ログインChapter 130Darius's POVI stood in my chambers staring at nothing, my mind replaying the conversation with Sebastian over and over. The look on his face when I'd told him I felt nothing for him. The way his voice had broken when he'd said he was done trying.I'd done the right thing. I'd pushed him away before things got more complicated. Before the bond became impossible to ignore. Before—Pain.Sudden, sharp, overwhelming pain exploded through my chest. I gasped and stumbled, my hand flying to my sternum like I could physically hold my heart together.What was happening?The bond. The mate bond that I'd been suppressing for months suddenly felt like it was being ripped out of me. Like someone had reached into my chest and was tearing away pieces of my soul.I tried to breathe but couldn't. My lungs wouldn't work. My vision blurred at the edges.Then my legs gave out completely and I hit the floor hard, the impact jarring through my already agonized body."Sebastian!" I screamed h
Chapter 128DARIUS POV I stayed in my quarters for hours, listening to the sounds of the ball continuing downstairs. Music and laughter and celebration whilst my world fell apart.Eventually, the noise died down. The visiting Alphas retired to their guest quarters. Pack members stumbled off to their own rooms, exhausted from dancing and drinking.The pack house grew quiet.That's when I started packing.I didn't have much: a few changes of clothes, some personal items and the diary Darius had stolen and then returned. My sketching supplies.Everything fit into one small bag.I looked around the quarters that had been mine for months. The bed I'd slept in. The desk where I'd written and drawn. The window where I'd stood countless times watching Darius train in the courtyard below.This had been my home. These people had been my family.But I couldn't stay. Not anymore. Not after everything that had happened.I slung the bag over my shoulder and opened the door. The corridor outside w
Chapter 128Sebastian's POVI ran through the corridors of the pack house, not caring who saw me, not caring about anything except getting away. My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe. Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision.I burst into my quarters and slammed the door behind me, my whole body shaking. Then I just stood there in the middle of the room, unable to move, unable to think, unable to do anything except feel the crushing weight of pain."Fuck," I whispered. Then louder, "Fuck. Fuck!"I hit the wall with my fist, hard enough to send pain shooting up my arm. It didn't help. Nothing helped."Calm down," Alisander spoke in my mind, his voice firm. "You need to calm down and stop crying.""Are you seriously telling me that now?" I shouted at my wolf. "After what I just saw out there? After watching Darius dance with that omega the same way he danced with Lance? After seeing them whisper and smile whilst I stood there like an idiot?""Crying won't help the situa
Chapter 127Lance's POVI walked back into the ballroom feeling thoroughly satisfied with myself. Sebastian had been broken down on that terrace, tears streaming down his face, finally accepting his place.The plan was working perfectly. Now I just needed one more push to ensure Sebastian would leave for good.I'd barely made it three steps into the room when a young male omega approached me. He was handsome enough with dark hair, lean build, probably in his early twenties. I recognized him from the pack's agricultural workers."Alpha Lance," he greeted quietly, bowing his head. "I'm ready. Should I go to him now?"I glanced across the ballroom to where Darius stood talking with some of the visiting Alphas. He looked distracted, his eyes occasionally drifting towards the entrance like he was waiting for someone.Waiting for Sebastian, probably. How pathetic."Be easy about it," I instructed the omega in a low voice. "Approach him casually. Make it seem like you just want to dance w
Chapter 126Sebastian POVI stood there on the empty terrace, shaking and crying and feeling like my entire world had just collapsed around me.Maybe Lance was right. Maybe the best thing I could do for Darius was leave. Disappear and let him move on with someone appropriate. Someone who wouldn't be an embarrassment or a liability.The thought of leaving made my chest ache even worse. This pack was my home. These people were my family. And Darius...But what did I have here really? A job I'd been pulled from. A reputation destroyed by corruption allegations. A mate bond that would never be acknowledged. And a man I loved who couldn't even look at me anymore.Maybe leaving was the right choice.I don't know how long I stood there, lost in miserable thoughts. Could have been minutes or hours. Time felt meaningless."Sebastian?"I turned to find Pete standing in the terrace doorway, his face creased with concern."Pete," I managed to say. "What are you doing out here?""Looking for y
Chapter 125Sebastian's POVI couldn't stay in that ballroom another second.The moment I'd seen Lance pull Darius onto the dance floor, the moment I'd watched them move together with the kind of easy intimacy that spoke of shared history, something inside me had broken.I'd pushed through the crowd blindly, not caring who I bumped into or what they thought. I just needed air and space. Needed to be anywhere but there watching the man I loved dance with someone else.The terrace was blessedly empty when I stumbled out onto it. The cool night air hit my face, making me realize I was crying. Tears were streaming down my cheeks despite my best efforts to hold them back.I gripped the stone railing with both hands, my fingers shaking so badly I could barely hold on. My chest felt like it was being crushed, each breath painful and difficult.The image kept replaying in my mind. Darius and Lance on the dance floor. Lance's hand on Darius's waist. The way they moved together like they'd
Chapter 120Sebastian's POVI heard the rumours on my way back to my quarters after dinner.Pack members huddled in small groups, their voices dropping to whispers when they saw me approaching. But the corridors carried sound well, and I caught snippets of conversation as I passed."Did you see how
Chapter 118Darius's POVThe whispers started the next morning.I heard them as I walked through the corridors of the pack house. Quiet murmurs that stopped abruptly when I appeared, only to resume the moment I'd passed. Hushed conversations behind closed doors. Speculative looks from pack members
Chapter 116Lance's POVAfter the feast, Darius finally stood from the head table and gestured for me to follow him. His expression was carefully blank, giving nothing away. But I could see the tension in his shoulders, the tight set of his jaw.He was uncomfortable. Good. That meant my little displ
Chapter 115Lance PovThe moment I saw him standing there at the front of the pack house, my heart did that familiar skip it always did around Darius.He looked exactly the same. Maybe a bit more tired, perhaps. Lines around his eyes that hadn't been there before. But still commanding, still powerfu







