan’s mate.
It made no sense. It could not be real. I am sure there is some kind of mistake somewhere. They just need to figure it out, and then they will realize they are wrong.
But the room inside was not calm.
Voices were rising.
Angry voices.
Confused voices.
And Violet’s voice was louder than all of them.
“What do you mean by that?!” Violet shouted.
“I am his betrothed! Since birth!”
I flinched when I heard her voice clearly through the doorway.
She was inside the room, talking to the elders.
“I was chosen for him!” she continued angrily. “Nothing changes that!”
Her voice cracked with rage.
“You cannot just change destiny like this!”
I pressed myself closer to the wall.
I did not want her to see me through the window.
I did not want anyone to see me.
Another voice joined hers, deep and angry.
Beta Hank.
“I cannot believe my daughter is being humiliated like this!” he roared.
“This is a disgrace!”
I heard footsteps slam against the floor.
He was pacing.
Angry. Loud.
“Are you trying to make her a joke in this pack?!” he shouted at the elders.
“She has been promised Luna since she was born!”
His voice grew harsher.
“You will not disrespect my family in this manner!”
My chest tightened.
Everything felt like it was closing in.
A calmer voice answered.
One of the elders.
“This is not something we chose, Beta Hank,” he said.
His tone was firm, but tired.
“It is the mate bond, something that was put in place by the Goddess herself.”
Another elder spoke quickly after him.
“The bond is real. It cannot be ignored.”
Violet scoffed loudly.
“That is nonsense!”
But the elder continued.
“Lochlan’s wolf is unstable. You know that.”
Silence followed for a second.
Then he added,
“And as his true mate, only Nima can calm him.”
They said my name.
Again.
It made my stomach twist uncomfortably.
The elder’s voice softened slightly.
“This is the only way to save him. Through the mate bond.”
Then I heard him.
Lochlan.
“I reject it.”
The room went silent.
Even I froze.
His voice was firm.
“I do not accept her as my mate.”
I swallowed.
Even though I never asked for this… it still hurt to hear, not because he rejected the bond, but because of the way he put it.
Like I was something dirty. Something unwanted.
Still, I did not mind.
Thank Goddess he did not want the bond.
At least I would be left alone. No one would force me to do anything.
“I will not be tied to her,” he said again.
His voice was full of anger.
One of the elders tried again.
“You cannot reject the bond, Future Alpha. It will only make things worse.”
“I already did,” Lochlan snapped.
His voice rose.
“I don’t care what anyone says. I. Don’t. Want. Her.”
Silence fell again, heavy and tense.
I felt like I could not breathe.
Then I heard footsteps coming closer to the door.
Before I could react, the door slammed open.
I turned slightly and saw Violet standing there.
Her eyes were wild, her face was red with anger—and something else.
Hurt.
But mostly rage.
Her gaze scanned the hall, then it landed on me.
My body reacted before my mind did.
Danger.
My heart jumped, and I turned immediately and tried to run, but I was too slow.
“Nima!” she screamed and came charging towards me like an angry bull.
Before I could reach the turn at the end of the hallway, she grabbed my hair.
Pain exploded in my scalp.
“Ah—!” I cried out.
She pulled me backward and threw me to the ground.
I hit the floor hard, and my breath left my body.
Before I could recover, she kicked me.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
“You pathetic little b*tch!” she screamed. “How dare you?!”
“You think you can take him from me?!”
She came in for another kick but this time I shoved her away causing her to stumble.
“Violet, stop! I didn’t do anything!”
But she did not stop.
“You are nothing!” she shouted, matching towards me again.
“Nothing but a servant! A slave! Do you understand me?!”

“Lochlan belongs to me!” she screamed.
“No one else!”
She shoved me hard and I fell back on the ground.
“You will never have him!”
“I don’t want him!” I snapped in anger and frustration.
People started rushing towards us from the room and other parts of the house.
“What is happening?!”
“Stop her!”
Voices filled the space.
The elders came out quickly.
Lochlan followed.
I could barely see through the chaos.
Everything was blurry.
“Violet!” Lochlan’s voice cut through the chaos.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
“That is enough, Violet!”
She struggled instantly.
“Let me go!” she screamed.
“I need to teach this filth a lesson. She is the reason for all of this!”
He pulled her back.
“Enough!”
But Violet kept fighting.
Someone lifted me carefully from the ground, and I looked up to see Elder Edwards.
“Are you hurt?” he asked quietly.
I tried to speak, but my throat hurt.
My body hurt everywhere.
“I’m fine.”
He looked at me with concern.
“You need to see the pack doctor,” he said softly.
I nodded weakly.
But I could still hear them.
Violet was still crying and shouting.
Lochlan was holding her back, trying to control her.
The elders were talking fast, trying to calm everyone.
Everything was chaos.
And I stood there, barely able to think.
Barely able to stand.
Everything inside me felt broken.
I did not understand what was happening anymore.
Only one thing was clear.
Nothing in my life would ever be the same after tonight.