The Dragon's Mate

chapter four

Kai buried his face into Martha's shoulder and sobbed, the quiet, ragged sounds tearing straight from his chest. Martha held him tightly, her arms wrapping around his trembling frame with all the warmth of a mother.

She murmured soothing words into his hair, gently rocking him until his desperate tears slowed to a quiet shudder. She coaxed a few spoons of warm broth past his split lips, smoothed his blanket, and stayed by his side until exhaustion finally pulled him back into a fitful sleep.

When morning came, the agony hadn't dulled. Kai lay in the dim light, staring at the stone wall as a silent, endless stream of tears rolled down his bruised cheek. Every breath was a fresh sting in his chest, a constant reminder of the half-severed bond slowly draining the life out of his soul.

The door creaked open again, and Martha walked in carrying a small pack stuffed with thick, warm clothes and a heavy sack of provisions.

"The Luna sent these," Martha said softly, her voice heavy with grief as she set the supplies at the foot of his bed. "And... she sent her apologies, Kai. She said she's too ashamed to face you after what happened. She couldn't stop him."

Kai squeezed his eyes shut, saying nothing. The Luna's shame couldn't mend his broken bones or soothe the bleeding hole in his chest.

Martha sat at the edge of the cot, gently taking Kai's cold hand in hers. Tears welled in her own eyes. "I'm so sorry, sweet boy. I am so, so sorry there's nothing more I can do for you here. This pack... they don't deserve you."

She pressed a folded slip of parchment into his palm.

"You need to reject him back, Kai," Martha urged, her voice trembling but firm. "You have to sever the bond completely, or the lingering bond will kill you. Reject him, heal yourself, and go. There is a small village nestled in the southern valley—my niece lives there. I wrote down her name and the address. She will take you in. Go there, let your body and spirit mend, and then you can decide if you ever want to step foot near this pack again. But you can't stay here."

Kai stared at the worn parchment, the quiet truth of her words settling over him like a cold shroud. He had nothing left here. He never did.

By dusk, Kai had gathered the few belongings he owned into his pack. Standing in the shadows near the edge of the pack territory, he swallowed back the lump in his throat, closed his eyes, and focused on the faint, agonizing tether still clinging to his soul.

I, Malakai, reject you, Cole Blackwood, as my mate, he whispered into the night.

A sharp, searing heat flashed through his chest as the final thread snapped, leaving behind a cold, hollow emptiness—but the slow drain on his life force finally stopped. He gasped, clutching his chest as tears spilled over his pale face.

He turned to Martha, who was waiting in the shadows near the border tree line. Kai wrapped his thin arms around her, burying his face in her neck one last time. "Thank you for everything, Martha," he choked out.

"Be safe, my boy," she whispered, kissing his crown and wiping his tears. "Live a good life."

When Kai stepped across the pack border, the guard wolves standing watch at the perimeter barely even glanced his way. No one raised a hand to stop him. No one called out his name. No one cared enough to ask where the broken omega was going.

With tears clouding his vision, a shattered heart, and a body aching with every step, Kai turned his back on the Silvermoon Pack and walked alone into the dark, unknown woods.