Chapter 18 Rejection and Resistance
Lira's POV
I woke to sunlight shining through windows and the steady thrum of a heartbeat that wasn't my own. The bond. I could feel Kael even though he wasn't in the room—his presence was a constant weight in my chest, his thoughts brushing against mine like whispers.
The bite mark on my throat throbbed, tender to the touch. When I pressed my fingers to it, a jolt of sensation shot straight through me, followed by an echo of emotion that definitely wasn't mine. Regret, fury and fear.
"You're awake." Kael's voice came from the doorway, cold and distant.
I sat up slowly, my body still adjusting to the new awareness of him. "How long was I unconscious?" I asked, rubbing my temples.
"Six hours." He stepped into the room but kept his distance, arms folded. "The bond hit you harder than most."
"Most?" I frowned, shifting on the bed.
"Moonblood wolves experience the mating bond more intensely." His jaw worked as he spoke. "Your bloodline makes everything... sharper."
I studied his face, noting the tension around his eyes. Through the bond, I could feel his inner turmoil and his determination to do something I wasn't going to like.
"You're planning something," I said quietly, narrowing my eyes.
His jaw tightened. "Get dressed. The pack is gathering in the throne room." His tone left no room for argument.
"Why?" My brows knitted together.
"Because I'm going to reject the bond. Publicly." His voice was calm, almost cold.
The words hit me. "What?" My voice crackled.
"You heard me." His voice was matter-of-fact, as if he were discussing the weather. "The bond was completed without proper ceremony, without pack approval. It needs to be dissolved."
Can't, Selwyn whispered urgently in my mind. Too strong now. He can't break it.
But I didn't trust my wolf's assessment, not when I could feel Kael's absolute resolve through our connection.
"You said yourself there was no going back," I managed, my throat tight.
"I was wrong." He moved to the door, his shoulders rigid. "There's always a way out if you're willing to pay the price."
"What price?" I asked quickly, rising to my feet.
He paused, his hand on the doorframe. "Does it matter? You'll be free of me. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"No!" The word tore out of me before I could stop it. "I wanted you to stop fighting this. To accept what we are."
"What we are is a mistake." His voice went harsh, final. "One I intend to correct."
He left before I could respond, the door closing with a soft click that somehow sounded final.
I dressed quickly, my hands shaking as I pulled on the simple green dress someone had left for me. Through the bond, I could feel Kael's emotions—determination layered over something that felt suspiciously like panic.
He's afraid, I realized. He's more afraid now than he was before.
I made it to the throne room just as the pack finished gathering. Three hundred wolves in human form, all watching as their alpha stood before his throne like a judge preparing to deliver sentence.
Kael's eyes found mine across the room, and I felt the bond pulse between us. His face gave nothing away, but I caught the flash of regret before he locked it down.
"Pack," he began, his voice carrying easily through the chamber. "Last night, I made an error in judgment that affects us all."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd as I felt their curious gazes on me, some sympathetic, others calculating.
"I completed a mating bond without proper consideration," Kael continued. "Without thinking through the consequences for our pack's security and future."
"No," I whispered, but my voice was lost in the growing chatter.
Thomas stepped forward from the crowd. "Brother, the bond is sacred. Once completed"
"It can be rejected," Kael cut him off. "With sufficient will and the right ritual."
"At what cost?" The voice belonged to Aria, the young healer. Her golden curls caught the torchlight as she pushed through the crowd. "Alpha, rejection of a completed bond can kill both parties."
"Can. Not will." Kael's voice remained steady. "I'm willing to take that risk."
The words felt like claws raking down my spine. Through the bond, I felt his emotions and buried beneath the determination was genuine fear that he might not survive this.
He means it, I realized. He'd rather die than be bonded to me.
"I refuse," I called out, my voice stronger than I felt. "I don't consent to this rejection."
Kael's eyes locked on mine. "Your consent isn't required," he said flatly, his voice echoing through the chamber.
The casual dismissal broke something inside my chest. "Of course it isn't," I shot back, my tone sharp. "Nothing about my life requires my consent, does it?"
"Lira—" His voice softened, but it carried warning.
"No." I walked forward, my steps deliberate as the crowd parted before me. "You don't get to bite me, bond with me, and then decide it was all a mistake when it becomes inconvenient."
"I get to do whatever is best for my pack," he snapped, his shoulders squared.
"And I'm not good for your pack?" I stopped at the base of the throne steps, glaring up at him. "The last of the Moonblood line isn't worth keeping around?"
Something flickered in his expression before he forced it down. "This isn't about worth," he said tightly.
"Isn't it?" I climbed the first step, my voice rising. "Then what is it about, Kael? Why are you so desperate to get rid of me that you'll risk death?"
"Because this bond makes us both weak!" The words exploded out of him, his voice shaking with fury. "Because I can't think about anything else but you. Because every decision I make is filtered through what might happen to you."
"And that's bad?" I demanded, my hand gripping the railing.
"It's dangerous." His voice dropped low, heavy with warning. "A compromised alpha gets his pack killed."
I climbed another step, my gaze fixed on him. Through the bond, I could feel his wolf fighting him, Fenris snarling at the very idea of rejecting their mate.
"Your wolf doesn't agree," I said softly, my voice steady.