Chapter 34

Chapter 34
“You think this territory is that easy to breach, Draven’s dog?” Orion spat, fresh blood dripping from the gaping wound on his shoulder. Around him, his two warriors, Lena and Markus, were panting heavily. They had shifted forms, fighting for their lives against six wolves from the Northern pack—a pack that was much larger and far more brutal.

“We are merely taking what is rightfully ours, young Alpha,” the enemy wolf retorted, his voice raspy and cold, echoing through the dark pine forest. The full moonlight filtered through the canopy, but it wasn’t enough to dispel the shadows crawling closer.

“And tonight,” the wolf continued, a sneer twisting his muzzle, “we will take your head.”

Orion knew they were outnumbered and exhausted. This patrol was supposed to be routine, but Draven—the increasingly aggressive Alpha of the North—had sent a scouting party that seemed fearless of death. In his massive silver wolf form, Orion tensed his muscles, preparing for a final, suicidal maneuver to buy Lena and Markus time to escape.

As Draven’s wolves charged forward, Orion closed his eyes for a split second, bracing for the impact.

But the impact never came.

The air around them suddenly turned deathly cold, as if winter had fallen in a single breath. The moonlight, once soft and golden, became a harsh, cutting silver. Then, without warning, the enemy wolves were flung backward, as though struck by an invisible sledgehammer. They roared in agony—not from flesh wounds, but from a force that crushed their very souls. The pressure forced them back into human form, stumbling and gasping on the frozen ground.

Orion opened his eyes, bewildered. At the edge of the river that marked their border, he saw a figure—tall, still, and cloaked in black leather. The hood hid her face, but strands of jet-black hair slipped out, glinting faintly under the moonlight.

It was a woman.

“Who are you?” Orion roared, shifting back into human form, but the sound faltered in his throat. The power radiating from her was overwhelming—pure, raw, and ancient. His Alpha strength felt like a flickering spark before a storm.

The woman didn’t answer. She simply lifted her right hand. At her fingertips, a sphere of silvery light pulsed—not fire, but condensed moonlight, tangible and dangerous. With one graceful motion, she swung her arm aside.

The sphere didn’t strike, but the shockwave that followed ripped through the forest like a hurricane. The six enemy warriors were thrown into the air, slamming into trees with bone-breaking force. In seconds, the battlefield fell silent—bodies sprawled across the dirt, unmoving.

Only Orion, Lena, and Markus remained conscious, their breathing ragged, eyes wide with dread.

The woman stepped forward, crossing the mossy river stones. The instant her boot touched Orion’s side of the border, his world exploded.

Agony consumed him—not physical, but something far worse. His soul convulsed as if being torn apart from within. The Mate Bond. The Primal Luna. It all hit him at once—violent, electric, merciless. This was no gentle pull of destiny. This was the universe punishing defiance.

Orion screamed, the sound raw and inhuman. His body convulsed, his vision blurred white. He dropped to his knees, clutching his head, every nerve aflame.

“Alpha!” Lena cried, rushing forward, but stopped, frozen by the unbearable force radiating from him. “What’s happening to you?!”

Orion couldn’t answer. Through the haze of pain, he forced his eyes open. The woman stood over him, her hood falling just enough for moonlight to touch her face—a face he knew too well.

Alena.

The girl he had rejected. The girl he had cast out eight years ago. The girl who should have died without the Moon Goddess’s protection—now stood in his territory, exuding a power that could crush an entire pack.

Her silver eyes were void of warmth, of recognition—just calm, icy detachment. The bond between them burned not as love, but as judgment. Because Orion had torn their first bond, this second one—the ancient, primal connection—struck him with destructive force, as if the universe itself was furious.

“You…” Orion rasped, his throat raw. “You cannot be here.”

Alena finally spoke. Her voice was low, steady, and resonant, vibrating through his chest. “Move aside.” It wasn’t a request. It was a command.

“I didn’t come to save you, Alpha Orion,” she continued, ignoring the carnage she had just ended. “I came to take back what’s mine.”

Orion lifted his head, pride flickering through the pain. “You were rejected. Banished. You don’t belong here.”

Alena’s lips curved in a faint smile—a cold, cruel thing. “Your rejection,” she said softly, “is nothing but an old piece of paper.” The air around her shimmered with silver light, cold as forged steel.

Then she looked him dead in the eyes—and did the unthinkable.

With a sharp motion, Alena severed the Mate Bond. Not physically, but spiritually. Orion felt it tear from within him—a brutal, ripping sound that echoed through his soul. The sacred thread that had bound them was gone, shredded beyond repair.

The pain vanished, replaced by a hollow, freezing silence. Orion gasped, staring up at her, realizing too late what she had become.

Alena had broken destiny itself. She was no longer bound by the Moon Goddess, by the Mate Bond, by anyone. She was free—and infinitely dangerous.