THE BOND THAT BROKE

Aria POV

The next day arrived faster than I was ready for.

I was summoned at dawn. The elders had agreed to Logan's request. My bond was to be severed.

I stood in the center of the community building, my head bowed, my tangled hair falling around my face. I could hear the pack gathering around me-the shuffle of feet, the whispers of confusion, the quiet voices of parents trying to understand what was happening. Children stared at me from behind their mothers. Even the soldiers, the very men I had helped and supported, stood watching in helpless silence.

Logan stepped onto the dais in front of the community building. Natalia stood beside him, her arm wrapped around his, her rounded belly proudly displayed. My parents stood behind them, smiling from ear to ear.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Murmurs spread like wildfire.

"What is the meaning of this, Logan?" Elder Marcus stepped forward, his voice sharp with authority.

"I am here today to sever my mate bond with Aria." Logan's voice was flat and dismissive. "Natalia will become the Luna of this pack."

The crowd erupted.

I heard a woman's voice rise above the chaos. "Aria has been a good Luna! When you were traveling, she took care of this pack! She fed our children when we had nothing!"

Another voice joined in. "Why should we choose Natalia over her? Natalia abandoned this pack years ago!"

"Who will help us through the plague, Alpha?"

Logan's jaw tightened. His eyes swept over me with cold contempt.

"She cannot bear an heir. For five years, Aria has been unable to give me a child. She is useless. She is to step down from her position."

Elias shot to his feet, his face pale with barely contained fury. "This is outrageous! To sever her bond for such nonsense reasons? The bond could kill her, Logan! Are you so heartless that you would sacrifice her life for your selfish desires?"

"It is a very good reason." Logan's voice was cold. "She is barren. The pack will die without an heir. Natalia has already proven she can give me what Aria could not."

Natalia stepped forward, one hand resting on her belly. She smiled at the crowd, her eyes wide with false innocence.

"I know this is difficult," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "But I am carrying the future of this pack. I will be a good Luna. I promise. As for the plague, we could simply hire someone else to handle it."

"This is outrageous!"

The voices around me blurred into a distant murmur.

I stared at Logan. He met my gaze, and I quickly looked away, too ashamed to see what was in his eyes.

If only I had borne him a pup sooner.

"I agree to sever the bond." The words left my mouth, my voice flat and hollow.

Logan's eyes widened in shock before he quickly masked it. He hadn't expected me to agree.

Natalia's smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction, while Elias looked at me in horror.

I stepped forward. "I'm ready for the chants."

The elders hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances.

Elias suddenly lunged forward, but two soldiers grabbed him and held him back.

"Let me go!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "Aria! Do not let them do this! Fight!"

Logan snapped at him with a deep growl before turning back to me.

"She won't die. I'm sure she's smart enough to find a way to survive this, don't you think?"

I said nothing.

I simply stood there, staring at the sky.

The elders began to chant, the ancient words of the severing ritual filling the air.

I felt the bond in my chest-the invisible thread connecting me to Logan-begin to tear.

I gasped as my knees buckled beneath me, sending me crashing to the ground.

The sensation was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

I groaned, trying to keep my composure, but the pain was too much. It burned through me, suffocating me, as my wolf screamed inside me, fighting to hold on.

The pain intensified, and she grew weaker by the second.

Blood filled my mouth.

The pain became unbearable. I screamed, the sound tearing from my throat and echoing through the courtyard. My wolf howled inside me, fighting until the very end.

Then the bond shattered.

I was thrown backward as blood spilled from my mouth.

The world spun around me. I could barely breathe or think, feeling only the hollow emptiness where my wolf used to be.

She was gone.

I was alone.

Logan looked down at me, his face unreadable, before turning to Natalia.

"Now move out of my estate. Your duty is done."

I tried to stand, but the pain in my chest nearly brought me back to my knees. Elias ran toward me, but Logan's voice cut through the air.

"Beta Elias, you are hereby banned from the pack."

Elias went still, his face paling. Whispers erupted around the courtyard as the elders stepped forward in fury.

"Logan, how dare you ban Elias!" Elder Marcus shouted. "He is the Beta of this pack! He has served faithfully for years!"

Logan's voice was cold and absolute. "Shut up. I am your Alpha, and my word is final. Get this traitor out of my pack."

Elias stood frozen, his hands trembling at his sides.

"Aria..." His voice broke. "I failed you."

I forced a smile, even as blood dripped from my lips. "You did everything you could, Elias. Go. Please. Just go."

"No," he said, his voice fierce. "I will not leave you."

I looked at him, at the one person who had never abandoned me.

"It's okay. I've been alone all along. I'll manage."

The soldiers grabbed him. He fought, thrashing against them and screaming my name, but they dragged him away-out of the courtyard, out of the pack, out of my life.

I was alone.

I collapsed onto the cold stone floor, my body broken and my wolf gone.

I let the darkness take me.