Chapter 11: Mate Bond

Amelia's POV

Cassandra's words hung in the air like a death sentence. The room spun around me, colors bleeding together as my wolf thrashed violently inside my mind.

No. No. NO.

The pain hit in waves—not the emotional kind that came with heartbreak or betrayal. This was physical, primal agony that started in my chest and radiated outward. Each breath became a struggle as invisible bands tightened around my lungs. My knees weakened, and I gripped the nearest pillar for support.

Mark her? I wasn't entirely sure what the marking ceremony entailed—In our previous conversation, Nathan awkwardly and deliberately avoided this topic. But I knew was that it was some kind of permanent bonding ritual between mates, something sacred and irreversible.

Whatever it was, my wolf understood its significance far better than my human mind did. She was in absolute panic, clawing desperately at my consciousness, flooding my body with adrenaline and fear.

He can't do this. Wolf law forbids it.

Every werewolf knew the ancient law: A wolf who rejects their mate faces exile or death. No exceptions—not even for Alphas. But as I watched Alexander consider Cassandra's request, the political reality crashed down on me. He was Head Alpha. I was... nothing. An Omega whose wolf had only just emerged. The laws that governed our kind had loopholes for those in power—they always did.

Amelia! Amelia, focus on my voice.

Nathan's voice cut through the fog of pain in my mind, the familiar sensation of his mind link wrapping around my consciousness like a lifeline.

Nathan, I can't—it hurts—

I know. Try to breathe. Don't draw attention. I'll get to you as soon as I can.

Through blurred vision, I could see Nathan on the platform, his face a mask of practiced neutrality even as he reached for me mentally. His eyes flickered briefly toward Jonathan, and I followed his gaze.

Jonathan Westbrook had noticed my brother's momentary distraction. His stern gaze narrowed, a silent command passing between them. Nathan straightened immediately, severing our connection as he refocused on the ceremony. The sudden absence of his mental presence left me even more alone in my agony.

I slid down the pillar, my legs finally giving out. Crouching there, I wrapped my arms around my middle as if I could physically hold myself together. Each heartbeat sent fresh waves of torment through my body. This wasn't just emotional pain—it was my wolf, my very essence, rebelling against the violation of our mate bond before it had even fully formed.

"Are you alright?" A concerned voice came from beside me—a young woman in a green dress knelt down, her brow furrowed with worry.

"Fine," I managed through gritted teeth. "Just... dizzy. Haven't eaten much today."

"You're pale as the moon," she said, reaching for my wrist to check my pulse. "Let me get you some water."

"No!" I gripped her arm, perhaps too forcefully. "Please, I don't want to... disrupt the ceremony."

How could I explain that I was dying inside because the Alpha was about to claim someone else as his mate? That each breath felt like inhaling fire because my wolf recognized him as ours?

On the platform, Cassandra tilted her head to the side, exposing the elegant curve of her neck. My breath caught as understanding dawned. The marking—it was a bite. Some primal, ancient ritual that would leave a physical mark of possession. Nathan had never explained the details, but seeing Cassandra's posture made the nature of the ceremony suddenly, horribly clear.

The room hushed as wolves gathered closer, eager to witness this sacred moment. I'd heard whispers about mating marks—once given, they were permanent. A physical manifestation of the bond between mates that changed both wolves on a biological level. If Alexander bit her, whatever tenuous connection existed between him and me would be severed completely.

He can't be my mate. He can't be. Not if he's willing to mark her.

But even as I tried to reason with myself, my body knew the truth. Every instinct I possessed recognized Alexander Westbrook as mine. Every cell in my body was attuned to him, vibrating with the certainty of our connection. And now each of those cells screamed in protest as he prepared to deny that bond.

Alexander's jaw tensed, his eyes flashing briefly with something unreadable. For one heartbeat, two, he hesitated. His gaze swept across the crowd until it found mine, huddled against the pillar. Something passed between us—recognition, pain, confusion.

My wolf howled within me, a desperate plea that echoed only in my mind: Don't do this. We're yours. You're ours.

I saw his nostrils flare slightly, as if catching my scent even across the crowded room. His shoulders tensed under his formal jacket.

"Tonight," his voice carried clearly through the hall, "we honor tradition and ceremony."

My heart stuttered with hope. Was he refusing?

But then he lowered his head toward Cassandra's exposed neck. As he drew closer, I saw something change in his face—a slight elongation of his jaw, a flash of canines extending visibly as he prepared to bite. The crowd leaned forward collectively, eager to witness the completion of the ritual.

The pain in my chest exploded outward like shattered glass. It wasn't just emotional agony anymore—it was something deeper, more primal. My very being rebelled against what was happening. I had barely discovered my wolf, barely accepted this new reality, and now the mate bond that should have been my anchor was being torn away before it could fully form.

I gasped for air that wouldn't come. The room tilted dangerously around me, faces blurring into indistinct shapes. Dark spots danced across my vision.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

I thought of all the stories Mom had told about finding your mate—the joy, the completion, the sense of finally being whole. Not this searing, tearing sensation that felt like being ripped apart from the inside.

I was an Omega, the lowest rank in wolf hierarchy. Alexander was a Head Alpha from an ancient lineage. The rational part of my brain understood the impossibility of our connection, the political necessity of his choice. But my wolf recognized only one truth: he was mine, and he was choosing someone else.

In wolf law, rejecting a true mate was one of the gravest offenses—punishable by exile or even death. That was likely to be the reason why he'd hesitated but not rejected me when we first met in the forest.

The girl in the green dress was saying something, her voice muffled as if coming from underwater. Other faces turned toward me, concern replacing the earlier excitement. Someone called for a medic.

But I couldn't focus on any of it. My entire being was fixed on Alexander as his teeth neared Cassandra's throat. The invisible thread that connected us pulled taut, threatening to snap. Each of his movements sent fresh waves of agony through my body.

I tried once more to reach for Nathan through our sibling link, but found nothing but static. He stood rigid on the platform, his attention forcibly fixed forward though I could see the tension in his jaw, the slight tremble in his hands.

Cassandra's lips curved in a beatific smile as Alexander's mouth opened wider, canines fully extended now.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Alexander's eyes flashing golden, his gaze snapping up to meet mine one final time.

Then the world went black.