Maya woke to sunlight streaming through her repaired window. For a moment, everything seemed normal—until she tried to sit up. Pain shot through her body like lightning, making her gasp.
"Easy there," her mother said, appearing at her bedside with a cup of steaming tea. "You've been unconscious for two days."
"Two days?" Maya croaked, her throat dry. Memories flooded back—the ceremony, her public rejection, Elara taking the moonstone, Liam crashing through her window as a wolf. "What happened after I passed out?"
Her mother's face tightened. "Chaos. Alpha Marcus wanted you banished for insulting his son. Your father is still fighting that decision."
Maya's hand flew to her chest where the moonstone should have been. "It's gone."
"Yes." Her mother set down the tea. "And without it, your condition will only worsen."
"What do you mean?" Maya struggled to sit up despite the pain.
"The rejected mate bond is making you sick, Maya. When a wolf rejects their mate, the pain is just the beginning." Her mother's eyes filled with tears. "Your body is fighting itself."
A knock at the door interrupted them. Serena poked her head in, eyes wide. "She's awake!"
Maya's sister bounced onto the bed, then frowned when Maya winced. "You look awful."
"Thanks," Maya muttered.
"The whole pack is talking about what happened," Serena whispered excitedly. "No one's ever rejected a mate bond before! And then Liam went crazy, smashing through your window—"
"Serena, enough," their mother scolded. "Your sister needs rest."
"But Mom, she needs to know! Caleb's been telling everyone that Liam attacked her. And Liam hasn't shifted back since that night. He's been running as a wolf for two days straight!"
Maya's heart twisted. "Caleb said what?"
Before Serena could answer, their mother ushered her out. "That's enough excitement. Maya needs to rest."
When they were alone again, Maya tried to stand, but her legs buckled. Her mother caught her.
"The pain will get worse before it gets better," she said gently.
"Will it get better?" Maya asked.
Her mother's silence was answer enough.
Maya spent the next day drifting in and out of sleep. Her dreams were filled with a black wolf running through endless forests, howling in pain that matched her own. Each time she woke, the ache in her chest was worse.
As evening fell, she managed to drag herself to the window. The pack grounds seemed eerily quiet. No one was out training or gathering for dinner. It was as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting.
A soft knock made her turn. Expecting her mother, Maya was shocked to see Luna Evelyn standing in her doorway instead.
"May I come in?" Liam's mother asked.
Maya nodded, too surprised to speak.
Luna Evelyn closed the door quietly behind her. Up close, Maya could see the dark circles under her eyes, the strain on her elegant face.
"You shouldn't be here," Maya said. "Alpha Marcus—"
"My husband doesn't know I've come," Luna Evelyn interrupted. "But I couldn't stay away. Not when both you and my son are suffering."
Maya dropped her gaze. "How is Liam?"
"In as much pain as you are," Luna Evelyn said simply. "Perhaps more. He hasn't taken human form since that night. He runs the borders, hunting, growing wilder by the hour."
Guilt twisted in Maya's stomach. "I saw a video of him bullying a younger wolf. The day after we talked in the forest."
Luna Evelyn's eyebrows shot up. "That's impossible. Liam was with me that entire day, helping prepare for the ceremony."
Maya's mind raced. "But Caleb showed me..."
"Caleb." Luna Evelyn's voice hardened. "I've watched that boy look at you with more than friendship in his eyes for years."
Maya sank onto her bed as realization dawned. "He lied to me."
"It seems so." Luna Evelyn sat beside her. "But that's not why I came. I came because you need to know the truth about your moonstone—and about Elara."
Maya leaned forward despite her pain. "You know her?"
"She's my sister."
Maya gasped. "Your sister?"
Luna Evelyn nodded gravely. "Banished years ago for trying to break the sacred mate bonds. She believes they're a form of prison, not a blessing."
"Why would she want my moonstone?"
"Because it's not just any moonstone." Luna Evelyn's voice dropped to a whisper. "It's a Soul Stone—one of five that bind our pack's magic. With it, she can break every mate bond in the territory."
Maya's blood ran cold. "And I let her take it."
"You didn't know." Luna Evelyn touched Maya's hand. "But now you do. And you must get it back before the next full moon."
"How? I can barely stand!"
"By accepting the bond," Luna Evelyn said simply. "Even without the stone, the connection between you and Liam still exists. If you accept it in your heart, you'll grow stronger."
"But I rejected him in front of the whole pack," Maya protested.
"Pride is a luxury you can no longer afford," Luna Evelyn said sharply. "My son is becoming more wolf than human with each passing hour. You're growing weaker. And Elara is growing stronger."
A sudden crash from downstairs interrupted them. Voices shouted, then heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs.
Luna Evelyn rose quickly. "I've stayed too long."
The door burst open. Alpha Marcus filled the doorway, his face twisted with rage.
"I should have known," he growled at his wife. "Betraying me for this...reject."
"Marcus, please," Luna Evelyn began.
"Silence!" he roared. His gaze shifted to Maya. "You. You've destroyed everything. My son runs wild, the pack questions my leadership, and now my own wife sneaks behind my back."
Maya struggled to her feet, refusing to show weakness. "I made a mistake," she admitted. "Caleb lied to me about Liam."
"Convenient," Alpha Marcus sneered. "But too late. I've made my decision. You're banished from the pack lands. Leave by sunrise or face the consequences."
"She'll die outside our territory," Luna Evelyn protested. "The bond is already—"
"Then she should have thought of that before rejecting my son!" Alpha Marcus grabbed his wife's arm. "Come. We're leaving."
Luna Evelyn twisted free with surprising strength. "No, Marcus. This has gone too far." She turned to Maya. "Find Liam. Only together can you recover the stone and save yourselves."
Alpha Marcus's face darkened dangerously. "This is treason."
"This is survival," Luna Evelyn shot back. "Elara has the stone. Don't you understand what that means?"
For the first time, uncertainty flickered across the Alpha's face. "Elara has it? How?"
"She took it from me," Maya said. "The night Liam broke through my window."
Alpha Marcus cursed under his breath. He paced the small room, suddenly looking less angry and more afraid.
"If what you say is true," he finally said, "then we face a greater threat than a rejected mate bond." His hard gaze locked on Maya. "My banishment order stands. But you have a choice. Leave alone and die, or find my son and fix what you've broken."
With that, he stalked from the room. Luna Evelyn gave Maya a meaningful look before following her husband.
Alone again, Maya clutched her chest as a fresh wave of pain washed over her. The bond was fracturing further, tearing at her from within. How could she find Liam when she could barely cross her bedroom?
A soft thud at her window made her turn. Caleb stood on the branch of the oak tree outside, his face twisted with concern.
"Maya," he called softly, "let me in. I heard everything. I can help you escape."
Maya stared at the boy she'd trusted her entire life—the boy who had lied to her, manipulated her, turned her against her mate.
"Go away, Caleb," she said coldly.
"Maya, please," he begged. "You don't understand. I did it to protect you from him. From becoming like his mother—a prisoner to an Alpha's will."
A growl startled them both. Down below, at the base of the tree, a massive black wolf stared up at Caleb, teeth bared and golden eyes glowing with hatred.
"Liam," Maya whispered.
Caleb's face drained of color. "He'll kill me if he catches me."
"Good," Maya said, and slammed the window shut.
Through the glass, she watched Caleb scramble down the tree on the opposite side, barely escaping as Liam's powerful jaws snapped at his heels. Once Caleb disappeared into the forest, the wolf looked up at Maya's window.
Their eyes locked. Even in wolf form, she could see Liam's pain mirroring her own. The bond between them pulsed weakly, like a dying heartbeat.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, pressing her palm against the glass.
The wolf stared at her for a long moment. Then, with a mournful howl that seemed to echo Maya's own suffering, he turned and vanished into the darkness.
Maya sank to the floor, her decision made. Banished or not, she would find Liam. She would make things right. Together, they would recover the stone and heal their bond—if it wasn't already too late.
As if responding to her resolve, a sudden, searing pain ripped through her chest, driving the breath from her lungs. Maya collapsed, the world spinning around her. With the last of her strength, she reached toward the window where Liam had been.
"Wait for me," she gasped, as darkness claimed her once more.