Chapter 2: The Severed Bond

​The word vibrated through every nerve in my body.

​Mate.

​For a second, the world went silent. The cold wind blowing off the mountains didn't bite anymore. The sharp throb in my bruised ribs vanished beneath a wave of sudden, overwhelming heat. I stared across the moonlit court at Alpha Kael, my pulse hammering in my ears.

​His golden eyes weren't cold anymore. They burned with a dark, intense light. The terrifying Alpha who held the entire territory in his grip was frozen mid-step, his broad chest heaving as he stared back at me. He smelled of rain, cedarwood, and ozone—a scent that felt like home to a part of me I didn't even know existed.

​I have a mate, my inner voice whispered. The Goddess didn't forget me.

​I took a small step forward, reaching out on instinct. "Kael..."

​Gasps broke out across the crowded court.

​"Did she just move toward the Alpha?"

"Look at her eyes—they're glowing!"

"No way... the Moon Goddess wouldn't pair him with a curse!"

​The whispers turned into an angry buzz. The visiting lords shifted uncomfortably, and the pack elders bristled with sudden rage.

​Elder William slammed his wooden staff against the stone balcony. "Alpha Kael, step back from that girl! The Goddess would never bestow an unholy curse upon the leader of Mooncrest!"

​The loud crack of the staff broke the spell.

​A sharp twitch passed over Kael's jaw. The heat in his eyes snapped shut behind a wall of cold stone. The surprise on his face twisted into something dark and distant.

​He didn't back away, though. He walked straight toward me, his heavy leather boots clicking against the wet cobblestones I had spent all afternoon scrubbing. Every step he took felt heavy enough to shake the earth.

​"Kael..." I whispered, my voice trembling as he stopped right in front of me. His aura pressed against my chest, making it hard to catch my breath. "You felt it too, didn't you? The bond..."

​Kael reached out. His fingers caught my chin, tilting my face up into the full light of the moon.

​The moment his skin touched mine, a spark of electricity shot down my spine. My wolf let out a desperate, happy sound in my mind. I saw Kael's eyes flicker—just for a fraction of a second—as if he felt the exact same surge.

​I searched his face, hunting for any sign of warmth. "Please..."

​Kael leaned down, his voice dropping into a low, harsh whisper meant only for me.

​"You are a mistake, Selene," he said. "A broken mistake."

​The words hit me harder than Beta Thomas’s boot ever had. Ice flooded my veins. "What?"

​He dropped his hand, cutting off the touch. The warmth vanished, leaving behind a cold, aching void in my chest.

​Kael turned his back on me, facing the hundreds of wolves watching from the balcony. He raised his hand, his deep voice carrying over the crowd like thunder.

​"Wolves of Mooncrest! Visiting lords!" Kael announced, his tone flat and empty. "I refuse to allow an outcast to taint our pack."

​He turned his head slightly, his golden eyes cutting back to mine.

​"I, Kael, Alpha of Mooncrest, hereby reject you, Selene, as my mate."

​Something inside me snapped.

​I gasped, dropping to my knees on the wet stone as a sudden, sharp heat burst beneath my ribs. My wolf cried out in my mind, curling away as the golden thread tying us to him tore apart. Tears burned my split lip as I clutched my chest, staring up at the man who had just shattered my life.

​Cruel laughter broke out among the pack.

​"Serves the curse right!"

"Did she really think she could be our Luna?"

​Kael didn't flinch. He didn't even look down at me.

​"Beta Thomas," Kael commanded coldly. "Take her to the lower cells until dawn. At sunrise, she is banished from Mooncrest territory forever. If she ever sets foot on our soil again, kill her."

​Thomas stepped forward with a grin, grabbed my arm, and yanked me off the stone floor. I tried to pull back, but my legs felt like lead and my strength was completely gone.

​As Thomas dragged me toward the dark dungeon steps, I forced my head up to look at Kael one last time.

​He stood near the altar, his back to me, his fists clenched tight at his sides. But just as Thomas shoved me down into the dark stairwell, Kael turned his head.

​The torchlight caught his face for a split second.

​His jaw was set tight, his knuckles stark white. And as the heavy iron door slammed shut, locking me in the dark, I saw his golden eyes flash with a brilliant, unmistakable ring of silver.