CHAPTER 7

Chapter 7

Kian's POV

I threw the glass against the wall, watching it shatter into a thousand pieces. Just like everything else in my life right now.

"Alpha Kian, we need to discuss the…"

"Get out!" I roared at Jesse, one of my senior pack members. "And don't you dare mention her name again in my presence!"

Jesse backed away slowly. "I was just going to ask about the upcoming…"

"I said GET OUT!"

The door slammed shut behind him. That was the fifth pack member I'd dismissed this week. Three of them I'd actually fired. All because they couldn't stop asking about Violet.

Where is Luna Violet? Is she coming back? Should we send a gift to the new Luna?

Luna. She was never officially Luna here. The ceremony never finished. I wasn’t even Alpha yet.  So why did the title sound so right attached to her name?

I grabbed my phone for the hundredth time today, scrolling through my contacts. But there was nothing. No number. No way to reach her. The mindlink was completely dead, like she'd never existed in my life at all.

"Kian?" Vivian's soft voice came from the doorway. "I brought you some tea."

I didn't look up. "I'm not thirsty."

"You haven't eaten all day." She walked closer, setting the cup on my desk. Her fingers brushed my shoulder. "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong."

"What's wrong?" I laughed bitterly. "Everything is falling apart, Vivian. The pack elders are questioning my judgment. Half the pack members look at me like I'm a stranger. And I can't even…"

I stopped myself before saying her name.

Vivian's hand tightened on my shoulder. "You can't what?"

"Nothing. Just leave me alone."

"No." Her voice turned sharp. "I'm not leaving you to spiral like this. She's gone, Kian. She made her choice. You need to move on."

"Move on?" I stood up so fast my chair fell backward. "You don't understand what…"

A knock interrupted us. My father stood in the doorway, his Alpha presence filling the room instantly.

"We need to talk. Now." His eyes moved to Vivian. "Alone."

Vivian hesitated, but one look at my father's face made her leave quickly.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" My father's voice was controlled, but I could hear the rage underneath. "The humiliating ceremony has made us look weak. The pack is divided. And now I'm hearing rumors that Violet transferred to the Silver Moon Pack. To Damian's pack."

My hands clenched into fists. "It's temporary. She'll come back."

"Will she?" He stepped closer. "Because from what I'm hearing, she left with nothing but a prosthetic arm and back injuries. Care to explain how your mate ended up mutilated under your care?"

"That wasn't—it was an accident. She…"

"Enough, the Council of Elders wants answers. They want to know why you abandoned your ceremony. Why your chosen mate is now in another pack. Why our pack's reputation is crumbling."

He moved toward the door, then stopped. "Fix this, Kian. Or I'll fix it for you."

Vivian stood in the pack's main hall, the silver moonstone bracelet catching the light as she raised her hand. Pack members gathered, curious about the announcement she'd promised.

"I wanted you all to be the first to know," she said with a bright smile. "Kian and I are getting married. The ceremony will be held next month, and I hope you'll all celebrate with us."

Silence filled the hall. Not the excited congratulations she'd expected.

"What about Luna Violet?" Someone called from the back.

Vivian's smile tightened. "Violet made her choice to leave. Kian has chosen me now."

More whispers. Vivian strained to hear them.

"Poor Violet. She deserved better than this."

"Six years with him, and he throws her away for this?"

"Violet would have been a better Luna. Everyone knows it."

Vivian's nails dug into her palms. She held her smile, but fury burned in her chest.

Later that evening, she cornered Kian in his office. "They're still talking about her. After everything we've been through, they still think she's better than me."

"Vivian, not now…"

"Yes, now!" She slammed her hands on his desk. "You need to make a public statement. Tell them she was unworthy. Tell them she abandoned you. Tell them something that makes them stop looking at me like I'm the villain!"

Kian rubbed his temples. "I can't just…"

"You can, and you will." Vivian's eyes flashed. "Unless you want me to tell everyone what really happened that day. How you begged me to fake that allergic reaction. How you planned it all."

His head snapped up. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." She crossed her arms. "Denounce her publicly, or I'll make sure your father knows every detail."

Kian's POV

I stood in my office the next morning, staring at an envelope that had been delivered with no return address. Inside were photographs. Documents. Records.

Evidence of every time I'd canceled plans with Violet for Vivian. Bank statements showing the money I'd spent on Vivian's gifts while buying Violet cheap presents. Text messages I thought I'd deleted. Hospital records from Violet's injuries. And a detailed timeline of everything that had happened leading to her amputation.

The final page was a letter with just one line: "I know everything. - D"

Damian.

My hands shook as I read through it all. If this got out, my position as Alpha heir would be destroyed. The Council would never accept a leader who'd treated his mate this way.

I grabbed my phone and called Damian's number, but it went straight to voicemail.

A knock on my door made me jump. "Alpha Kian? The pack is gathered for your announcement."

Right. The public statement Vivian demanded.

I walked to the main hall, every step feeling heavier than the last. Pack members stood in clusters, watching me with expressions I couldn't read. Vivian stood off to the side, the moonstone bracelet glinting on her wrist.

I cleared my throat. "I've gathered you all here today to address the rumors about Violet."

The room went silent.

"She was not the right Luna for this pack. She was…" The words stuck in my throat. My wolf stirred restlessly inside me. "She was unworthy of…"

Pain exploded in my chest. My wolf roared in my mind, furious and violent. I gasped, trying to continue.

"Violet abandoned her duties as…"

My wolf slammed against my consciousness so hard I staggered. The pain intensified, spreading from my chest through my entire body.

"She was weak and…" I coughed, tasting blood. Blood splattered on the floor in front of me.

Screams echoed through the hall as I collapsed to my knees, coughing up more blood. My wolf was ripping me apart from the inside, howling in grief and rage.

"Get the pack doctor!" Someone shouted.

Through the pain and chaos, I heard Vivian's voice. "What's happening to him?"

The pack doctor arrived within minutes, checking my vitals as I continued to cough blood. When he finally spoke, his voice was grim.

"His wolf is in crisis. The severed mate bond is causing a rejection response." He looked at me with something like pity. "Your wolf is grieving, Alpha. And it's rejecting your chosen replacement."

"That's impossible," Vivian protested. "He chose me!"

"The wolf doesn't lie," the doctor said quietly. "And right now, his wolf is dying inside because of what he's lost."

As darkness crept into my vision, one thought echoed through my mind: What have I done?