THE BIKER ALPHA WHO BECAME MY SECOND CHANCE MATE novel Chapter 3

Chapter 2

This is it. The moment of truth. The point of no return.

I look at Daxon, at his expectant face, at the way his eyes promise punishment if I don't give him what he wants. I look at the crowd of pack members, all watching, all waiting, all believing they're witnessing something sacred.

I think about the woman I used to be, before I learned to make myself small. Before I learned that love was supposed to hurt. Before I forgot that I had a voice.

I think about my baby, who never got a chance to live because I was too weak to protect us both.

I think about the rest of my life, stretching out ahead of me like a prison sentence.

I think about the text messages from earlier: You're stronger than you know.

And I realize something. I am stronger than I know. Stronger than he's made me believe. Stronger than the fear he's used to control me.

I open my mouth, and the words come out clear and strong. "I reject you."

The silence that follows is deafening. Three hundred people staring at me in shock, their mouths open, their eyes wide. The officiant looks confused, like he's not sure he heard correctly.

Daxon's face cycles through emotions—surprise, confusion, embarrassment, rage. "What did you say?"

"I reject you, Daxon Sullivan." My voice is steadier now, powered by three years of suppressed fury. "I reject you as my mate. I reject you as my husband. I reject you as my Alpha. I reject this ceremony, this marriage, this life you've built for us on lies and fear."

The silver necklace at my throat grows warm, then hot, then burns against my skin as the magical bond between us begins to sever. Daxon staggers backward, his hand pressed to his chest as he feels it too, the tearing, the breaking, the freedom.

The reaction is immediate and explosive. Gasps echo through the hall. Someone screams. I hear chairs scraping against the floor as people jump to their feet.

Daxon takes a step toward me, his face contorting with rage. "You can't do this. You can't humiliate me like this. Not in front of everyone."

"I just did." The boldness in my voice surprises even me. I've had enough. Enough of his constant disrespect. He'd turned me into someone I couldn't even recognize in the space of three years.

He wasn't always like this. When I first came to London, I focused on studying and working. Then one day, I met Daxon at the grocery store where I was working. It took months before I could agree to go out with him. But he'd been so sweet and loving that I fell in love with him completely.

I was so stupid.

I see his hand move toward me instinctively, the backhand that's silenced me so many times before. But this time, I'm ready. This time, I don't flinch.

"Go ahead," I say quietly, my voice carrying in the shocked silence. "Hit me. In front of all these people. Show them who you really are."

He freezes, his hand halfway to my face, suddenly aware of the hundreds of eyes watching us. His carefully constructed image cracking in real time.

I reach up and grasp the silver necklace at my throat—his claim on me, his mark of ownership. With one sharp yank, I break the chain, feeling my skin underneath burn and blister where it touched me.

"I'm done," I say, dropping the necklace at his feet. "I'm done with you, with this, with all of it."

The pack erupts in chaos. Voices raised in shock, in outrage, in confusion. But I don't hear them. I'm already turning away, already walking back down the aisle, my steps steady and sure for the first time in three years.

.......

In the bridal suite, I strip off the white dress and leave it pooled on the floor like a shed skin. I pull on the jeans and sweater I'd hidden in my bag, real clothes, clothes that feel like armor after months of wearing what he wanted me to wear.

My phone is in my hand before I even realize I'm reaching for it. I scroll through my contacts until I find the number I haven't called in almost four years.

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