Page 3 of The Alpha's Shattered Bonds

Seraphina

Uneasy anticipation twisted in my gut as I lingered at the edge of the Silver Moon Pack’s gathering before Alpha Tyler’s mansion. I sought a quiet spot, away from the flickering torches and the pack’s notice. Nestled beneath the towering peaks of the Nuvuja Mountains, Nahachoh, our pack’s town, glimmered like a jewel in the night.

Familiar figures—males donned in sharply tailored suits and females adorned in flowing dresses—congregated. My heart thudded against my ribcage as if threatening to burst through the delicate fabric of my midnight-blue gown.

Every summer, I reluctantly attended pack events. I’d give anything for this to just be one of the pack’s seasonal celebrations, but tonight was different.

In the center of the lawn, a dais had been erected, where the commanding figure of Alpha Tyler stood. It was the figure beside him, Linda, the daughter of Elder Darius, that froze my blood. Her silver gown shimmered as if the stars had been called down to sheath her curves.

Elder Darius’s voice now sliced through the night, and my gaze shot to where he stood before the pair. “We are gathered here this night to celebrate the sacred union of Tyler and Linda as mates.”

Dread ricocheted through me, raw and visceral, snuffing out the flickering hope I’d managed to cling to over the day. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head, my wolf bristling within.

“She’sstill here then.” A discontented murmur slithered from nearby.

I froze, the prickling eyes of the pack deepening my feeling of being an outsider with each passing second. Without looking, I recognized Jackie’s voice, a middle-aged packmate. Heat prickled over my cheeks as I thought of the son she’d lost in the invasion my parents had permitted. Shame heated my skin.

“Should’ve stayed at university,” someone else remarked. My gaze fluttered to the back row of packmates, previously focused on the dais, now sneering at me. Beneath their contempt, I felt like a blemish marring the night’s beauty.

My thoughts swirled like a blizzard, leaving me disoriented and lost, each taunt cutting deeper into my heart. The murmurs of the Silver Moons around me added to the jagged pain ricocheting through me as I contemplated that Tyler wasreallydoing this—he was committing himself to Linda. The air I inhaled felt frigid as my breathing shallowed. The place I’d always called home now felt hostile.

Uninvited memories jolted to life, tugging cruelly at my heart. My nineteenth birthday, only three weeks ago, came crashing back. I remembered my intoxicating heat cycle and the dizzying certainty that Tyler was my fated mate. The kiss I had initiated had drawn our bodies together, but instead of bringing us closer, making love had driven a wedge between us.

Afterward, Tyler’s regret had extinguished the passion we’d shared. Guilt had etched his features as he’d said,“Seffy, I can’tbe with you. You’re the child of traitors. As alpha, I cannot honor this bond.”

Each word had cut deep, echoing the cruel whispers that had haunted me in the pack. Humiliation constricted my chest, a lump lodging in my throat. At the time, frustration and heartbreak had waged war. Despite the deep connection Tyler and I shared, my parents’ crime overshadowed it. Over the last few weeks, I’d managed to convince myself that, in time, Tyler would come around. Yet, if anything, he’d been doing his utmost to distance himself from me these last few weeks. My chest clenched as I remembered how he’d asked me to call himAnatch—Uncle—since we’d been intimate. The word felt jarring, a deliberate attempt to redefine our bond as if a single title could erase the depth of what we had shared.

Then, this morning, in a daze, I’d listened to Tyler recounting his intention to stand beside Linda tonight in this ceremony. Now, as the ceremony continued, a fog of doom descended over my mind, suffocating the last wisp of hope. I wondered how long he and Linda had been planning this ceremony. The thought that he’d withheld this information pierced my heart like ice.

A thunderous cacophony of blessings erupted around me, drowning out my turmoil. In a time-honored tradition, the pack shouted out their blessings before the couple made their vows.

“May Igaluk smile on you!” packmates shouted, voices rising like a symphony. Others shouted blessings in the ancient language of the goddess, their merry tones feeling like dark magic as they cut into my heart like curses. “Lianait!Akuluk!”

Jolted from my daze, I faltered forward. My mate bond strained in protest, and my wolf howled in desperation. Tyler was reallytaking another mate, disregarding our connection. Despite my hurt, I couldn’t stand silent.

Woken by my packmates, a cry escaped my lips. “Tyler!” Raw and imploring, my heart thumped in my chest, begging him to look at me. But he just stood there, oblivious, eyes locked onto Linda. Her radiant smile seemed to hold him fast, as if he were already bound to her.

I opened my mouth to shout again, but nothing emerged. My throat tightened, and tears threatened. The only thing my cry succeeded in drawing was further hostility from the pack.

Logan, a wolf about my age—one of the young wolves who had bullied me most ruthlessly as a teenager—noticed me. His wide features sharpened as he recognized me. “You’ve got some nerve showing up,” he snarled. “You should’ve been banished.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks as other Silver Moons glowered at me, their judgment seeping into me like venom. The familiar pinpricks of disgrace flushed over my hot skin. Once again, I was reminded of my parents’ betrayal, destined to plague me.

“Child of traitors,”Tyler’s words echoed, a haunting reminder of the shadows that tainted me, reinforcing the reason Tyler had refused me as his mate. As I stood there, pain squeezing my heart, the realization cut deep: Tyler didn’t feel our mate bond as I did. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to endure this pain and take another woman as his mate.

Panic threatened to claw me apart. I had withstood years of longing. One memory surged back to me with blinding clarity, and I closed my eyes.

Seventeen years old, I sat cross-legged on a camping mat, the chill of the evening air nipping at my cheeks. It felt like a mere whisper compared to the torment I'd endured back in Nahachoh. The laughter of Logan and his friends echoed in my mind, a cruel bell tolling my isolation. “I can’t wait to escape to Silver Moon University,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.

Beside me, Tyler leaned closer, his eyes sparkling with warmth and sincerity. “They’re just jealous of you.”

I tried to huff out a laugh, but it came out more like a breath of frustration. “Hardly.” My shoulders slumped as I imagined the moment I could leave this place behind—the packmates who looked at me and only saw the daughter of traitors.

Tyler picked up a stick, poking at the fire, sending sparks twirling up into the night sky like fireflies. “They are, Seffy. You’re brave and strong. I think they’re intimidated by you.”

His words sent a flutter through my chest, a mix of embarrassment and surprise. I turned my gaze to the ground, attempting to mask my reaction with a skeptical expression.

“You are, Seffy. You’re as strong as the Great Wolf up there,” he said, pointing to the constellation he’d mapped out for me time and again. “As fierce as the Hunter,” he continued, tracing another starry figure with his finger. “And you have a heart as big and loyal as the twins who are always together,” he added thoughtfully, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, yet his blue eyes remained serious and sincere.

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