Page 4 of The Alpha's Shattered Bonds

Caught off guard, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. The weight of his gaze pierced through my defenses as if he could see straight into my very soul, into all my insecurities that hadbeen festering since my parents’ betrayal. In that moment, I realized I had begun to wear that burden heavily, believing there was something disloyal within me due to the pack’s suspicion.

Yet, as he spoke, something inside me began to ease. I had spent so long insisting I didn’t care about the cruel remarks from Logan and his trolls, but Tyler’s voice—warm and inviting like the campfire beside us—sparked a flicker of light along my skin. It unraveled the weight of my grief, allowing feelings of isolation to dissolve in the cool night air.

For several moments, we sat in companionable silence. The only sound was the crackling of the fire and the gentle whispers of the wind through the trees. Underneath that vast expanse of night, beneath a blanket of stars shimmering like diamonds, I felt a warmth blossoming in my chest—a feeling of something deeper than friendship.

In that sacred space, away from the taunts of the pack, my heart expanded with a sense of belonging I had never felt before. Leaning my head against Tyler’s shoulder, I closed my eyes, letting the world fade away.

The deep truth of our connection had been quietly burgeoning within me for some time, forming a stark contrast against the fleeting romances I had entertained at Silver Moon University. I remembered the tender touches and sweet words from those boyfriends and how, each time they leaned in, I closed my eyes, desperately searching for the spark of magic I felt so effortlessly with Tyler. Yet, despite their warmth, I always came up empty—no caress, no kiss could ever ignite the fire that burned so brightly, not just in this moment but in a hundred other tiny, perfect moments woven through our time together.

But now, faced with the reality of his impending vows to Linda, I opened my eyes, realizing that my feelings for Tyler had long been there. Even with our mate bond igniting three weeks ago, it was painfully clear he didn’t feel what I did. Beyond the reckless passion we’d shared, he hadn’t acknowledged the bond I had felt beating in my chest. As he prepared to say his vows to another, the crushing truth engulfed me. He likely never would.

Logan’s friend Valerie snickered beside him. “She’ll be banished soon. Linda will put things right. She won’t have a traitor around when pups come.”

Her cruel comment fueled thoughts of the future. With the right herbs and spells, one could glimpse what was to come. But Valerie’s words, paired with the sight of Tyler and Linda standing together, conjured the future with painful clarity. It was true. Tyler’s choice to join with another foretold that soon enough, he’d have a real family of his own, severing any threads that connected us. I could already picture him in their shared house, laughter filling it as they sat close, their intimate moments a stark reminder of what I would never have. Over the last four years, my and Tyler’s lives had become so intertwined that I felt torn apart, and the thought of seeing them together in a way I longed for was unbearable. Hopelessness resonated within me. There would be no place for me here. Aside from Tyler, no one in the pack truly accepted me, and now, even he no longer wanted me.

Desperation seeped into my bones as I turned away from the pack. I hugged my arms around myself and retreated further from the celebration of love and unity. With my breaking heart, I ventured down the mountain. The familiar woods thickly framed the path with the scent of pine and moss.

As I trudged through the lonely forest, I couldn’t shake the imagination of Tyler kissing Linda, her face aglow with happiness. My heart ached, and I looked up at Igaluk’s full face, imagining her light shining down on the couple. The pain was almost too much to bear. Gazing up at the Moon goddess, a sense of grim determination settled over me. It was fitting that she’d witness the destruction I was about to unleash. After all, she’d been the one who’d given me this bond in the first place.

I trekked deeper into the woods through the whispering evergreens. The thick crisp snow met my open shoes and soon soaked my long dress. But as a shifter, I didn’t feel the cold much. Instead, the cold grounded me against the turmoil threatening to pull me under. I listened to the satisfying crunch. For a moment, the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable eased, and the quiet of the forest enveloped me tightly. Its cold was a balm for the hot shame lingering on my cheeks.

But with each step, the weight of my decision pressed upon me. I reached a clearing and kneeled in the snow-kissed earth. The cold grounded me as I rummaged through my clutch bag. Thankfully, I made it a habit to carry crystals wherever I went and had the reserves of extra energy I’d need for this ritual. I extracted the crystals—each stone vibrating with the magic of the Silver Moon lands around us. As I placed the crystals around me in a circle, I felt their potency amplified by Igaluk’s waxing moon above. Her moonbeams caressed their depths, and each glimmered with possibility and power.

Closing my eyes, I called to mind the sacred markings of the Moon goddess I’d need. I picked up myulu—my ceremonial knife. I used it to inscribe each rune into the fresh snow, tracing the ancient marks that my mother had taught me.

The rune foramaruq—the wolf—came first, its essence igniting a growl from my wolf within me. Next wasilak—mate. I felt my wolf’s ears draw back, a whine escaping from her as if she suspected my intent, but I gritted my teeth, forcing myself on. I marked the rune forqiviut—thread. I swiftly followed it with the sharp, final one ofpilak—cutting through. Each stroke reverberated with purpose, a manifestation of my intentions in the circle I now stood in the center of.

The runes began to glow softly in the moonlight, fueled by the power in the crystals. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the invisible thread that tied me to Tyler, its ever-present warmth a reminder of the bond we forged. I trembled, nuzzling into the fleece-lined shrug I wore, but the shivers racking my body had nothing to do with the frigid air or wet ground beneath me.

The Moon goddess’s ancient language filled my mind like a melody.

“Amaruq pilak qiviut ilak,”I chanted, allowing the resonance of my words to cascade through me. A harsher chill swept through the air and goosebumps prickled over my skin as I wondered whether it was a warning or a reassurance from the goddess.

“Amaruq pilak qiviut ilak,”I chanted harder, forging ahead.

A lump rose in my throat, my wolf going berserk, snarling and leaping within me, begging to be let out as if I were in danger. Yet, I ignored her, breathing strength and intention into my words as the wind tore at me, lifting the snow into swirling eddies.

Determination solidified within me. I had thought Tyler saw me for who I truly was beyond the sins of my parents. It was painfully clear he didn’t. The hollowness of that realizationdevastated me, tearing apart the fragile hope I had clung to. I would no longer remain tethered to someone who couldn’t see the person I had fought so hard to become. I envisioned a future where Tyler faded into the depths of my past, reduced to a mere echo of what could have been.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I chanted fervently. A tremor rippled through the earth. A flash of color cleaved through the darkness, even behind my tightly closed eyes. I felt the bond break with an almighty crack—like a glacier falling apart and plunging into the ocean.

Pain burned through my chest as if fire and ice raged within me, and I cried out, dropping to the ground and clutching my heart. My wolf writhed in agony, curled up and scared within the corners of my mind. Yet, bit by bit, I breathed through the torment, a flicker of relief moving through me as I felt the new space in my chest.

Tentatively, I reached out for the mate bond. It was gone.

I staggered to my feet, my heart racing with relief.

The Moon cast her glow on the circle of runes and crystals, and I saw they were now dull and lifeless, all the power drained from them. I instinctively knew that tools used to sever such a bond would never again be able to channel magic.

Casting off my shoes and clothes, I felt a surge of determination. I was eager to leave this place behind. It was a world where nobody wanted me and where I no longer belonged. I shifted, the transformation igniting a rush of freedom through me. My wolf’s muscles rippled with relief as I let her plunge down the cold mountainside, her silvery fur flashing beneath the Moon as she ran. My anguish evaporated into the night as I dashed intothe woods, my heart a wild thing racing toward a new beginning. I was unsure where I would go, but I was filled with resolve. It was time to leave the past behind.

Chapter Two

Tyler

The pack gathered beneath the vast, starry expanse of night. The shimmering constellations seemed to wink and nod in approval. This was a moment I had long envisioned—the forging of a future with a luna at my side.

Linda looked enchanting in her flowing gown, intricately woven with threads of giak, one of the Silver Moon Pack’s most precious ores. Ancient folktales whispered that these crystals had belonged to Igaluk’s handmaidens, cast off as they’d visited our earthly realm. Linda’s honey-blonde hair cascaded down her back in perfect curls, framing her heart-shaped face, looking as if she could be part of that celestial court. She smiled at me with pure admiration, yet something lodged like a stone in my stomach.

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