The vampire's fated wolf

3.Detonated bond

The rejection bond did not just snap. It detonated.

It felt as if my ribs were being hammered outward from my spine. I felt the exact moment the bond shattered, severing the concept of us and leaving only an empty, freezing cavern in my chest.

Kaelen screamed. The sound tore through the plaza like an animal being slaughtered. He collapsed to his knees. He clutched his chest as the mate bond ripped out of his soul. Blood spilled from his mouth, staining the white linens.

My wolf whimpered and curled into a ball of grief. The pain was a crushing pressure. It felt like my heart was beating inside a vacuum.

But I refused to show it. I would rather die than let him see me shatter.

Just ten minutes earlier, standing on the grand staircase of the Silver Moon Plaza had felt like a victory. Crystal chandeliers bathed the ballroom in a bright, exposing light. Alphas from the Northern Reach stood beside wealthy pack heirs draped in black silk and massive jewels. Lunas from the Coastal Packs laughed softly while elite Academy students whispered in tight circles.

Every eye in that room had been glued to my descent.

"Lyra, sweetheart."

My mother had called to me earlier. Elena Thorne Chen looked beautiful in her charcoal grey gown, her silver hair pinned back with an opal clip. Yet, deep tension hid behind her smile.

Even she hated tonight. Alpha Vane Thorne Chen had refused to show his face entirely, labeling the match a permanent stain on our name.

"You are shaking," she had whispered.

Smoothing trembling hands over my white silk dress was the only defense. The gown was custom made for the marking. It was backless, designed for easy access for Kaelen's fangs. The mere thought of that design now made my skin crawl. This was not an engagement dress. It was a shroud woven for an execution.

"I am fine," slipped past my lips. A smooth lie.

"Has anyone seen Kaelen?" she asked.

"The omega I asked earlier said he went to the private room." My voice had been light, brushing off the concern. "He is probably hiding from the Alphas."

I forced a smile, pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, and slipped away. Eagerness had pushed my steps forward, desperate to find my mate. only to get there and this is the scene that welcomed me.

Thinking about that now I feel like heaving. I made myself a fool for a beta lie.

I looked at Ava. Her triumph was gone. She looked small and pathetic.

"You wanted him?" I said. My voice was a cold whisper. "You can have him. You can have the scraps of a man who will never be an Alpha. You can have a name that will be cursed by every pack in the North."

Kaelen groaned on the floor, trying to crawl toward my feet. He was terrified of life without my name. I turned my back on him.

Walking toward the door, the crowd scattered like dry leaves to let me through. I walked past the Alphas and their shocked faces. I walked past the omegas who had whispered about me all night.

I walked down the grand staircase alone. My white silk dress trailed behind me like a ghost. I walked out of the Silver Moon Plaza and into the cold, midnight rain.

The rain hit my face. It was freezing. It soaked my dress in seconds, making the silk cling to me like a second skin. My hair fell in wet strands across my cheeks. I kept moving until the light from the ballroom was a distant glow.

Kaelen was gone. My future was gone. I was alone in the dark.

NEUTRAL POV [THE VAMPIRE COVEN - LONDON]

Lord Alaric Von Voss sat behind a massive desk.

The room was silent. The only light came from the flickering fireplace. Alaric held a crystal tumbler filled with thick crimson blood. He swirled the liquid slowly, his cold grey eyes fixed on the flames.

The sudden shrill ring of his private encrypted phone shattered the quiet.

Alaric set the tumbler down. Very few people had that number. He picked up the receiver and brought it to his ear.

"Speak," Alaric commanded.

"My Lord," a frantic voice panted on the other end. It was Halloway, the chief security officer assigned to his son in Norway. "We have a massive problem. It is Malakai."

Alaric sighed. His son was a constant source of irritation. "What has the boy done now?"

"He killed someone, my Lord."

Alaric leaned back in his chair. He picked up his tumbler again. "A dead vampire is a mess, Halloway, not a disaster. Clean it up. Do your job."

"You do not understand, my Lord," Halloway stammered. His voice was laced with pure terror. "It is not a commoner. I just identified the signet ring on the body. It is the son of Lord Nikolai Volkov."

Alaric froze. The crystal tumbler in his hand cracked under the sudden, violent tightening of his grip.

"What did you say?" Alaric whispered. The color drained from his face.

"He drained the heir of the Russian Coven. The Winter Sovereign's son."

"NO!" Alaric roared.

He threw the broken tumbler across the room. It shattered against the wall, sending glass and blood raining across the floorboards. Alaric shot to his feet. His grey eyes bled into a furious, glowing red. Sheer panic and rage warred in his chest. Lord Nikolai was a warlord. If the Russian Coven found out a Von Voss murdered their prince, it meant an instant declaration of war.

"Halloway, listen to me," Alaric snarled into the phone. His voice shook with an absolute, terrifying command. "You will bury that body. You will burn the alleyway to the ground if you must. Buy whoever you need to buy. Kill whoever saw it happen. Every ounce of gold and favor you need, I will provide. Not a single soul must ever know it was a Von Voss."

"Yes, my Lord. And what about Malakai?"

"Get him out of Norway," Alaric barked. His fangs descended, cutting into his lower lip. "Put him on the very next flight to London. Send him home immediately."

Alaric slammed the phone down. He stood in the center of the dark office, his chest heaving as the catastrophic consequences of his son's actions settled over him.