Alpha Kieran's Second Chance Mate

Chapter 5: Shattered Bonds

CHAPTER 5

SHATTERED BONDS

~ FOUR YEARS LATER

The full moon hung low in the sky, casting a silver glow over the forest as Kieran paced the length of his study, his wolf restless and agitated. He had sent his pack members far and wide to search for Mia, his mate. Servants rushed in and out of the room, shaking their heads in helplessness each time they returned with no news.

Kieran clenched his fists, his sharp senses attuned to the faintest sound. Where could she have gone? His bond with Mia, though inconsistent and filled with unspoken strain, he was still worried that the Luna of the pack was gone. Both of them had been having problems since they bonded four years ago, he spent months of the searching for his best friend who disappeared, paying no attention to his mate. When he started paying attention, she was fed up of waiting for him. Kieran knew Mia had the tendency to run away from the pack so he put a lot of pack members with her to monitor her and protect her. Yet tonight, she had slipped from his grasp entirely.

Finally, the door creaked open, and Mia strode in, her blue eyes showing how tired and stressed she was.

“There you are!” Kieran growled, his tone sharp with concern and frustration. “Do you have any idea how much I've been looking for you? I've sent pack members out and I've been lashing out at everybody and you just walk in like there's nothing wrong? I was wo....”

Mia cut him off, her voice cold and unwavering. “Save it, Kieran. We both know you weren’t worried about me. You just can’t stand losing control, can you? You can't stand having people know that our marriage is nothing but ruins. You don't want to lose your worth as the alpha so you're just keeping me here as a trophy. Luna of the pack. I'm sick of you!”

Kieran stepped back, his words faltering under her unflinching gaze. "Mia! Be careful of how you speak. I'm keeping you as a trophy? That's not true. The moment we became mates, you became my Luna and a leader of this pack too. I can't have you being reckless and running away every time"

“I’m tired of this,” Mia continued, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion. “Four years, Kieran. Four years of being your mate in name only. You never loved me, and you never will.”

“That’s not true,” Kieran argued weakly, though even as he said it, he knew the words were hollow. As much as he wanted his words to be true, as much as he felt guilty, he couldn't help it. His feelings weren't sincere towards Mia. She was just there as a Luna for him and that was it between them.

Mia laughed bitterly, the sound cutting through him like a blade. “Don’t lie to me. Don’t lie to yourself. I see the way you look at me, it's always emotionless, like I'm just an object you can't just discard. Then, I see the way you look at nothing in particular, like you’re looking for someone, your eyes full of hurt and pain, I see the ghost of Selena Rivers in your eyes every time you glance at me and it hurts. It always hurt to feel unwanted, now I know how she felt when you choose me over her. I guess this is my own punishment from the moon goddess because Selena is now gone because of us all.”

Kieran’s throat tightened at the mention of Selena, his former best friend, the woman he had chosen not to pursue all those years ago. "Selena is not gone! Don't jump to conclusions."

Mia scoffed. " See? You're getting riled up just at the mention of her name. When will you free yourself from the delusion that she's still alive? She's not gone? You searched for her for months and the only thing you could smell out was her blood on the main road of the humans, isn't that enough evidence that she's gone? Even if she's not, you think she'd be waiting somewhere for you to come find her? She'd probably be with her mate and maybe kids"

Reality dawned on Kieran, he had been chasing shadows and neglecting what's real and in front of him. " Mia... I'm sorry."

Mia’s next words shattered the uneasy quiet between them. “I’m done with this bond, Kieran. I’ve found my second-chance mate.”

Kieran froze, the air around him thick and suffocating. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me,” she said, her voice steady now, as if saying it aloud solidified her decision. “And there’s something else. I’m pregnant. It’s his child.”

The weight of her words struck Kieran like a thunderclap. His wolf howled in anguish within him, torn between anger and a deep, gnawing guilt. For years, he had neglected Mia, seeing her as an obligation rather than a partner. He had chosen her, yet he had never truly been hers.

“You... you’re pregnant?” he stammered, his alpha façade crumbling.

“Yes,” Mia said softly, though her tone remained firm as she rubbed her belly that was still flat. “And he loves me, he's excited for our child. He’s everything you never were.”

"How could you cheat on me?" Kieran growled. "Who's the man? Is he in this pack? How dare he takes what belongs to the alpha?!"

" That's not your business, Kieran. He's not a part of this pack so stay away. I was about to leave but out of respect for this pack and your father, I felt the need to say goodbye" Mia said, turned her back and walked away.

Before Kieran could respond or call Mia back, a loud crash echoed from the corridor. Servants shouted in alarm, and Kieran’s heart leapt with dread. He rushed toward the sound, finding his father, the former alpha, collapsed on the floor.

“Father!” Kieran shouted, dropping to his knees beside the older man. His father’s face was pale, his breathing labored.

The pack healer pushed through the crowd, quickly assessing the situation. “He’s had a shock,” she murmured. “We need to move him to his chambers.”

As Kieran helped carry his father to safety, guilt clawed at him. His choices had fractured not only his bond with Mia but also the stability of his pack. He had failed as a mate, as an alpha, and as a son.

Later that night, as his father rested, Kieran stood alone on the balcony overlooking the dark forest. His mind kept going back to the past and only one name was on his mind; Selena Rivers.

His wolf growled low, restless and yearning. He had lost her once, but perhaps fate had given him another chance. Clenching his fists, Kieran made a silent vow.

“I’ll find you, Selena,” he whispered into the night. “And this time, I won’t let you go.”