Rejected And Reborn As The Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 30: “The Bond Fades

POV: Xavier

"No!" Luna started forward, but more of Neon's men appeared from the shadows. Men I hadn't noticed before, disguised as Silver Moon warriors. They'd been here all along, waiting.

"Sorry, Luna," Neon said, not sounding sorry at all. "This was always the plan. Get the twins in one place. Wait for them to exhaust themselves. Then collect."

"You planned this entire attack," Luna realized, horror in her voice. "The other packs, the siege, you coordinated all of it."

"I'm a very thorough planner." Neon reached down and grabbed Thelma's arm. She tried to fight, but she was too weak. "Come along, darling. We have an appointment with someone very interested in meeting you."

"Let her go," I snarled, trying to push myself up. My arms shook with the effort.

"Or what?" Neon laughed. "You can barely stand. She drained herself saving you. The perfect ending to my plan. She's too weak to fight, too weak to run, and you're too weak to stop me from taking her."

He started dragging Thelma toward the gates. His disguised warriors held off Luna's pack, keeping anyone from interfering.

"Xavier," Thelma called out weakly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize," I said desperately. "Just fight. Use your power!"

"I can't." Tears streamed down her face. "I used everything to save you. There's nothing left."

"Then I'll come for you," I promised. "Thelma, I swear, I'll find you. I'll save you."

"How sweet," Neon said. "But I don't think so. By the time you recover, we'll be long gone. And besides, where we're going, you won't be able to follow."

"Where are you taking her?" Luna demanded.

Neon smiled, and it was the smile of a man who'd won. "To meet my employer. The one who's been orchestrating everything from the beginning. The one who wants Thelma's power more than Marcus, more than Damien, more than anyone."

"Who?" I asked, though dread filled my stomach.

"A dark witch named Morgana," Neon said casually. "She's been searching for Alpha blood powerful enough to complete her spell for fifty years. Thelma's blood, combined with her twin bond to Theo, is exactly what Morgana needs."

"What spell?" Thelma asked, fear making her voice small.

"The spell that will make Morgana immortal," Neon explained. "She'll drain your Alpha essence, consume your twin bond connection, and use your life force to transcend mortality. You and your brother will die, of course. But your power will live on forever in her."

Luna's face went pale. "A soul consumption spell. Those are forbidden. Illegal by every pack law."

"Good thing Morgana doesn't care about pack laws." Neon's men started pulling Thelma through the gates. "She only cares about power. And Thelma is going to give her exactly what she needs."

"No!" I pushed myself to my hands and knees, trying to crawl after them. "Thelma!"

She looked back at me, and through our bond, I felt her trying to be brave. Trying to be strong. But underneath, she was terrified.

"I love you," she said. "Xavier, I love you. I'm sorry I ran. I'm sorry I didn't trust you."

"Don't say goodbye," I begged. "This isn't goodbye. I will find you. I swear it."

"You can try," Neon said. "But Morgana's domain is hidden by magic older than any pack. You'll never find it. You'll spend the rest of your life searching for a mate who no longer exists." He paused at the gates, turning back one last time. "Oh, and Xavier? This entire thing our alliance, the poison, the attack, Morgana planned it all. She's been watching Thelma since the girl was reborn. Every choice, every decision, every moment has been guided toward this. You never had a chance of saving her."

"You're lying," I said, but doubt crept in.

"Am I?" Neon shrugged. "Ask yourself why the Moon Goddess sent Thelma back. Was it really to give her a second chance? Or was it to put her exactly where Morgana needed her to be?"

The implication was horrifying. If what Neon said was true, then Thelma's rebirth wasn't a gift, it was part of a darker plan.

"Xavier!" Thelma screamed as they dragged her through the gates. "Don't believe him! Find me! Please!"

Then they were gone, disappearing into the forest with my mate. My dying mate, weakened from saving my life.

Luna knelt beside me, her face grim. "Can you track her?"

"The mate bond," I said, focusing on that thread of connection between us. It was still there, but faint. Growing fainter with distance. "I can feel her. She's heading east."

"Then we follow," Theo said, pushing himself up despite the silver poisoning. "We get my sister back, and we kill everyone who tries to stop us."

"You're in no condition to fight," Luna said.

"Neither is Xavier," Theo shot back. "But we're going anyway. She saved him. She chose love over safety. I won't abandon her now."

I looked at Theo, seeing past his hatred for the first time. He wasn't just angry that Thelma existed. He was angry because he'd been alone, and now that he'd found his sister, he couldn't bear to lose her.

"We go together," I said, offering him my hand. "Brother."

Theo stared at my hand for a long moment. Then he took it. "Together," he agreed. "But if you slow me down, I'm leaving you behind."

"Fair enough."

Luna stood. "I'll gather my fastest warriors. We leave in five minutes."

As she ran to give orders, I focused on the mate bond, on that fading connection to Thelma. She was scared. She was weak. But she was alive.

And as long as she was alive, there was hope.

"Hold on," I whispered, knowing she could hear me through our bond. "I'm coming. Just hold on a little longer."

Through our connection, I felt her response. A pulse of love and trust and desperate hope.

Then the bond flickered, and I felt something else. Something dark and ancient touching Thelma's mind. Morgana. The dark witch was already beginning her spell. We were running out of time. And I had no idea if we could reach her before it was too late..