Chapter 186
Riley's POV
From my vantage point on the ridge overlooking the clearing, I had the perfect view of the three figures below. Kassak, my mate, standing tall and powerful; Ethan, bloodied and barely upright; and Freya, positioned protectively in front of him, her body tense and ready to fight to the death.
I inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the scents of blood, sweat, and determination. The metallic tang of Ethan's blood was strong—Kassak had wounded him severely. Through our mate bond, I could feel Kassak's savage joy, his certainty of victory. His emotions flowed into me like a dark tide. "anger-triumph-anticipation".
Storm, my wolf, paced restlessly within me. "He will win! Our mate will be victorious!" she howled in my mind, her excitement building as Kassak circled Ethan and Freya. "We will rule both packs, as he promised. We will be powerful."
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to remember why I was here. Months ago, I had made a plan—infiltrate Bloodclaw, become Kassak's mate, and then betray him at the crucial moment. Help Moonshade win. It had seemed so clear then, a necessary sacrifice for the greater good.
But now...
"You promised him loyalty," Storm growled. "You gave yourself to him. Your body. Your wolf. Your future."
"I lied," I whispered to myself, though the words felt hollow. Had I lied? In the beginning, yes. But somewhere along the way, in the quiet moments between battles and planning, something had changed. Kassak's touch no longer repulsed me. His voice in my mind no longer felt like an invasion.
If I betrayed him now, what would become of me? The best I could hope for was exile—neither Bloodclaw nor Moonshade would trust me again. I would lose everything. my status, my power, my place in the world.
My mother's voice drifted through my memory. "Destiny isn't always what others map out for you, Riley. Sometimes you have to carve your own path, even when it hurts."
I remembered the night she performed this very ritual herself. That night, through her tears and pain, she severed her mate bond with my father to protect me, sacrificing her status and security in the pack. The ritual nearly killed her, but she never regretted it.
Below me, Kassak lunged at Freya, who barely dodged his attack. Ethan tried to rise, to protect his mate, but he stumbled, too weak from blood loss. The Bloodclaw warriors surrounding the clearing howled in anticipation, sensing their Alpha's imminent victory. I could smell their bloodlust, their eagerness to tear into the remaining Moonshade defenders once their leader fell.
If I stayed with Kassak, I would be safe. Powerful. Luna of the strongest pack in the territory.
"Yes," Storm agreed eagerly. "Think of our future. Think of the hunting grounds we will control."
I thought instead of Lyra, whose unborn child Kassak had ordered terminated without her knowledge or consent. I thought of Theo, an innocent baby Kassak had planned to raise as a weapon, to one day kill his own parents. I thought of the Bloodclaw members who lived in fear, who had no freedom beyond what served their Alpha's ambitions.
"Is that the world you want to live in?" I asked Storm softly. "A world where strength is the only value? Where our own cubs would be judged solely on their ability to fight?"
Storm whined, confused by my reasoning. In her simple wolf logic, strength "was" the only value that mattered.
I watched as Kassak maneuvered Freya away from Ethan, isolating her. His next strike would be fatal—I could sense his intent through our bond. He would kill my half-sister, then finish off her mate. And I would be complicit in their deaths if I did nothing.
"Riley!"
Freya's voice cut through the growls and snarls of battle. Her eyes, fierce and desperate, locked with mine across the distance.
"Now!" she called, her voice strong despite her precarious position.
I froze, shock coursing through me. She knew. Somehow, Freya had known all along that I was playing a double game. That I wasn't truly loyal to Kassak. That I had planned this moment.
Storm howled in outrage. "She tricked us! They all knew!"
But it wasn't a trick, I realized. It was faith. Faith that when the moment came, I would make the right choice.
My hand moved to my chest, fingers pressing against my sternum where I could feel my heartbeat. Mother had taught me the words years ago—an ancient ritual. A way to break a mate bond that had become a chain rather than a connection.
"What are you doing?" Storm panicked, feeling my intent. "You promised we would be his forever!"
"No," I whispered. "You promised. I never did."
I began to speak, my voice low but clear, the ancient words falling from my lips like stones into still water. "Blood of my blood, heart of my heart, I release thee from my soul. The bond forged in passion, I break in pain. What was joined, I now sever."
As I spoke, memories flashed through my mind. Kassak's eyes the first time we met, golden and hypnotic. The night he claimed me, his teeth breaking my skin, the rush of power that came with being marked as his. The rare moments of tenderness when he thought no one was watching, his fingers gentle in my hair.
Storm fought me with every word, clawing at my insides, trying to stop the ritual. But I continued, my voice growing stronger. "By the moon that witnessed our joining, by the stars that sealed our fate, I reclaim my freedom. I return to myself whole and separate."
The final words burned in my throat. "I release you, Kassak. I reject our bond."
A blinding pain exploded in my chest, as if someone had thrust a red-hot blade between my ribs and was slowly twisting it. I fell to my knees, a scream tearing from my throat. Storm's agony merged with mine, her howls echoing in my skull as we were ripped apart—not from each other, but from Kassak.
It felt like dying. Like having half my soul torn away. I could barely breathe through the pain, my body curling in on itself as every nerve ending fired at once.
Through the haze of agony, I felt Kassak's pain mirroring my own. Our connection was dissolving, but in those final moments of the bond, his emotions flooded me one last time. confusion, shock, betrayal, and then—pure, undiluted rage.
I forced my eyes open, struggling to focus through tears. Below, Kassak had abandoned his attack on Freya. He stood rigid, his massive wolf form shuddering with pain. Then his head snapped up, his amber eyes locking onto mine with such hatred that I physically recoiled.
"You treacherous bitch," his voice snarled through our fading connection. "You dare break what is sacred?"
I had no strength to respond, could barely stay conscious through the pain. I watched, helpless, as Kassak turned away from Ethan and Freya, his new target clear. With a roar that shook the trees, he began racing toward me, covering ground with terrifying speed.
I tried to stand, to run, but my legs wouldn't respond. The ritual had drained me completely. In the distance, I saw Freya's horrified expression as she realized what was happening. She began sprinting toward me, but Kassak had a head start.
"Sometimes sacrifice is necessary," my mother had told me, "for the greater good."
As Kassak's massive form bounded up the slope toward me, I met his rage-filled eyes without flinching. I had made my choice.