Chapter 5 CHAPTER 5
The Moore house was too quiet. The kind of quiet that pressed on Sebastian’s chest and made every breath hurt worse than the bond already tearing at his insides. He sat slouched in the armchair near the fire, a glass of untouched water in his hand, knuckles white around it. His head pounded, his body burned, and every part of him screamed that something vital had been ripped away.
His mother paced the room, her silk skirts whispering with every turn. Her hands twisted in front of her like she didn’t know what else to do. “Sebastian,” Lydia said softly, her voice breaking, “you can’t just sit there pretending this pain isn’t eating you alive. You rejected her, but the bond isn’t gone. It never is, not at once. It lingers, it claws.”
“I can handle it,” Sebastian said through clenched teeth. His throat felt raw. “I chose Sara. I’ll endure this pain. If it is the cost I have to pay to be with the woman I love, then I’ll gladly take the punishment. Sara and I knew what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to date. She is the Luna I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Richard Moore, Alpha of Silverpine, stood by the mantel, but there was no Alpha command in his voice when he spoke. Only a father. “I’m not asking as your Alpha,” he said heavily. “I’m asking as your father. Can you truly bear this? Day after day, season after season? The bond is not a wound that heals in a night, Sebastian. It is a tether. Until Cindy accepts your rejection, you will feel every pain that she feels, every hurt that she endures you will feel too. Can you endure that? Cindy is no ordinary girl, you know that, she carries more baggage and hurt than the whole village combined. What does Kael say about her?”
Sebastian lifted his eyes to his father’s, defiant, though his whole body trembled with the weight of Kael straining inside him. “I can bear it,” he said hoarsely. “And Kael will just learn to live with Sara as his mate. His opinion is irrelevant in this matter.”
Richard’s gaze hardened, a flicker of something like sorrow passing through his golden eyes. He drew a slow breath, as if weighing words that would never be spoken. Kael’s name hung between them, unacknowledged but not forgotten. A father knew when counsel mattered, even if a son refused it. Richard said nothing more, only leaned back in his chair, letting the silence stretch heavy and silently hoping that his son was right. Because if he wasn’t he would one day learn what he had chosen to dismiss. But now was not the time to lecture him – not when he was in so much pain.
Across the room, his younger brother, Marcus, perched on the arm of the sofa, wide-eyed. “But how did this even happen?” he asked, his voice uncertain. “Cindy isn’t even really part of the pack. She’s… well, she’s Cindy. How could the Goddess pair her with you?”
His sister, Alina, hugged her knees beside him, frowning. “Maybe the Goddess doesn’t make mistakes,” she whispered. “Maybe She saw how the Hales treat her - how horrible they are to her- and wanted to protect her, give her a way out.”
Richard’s jaw tightened. “The Goddess never errs,” he said firmly, turning toward his children. “If She chose Cindy, there is a reason beyond what we can see. Perhaps it lies in her bloodline, perhaps in a future we cannot yet read. But…” his eyes shifted back to Sebastian “…a Luna must be strong, wise, educated. She must be a shield and a guide to her Alpha. Cindy has none of these, not yet. And still, the Goddess gave her to you. Do not mistake this as something light, Sebastian.”
Sebastian dragged a hand down his face, weary and torn. His chest throbbed like fire, the bond straining but unbroken. “I promised Sara,” he repeated, as though saying it aloud would make it stronger. “I will not betray that.”
It was then that Kael surged against him.
The presence of his wolf roared in his mind, hot and undeniable. His muscles twitched, his breath caught. He hadn’t summoned Kael, but his wolf was there anyway, pushing, prowling.
You fool, Kael snarled inside him. She is not wolf-less. She is yours.
Sebastian clenched the arms of the chair until the wood creaked. Shut up, Kael.
She is your mate. Kael’s voice thundered, deep and wild, vibrating through every nerve. I can feel her wolf. She has awakened. You should never have rejected her.
Sebastian’s pulse raced. That’s impossible. Cindy doesn’t have a wolf. Everyone knows it.
Everyone is wrong. Kael’s growl rolled through him, rattling his bones. She hid it. But no longer. I feel her. She is fire and shadow, and she is ours.
Sebastian’s hands shook. “No,” he whispered aloud before he could stop himself. His family’s eyes snapped toward him. He forced the words back down, pressing Kael into the darkest corner of his mind. I chose Sara. I made my choice. Cindy is nothing to me.
But Kael only laughed, low and feral. You can lie to yourself. You cannot lie to me. She is your mate. And now she is free.
Sebastian staggered to his feet, his breath ragged. His siblings exchanged nervous glances. Lydia moved toward him, worry etched deep into her face. “Sebastian?”
He pressed a hand to his chest, as if he could still the raging storm there. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. Instead, he stood shaking, torn in two.
And then it came - clear, haunting, undeniable.
From somewhere deep in the forest, a howl split the night. It was fierce, raw, and filled with power that made the hairs on his neck rise. Every wolf in the Moore household froze, heads lifting instinctively.
Kael surged forward in triumph. There she is.
Sebastian’s heart slammed against his ribs. Because even before he admitted it, he knew.
It belonged to the girl he had just rejected.