Chapter 42
Isla POV
It ripped through me, sharper and deeper than anything I’d ever felt.
My chest felt like it was being clawed open from the inside, my heart squeezed in a tight fist.
I found it hard to breathe.
My eyes flew open as I doubled over on the bed, clutching my chest, gasping.
My skin burned hot, sweat dripping down my temples.
My body shook violently, my wolf howling inside me, louder now, angrier.
“You traitor!” it hissed. “You betrayed the bond. You betrayed us.”
“No,” I sobbed, hot tears running down my face as I choked on the words leaving my lips. “I didn’t, I…”
But I had.
I could still taste Kieran.
Still feel his hands on me.
The bond flared again, sharp and merciless.
This time rolling around on the bed in pain wasn't enough.
I needed more so I collapsed onto the floor, curling against the cold stone,
tears streaming down my face. The pain wasn’t just physical- that I could bear- but it was soul-deep, punishment from my wolf and the goddess.
“Stop,” I whispered, clawing at my chest as I mentally willed the pain to seize. “Please, stop. I can’t…. please….”
My wolf’s voice came again, sharp and unyielding in my mind. “He is your mate. You cannot turn from him. You cannot choose another. The bond is sacred.”
“I don’t want him,” I whispered back, my voice hoarse from crying out. “Not if he’ll never want me back.”
I don't want to be with someone who would never love me or return my affections because all that would be left for me is a cold and lonely future.
“That doesn’t matter,” my wolf snarled. “You are his. Always.”
The agony pulsed until I thought I’d shatter.
Finally, I nodded weakly as I had no choice but to give in, else this pain might consume me from the inside out until there was nothing left.
And then, as suddenly as it began, it eased.
Not gone, but dulled, leaving me trembling and drenched in sweat, my body weak, my soul aching.
I dragged myself back onto the bed, curling into the pillows, shaking. The truth was undeniable now.
The bond wasn’t just a whisper in my heart—it was law, etched into my very being. To fight it was to fight myself.
But how could I surrender, when Tristan’s heart belonged to Viviana?
That would mean to sacrifice my life and my happiness.
How could I survive then, caught between a mate who didn’t want me and a man who did, when both paths would only lead me to ruin?
\~~~~~~~~~
I must have dozed off, slipping in and out of a restless sleep, because the next thing I heard was voices.
Low and muffled, but close.
I sat up, heart beating fast in my chest, straining to hear what was being said.
“…let the borders get tightened,” Tristan’s voice came through, his tone firm and clipped. “If the rumor is true, we can’t afford to risk it.”
Darius replied then, his distinct accent loud enough for me to make out though I couldn’t make out all his words.
But one name came through clearly.
Vivianna.
My heart went still in my chest.
I pressed a hand to my mouth, to hold in the sounds that I know where eager to escape.
So it is true..
What I overheard earlier wasn’t just gossip among the maids.
If Tristan himself was preparing for her return, then the sightings of his one and true love were real.
Viviana was near.
And when she does come back, everything I thought I had with slip through my fingers.
Any interest I had in listening further flew out the window and I sank back onto the pillows, even though I wasn't feeling particularly tired.
My body was still sore from the bond’s punishment, every muscle taut with the memory of horrible pain.
My chest rose and fell too fast, as if I were still choking on the smoke from the dream-forest.
The thought of Viviana walking these halls again freaked me out.
Then, she wouldn't be some ghost haunting Tristan’s memories and me anymore, she would be flesh, blood, and threat.
If she returned, he would choose her. He always had, even in her absence. I was nothing but an extra, meant to stand in for the main character until they showed up.
Tears welled again, hot and angry this time.
Why me?
Why had the Moon Goddess bound me to a man who could not see me?
Why bind me to a love that would never bloom, when another stood so close, offering warmth and all the other things that my mate couldn't provide?
Kieran’s face flashed past my mind, that devil may kiss smile lighting up my insides, his touch still lingering on my skin.
The way he kissed me like I mattered, the way he promised I wasn’t invisible.
My heart twisted violently, caught between guilt and yearning.
I pressed the heel of my hand to my chest, as if I could calm the storm inside. My wolf stirred, restless, growling its disapproval.
“You cannot deny it,” it whispered again, the words harsher this time. “You will destroy us both.”
A sob caught in my throat.
Destroy us both….
Maybe that was already happening.
Maybe it's inevitable.
I curled tighter into myself, pulling the blankets to my chin, as if I could hide from the fate pressing in around me.
But no amount of shadows or silk would protect me.
The game had already shifted tonight.
The bond had punished me.
The wolf had warned me.
And Viviana was coming…..