Arien
I stepped into the meeting room, my heart pounding against my ribs like a war drum. My parents flanked me on either side, their expressions a mix of tension and disappointment. The room smelled of aged wood and candle smoke, the heavy atmosphere pressing down on my shoulders.
At the head of the long table sat the council members—former Betas Cole and Addy, former Gammas Brown and Lily, and the pack priestess. The present Betas and Gammas sat along the sides, their eyes sharp with disapproval. My grandparents should have been here, but they were long dead. In their absence, these elders held the authority to determine my fate.
I squared my shoulders, forcing a confident expression onto my face, but I could feel their gazes cutting into me. The weight of their judgment was suffocating.
Cole, the eldest among them, cleared his throat. "We are gathered here today to discuss the reckless decision made by Arien Alver White, which has thrown our pack into unnecessary turmoil." His voice was weak with age but firm with authority. His eyes burned into mine, filled with disappointment.
I clenched my jaw. I hated how these old men felt entitled to judge me.
"Are you aware of the gravity of your actions?" he pressed.
"Yes," I answered evenly.
"Then tell us, what is the situation at hand?"
I exhaled sharply. "I rejected my mate, and the pack has… concerns about it."
"Concerns?" Addy scoffed, his lip curling. "The pack is in panic, boy. Do you even understand the implications of what you've done?"
I forced back an eye roll, my irritation bubbling beneath my skin. "Yes," I said, my tone clipped. "I could lose my right to be Alpha. My family could be banished. The pack could become vulnerable to attack. I get it."
"Then why did you do it?" Addy demanded.
I leaned back slightly, a smirk tugging at my lips. "You won't like my answer."
"Enlighten us," Beta Kevin said, his eyes narrowing.
My mother stiffened beside me, throwing me a warning glance, but I ignored it.
"Fine," I said, folding my arms. "She wasn't my type. Too innocent. Too naive. Too… weak. She would have made a pathetic Luna. But I figured I'd at least sleep with her before I threw her away."
The room exploded.
Gasps, murmurs, and one outright curse filled the air.
My mother flinched as if I had struck her. My father closed his eyes, exhaling slowly through his nose. The council members looked at me like I was a monster.
"You used the mate bond for sex?" Cole's voice wavered with rage. "You disgraced the Moon Goddess herself for that?"
I shrugged. "Like I said, she wasn't fit to be my Luna."
"You arrogant little—" Addy slammed his palm onto the table. "You think being an Alpha is about choosing what's convenient for you? That girl was chosen by the Goddess herself! Who are you to question her judgment?"
"Perhaps the Goddess made a mistake," I said lazily.
"Enough!" Beta Kevin's voice thundered through the room. "Do you realize the chaos you've caused? The allies we could lose? The war you might bring upon us?"
I scoffed. "All this because I rejected some weak girl?"
Addy's face turned red with fury. "That 'weak girl' was your fated mate! Do you know how rare and sacred that bond is? And you discarded it like trash!"
"Arien," my mother's voice was tight with strain. "You need to understand—this is unforgivable."
I felt the first sharp pang in my chest, a familiar ache that had been tormenting me for weeks. I pressed a hand to my ribs, wincing slightly, but forced myself to keep my composure.
The priestess had been silent this whole time, her expression unreadable. She was the only one who hadn't raised her voice, hadn't looked at me with anger. Instead, she watched me with quiet intensity, as if seeing something none of the others could.
And then, she spoke.
"You need not punish him," she said softly.
The room fell into a stunned silence.
My father frowned. "Priestess—"
She lifted a hand, cutting him off. "The Moon Goddess has already punished him enough."
A fresh, searing pain tore through my chest. My knees buckled, my vision swam.
"Arien?" My mother's voice sounded distant.
I stumbled forward, gasping for breath, my fingers clawing at my shirt. The room spun. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside.
And then—everything went black.
---
Zuria
I awoke from my sleep with a start, my breathing ragged, my body covered in a cold sweat.
Something was wrong.
The bond that had once tethered me to Arien—one I thought had been severed—was pulling at me again. It wasn't the same as before. This time, it was dark, suffocating, agonizing.
I pressed my hand to my chest, my heartbeat hammering wildly.
"No," I whispered. "That's not possible."
But I could feel it. The mate bond—the very one he had cast aside—was twisting, writhing as if the Moon Goddess herself had grabbed it in her hands and was breaking it all over again.
I gasped as the pain sharpened.
Something was happening to Arien.
I should have hated him. After all he had done, after the way he had used me and discarded me, I should have wanted him to suffer.
But this… this was different.
The agony I felt wasn't just his. It was mine too.
Because whether I wanted to admit it or not… a part of me was still tied to him.
An
d whatever punishment the Moon Goddess was delivering…
It wasn't going to be something he could escape.