Cast Aside Once, Claimed Twice by the Alpha King

After the Bond Broke

The moment I ran, I stopped being Lyra Blackthorn.

Branches tore at my skin as I pushed through the forest, my breath ragged, my chest aching with every step.

But the pain inside me was worse.

Far worse.

The bond was gone.

And in its place… There was nothing.

No warmth.

No connection.

No sense of belonging.

Just emptiness.

I didn’t stop running until my legs gave out beneath me.

I collapsed onto the cold forest floor, my fingers digging into the dirt as if I could hold myself together by force.

A broken sound escaped my throat.

I didn’t recognize it.

It didn’t sound human.

It sounded like something lost.

“Why…” I whispered, my voice trembling.

The word echoed into the darkness, unanswered.

Damon’s face flashed in my mind.

Cold.

Distant.

Familiar.

Had he ever truly been mine?

Or had I just been… convenient?

A mistake he finally chose to correct.

My chest tightened painfully.

I pressed my hand against it, as if I could somehow bring the bond back.

But there was nothing there.

Nothing.

“I was enough…” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince myself or the world. “I was supposed to be enough…”

The silence didn’t argue.

It didn’t comfort.

It simply remained.

Heavy.

Endless.

And for the first time in my life… I didn’t know who I was.

Not a mate.

Not a future Luna.

Not even a Blackthorn, not truly.

Just…

Rejected.

The word felt like a brand burned into my skin.

A soft wind passed through the trees.

But it didn’t feel natural.

It felt… aware.

I froze.

Slowly, I lifted my head.

The forest had gone completely still.

No insects.

No movement.

No sound.

Like the world itself was holding its breath.

And then

I felt it again.

That presence.

Stronger now.

Closer.

Watching.

My instincts screamed at me to move, to run, to hide.

But my body wouldn’t obey.

Because deep down…

I knew.

Whatever was out there…

Wasn’t something I could escape.

A single step echoed through the silence.

Slow.

Measured.

Unhurried.

Not hunting.

Not rushing.

Certain.

My heart pounded as I forced myself to look toward the darkness between the trees.

And that’s when it hit me.

This wasn’t just danger.

This was power.

The kind that made even Alphas bow.

And for the first time since everything fell apart…

Fear replaced the pain.

Because something had found me.

And it was no longer watching from afar.