The Alpha's Forgotten Bloodline

Rejected Before The Pack

kael's POV

My hands won't stop shaking.

I stare at them, these hands that just destroyed the only woman I've ever loved, and I wait for relief. I wait for the voice in my head to say, "You did the right thing. Your people are safe now."

But there's only silence.

And my wolf, howling in agony.

What have you done?

The voice is my own, but it comes from somewhere deeper. Somewhere primal. The beast inside me that recognized Ariyah as ours from the first moment I saw her.

"She would have destroyed us," I whisper to the empty room. "I saw it."

You saw what they wanted you to see.

I shake my head, trying to silence the thought. The visions were real. They had to be real. The blood, the fire, the crown of bone on her head. I saw her standing over the bodies of my people, laughing while Nightfang territory burned.

I saw it.

So why does my chest feel like it's been ripped open?

I pace the chamber, back and forth, back and forth. The stone floor is cold beneath my bare feet. When did I take off my boots? I don't remember. I don't remember walking here. I don't remember anything after the words left my mouth.

I, Kael Nightfang, reject you, Ariyah Vale, as my mate.

Her face. The way she looked at me. Like I'd driven a blade through her heart.

Because I had.

The door slams open.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Seraphine stands in the doorway, her dark hair wild, her eyes blazing. My sister. My closest confidante. The only family I have left.

She looks ready to kill me.

"Answer me!" She storms into the room, her voice shaking. "You rejected her? In front of the entire pack? Kael, what is wrong with you?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

I stop pacing and face her. The words are there, waiting. The visions. The fear. The certainty that Ariyah would destroy everything I've built.

But when I open my mouth, nothing comes out.

Seraphine steps closer. "Kael, talk to me. Please."

"I had to do it."

"Why? She loves you. Anyone with eyes can see that."

"Love doesn't matter." My voice comes out harsh, bitter. "Not when the alternative is death."

She freezes. "What are you talking about?"

I turn away, unable to meet her eyes. "I've been having visions. Dreams. Whatever you want to call them."

"What kind of visions?"

"Terrible ones." I press my palm against the window, watching the moonlit forest below. "I see her, Seraphine. I see Ariyah standing over our dead. I see the pack house burning. I see her wearing a crown made of bones, and she's laughing. She's laughing while everything we love turns to ash."

Silence.

I wait for her to tell me I'm being ridiculous. That dreams are just dreams. That I'm throwing away the best thing that ever happened to me over nothing.

But she doesn't.

When I turn back, her face is pale. Too pale.

"Seraphine?"

She swallows hard. "How long have you been having these dreams?"

"Weeks. Maybe longer. They're getting worse."

"And you're sure they're about Ariyah?"

"I've seen her face. Her eyes. It's her."

She looks away, and I see something flicker across her expression. Guilt? Fear? It's gone before I can name it.

"Seraphine, what is it?"

"Nothing." She shakes her head, forcing a smile. "I'm just... processing. This is a lot to take in."

"I know. But you have to understand. I couldn't risk it. Not with the pack's safety."

"And what about Ariyah's safety?"

The question hits me like a physical blow.

"What do you mean?"

"She's out there right now, alone, rejected by her mate. Do you have any idea what that does to a wolf? The bond doesn't just disappear, Kael. It tears at you. It makes you feel like you're dying."

I know. I feel it now. The golden thread that connected us, severed and bleeding.

"She'll survive," I say, but the words feel hollow.

"Will she?" Seraphine steps closer, her voice dropping. "You didn't just reject her. You humiliated her. In front of everyone."

"I had no choice."

"There's always a choice."

I slam my fist against the wall. The stone cracks beneath my knuckles, blood welling up. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I've been torturing myself over this?"

Seraphine flinches but doesn't back down. "Then why do it? If it's tearing you apart, why go through with it?"

"Because I'm afraid!" The confession bursts out of me, raw and ugly. "I'm afraid of what she might become. I'm afraid of losing everything. I'm afraid that if I let myself love her, I'll be blind to the danger until it's too late."

Her expression softens. "Kael..."

"Just go." I turn away, unable to bear her pity. "Please. I need to be alone."

She hesitates, and for a moment, I think she's going to argue. Then I hear her footsteps retreating toward the door.

"You should rest," she says quietly. "Don't think about this anymore tonight."

The door closes behind her.

I stand there, alone, my bleeding hand pressed against the wall.

Don't think about it anymore.

As if I could think about anything else.

I sink into the chair by the window, my body heavy with exhaustion. The moon shines through the glass, and I feel its light on my skin like a reminder of what I've done.

That's when I feel it.

Something in my pocket.

I reach in and pull out a small object. A carved moon charm, delicate and beautiful, strung on a leather cord.

Ariyah gave this to me.

Months ago, when we were still just friends. Before the bond awakened. Before everything fell apart.

I remember her smile when she pressed it into my palm. The way she laughed and said, "So you'll always have a piece of the moon with you."

My fingers curl around the charm.

And for the first time since the rejection, I feel tears burning behind my eyes.

"Forgive me," I whisper. "Forgive me, Ariyah."

The charm grows warm in my hand.

I look down, and my breath catches.

It's glowing. Faintly, but unmistakably. Silver light pulsing like a heartbeat.

And then I hear it.

Ariyah's voice, crying out in pain.

The sound tears through me, and I'm on my feet before I know what I'm doing, my wolf howling inside me.

She's hurt. She's hurt, and I did this.

The charm glows brighter, and her voice fades, replaced by silence.

But the echo of her scream stays with me.

And I know, with terrible certainty, that I will never forgive myself.