Severed Bonds

Crossroads

Present Day

I froze mid-step, the tray in my hands trembling so badly I nearly dropped it.

The palace of Dravenhart pack was never quiet; however, there seemed to be a shift today. Whispers crawled through the halls like smoke, curling into every corner but still I paid no mind, their murmurs drifting past me like dust but that was until I heard it.

The words that brought my world crashing down again.

"Alpha Kael is back!"

Two maids lingered at the base of the long, spiraling stairs, whispering to each other while stealing glances at the front door. Noise from outside; voices, chants, bursts of laughter, slipped past the walls and rolled through the hall.

"My! Already?"

"Yes. His convoy crossed the pack gates fifteen minutes ago. Pack members are gathered outside to welcome him."

"How long has it been?"

"Four years. Can you believe it?"

The air around me suddenly felt too cold; my breath came out in short rasps. Four years.

To them, it was just time passing but to me, it was everything I had lost and everything in between.

It was four years of silence. Four years of pretending I didn’t ache every time his name crossed my mind or was mentioned within the palace walls. Four years of walking through the halls of the palace like a ghost, surviving the torment and humiliation, one day at a time, all alone. Without him.

And now- suddenly, he was here.

Biting down on my lips, I pressed my hand against my suddenly aching chest, turning around to leave but just at that moment, the front door swung open and Clarissa stepped in. Dressed in a fitted pale silk dress, her smooth golden hair hung low, shining in the sunlight that streamed through the double doors. Every step she took carried an unmistakable aura of high birth, entitlement and privilege.

"Luna," the maids bowed, acknowledging her by the title Alpha Valen, Kael's father had bestowed on her without her earning or being it. However, she ignored them, brown eyes sweeping across the hall with quiet disdain, locking onto me like they always did. Her lips curled slowly, like she was already savoring the cruelty she couldn’t wait to unleash.

"Laila," she called as she walked over.

I lowered my gaze to the floor like I’d been trained to do, always, before responding, "Yes, my lady," voice sounding flat, lifeless.

She stepped up to me, close enough that her perfume filled my lungs-sweet, suffocating. "As a maid, I don't think you're paid to mope around," she said, voice soft but biting. "My fiancè is back. Do you want his first impression to be grime, dust and laziness?"

"No, my lady," I replied automatically, forcing my feet to stay still.

"You look pale." A sardonic smile tugged at the corner of her lips but her tone remained almost gentle. "One might think you’re nervous."

I didn't respond, keeping my head down as I gripped tightly onto the tray in my hands to keep them from trembling.

"But of course not," she waved dismissively. "You have nothing to worry about. The Alpha knows exactly where you belong."

Stepping forward, she grabbed the glasses off the tray, turning each one of them over until wine dripped from the tray and onto the floor, creating a mess. My jaw tightened but I remained silent, eyes down, breathing shallow.

"In the dirt," she finished with an evil laugh.

The maids snickered. It wasn't the first time they had seen Laila derive pleasure in humiliating me.

Just as Clarissa turned around and began to make her way to the door, it swung open. The sound echoed, heavy and final. I froze as something old stirred, pulsing deep inside like a heartbeat; cold, weak, fragile.

The bond.

I instantly wanted to disappear. I felt him before I saw him.

Kael.

He stepped inside, tall, broad, every inch the Alpha he had been born to become but nothing like the boy I remembered. Time seemed to have sharpened and shaped him into something different. It wasn't just the quiet intensity that radiated around him, a weight that drifted into the room and pressed down without a sound the moment he stepped in but also his dark gaze that carried a depth that made my chest tighten. This Kael seemed different, foreign and I could feel it in every deliberate step he took. My chest tightened painfully.

"Alpha," the maids echoed, bowing but his focus wasn't on them.

It was fixed on me.

There was no confusion or hesitation, just a cold recognition.

I had been a significant part of his life- his childhood companion, bonded mate, lover and now I was reduced to nothing but a servant in his hall yet his face stayed hard, controlled.

My eyes welled up with tears as I bowed. "Alpha," I said, trying to keep my hands from trembling and my emotions in check.

"Rise," he said listlessly. His voice was deeper than I remembered, rougher, hitting straight through me but his blue eyes bore no warmth. My legs shook as I stood, heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

"Darling, I'm sure you had a long ride. You must be exhausted," Clarissa said as she walked over to Kael, swaying her hips from side to side in a seductive way. Her red, manicured claw-like nails trailed lightly across his arm as she leaned into him. "Let’s get you all freshened up and relaxed."

"Who oversees the maids?" He asked, sliding an arm around her waist possessively. His eyes never left mine but he spoke to her instead as though I were irrelevant or didn't exist.

My throat tightened.

"Old Martha does but I stepped in when she fell ill," Clarissa lied. "You know we have to do right by family and not just our immediate ones."

"Mmm," Kael nodded in approval. Taking her hand, he brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss. "Well, see that she cleans up the mess she makes," he said coolly but his words carried a sharp undertone towards me. "This is a palace, not a pigsty."

A slow smile of satisfaction spread across Clarissa's face. "Of course," she replied, then turned to me. "Laila. Sweetie, I keep telling you to curtail your clumsiness. I won't be able to cover up for you much longer. Get a mop and clean this up," she said with mock sweetness but Kael didn't see through it. He never did.

Biting the inside of my cheek to keep the tears at bay, I responded, "Yes, my lady."

Once again, he paid no attention to me, gazing at her with hungry eyes. "Come," he growled, giving her ass a quick, possessive smack.

Clarissa giggled, throwing me one last sardonic look as she leaned into him and they walked away, his arm secure around her waist, leaving behind-

Pain.

In my tiny room, I collapsed onto the tiny bench that sat in the corner, heart racing.

A kaleidoscope of emotions shot through me: fear, guilt, sadness, worry and an old, intense feeling I tried to shove away. My fingers clutched tightly at the ring on the necklace as I closed my eyes, trying my hardest to keep the tears at bay.

"Mama?" The soft sound of his voice unraveled me.

I crossed the room in two steps and gathered my son into my arms, holding him like he might vanish if I let go. "You’re safe," I whispered into his hair, tears sliding down my face. "I won't let any harm come to you, no matter what."

A sharp knock on the door made my body stiffen. I pulled away from my son in time to see the door swing open and Clarissa walk in. Her eyes darkened as they swung to my son whose grip tightened around me in fear. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here," she said lightly, her eyes finally settling on me. "Still hiding the bastard, are we? Dirty pig."

Her words hit, sharp, deliberate. Anger and frustration burned hot in my chest, thick and suffocating but I forced it down.

Just as she moved past us, further into the room, Rider's small voice slipped out before I could stop it. "I- I don't look like a pig, miss," he said, head peeking from my bosom.

Panic shot through me, my hold tightening on him immediately. "Shh," I whispered, pressing him closer. "Please, stay quiet, my love."

But he resisted, wriggling slightly, stubborn even then. At just three years old, he already carried that same unyielding spirit as his father: strong-willed, fearless and impossible to cage. The reason why I protected him so fiercely, trying my best to shield him and keep him far away from the palace walls and its toxicity.

However, I couldn't shield him this time from the harshness of Clarissa's glare. Her smile dropped, anger flashing across her face as she took a step toward him but I moved without thinking, drawing Rider close, body shielding his as I stood my ground. "Please, Clarissa. He's only a child. I'm not hiding him from anyone. This is my home," I said, my voice breaking with emotions.

She scoffed, disgust clear on her face as she glanced around at the room- the peeling walls, narrow bed and thin blanket that barely covered the bed. "Home? You call this pigsty a home? Well, I guess- that's what a pig would say."

I gritted my teeth but stayed silent, holding onto Rider, who had begun to get fussy in my arms.

Clarissa continued, "There’s going to be a feast tonight in honor of my fiance's return, according to the Alpha King's command. A couple of maids will be privileged to serve at the great hall and you're one of them."

My stomach dropped.

"What? No please. I've always carried out my duties in the kitchen- "

"And starting today, that changes," she cut me off sharply before adding casually as she turned to leave. "Oh, and bring the boy. He should see what the palace truly looks like."

Cold instantly spread through my body as her words rang out; what I had dreaded had been put into motion. "No, no, no. Clarissa, please. He’s only a child," I begged, eyes blurring with tears as I held onto my son like my life depended on him. "And- and he's sick. Please."

"It's Luna to you. Now don't test me, Laila," she spat. Her face hardened as she gripped my cheek, nails digging in hard enough to leave a mark then leaned closer, voice low. "Another accident would really be a shame, wouldn't it?"

I froze, blood draining from my face as I stared at her in shock, the familiar aching grief and dread pressing in and settling deep in my bones. However Clarissa just smiled as she made her way out, slamming the door shut behind her as though sealing my new fate.

Clinging onto my son, I could only repeatedly whisper the words I hoped would come true, "Everything will be alright."