Chapter 9

Karen’s POV

The chains rattled every time I moved, biting into my skin until my wrists were raw. The rogues’ den reeked of blood, smoke, and damp stone, every breath burning in my chest.

 Even in this darkness, the bond would keep me tethered. His warmth. His strength. The invisible thread that whispered, you’re not alone.

But when the footsteps came, echoing down the tunnel. 

Two rogues emerged from the shadows, their snarls twisting into cruel smiles. One of them held a syringe filled with thick green liquid that shimmered like poison under the torchlight, it was wolfsbane, I could tell by the color. My wolf stirred restlessly, dread slicing through me.

“W-what is that?” My voice shook. I already knew.

He didn't say a word 

My chest seized. “No… no, you can’t…”

The second rogue grabbed my shoulders, slamming me back against the cold wall. I thrashed, the chains clattering, but their grip was iron. My heart pounded as the needle loomed closer.

“Don’t!” My voice cracked, desperation spilling out. “If you do this… he’ll come for you. Zaiden will tear you apart!”

The rogue leaned in, his breath hot and foul against my ear. “That’s exactly what we want.”

The syringe pierced my skin.

Agony exploded through me, liquid fire searing into my veins. My wolf screamed, clawing and thrashing, but her strength faltered under the burning flood. I gasped, choked, cried out until my throat was raw, but they only laughed.

And then I felt silence.

The bond. The thread that had always been there, pulling, humming faintly at the back of my mind snapped.

One moment, Zaiden’s presence was a steady flame, distant but alive. The next, it was gone. 

“Zaiden?” My whisper broke. I reached inward, desperate, clawing at the emptiness where he should’ve been. Nothing, no warmth, he wasn't there either.

Tears blurred my vision, panic crashing over me in waves. The rogues let me slump forward, trembling violently as my wolf whimpered in the void.

“Do you feel that?” the tall one mocked, holding up the empty syringe. “No Alpha. No bond. Just you. Alone.”

I shook my head, denial ripping through me. “No… no, you’re lying.” My voice fractured into a sob. “I can always feel him. Always.”

But the silence inside me was deafening.

The rogues laughed as they turned and left me in the darkness, their footsteps fading.

I curled in on myself, chains clinking as I shook. The bond was gone. The one thing that made me feel safe, alive it was ripped away.

And for the first time since I’d met him, I wasn’t just afraid of the rogues.

I was afraid of the emptiness.

******

Zaiden’s POV

The battle haze was only just clearing. Rogues had been driven back to the borders, and my warriors were rallying, bloodied but standing strong.

I should have felt victorious. I should have felt the triumph of survival.

But instead…, I froze.

The bond.

It had always been there a pulse beneath my skin, a faint pull at the back of my mind. Karen’s heartbeat, her fear, her stubborn will pressing against mine even when she tried to resist me.

And then, it went out.

I staggered, claws flexing as my wolf snarled, thrashing inside me. Mate. Gone.

“No,” I growled aloud, my voice a harsh rasp. I reached inward, clawing desperately for her presence, for the warmth that always answered mine. I felt nothing, only cold silence.

Panic ripped through me. My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. My golden eyes burned as my wolf snapped at the emptiness, refusing to accept it.

“Karen!” I roared through the bond. Nothing answered. Not even an echo.

The sound that left my throat wasn’t human. It was a raw, guttural snarl that shook the trees around me. Wolves froze mid-step, warriors bowing their heads under the sheer force of the fury radiating from me.

Cole rushed forward, panting. “Alpha! What’s wrong?”

“She’s gone.” My voice broke like thunder. My hands trembled as my claws tore into the earth. “I can’t feel her.”

Cole’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. He didn’t need to. The truth was carved into my face, my voice, my rage.

The rogues hadn’t just attacked my borders. They took her and silenced my mate.

A growl built deep in my chest, shaking me to the bone. My wolf clawed for blood, demanding vengeance, demanding we tear the world apart until she was back in our arms.

I lifted my head, eyes burning gold, fury consuming every inch of me. “Find them,” I snarled, voice laced with lethal promise. “Every last rogue. Burn the forest if you have to I don’t care. Bring me their heads.”

And as my warriors scattered to obey, I swore to the moon itself whoever dared touch her, whoever dared poison our bond would beg for death before I was finished with them.

Because if she couldn’t feel me… then I would make the entire world feel my wrath.

I turned toward my chambers, already planning, already hunting. I would uncover every rogue den near my lands. And I wouldn’t stop until I found her.