The Wrong Choice

Ryker’s POV

The bond was supposed to disappear when I severed it.

It didn't.

I stood alone in the corridor with my fist still pressed against the wall, the cold stone biting into my knuckles. I had cracked it without meaning to. The impact had sent a dull pain shooting up my arm, but I welcomed it. Physical pain was easier to understand than whatever was happening inside my chest.

The ceremony hall was still buzzing behind me. I could hear them through the walls. The hushed voices. The shocked murmurs. The sound of a hundred wolves trying to make sense of what they had just witnessed.

What I had just done.

I pushed off the wall and walked. I did not know where I was going. I only knew I could not stand still. Every step echoed through the empty corridor like a heartbeat, steady and relentless, reminding me that I was still here. Still breathing. Still standing.

Even though a part of me felt like it had been ripped away.

I stopped and pressed my palm against my chest.

There.

Right there.

That was where the bond had formed. For one blinding moment, when Olivia's wolf had awakened and the Moon Goddess had tied our souls together, I had felt it. A pull so strong it had nearly brought me to my knees. A connection that went deeper than blood, deeper than duty, deeper than anything I had ever known.

And then I had severed it.

I had looked into her eyes and said the words that would destroy her.

"The Moon Goddess must have made a mistake."

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The image was still there. Olivia standing in the center of the hall, surrounded by wolves who had gathered to celebrate. Her silver dress shimmering under the lights. Her dark hair falling in soft waves around her face. Her warm hazel eyes locked on mine.

She had looked at me with such hope.

Such fragile, desperate hope.

And I had crushed it.

Not because I wanted to.

Because I had to.

My wolf stirred deep inside me, a low growl rumbling through my chest. He had been silent since the ceremony, buried somewhere I could not reach him. But now I felt him pushing against my ribs, restless and angry.

You hurt her.

I opened my eyes and stared at the wall in front of me. "I know."

You hurt our mate.

The word hit me like a blow.

Mate.

She was my mate. My fated mate. The one the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. The one my wolf had recognized instantly.

And I had rejected her.

I had no choice, I told him.

The growl deepened.

Liar.

I slammed my fist against the wall again. The stone cracked wider this time, but I did not care. I wanted to feel something other than this hollow ache that was spreading through my chest like poison.

"You did the right thing."

The voice came from behind me, soft and confident.

I did not turn around. I already knew who it was.

Alessia.

She moved into my peripheral vision, her red dress catching the dim light of the corridor. She had been at the ceremony. Of course she had been. She would never miss an opportunity to watch me in front of the pack.

Now she stood beside me with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes studying my face.

"You did the right thing," she repeated.

I said nothing.

She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her perfume. "She isn't fit to be your Luna, Ryker. Everyone knows that."

I turned my head slowly. "Alessia."

She ignored the warning in my voice and reached up to adjust my collar. Her fingers were cool and deliberate, lingering against my neck in a way that made my skin prickle with irritation.

"You need someone who can stand beside you," she continued. "Someone who understands what it means to lead. Someone who won't crumble under the weight of the crown."

She smiled, slow and satisfied.

"I'm the best choice for you, Ryker."

I caught her wrist and pulled her hand away. Not roughly. Just firmly enough to make my point.

"Don't."

Her smile faltered for just a moment before returning. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Like what?"

"Like you regret it." She stepped closer again, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You rejected her. You got exactly what you wanted."

My jaw tightened.

"So why do you look like you're about to fall apart?"

I turned to face her fully. "I'm not."

She searched my face, her eyes narrowing. "Then look me in the eyes and say it."

I looked at her.

But for a split second, I did not see Alessia.

I saw Olivia.

Standing alone in the center of the hall. Her hands trembling at her sides. Her lips parted as though she wanted to speak but could not find the words. Her eyes wide and glistening, reflecting the exact moment her heart broke.

My chest tightened.

I looked away.

Alessia's expression hardened. "That's what I thought."

She stepped back, and for the first time, there was something other than confidence in her eyes. Jealousy. Frustration. The realization that she was not the only woman occupying my thoughts.

"You can lie to yourself, Ryker," she said quietly. "But don't lie to me."

My wolf growled again, louder this time.

She knows nothing.

Alessia tilted her head. "What is wrong with you?"

I did not answer.

Because I did not know.

I had done what I was supposed to do. I had followed orders. I had protected the pack. I had protected Olivia, even if she would never know it.

So why did I feel like I had just made the worst mistake of my life?

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

I straightened immediately.

Marcus.

My father walked toward us with the measured stride of a man who owned everything he touched. His presence filled the hallway, pressing against my skin like a physical weight. Even Alessia stepped back, her confidence shrinking in his shadow.

"Did you do what I asked?" he said.

I met his eyes. "She won't be a problem."

Marcus studied me carefully. His gaze was cold and unreadable, the same gaze he had turned on me my entire life. I had learned long ago that there was no warmth in those eyes. Only calculation.

"Good," he said.

He stepped closer, close enough that I could see the faint gray at his temples.

"Because if that girl is truly who I believe she is, you must stay away from her."

Something cold slid down my spine.

"Who do you believe she is?"

Marcus paused. For a long moment, he said nothing. The silence stretched between us like a wire pulled taut.

Then he spoke, and his words sent ice through my veins.

"Someone who should have remained dead."

He turned and walked away without another word. The sound of his footsteps faded into the darkness, leaving only silence behind.

Alessia lingered at the edge of my vision. "Ryker—"

"Leave."

She hesitated, her lips pressing into a thin line. Then she turned and walked away, her heels clicking against the stone until the sound disappeared.

I stood alone in the corridor, my father's words echoing in my mind.

Someone who should have remained dead.

What did that mean?

Who was Olivia Hart really?

And why did every instinct I had tell me that I had just made a terrible mistake?

The bond was gone.

But she was still there.

Inside my head.

Inside my chest.

A ghost I could not shake.