ALIONA’S POV
I shouldn’t be crying.
I shouldn’t be feeling the pangs of pain that spiraled through my chest like a thousand sharp thorns tearing at my heart, yet I was feeling every bit of it. Every pulse of anguish, every ounce of humiliation that came with it.
The stupid aftermath of a broken mate bond.
I walked out of the great hall, keeping my head down as I forced my feet forward, step after ungraceful step. The cool night air of Mooncrest hit my bare shoulders, chilling my skin and burning my lungs all at once. My heels clicked against the marble steps, echoing far too loudly in the silence.
The music behind me still played. Laughter still rippled through the crowd inside. The mating ball — a night that was supposed to be magical, fated — was continuing without me. I had been d
