The Alpha's forbidden Siren

The Mate Bond

Chapter 5

Lila’s POV (Lyra's Body)

I had thought… really thought… that maybe things would finally be different. That maybe, after everything—the betrayal, the humiliation, the death, the rebirth—I could finally have something that felt… right. Something… normal.

Jason.

His name had been stuck in my chest since the moment I had woken in this body, since I had realized that Lila was dead and Lyra was alive. I didn’t even have to try to sense him. Something about him pulled at me in ways I couldn’t describe. Like a heartbeat echoing mine. Like… like a thread tying us together.

And today, I could feel it stronger than ever. The mate bond.

I didn’t plan this. I didn’t do anything to make it happen. I was just walking across the school courtyard, enjoying the cool air, watching the students scatter around for lunch, when I felt it. A tug. Sharp. Insistent. And there he was. Jason. Standing by the fountain, looking calm, collected, like he didn’t even notice the chaos of the school around him. But I knew he felt it.

“Jason…” I whispered, almost trembling.

His head turned slowly. Those deep, dark eyes locked onto mine. And just like that… I felt it snap.

The bond… broke.

I gasped, and it felt like the world tilted. The pull, the invisible thread connecting us, had… disappeared. My heart ached in ways I didn’t even know were possible. And Jason… his expression had changed. Something closed over his features. A mask of control, of resolve, of… warning.

“Lyra,” he said, stepping forward. And suddenly, I realized… he was dragging me, not asking. His grip was firm on my wrist, pulling me behind the fountain, away from the crowd, into the shadowed corner where no one could see.

“What… what are you doing?” I asked, my voice trembling, heart hammering.

“You need to hear this,” he said, eyes dark, unreadable. “We… we’re nothing. Just… nothing. You need to understand that.”

I blinked at him, shocked. “Nothing? I… I—”

“You need to listen!” he snapped, his voice sharp. “We’re not mates. I’m not… I don’t… this isn’t… what you think it is.”

My throat tightened, and I felt my knees weaken slightly. “But… I felt it. The bond. The connection… it was real, Jason. I swear it was real!”

He shook his head slowly, jaw tight. “No. It wasn’t real. You’re… you’re confused. Misreading things. The bond… it snapped. Whatever you felt… that’s over.”

“Over?!” My voice cracked. “But… I didn’t even… I didn’t ask for it! I didn’t… do anything to make it happen. And it… it was right, Jason. It felt right!”

He sighed, like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. Right or wrong… it doesn’t mean anything. You need to stop thinking about this.”

I wanted to argue. To scream. To cling to him and prove him wrong. But… I couldn’t. Not really. Not when I could see the resolve in his eyes, the wall he had built around himself. It was stronger than anything I had ever encountered.

I swallowed hard. “Then… what am I supposed to do? Just… let it go? Just… pretend it didn’t exist?”

“Yes,” he said, his tone sharp and final. “Exactly. Pretend. Move on. Forget it. You need to survive this… because this… this isn’t yours to have.”

I shook my head, feeling tears prick at my eyes. “You… you’re saying I can’t… you’re saying we can’t…”

“Exactly,” he interrupted, voice low but commanding. “We’re… nothing. And if you want to stay alive, if you want to keep your heart intact… you’ll let it stay that way.”

My chest felt tight, like someone had wrapped a vise around it. Everything inside me was screaming. The bond had snapped, yes… but my heart refused. My heart… refused to listen to him.

“I… I can’t,” I whispered.

“Yes, you can,” he said, his hand gripping mine harder. “Because you have to. You don’t get to choose this. I do. And I’m telling you… we are nothing. Understand?”

I wanted to cry, to beg, to plead. But I didn’t. Because even though it hurt, even though it tore me apart, I could see the truth in his eyes. He meant it. He really… meant it.

“But… what if it comes back?” I asked, voice shaking. “What if… the bond… it—”

“It won’t,” he cut me off, his tone final, absolute. “It’s snapped. Done. Over. You need to… let it go. You need to focus on… you. Your life. Your path. Everything else is gone. Gone. Gone!”

I swallowed, nodding slowly, trying to hold myself together. But inside, my chest was a storm. Everything I had felt, everything I had hoped for… ripped away. And Jason… he stood there, calm, composed, leaving me trembling.

“Lyra,” he said, softening slightly, “this isn’t rejection because of you. It’s… because of what’s right. For both of us. You… need to survive. You need to be careful. You need to… live. That’s all. Understand?”

I nodded again, barely able to breathe. “I… I understand,” I whispered.

“Good,” he said, releasing my hand finally. “Now… go. Stay alive. That’s all I’m asking.”

And just like that… he turned and walked away. Back to the courtyard, back to his life, back to… everything I couldn’t have.

I sank to the ground, my back against the shadowed wall, feeling the remnants of the bond pulse faintly in my chest one last time before disappearing completely. The ache… the longing… the connection… gone. Just like that.

I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall silently. The world around me continued. Students laughed, voices carried over the courtyard, the sun glared down, indifferent. And I… I was broken, but alive.

Alive.

And that was something.

I clenched my fists, letting the anger simmer beneath the surface. Yes… he had rejected me. Yes… the bond had snapped. But I wasn’t done. I couldn’t be done.

Jason’s rejection… it hurt more than anything I had ever experienced. But it also lit something inside me. A fire. A drive. Because if I was alive, if Lyra existed, if I had this new body and power… then I could survive. I could grow stronger. I could… someday… face him again.

Someday.

But for now… I had to live. To rebuild. To survive. To master this body, this new life, this second chance. Because Lila was dead. Lyra was alive. And I… I wasn’t going to let the world— or Jason— dictate what I could or couldn’t feel.

I stood slowly, brushing the dust off my clothes, looking around the courtyard, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. The pain was still there, sharp and raw, but I could manage it. I had survived worse. And now… I had a choice.

To exist. To grow. To claim my own life.

Jason had given me his warning. Had drawn the line. And even though my heart ached like hell, even though I felt like I had lost something I could never regain… I would survive.

I would.

And someday… maybe, just maybe… I would find a way to see him again, not as someone who rejected me, but as someone who couldn’t ignore the fire in me.

But for now… I had to walk away. I had to live.

I took one last look in the direction he had gone. And whispered, barely audible:

“Maybe one day… maybe one day you’ll see me… really see me.”

And with that, I turned, stepping into the sunlight, into the life that was mine now, my chest still aching, my heart still heavy, but my resolve… stronger than ever.

Because Lila was dead. Lyra was alive. And nothing… not even rejection, not even the snapped bond… would ever break me.