Chapter 11 Kaden's POV
"Still nothing?"
Ethan stood in the doorway of my office, looking exhausted. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his clothes were dirty from days in the forest. He shook his head.
"We have covered the entire territory and the borders. Extended the search into neutral lands with no sign of her, Kaden."
I stared at the map on my desk. Red marks covered every area the patrols had searched over the past three days.
Three days since Elara disappeared, three days since I'd felt anything through the bond except that terrible silence.
"Keep searching." I said.
"The wolves are exhausted. We have been at this non-stop. Maybe we should take a break, regroup, and-"
"I didn't ask for suggestions, I kept searching."
Ethan sighed. "Kaden, she left pack lands. She could be anywhere by now we might never find her."
The words hit harder than they should have. I had rejected her. I had thrown away the bond. So why did the thought of never finding her make me feel like I was drowning?
"Just do what I told you." I said, turning back to the papers on my desk.
Ethan lingered in the doorway. "Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Why do you care? You rejected her. You made it clear she meant nothing to you. So why are we tearing apart the territory looking for her?"
I looked up at him, anger flaring. "Because she's a member of this pack. It's my responsibility to know where my pack members are."
"She is not a pack member anymore you rejected the mate bond. That breaks her ties to the pack too."
He was right technically, Elara had no connection to Blue Moon Pack now. No reason for me to care where she went or what happened to her.
Except I did care and I hated myself for it.
"Get out." I told Ethan.
He left without another word.
I sat alone in my office, surrounded by papers I couldn't focus on, reports I couldn't read. My mind kept drifting back to that night. The night everything changed.
She had been so nervous when I had brought her to my room. Her hands had been shaking when I'd kissed her.
When I laid her down on my bed, she looked up at me with those wide eyes and whispered, "I've never done this before."
I'd frozen. "You're a virgin?"
She nodded, her cheeks flushing red. "Is that... is that okay?"
It should have made me stop. Should have made me think twice about what we were doing. But the bond had been so strong, pulling us together, and she'd been so beautiful lying there beneath me.
"I'll be gentle.” I'd promised her.
"I won't hurt you."
And I'd kept that promise that night, at least the next morning was different.
I'd woken up with her curled against my chest, the bond humming between us, stronger than ever. She'd been sleeping peacefully, her face relaxed, her breathing slow and even.
And I panicked.
I couldn't explain why I couldn't put into words what had made me push her away. I just knew that the bond felt too strong, too consuming, too much.
So I'd gotten out of bed, gotten dressed, and when she'd woken up, I'd said the words that destroyed everything.
"This was a mistake."
She had sat up, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Last night. It shouldn't have happened. We shouldn't have-" I'd stopped, unable to look at her.
"I reject the bond."
"What? No, Kaden, please-"
"I, Kaden Blackwood, Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, reject you, Elara, as my mate."
The pain in her eyes had been immediate. She'd pressed a hand to her chest, gasping. The rejection hurt both people, but it was always worse for the one being rejected.
She'd been crying when I left the room. I'd heard her sobbing through the door as I walked away.
That was four days ago. I hadn't seen her since. Hadn't known she'd left the pack lands until Ethan told me the patrols couldn't find her.
‘You're a coward.’ my wolf snarled. 'You rejected her because you were scared. And now she's gone.’
"I'm not scared." I muttered.
‘Liar you were terrified of what she made you feel. So you threw her away like garbage.’
I couldn't argue with him, not when he was right. A knock on the door made me look up.
"Come in."
Selena walked in, dressed in a tight blue dress that probably cost more than most people's cars. Her blonde hair was perfectly styled, her makeup flawless. She smiled when she saw me.
"Kaden, darling. I've been trying to reach you all day."
"I've been busy."
"So I heard. The whole pack is talking about how you have everyone searching for that omega girl." She sat down in the chair across from my desk.
"Is that really necessary? She left. Good riddance, I say."
I felt my jaw clench. "Don't talk about her."
Selena raised an eyebrow. "Touchy. I thought you rejected her?"
"I did."
"Then why do you care if she's gone?"
Why did everyone keep asking me that?
"The ceremony is in two weeks," Selena said, changing the subject.
"We need to finalize the details. The other Alphas have confirmed they're coming. The pack is excited and everything is ready."
The ceremony. The one where I was supposed to announce Selena as my Luna. Where I was supposed to officially bind myself to her in front of the entire pack.
The thought made me feel sick.
"We will discuss it later." I said.
"Later? Kaden, it's in two weeks we need to-"
"I said later!" I stood up abruptly, making her jump.
"I have things to deal with right now."
Selena's perfect smile faltered. "You are acting strange, this isn't like you."
"You don't know what I'm like."
"I know you well enough to see that you're falling apart over some omega who didn't even matter.”
“You need to let her go and focus on what's important. Focus on us, focus on the pack."
I walked to the window, looking out at the pack lands. "Get out, Selena."
"Kaden-"
"Now."
She left, slamming the door behind her.