Alpha lycan mate

CHAPTER 5: THE SNAP OF THE BOND

Amara's POV

“Oh, my Lady... you should not have wandered so far," Helena said from behind my shoulder, not surprised at all. A thin layer of ice ran down my spine as her voice curled around my senses.

It was not the first time they led me somewhere... somehow. It was deliberate. Brynne's head hung low, but I could see her lips curve into a cruel smile. They both wanted me to see. To feel this betrayal in its very core.

As I stood, petrified in place, watching the man bound to me by vows and blood, hold my sister close to his heart and soul, a strange sensation rose in my chest. It was not fear. It was not even rage that threatened to swallow me whole, claws digging into my ribs. My wolf screamed in protest at the unfairness of it all, but I was beyond caring about the repercussions of such an outburst.

I wanted to rip them apart, tear their throats out with my bare hands. The man I trusted with my life stood before me, his hands cupping Selene's face as if he had not just violated my heart in more ways than one. As I walked towards them both, my boots made an obscene noise against the floorboards. It was loud, but I did not stop. Selene clung to his neck, arms wrapped tightly around his waist, and as I drew nearer, I saw her eyes snap open. She knew I was there. She could hear me walking. But instead of jumping away from him, she leaned closer, kissing him longer, deeper, challenging me to do something about it.

"How dare you?!"

The words came out as a sharp sound, but they were loud enough for them to hear. It seemed that the whole world heard, for the air around me vibrated with the force of them.

They pulled away from each other at last, slow and deliberate, as if they had all the time in the world. Selene's face had paled, and she hid behind Caspian's back, peering out at me with wide, glossy eyes, her lips quivering.

“I… I am so sorry, Luna,” , she began, her voice high, shrill, and utterly fake as she sank to her knees onto the damp floor. "Please forgive me, I never meant to... I did not mean to cause trouble. It happened, and I... I am so sorry."

I would have laughed if the situation had not been so utterly ludicrous.

It was all a farce. The entire palace was full of actors, and the leashing of my soul was the most ridiculous performance of all. As if everything would be alright if they all apologized for their transgressions while continuing on with their plans to dismantle my existence completely.

Caspian did not move from where he stood, giving me no indication he would defend his behavior or, at the very least, explain his actions. He only turned his head slowly, an almost bored expression on his face as he regarded me.

"Amara," he said at last, his voice even, as if we were discussing the weather. "Go back to your chambers."

"How dare you?" I spat, taking a step closer. I ignored the way his alpha energy pushed out, threatening to consume me. "Is this what the 'peaceful arrangement' consisted of? Does this entail the 'protection and provision' of the woman carrying your child?"

"Go back to your chambers," he repeated, his voice lower this time. "You should not have wandered off like this."

"Am I a child to be told what to do?" I snapped, raising a defiant gaze to meet his own. "Is this the Omega you could not have? The one you cast away, yet still cannot stay away from?"

"That is none of your concern," he said, as he always did, as if those words had any meaning or power at all now.

That was the final straw. The last straw that snapped something inside of me clean in two. I would not be their puppet anymore. I would not be their pretty little decoration, hiding in the shadows and waiting for their commands. A sharp movement had me crossing the distance between us far too quickly for my mind to grasp. His gaze snapped to me in shock as my hand met his cheek in a loud slap that echoed in the still night. There was a long pause as the sound of my palm against his skin reverberated in my ears. I raised my chin defiantly, my gaze locked onto his, as I let the final words leave my lips.

"I, Amara Vance, reject you, Caspian, as my mate. I sever this bond, and you will never touch my soul again."

There was a flash of something in his eyes, a strange mixture of emotions that turned my stomach. My body convulsed as a sharp, burning pain lanced across my neck, right over the mark only he could see. I gasped as I fell to my knees behind him, the cool floorboards pressing into my palms as the smell of damp grass invaded my nostrils. The scent of blood mingled with the tangy aroma of the night, thick and choking. I groaned as something snapped inside of me, severing the connection between us cleanly and irrevocably. My own energy shrieked in protest, but it was too late.

As I looked up at him, I was unsurprised to see the same look of utter devastation mirrored across his own features. Caspian cried out, his hands tightening around his chest as if he could crush his very heart. A pained whimper escaped his throat as he stumbled backwards, his face draining of all color.

"What have you done?!" he all but choked out, sheer fury in his features. "You cannot do this!"

My heart pounded in my ears as I struggled to my feet, but a second searing pain shot through me, lower this time. It was as if someone had taken a heated poker and shoved it deep into my abdomen, twisting it viciously before pulling it out. I gasped and clenched my stomach as another wave of pain crashed over me.

"The baby!" Brynne cried out, her voice overly dramatic and full of false concern. "Oh, my Lady... it appears you have gone and ruined everything!"

Caspian barely registered her words as he dropped to his knees beside me and gathered me up in his arms. He held me like I was made of glass, delicate and breakable. "Call for the healer!" he growled, his voice thick with panic. "We need Liora to come at once!"

He stood and took off running in the direction of the main house, paler than I had ever seen him. Helena and Brynne exchanged a knowing glance with Selene as he disappeared around the corner.

"Did you put enough in her drink?" Selene asked quietly.

"More than enough," Helena replied with a smirk. "We shall make sure to delay the healer."

When my eyes finally fluttered open, the searing pain had dulled to a steady throb. I felt oddly vacant, detached from my own body as if I had just run a marathon. It was difficult to process what was happening, and when I blinked sleepily, I was greeted with the sight of two very familiar faces.

My parents stood near the fireplace, talking in hushed tones. They stopped the moment they realized I was awake. My mother's eyes widened in alarm as she made to come to my side, but my father was faster. He stormed to my bedside with a thunderous expression on his face, his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

"You insolent little wretch," he growled, not wasting any time before backhanding me across the face. A sharp pain blossomed across my cheek as his palm met the side of my face.

"How dare you do this to us? How dare you throw everything away? We practically built you into an Omega, and you waste it all on a petty tantrum? Don't you understand what this means? Everything we worked for is gone because of you!"

I turned my head slightly, wincing as I tasted blood on my lips, but did not answer him. The last thing I saw before his hand came down a second time was the disappointment in his eyes.

"She betrayed me," I finally whispered when he stopped. "I saw the both of them. I know what happened."

"So what?" His expression darkened. "That is no reason to toss away a royal union. A Luna endures. A Luna sacrifices, and you have been taught that since you were a child."

My mother watched him in silent horror from the corner. Her lip trembled, but she did not speak. I lay there on the bed, staring up at the canopy, feeling utterly alone. Abandoned by the only family I had ever known.