Searing flame. Not inside, but through. It tore at my chest, leaving not a single inch free from this acrid, vile pain. Most would have waited. They would have given themselves time. But rage would not allow it. It pulsed in my temples, spilling out through clenched teeth. My wolf growled—deep, guttural. It wasn't approval; it was a primal disgust for an alien, unwanted bond.
"Weakness," he hissed in my head.
A few hours ago, the Moon had made a mistake. And the Moon would pay for it.
"Alpha, perhaps we should wait?" someone dared to utter as I walked past.
I didn't slow my pace. My gaze, heavy as lead, knocked him off his feet. Not physically. The words simply stuck in his throat. My will is law. Here, now.
Damian stood against the wall, the corners of his lips twitching. Barely noticeable. He was hiding a smirk; I could see it. As if this spectacle amused him. That bastard. My fist clenched, my knuckles cracking.
My father, Edric, watched in silence. His gaze, usually stern, now burned with impatience. He was waiting. Waiting for me to act like an Alpha. No weakness. No retreats. His silent approval fed my fury.
The pack had gathered in the main hall. Fast. Too fast to understand what was happening, but slow enough to feel the tension. The torches burned dimly, casting long shadows. The air was heavy, smelling of ceremonial smoke mixed with sweat and fear. I stood before them; their eyes darted around, avoiding my gaze.
"Attention!" my voice tore through the silence, low and oppressive, with growling undertones. Every muscle was taut. "This night... it brought a mistake. The Moon was wrong."
I felt the pack flinch. A murmur, barely audible, ran through the ranks. They didn't dare contradict me, but they heard the challenge. A challenge to the Moon herself. My wolf liked it. He loved breaking the rules if it solidified my power.
"The bond... has manifested." I spat the word like poison. "But it is not the bond I need. Not the one this pack needs."
My heartbeat quickened. My inner beast strained to get out, ready to tear apart anyone who dared to doubt. The burning inside intensified, as if my blood were boiling.
"We need strength! Not weakness!"
I shifted my gaze to the periphery of the crowd. She was standing there. Pale, slumped, her eyes downcast. Alina. Contempt pricked me.
"Alina..." I spoke her name, and it sounded like a sentence. "The Moon pointed to her. But I... I refuse this choice."
Shock. It swept through the pack like a wave. The whispering grew louder, but no one dared raise their voice. Their eyes widened. To reject a mate sent by the Moon? It was unheard of. A desecration. But my gaze, heavy and relentless, forced them into silence.
"She will not be my mate." My words were clear and sharp, like shards of ice. "Never. Her place... is not here. Not beside me."
I felt disgusted. At the very thought that I could be bound to such a... nonentity. To this weak, trembling creature. My wolf threw back his head.
"She is a disgrace," he growled in my head, and I felt my lips curl.
"I am the Alpha!" I raised my voice, and it filled the hall, suppressing any protest. "I choose the path of this pack! My will is above all else! Do you understand?"
They did not dare not to understand. Nods. Nervous, quick nods. Their fear was palpable, hanging in the air, mixing with the scent of my anger—acrid woodsmoke, sharp metal, and pine needles.
"This... this is wrong," an elderly woman whispered.
My gaze snapped to her, and she cringed.
"My will is law!" I repeated. "My strength is unshakable! And nothing, not even the Moon... will make me weak!"
Weakness. This cursed bond burning through me—that was the weakness. The attachment I felt. Loathsome, unwanted. I despised it. I despised myself for feeling it.
"Alpha..." Damian stepped forward, his voice soft but with an undertone. "Such a decision... it is not without consequences. The Moon..."
"The Moon made a mistake!" I cut him off, my voice full of disdain. "I am correcting her error. I rule this pack. My blood, my strength, my choice. Mine alone."
I looked at Alina. She raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears. Silent sobs wracked her fragile body. Total, all-consuming humiliation. It was revolting. Her weakness, her tears. They only intensified the burning. They reminded me of my own weakness, of the link that bound us.
My wolf inside bared his teeth.
"Remove her," he growled. "She desecrates. Too weak."
"Do you hear me?" I addressed her. Her head bowed again. "You are nothing. You are a mistake. And you... you will be exiled from my pack. Tomorrow. Let your Moon take care of her mistake."
She trembled. She didn't answer. It was as if she were fading before my eyes. Her silent submission only irritated me further. My inner beast was raging. This bond burned unendurably. Like fire in the blood. Uncontrollable. Unwanted.
I turned my back on Alina, my back on the pack. My gaze fell on the stone wall. Cold, gray, unyielding. Just like me.
A powerful blow. My fist slammed into the stone. A dull, sharp sound echoed through the hall. Pain shot through my wrist, but it was only an echo of the pain burning inside. The searing of the bond intensified, as if responding to my strike, to my denial. I felt it—I felt her despair—but I crushed it. I crushed it to kill it, to extinguish it.
"Alpha?" came an uncertain voice.
I didn't turn around. I didn't want to see their faces. I didn't want to see their pity or fear. Only my anger. Only my rage.
The pack began to disperse. Slowly, quietly, like shadows. Cautious steps, muffled whispers. They left her. Alina. Alone. With her grief. Her tears continued to flow, but now silently, invisibly in the gloom.
I remained. My fist still burned. The fire inside me did not subside. It was there—living, stubborn. Cursed bond. But I was stronger. I had to be stronger. And I will break it.
"I will break it," I whispered to myself, and my wolf inside growled in response, confirming. "I will destroy it."