Page 21 of The Alpha's Shattered Bonds

But before I could savor this newfound connection, her expression shifted. Defiance shadowed her features, and a flicker of something deeper danced behind her eyes—fear and regret. “We are not mates.”

The words fell from her lips as if they were forged in stone, resonating painfully in the enclosed space and fraying the invisible thread that had just been restored.

I searched her eyes for any hint of the desire we had just shared, but all I found was a resolute determination that sent chills down my spine. The wonder of what we could have been crumbled, leaving only echoes of desire swirling around me as she stepped back.

I wanted to reach out, to pull her back into my arms, but the weight of her rejection held me in place. She strode past and through the doors, leaving me empty and aching for the warmth of her presence. I dragged her lingering scent deep into my lungs—a bittersweet reminder of all I’d lost, of a bond that had flared with life only to be extinguished again.

Chapter Nine

Seraphina

When Tyler kissed me, everything shifted. It was as if a dam had burst, unleashing a tidal wave of emotions. In that fleeting moment, the world around us melted away. Warmth ignited every nerve ending in my body. That heady contradiction of feeling both at home and on the cusp of an extraordinary adventure caught me up. My heart raced as I fought to understand the strange emotions coursing through my veins. The place in my chest thrummed with a haunting familiarity—a soul-deep connection that whispered we were destined for one another.

Yet, my heart raced with panic. I had severed our mate bond. Thisshouldn’tbe happening. How could I still feel this intense attraction toward him? And why did the fire in my veins burn hotter with each lingering memory of that kiss?

After that moment, I retreated by throwing myself into my healing work with desperation. Every day, with dawn’s light creeping through my window, I dashed out. Breakfast became a granola bar so as to escape encountering Tyler at breakfast. For both lunch and dinner, I stayed at the infirmary, sharing staff meals with Kelly and Laura.

Yet still, there were snippets of the day when Tyler’s presence still found me—when his broad shoulders filled the doorframe of the infirmary and when his deep, thoughtful gaze was focused on one of the recovering packmates. Each encounter sent shards of longing through me, cracking the hardened resolve I desperatelyclung to. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, howling for the connection we once shared. I clenched my fists to suppress the urge to reach out, to close the yawning chasm between us. Despite the physical distance I continued to build, every stolen glance ignited a spark within me, the commanding yet gentle of Tyler’s bright blue eyes threatening to defeat all of my resolve. I balled my hands into fists, willing myself to ignore my wolf’s demands and the yearning swirling within.

The temptation for news about how the hunt for the traitor was going was great, too. Yet, even in that, I forced myself back. Tyler had told me to focus my energy on treating the sick. He was the one searching for the one who had betrayed us. Prodding him for information would only lead us down the rabbit hole of entanglement again—something I was terrified of happening. My stomach flip-flopped at the memory of our kiss and how close I’d been to giving into my feelings until he’d uttered that word,ilak—mate.

Night was the worst time of the day, when thoughts of Tyler so close and yet so far from me, tormented me. I tried to harden my resolve, reassuring myself that where I was was temporary. Once I’d cleared my parents’ names, I’d leave here for good. Every night, I cleared my mind through meditation and smudged white sage, desperate for peace. But no matter how I prepared, restorative dreams evaded me.

Instead, one night after a prolonged meditation, I found myself staring into a deep pool. The surface shimmered with the essence of the Moon, and as the image clarified, I realized my appearance had changed—my skin emanated a luminescence, a milky-white glow that mirrored the moonlight flooding down.

It wasn’t my reflection I was seeing, I realized, but Igaluk, the Moon goddess’s. Her luminous green eyes sparkled with the hope of early spring buds, yet beneath that beauty surged powerful, otherworldly energy.

“Restore the bond, Seraphina. Restore what is meant to be,” the goddess urged, her words rippling with intensity.

My pulse quickened, dread stealing through me. “I can’t,” I gasped, shaking my head. I had always drawn strength from Igaluk’s presence, but this? I couldn’t accept it. So much had happened between Tyler and me—pain and betrayal. Besides, I hadn’t returned to the Silver Moon Pack for Tyler. I’d only come back here for my parents. Tyler belonged to a past that I desperately wanted to close.

“I respect your decision,” Igaluk said, her tone rich with understanding yet laden with gravity. “But listen well.”

My heart thudded painfully as trepidation hung between us. “Every wolf shifter should have a fated mate,” she continued, her voice resonating, each word an ominous stone sinking into the lake’s depths. “Fate has already arranged everything for you. Do not worry. You will eventually see your true heart.”

At dawn’s first blush, consciousness returned. As I awakened, anticipation and anxiety twisted within. I felt the mate bond that I had desperately fought against threatening to dissipate. Like a flame flickering in the breeze, it quivered, then was… gone. I’d once severed the bond before, but this time it felt different. I recognized that the bond had disappeared completely. For a moment, I searched for it again in my chest, feeling the tide of my panic rising as if a piece of my very essence had slipped into the ether. My heart felt hollow in a way I had never experiencedbefore. I felt the lack like a piece of land that once held life, but it had been uprooted, the space now barren and scarred.

In that agonizing moment of clarity, awareness struck me like thunder. If I felt the loss of our bond so acutely, then Tyler would, too. The thought sent another wave of panic crashing through me. I couldn’t face him. I dashed to the bathroom.

A heartbeat later, Tyler’s soft knock echoed through the door. “Seraphina?” His voice held a thread of concern that tugged painfully at me.

“Yes?” I replied, forcing my voice into a semblance of steadiness though my insides quaked.

“Are you all right?” The weight of his concern settled heavily on my chest, the sincerity of it making tears spring to my eyes.

“I’m fine,” I insisted, but the words felt hollow against the backdrop of my fraying emotions.

“I thought I felt…” he trailed off, an unspoken question hanging between us. Did he know? Did he feel the same depth of loss that I did?

I moved away from the door, grateful for the barrier between us. Could he read the guilt radiating from me? I couldn’t face his piercing gaze. It would unravel me completely.

“Look, Tyler, I need to shower and get to the infirmary, okay?” I attempted to sound neutral, to project indifference as if nothing had changed between us.

Silence stretched out, thick and suffocating, the ragged beat of my heart pounding in my ears.

“Okay.” His voice was low. “Just know I’m here if you want to talk.”

A single tear slipped past my defenses, trailing down my cheek—a stark reminder of the ache lodged deep within me. I felt his presence, steady and unwavering, yet I turned away, retreating further from him.

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