Page 46 of Shattered Soulmates

“Comharraich na fiachan dhuit mar a chaidh am pàigheadh.”

“Mark the debt to thee as paid.”

Miles lies still on the surgical table as the echoes of the final words fade. The air hums with energy. Suddenly, his body jolts. His chest lifts off the table, arching upward, as though something inside him is trying to break free. His muscles seize, his frame bends unnaturally, and then a soft light begins to glow from his chest. At first, it’s faint, like moonlight slipping through the clouds. Then it intensifies, transforming into the image of a lunar eclipse: a darkened moon surrounded by faint shadows, symbolizing the goddess’s bond of fate.

But something’s wrong. The tattoo-like image fractures, jagged black lines running through it, similar to shattered glass, splitting the symbol into pieces. The mark glows with an intense, silvery light. As the beautiful design shatters and fades into an ugly scar, the light recedes. It’s clear now: this bond, once pure, is broken, ruined, and reflected in the shattered symbol.

Thrump, thrump, thrump.

As the surgical team stands frozen in shock, Dr. Paisley calls out. “Stats? The team snaps into action. One of the nurses quickly checks the monitors, glancing up with a relieved expression. “His vitals are all good, Dr. Paisley. He’s stable,” she summarizes, her voice steady.

Dr. Skye turns to the witch, eyes wide with disbelief and asks, “Ms. Rathbone, what just happened?”

The witch responds, her voice filled with disbelief, "There were two mate bonds within him. One was created by his decision to mark his chosen mate during a bonding ceremony.”

“The other bond, the Lunar Eclipse Bond, is the moon goddess’s mark, which has now appeared on Miles’ chest. It symbolizes the bond he once shared with his fated mate, Paisley. This rare bond forms when two fated mates are born under a similar celestial event, like a solar or lunar eclipse. It doesn’t have to occur in the same year. It’s an especially powerful bond because it’s said the moon goddess sealed it with her own hand during the celestial event—their connection, it is written in the stars.”

“That bond should've never been broken…but it has been, because it was tainted by the chosen mate bond,” her voice trailing off in a whisper.

Miles

I rise from my bed and look around, but the darkness surrounds me completely, thick and black, almost viscous. ‘Hello?’ I call out. ‘Is anyone there? Where am I?’ I take a few steps forward, reaching out and feeling a solid surface to my right. As I move along it, I hear voices in the distance. ‘Hello?’ I shout again, louder this time.”

I feel a pinch in my neck where my chosen mate mark lies, as the voices swell, chanting:

“O Ghealach Dhiadhachd cho soilleir,”

“Oh, moon goddess, light so bright,”

“Sàbhail am fireannach seo bhon bhàs an oidhche seo,”

“Save this male from death this night.”

“Bris an ceangal rinn cho neo-ghlic,”

“Break the bond so unwisely made,”

“Comharraich na fiachan dhuit mar a chaidh am pàigheadh.”

“Mark the debt to thee as paid.”

I feel a burning in my chest, just above my heart, and suddenly a light bursts forth, a fire that sears and etches a symbol onto my skin. I fall to the ground, my body writhing in pain. It’s as if the goddess herself istracing a beautiful tattoo onto my heart, which blooms out onto the surface of my skin. It’s the image of a moon rising in an inky black sky, slowly being eclipsed until only a black circle remains, surrounded by silvery wisps of moonlight. The beautiful image fills me with thoughts of pure love and safety, endless and eternal.

“Miles, my wolf-son,” a distinct female voice speaks from the darkness. “This mark over your heart symbolizes the gift I bestowed upon you–Paisley’s love and devotion.”

“I don’t understand!” I cry out, rising onto my knees. “Who are you?”

“I’m your moon mother, the moon goddess, Miles,” the feminine voice whispers, echoing from all directions. “But my heart aches for you, my wolf-son. You did not cherish the gift I gave you—you destroyed it through greed. You wanted too much! You wanted both. And in the end, you chose wrong.”

“I thought I had the right to make my own choice at the time,” I say, writhing in gut-wrenching agony. The pain isn’t physical now, but something far deeper—visceral, a soul-deep regret. “I now know that I made the wrong choice by choosing Marissa, but I thought I had the freedom to make that choice.”

“Not in this, Miles,” the moon mother replies softly but firmly. “You and Paisley chose each other before the worlds were born. So, the bond I gifted you and Paisley is no ordinary bond. It is a sacred one where you would’ve had perfect happiness with your chosen one. Didn’t you feel perfect happiness with Paisley?”

“Yes,” I choke on the word, bile rising in my throat as I realize the magnitude of my loss.

“You allowed lust to rob you."

I sob uncontrollably.

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