Chapter 7

Ronan's Pov

The large board council chambers buzzed with familiar voices of the elders of Crescent Moon’s Park and my warriors discussing patrol routes and border security.

The aroma of pinewood from the fire blended with the scent of leather and old parchments stirred the comfort flow of pack life which I had known since my youth. Everything felt right and good within.

I tapped my three right fingers vigorously as I sat at the head of the long oak table listening to the reports made by council members.

My jaw was tense, one feeling I've grown accustomed to. As an Alpha, my duty is to ensure care to every life entrusted to me and also bearing the weight of every decision.

Elder Varyn stood, cleared his throat then began, “Alpha, our borders grow restless. Rogues gather in the east, and whispers of Raven’s movements spread.” he looked deep into my eyes saying, “The pack needs clarity. Yet you’ve been… distracted of late.”

Murmurs filled the council chambers among the other elders, Varyn's words weren't disrespectful but it carried weight.

“Choose your words carefully, Varyn,” I said, words coming out cold silencing their murmurs, “I neither get distracted nor am I answerable to anybody.”

Elder Varyn bows his head in submission but his eyes gleam with challenge, “Of course, Alpha. Yet, when a leader falters, the pack feels it,” he continues, “Perhaps it is… the matter of the rejected bond that burdens you still?”

The room stilled. A dangerous hush fell over the chamber. No one spoke of Aria openly, not in my presence.

Instantly my jaw flexed, fury flashing across my face. Before I could respond, a sharp pain struck through my chest like claws tearing me apart from the inside.

My vision blurred, as I felt fire burning in my ribs, making every breath I took in and exhaled out feel like shards of glass hooked in my lungs.

“Ahhh…” the cry that escaped my throat was anything but human.

Blood gushed out from my lips, panic erupted from the council members as they stood to their feet at once, their voices blending into a distant murmur of alarm that I couldn’t focus on.

“Alpha,” Garvin's voice was heard loudly through the chaos, laced in panic. He held my shoulder as I bent over the table, my knuckles turned white from my tight grip on the wooden table. “ What's wrong?”

Varyn, who remained seated, leaned closer, “This… is no ordinary weakness,” he said with sharp calculating eyes.

Beta Garvin snarled, “Watch your tongue, Varyn! Show respect to your Alpha!”

I tried to respond, blood filled my mouth again, spilling on the council's papers below.

“Something…” I struggled to speak, something was wrong…”

Yet as I said those words, I realised that the source of my pain is from within and It's not an external attack. Something within attacked and I couldn't tell what exactly.

A burning sensation which felt both foreign and familiar, voices of what I should know.

Then Kael howled aggressively

The sound roared in my mind, so strong it felt like my head might crack.

My wolf had been restless for weeks, but I had never heard him like this, sounding raw, desperate, terrified.

“Ronan!” his voice thundered, “ Do you feel it? The pain. She’s in pain and we will suffer alongside her.”

The impact of his words struck me harder than the pain coursing through me. Now I understand brutally.

“Aria…” I whispered

Her name sounds like a confession I wasn’t ready to make.

The chamber was silent, my council members still stood confused, a worried expression on their faces. Their Alpha who never showed weakness is now reduced to this, shaking like a leaf.

“Alpha,” Garvin called, urgency in his voice, “You need to tell us what's happening,”

I couldn't respond, my grips on the table broke the oak tree into two, waves of Kael's anguish that swept over me.

“She's…,” I started but faltered.

How could I explain what I'm feeling? How could I disclose that the woman I banished was still bound to me? She's still alive and connected to me.

I tried to stand then another pain surged again within like a blow, this made my knee collapse, I would have fallen but Garvin held me firmly.

Then I excused myself.

Kael’s voice came strong like a storm that engulfed my thought, “The bond isn't broken, it's cursed!” His voice carved into my soul, “Every wound she suffers, we feel. Find her, Ronan, or we both perish!"

The harsh realization came like a physical blow. For weeks, I had told myself I was free, convinced myself that by banishing Aria I had severed our connection. I was mistaken—horribly mistaken.

“No,” I murmured, but I could feel the

truth igniting in my chest. The ache that had haunted me since her departure, the restless nights, the frustration, it wasn’t guilt. It was her pain seeping into me.

Elder Marlow had approached me on the other side, his face etched with worry. “Alpha, you must tell us what’s happening. The pack needs to be informed…”

“I will find a solution,” I interrupted, trying to stand upright.

This burden wasn't theirs to carry, so I didn’t let them see that their Alpha's mistake might doom us all.

But even as I spoke, hiding in guise of confidence, Kael’s laughter sliced through my mind. It was dark, bitter, and knowing.

“A solution?” he snarled. “There’s no remedy for what is done. You bound us to her destruction the moment you rejected her. Each step she takes away from us exacerbates our suffering.”

“Then I’ll find a way to fix it,” I said, not noticing I now spoke aloud to my wolf. “There must be a right way to break this.”

“You fool,” Kael’s voice, quieter now, was even more chilling. “You still don’t comprehend. She’s not just our mate anymore. She’s becoming something else—something dangerous. Every moment you delay worsens our plight.”

Amidst the chaos, conflicting thoughts, Kael's voice spoke one last time, clear and urgent, overpowering other voices.

“Find her,” he whispered, anxious. “ Do so, before she destroys us all.”

As things got darker, I realised a harsh truth. I thought I was protecting my pack by removing a weak link.

In reality, I had created something far more dangerous than I ever anticipated.

And now, it was coming for me.