Chapter 41 Unservered Bond

Chapter 41 Unservered Bond
Adrian’s POV

The cafeteria was unusually quiet that evening. Or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention to anything around me.

I sat alone at one of the corner tables, lazily stirring my coffee while my thoughts replayed the conversation with Damian over and over again.

She doesn’t belong to you.

My grip tightened slightly around the cup.
The worst part? He was right.
Lena didn’t belong to me. Not after I rejected her. Not after everything I put her through.

And yet the thought of Damian anywhere near her still made something violent rise inside me. I hated it.
I hated how possessive I felt. How angry.
How completely distracted.

“You’re glaring at coffee again.”

I looked up. Xavier dropped into the seat across from me with a tray of food balanced in one hand.
“I’m starting to think you need therapy.”

“I’m starting to think you talk too much.”

“Fair.”
He shoved a fry into his mouth before studying me carefully.
“Still thinking about Damian?”

I didn’t answer. Another fry disappeared.
“Definitely yes.”

I leaned back in my chair with a sigh.
“There’s something off about him.”

Xavier shrugged lightly.
“There’s something off about everyone in this academy.”

Before I could respond, Xavier suddenly snapped his fingers dramatically.
“Wait.”

I frowned slightly.
“What?”

“The surprise.”
I blinked.

“What surprise?”

“The one for Lena.” He looked offended. “Keep up, Adrian.”

Oh. That.

I groaned quietly and rubbed my forehead.
“I still don’t have any ideas.”

Xavier stared at me in disbelief.
“You’re kidding.”

“I’m serious.”

“You’re trying to win back your mate and your plan is basically ‘exist sadly near her’?”

I narrowed my eyes.
“When you say it like that, it sounds pathetic.”

“Because it is pathetic.”

I rolled my eyes.
“Then give me suggestions.”

Xavier immediately leaned forward.
“Dinner.”

I stared at him.
“That’s your brilliant idea?”

“Not just dinner,” he corrected proudly. “A romantic dinner.”

I looked genuinely horrified.
“You sound like a middle-aged romance novel.”

“Oh, come on,” Xavier continued dramatically. “Candles. Music. Emotional eye contact.”

I actually laughed. A real laugh.
“Absolutely not.”

“You’re impossible.”

“I’m not doing candles.”

“Flowers?”

“No.”

“A handwritten note?” he asked

“That’s somehow worse.”

Xavier sighed deeply.
“You really are emotionally constipated.”

“Can you stop diagnosing me?”

“No.”

I shook my head with another quiet laugh.
But honestly… for the first time in days, I felt slightly lighter.
Until suddenly, Pain exploded through my skull. I froze instantly.
My hand flew to my head as a sharp burning sensation ripped violently through me.

What the hell?!

“Adrian?”
Xavier’s voice sounded distant suddenly.
The pain intensified. Blistering.
Like someone was tearing through my skull from the inside.

I sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. Something was wrong.

“Adrian,” Xavier said again, more serious this time.

I tried answering. I Couldn’t.
The pain became unbearable.
Images flashed violently through my mind.
Darkness. Fear. Lena.

My chest tightened painfully. I could feel her. Not physically. Emotionally.
My wolf went absolutely feral inside me.
And suddenly, I knew.
“She’s hurting…”

My voice barely came out. Then the pain hit harder.
I slammed onto the cafeteria floor hard enough to make nearby students scream.

Everything blurred violently around me.
My entire body shook as agony ripped through my chest and skull simultaneously.
“Adrian!”

Someone grabbed my shoulders. I barely registered it. All I could feel was Lena.
My wolf howled violently inside me.
And then… everything went black.



“…still unconscious.”

“He collapsed out of nowhere.”

“Move aside.”

I groaned softly as consciousness slowly returned. My head was still pounding.
But weaker now. I forced my eyes open slowly. The wolf healer’s room.

The familiar scent of herbs and medicine filled the air while soft lantern light flickered against the walls.
Xavier sat beside the bed looking exhausted.

The moment he noticed I was awake, he leaned forward immediately.
“Finally.”

I sat up too quickly. Big mistake.
Pain shot through my skull again.
But I ignored it.
“Lena.”

Xavier blinked.
“What?”

I grabbed his arm tightly.
“Lena’s in danger.”

His expression immediately shifted.
“What are you talking about?”

“I felt it.”
Even saying the words sounded insane.
But I knew. I knew what I felt.
“She’s hurt,” I said again, my voice rough now. “Someone’s hurting her.”

Xavier stared at me for a second before frowning.
“Adrian… that’s not possible.”

“It is.”

“No,” he argued immediately. “You literally rejected her the first day you met.”

I clenched my jaw.
“I know what I felt.”

Xavier rubbed a hand down his face.
“Okay, maybe stress finally broke your brain.”

“I’m serious.”

The door behind him suddenly opened.
The wolf healer stepped inside calmly, carrying several glass bottles.
An older woman with silver-streaked hair and sharp golden eyes.

Healer Mira.

She looked between both of us quietly before setting the bottles down.
“He’s not entirely wrong.”

Xavier frowned immediately.
“What?”

Healer Mira crossed her arms slightly.
“The mate bond is complicated.”

I looked up at her instantly.
“What does that mean?”

She studied me carefully before speaking.
“A rejection doesn’t always completely sever the connection immediately,” she explained calmly.

Xavier looked skeptical.
“But he rejected her.”

“Yes,” Mira agreed. “But emotions complicate things.”

My chest tightened slightly.
She continued.
“If strong feelings remain between both mates, fragments of the bond can persist.”

Fragments. That explained the constant pull toward Lena. The way my wolf reacted to her. The pain earlier.

Mira’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“And if one mate experiences extreme emotional or physical distress…” she continued carefully, “…the other may still sense it.”

Silence filled the room.
Xavier looked genuinely unsettled now.
“You’re saying he actually felt her pain?”

“It’s possible.”

My stomach twisted violently.
No. Not possible. Certain.
Something happened to Lena.

I swung my legs off the bed immediately.
Xavier stood too.
“Whoa, where are you going?”

“I’m finding her.”

“You can barely stand.”

“I don’t care.”

The panic inside me was getting worse now. Every second felt wrong.
Like time was running out. I grabbed my jacket quickly.
Then suddenly, the infirmary door slammed open hard enough to shake the walls.

All three of us turned instantly.
Zara stood in the doorway breathing heavily. Panic filled her face.

And immediately, my chest dropped.
Something happened. Something bad.
Zara’s eyes landed on me first.

Her voice shook when she finally spoke.
“Lena’s gone missing.”