BOUND BY BROKEN BOUND

CHAPTER TWO

DEMON’ POV

The rejection had lingered in my mind long after the mating ritual preventing me from sleeping. The words had come out of my mouth precisely, controlled, and befitting of an Alpha figure yet nothing was controlled within me. My wolf Ronan, has not stopped pacing in my head. "You lied," he says once more through the mind-link his voice low and persistent as it scratches at my thoughts. “I took necessary action." You broke her, the memory flashed unconsciously, her knees slammed against the stone, her palm gripped her chest, and the bond ripped roughly, Like cutting thread, but tearing flesh. I grind my teeth and continue walking. At this hour, the training yard is usually empty, dawn has not yet set in, Shadows dance like ghosts as torches flare along the inner fortress's.

The wood splinters at the third hit when my fists repeatedly slam into the wooden post in front of me. My knuckles ache, and blood immediately starts to dry out. Excellent, I welcome the pain because physical pain is easy to understand and predict, but mate bond is not. Ronan immediately charges forward, pushing so hard against my control that my vision becomes blurry. "She is weak," but she is ours, the lie tastes like raw acid. Ronan growls angrily. The moment we were linked I was already drawn to her direction before I saw her and as soon as our eyes met, an ancient explosion occurred inside my chest. It was neither curiosity nor attraction, but fate and recognition. Unfortunately fate is not allowed in Nightfall Pack but strength. I forcefully strike the post once more with my bleeding fist and it splits in the middle.The sound reverberates across the yard. Perfect,

Let them know that I'm awake. Let them know I am not bothered, but the truth is I am, the bond is supposed to have been broken. A mate's rejection is clean, painful, but complete separation. Our thread did not. I can still feel it, a thin burning line that extends far from my chest. The link is faint but alive. I can feel her heartbeat if I concentrate but It shouldn't be possible. “You appear awful." I take my time turning, Kael has a voice that is as silky as pure steel. Before I face him, I wipe the blood off my knuckles on my pants."What or who are you looking for?" He step into the light with his usual composure, ideal posture, excellent expression “You performed well tonight.”

Ronan lashes out, I remain silent, and Kael c***s his head. "Father was happy." He was, of course; the pack did not see his command radiating into the air, they did not hear Ronan roaring in defiance, they did not feel Father's dominance pressing against my spine, locking my jaw, or constricting my lungs, all they witnessed was their Alpha's illegitimate son reject weakness. Kael adds softly, "You hesitated." "No, I didn't.” He smiled more firmly. “You did” there is silence between us. He examines me like an odd puzzle piece."You know why it was necessary," he says.“I do.” A woman who is incapable of shifting, a slave, and a faulty lineage.

The future Alpha cannot be tied to that. "Strength is currency, bloodlines matter, and political alliances are delicate," Ronan growls once again. “It's not always loud to express” strength. I forced him aside. My clinched fist briefly catches Kael's attention."Your wounds are still open." It will get better. "Make sure it does. In three days, visitors will be arriving." I narrow my eyes. "Visitors?" His brief pause gives the information a sense of purpose. “Representatives of Bloodfang”. That got my undivided attention immediately because Bloodfang never dispatches representatives randomly. “They’re expanding south, and Father wishes to prevent Nightfall pack from being viewed as unstable” he added. Yeah, now I know the truth, the rejection wasn't about me, It had to do with strategy, a weak mate will be seen as a weak leader and Bloodfang park sniffed out weakness like rotten flesh.

"I’ll handle it," I answer calmly as Kael approaches me and speaks less loudly.“will you?” The challenge sends Ronan rushing ahead once more, i struggle to keep him back. Kael looks closely at my face."You're still in link with her," he murmurs. His smile disappears totally, but I did not deny the question."That's a shame." Then I sense it, the change in the air, not control but calculation "Fix it," he adds and walks away. He has said it as though the moon itself is negotiable, as though bonds are knots that are easy to untangle. As soon as he vanishes, Ronan leaps into my head, he is telling lies.“About what?” Everything? With a heavy sigh, I run a hand through my hair.

Gradually, the sky begins to lighten up, I close my eyes, there it is again the heat, the tiny thread, I can sense she is awake, why I wonder? Rejected partners typically spiral out of control, they collapse into misery, anger and instability, and she feels….whole not shattered. Ronan quiets down a bit. She is not broken And that worries me more than anything else because I expected her to be destroyed when I rejected our bond. The impulse to reach out and grab her to make sure she's still alive scratch at me, to see if her eyes still want me. The moment I took one step towards her direction, I recalled father constant words “choose strength or be removed”

Illegitimate sons are allowed but not shielded. It will only take one poor decision from me for Kael to become sole heir. Nightfall pack does not give second chance. However, bonds cause warriors to pause, and commanders are killed as a result of hesitation. The footsteps behind me are heavy and measured, I don't have to turn to know who it is."You didn't follow instructions." My father's voice conveys authority but no volume. In an instant, I straighten."I reject her." “You paused.” The words hit like a dagger "But I did it " I say cautiously and silence descends. His authority comes off him slightly, not crushing as before, but present.“You sensed the connection.” It's not a question ."Yes Alpha" And?” "It is broken." His eyes became piercing. “Broken not shattered? He towers over me as he approaches."You'll see to it that it dies entirely."

How? He doesn't need to specify. Isolation, ritual severance, punishment, and even execution are methods used in pack.The idea of it strikes more forcefully than anticipated, causing Ronan to howl wildly inside of me, I almost lose control, I push myself to say, "I understand." "If Bloodfang senses instability, they will challenge us, and if they challenge us, I will not defend you," my father says after observing me for a while.The message is direct. Show your strength or be removed Without saying another word, he turns and walks away. The yard becomes quiet once more. Ronan is pacing, angry, and restless, and my breathing is irregular. She will be harmed by them. "They wouldn't dare." I comfort him “ and you know they would”. Pain erupts through that tiny thread in my chest, not mine but hers, sharper this time. Ronan freeze in a second. It had hit us at the same time not pain, not peace, but a steady beat. Something is taking place, beyond the fortress, not within it, In the woods.The link flames brightly out of nowhere. more powerful than it was at the ceremony. My veins are flooded with heat, and I stumble half a step. This time, Ronan leaps forward with full force. His eyes are burning gold behind mine, “she's shifting” shifting how? My heart is beating loudly, It vibrates through the thread again. Silver color not red. The moon is no longer high, and the air itself feels charged; at this hour, it shouldn't be impacting anything. “I sense it, though” Ronan's voice drops, no longer angry but vigilant, “ancient power and it observing, our mate is not weak” A shiver goes down my back.

If that is true she isn't weak...If the bond refused to break, If something in her blood, rather than breaking it answered the moon—So what did I reject exactly? Moreover, why does it feel like Nightfall has made a mistake that cannot be corrected? The thread that connects us suddenly becomes stronger and more anchored. Slowly, I raise my head to look at the forest outside the walls. Ronan whispered one word “Mine," and for the first time since the ceremony, I'm not sure who is actually in charge of this bond. The sun finally breaks over the horizon, light spilling across the stone yard. I have a feeling that the night is not yet over with us.