CHAPTER THREE: THE FIRST DAY OF SILENCE

The corridors of the alpha wing were colder than I remembered.

Not because of the stone walls or the drafty windows, but because of the absence of warmth. The pack had never been cruel to me before. They had been curious, yes. Awed, even. But never cold.

Now, their silence was louder than any insult.

I walked slowly back to my room, my steps echoing like a reminder of my own insignificance. The bond throbbed at the base of my neck like a pulse I couldn’t control. It was there, but it didn’t feel like a connection. It felt like a punishment.

When I reached my room, I paused at the door and listened.

Nothing.

No footsteps. No whispers. No laughter. No one calling my name.

I stepped inside and shut the door behind me.

The room was empty.

Not just physically empty, but emotionally empty. The bed was made neatly, the curtains drawn back to let in light, and yet it felt like I was walking into a place that didn’t belong to me.

Because it didn’t.

I sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the mark on my neck. It was still faint, like a bruise that refused to heal.

His mark.

The claiming had been real. The bond had been real.

But his presence wasn’t.

I pressed my fingers against the skin where the mark burned, and the bond reacted like a wounded animal. It pulled tight for a moment, then loosened again, like it was unsure if it was allowed to connect.

“Why?” I whispered to the empty room.

I didn’t know if I was asking the bond, or Kael, or myself.

I stood and moved to the window. Beyond the glass, the pack grounds stretched wide and green, the trees standing tall like silent witnesses. The air smelled like wet earth and wildflowers, the scent of life continuing even when mine felt like it had stopped.

My heart beat hard in my chest, not from fear, but from anger.

How could he do this?

How could he claim me under the moon like a promise, then treat me like a stranger in daylight?

I paced the room, my hands shaking.

Maybe I was overreacting.

Maybe he was just… stressed.

Maybe he had reasons.

But the bond didn’t care about reasons.

The bond didn’t ask for explanations.

The bond wanted connection.

And it was being denied.

I sank to the floor, my back against the wall, and pressed my forehead to my knees.

I remembered the night of the claiming. The way he had pulled me close. The way the pack had watched in awe. The way his eyes had looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.

And then the morning after.

The silence.

The distance.

The rejection.

My chest tightened again, and the bond pulsed like a heartbeat trying to survive.

I sat there for a long time, staring at the floor, until the sound of footsteps outside the door snapped me back to reality.

The door opened slowly.

A young servant girl stepped inside, her eyes wide and cautious.

“Alpha Kael asked me to bring you food,” she said softly, holding out a tray.

I nodded, too stunned to speak.

She hesitated, then continued, “He said you are not to leave the alpha wing today.”

My throat tightened.

“Why?” I asked, voice barely above a whisper.

The girl’s eyes flicked toward the door as if she expected someone to overhear.

“He didn’t say,” she replied. “But he said… he wants you to rest.”

I wanted to scream.

Rest.

As if I was a child.

As if I was fragile.

As if I was nothing more than a possession he needed to keep in place.

I took the tray and stood, trying to control my shaking hands.

“Thank you,” I said, forcing a smile.

The girl nodded and left quickly, closing the door behind her.

I sat at the table and stared at the food. It looked normal. It smelled normal.

But nothing felt normal anymore.

I ate slowly, my mind racing.

If Kael wanted me to rest, why had he refused to speak to me? Why had he avoided me like I was contagious?

Why did he treat me like a burden?

I pushed the plate away, my appetite gone.

The bond pulsed again, like a warning.

I could feel Kael.

Not in the way a mate should feel. Not like a warm connection.

I felt him like a distant storm.

Cold.

Unreachable.

Angry.

The bond was screaming, but he wasn’t listening.

And the worst part?

I realized I wasn’t the only one who felt it.

The pack felt it too.

I had seen it in their eyes earlier. The way they looked at me like I was a problem. A mistake. A secret they didn’t want to admit.

I was not only rejected by my mate.

I was being rejected by my pack.

A sharp pain shot through my chest.

And I couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

Not because I was weak.

Because I was finally realizing the truth.

This wasn’t just about him.

This was about power.

Kael wasn’t rejecting me because he didn’t care.

He was rejecting me because he didn’t want to be tied down.

He didn’t want a bond.

He didn’t want responsibility.

And I was the only one who could force him to accept it.

The bond tightened again, as if it sensed my realization.

I stood abruptly, anger boiling in my veins.

I couldn’t stay here.

I couldn’t stay in a place where I was treated like a mistake.

I walked to the door and opened it.

The corridor was empty.

I stepped out quietly, moving through the hallways like a ghost.

I didn’t know where I was going.

I just knew I needed to escape.

To breathe.

To feel like I belonged somewhere else.

I slipped through the alpha wing and down the stairs, keeping my head low. The servants looked at me with pity, and the warriors avoided me like I was cursed.

When I reached the outer door, I paused.

The sun was high in the sky. The pack grounds were full of activity.

But I couldn’t look at them.

Not yet.

Not when every glance felt like judgment.

I opened the door and stepped out into the fresh air.

The world felt too loud.

Too bright.

Too alive.

I walked toward the forest without thinking, my feet carrying me away from the pack and away from Kael’s cold eyes.

The trees welcomed me like an old friend.

Their branches swayed softly in the wind, and for a moment, I felt something I hadn’t felt since the claiming.

Peace.

I walked deeper into the forest, my heart pounding, my mind racing.

I didn’t know where I was going.

But I knew I couldn’t go back.

Not yet.

Not when the bond felt like a trap.

Not when Kael had already begun to distance himself from me.

I found a small clearing and sat down on a fallen log, my hands trembling.

The bond pulsed again, and I felt it like a heartbeat against my skin.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself.

I tried to tell myself that this was temporary.

That Kael would change.

That the bond would eventually strengthen.

But deep down, I knew the truth.

This was not a momentary problem.

This was the beginning of something worse.

The bond was screaming.

And I was the only one hearing it.