Kaelen's POV
Elder Helga's voice sliced through my turbulent thoughts. I pivoted to face her, catching sight of those familiar cornflower blue eyes fixed on me with an expression that made my blood run cold. The same pitying look she wore when the healer delivered the news about my mother's condition being beyond help.
That damned expression of sympathy that reduced me to feeling like a helpless child, powerless to alter the course of events. "Whatever chaos has unfolded here," she murmured, "you cannot reject this bride."
My stare bore into her. "Elder..."
"The goddess has bestowed her blessing," Helga pressed on. "We both sensed it throughout the ceremony. The connection binding you two has already established deep foundations. To sever it now would constitute sacrilege against the Moon Goddess herself. We cannot risk the potential repercussions she might face."
Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper at the conclusion, yet her words struck me like an icy deluge. On any ordinary day, I wouldn't spare a thought about provoking the Moon Goddess's eternal fury by rejecting her supposed gift. Religious devotion had never been my strong suit.
However, my mother's survival hung by a thread. Her precarious state made it impossible for me to dismiss divine intervention carelessly. I could no longer remain indifferent to the Moon Goddess's expectations.
I might encounter another mate eventually, but I would forever have only one mother.
If I proceeded recklessly with severing this bond, how else might the goddess retaliate against me except through my mother? She had already endured enough suffering. I refused to allow more.
My jaw locked tight.
Fate seemed determined to make me its puppet today.
My gaze shifted to Lyra. She remained motionless, trembling violently while tears cascaded down her face. Through our connection, I sensed her panic and bewilderment colliding with my own rage like relentless waves battering against solid rock.
The impossible predicament she had created for me constricted around my throat like a hangman's noose. Whether driven by envy, manipulation, or pure foolishness, she had ensnared me as effectively as iron shackles.
Very well.
If severing this bond would invoke the goddess's wrath, then I would ensure she regretted every second of what followed.
I faced the assembled crowd. My voice emerged frigid and precise, reaching every corner of the ceremonial hall.
"The wedding will proceed."
Collective gasps erupted throughout the room. Conversations exploded in overlapping fragments. Disbelief and astonishment saturated their voices. None could comprehend what they had heard, while Lyra gaped at me with enormous eyes filled with shock. My mouth twisted with disgust.
I raised my hand, demanding silence.
"However, make no mistake," I continued. "This serves as punishment. She craved this position desperately enough to assault her own sister? Excellent. She possesses it now. And she will discover precisely what she has secured."
I addressed Alpha Alaric directly. The man appeared to have aged decades within the past few minutes.
"Does this arrangement satisfy you?" I inquired. "Or would you prefer risking your pack's existence to shield your wayward daughter?"
The threat required no elaboration. Accept these terms or face dire consequences. Alaric's complexion turned ashen. His mouth opened wordlessly.
"Father, please no, father I beg you."
Lyra had collapsed beside me. She pleaded with him, her voice fracturing with each syllable.
"Stand up," I ordered, barely containing the poison lacing my tone.
She met my eyes, then rose slowly. Her entire frame shook like autumn foliage in a violent gale.
"I apologize," she breathed. "I swear this outcome was never my goal. I never intended to destroy this wedding."
The sight of her pathetic display nauseated me.
Kneeling, pleading, reduced to something wretched. I loathed it more than outright rebellion.
This charade of vulnerability, combined with the desperate fear she continuously projected through our mate bond hoping to soften my resolve, made my flesh crawl.
As though diminishing herself could erase her deliberate choice. As though portraying herself as a victim could rewrite her malicious intentions.
Alpha Alaric finally recovered his voice.
"Alpha Kaelen," he rasped, hands rising in futile, appeasing gestures. "Please understand. She is young and foolish."
I released a single, harsh laugh.
"Enough," I declared. "Do not stand there insulting my intelligence."
"It is simply that she did not grasp the significance. She never anticipated these consequences. You understand how young women behave, driven by emotion. I merely request mercy."
That broke my restraint.
I moved closer, near enough that he stiffened, close enough to force eye contact.
"Do not insult me again," I said softly. "Or disgrace yourself further. You stand here calling your own blood foolish as though that excuses her actions. Stupidity provides no protection. She understood enough to deceive. She possessed sufficient awareness to conceal her plans. She even involved accomplices. The alliance I sought was no trivial matter."
Lyra shook her head frantically, tears streaming. "Father, please," she sobbed. "You know I meant no harm to anyone. I acted believing it would save our family. I am confused and frightened. They are portraying me as something evil. I believed Daphne had fled willingly."
I ignored her completely.
I maintained focus on Alpha Alaric, observing the exact moment his determination finally shattered.
His shoulders slumped as his remaining fight abandoned him entirely.
"Alpha Kaelen," he repeated, subdued now. "What are your demands?"
"Excellent," I replied. "I require your decision. Would you prefer I resolve this matter here on your territory under my jurisdiction, or should your daughter face an elders circle at Ironfang to answer completely for her transgressions? I may be unable to reject her, but that does not prevent her from paying for her crimes if I truly desire it. Even Willow Brook would be drawn into that nightmare."
All color fled from his features.
He comprehended the implications perfectly and capitulated entirely.
"We accept your judgment," he conceded. "Whatever you decide."
Lyra released a broken cry.
"No," she wailed, lunging toward him. "Father, please refuse this. Do not abandon me. Please, I beg you."
"Save your breath," I interrupted coldly. "You wanted me so desperately? You have me now. Let us conclude this."
I seized her, drawing her against me. She gasped, hands pressing against my chest defensively, but my strength far exceeded hers. I tangled fingers in her hair, forcing her head back, and pressed my mouth brutally against hers.
The bond ignited between us like fire meeting fuel. I felt it lock completely into place, binding us together permanently. Her lips were soft and tasted of salt from her tears. She made a small, distressed sound that vibrated against my mouth.
I withdrew just enough to study her eyes. They were wide and dark with terror and what could only be described as devastation.
"You will regret ever taking your sister's place," I murmured, ensuring only she could hear. "I guarantee it."
Then I kissed her again, sealing our bond completely while the crowd witnessed and our mate connection solidified into something permanent and inescapable.
She belonged to me now. And I intended to ensure she understood exactly what that entailed.