After Rebirth, I Left the Mate Who Once Died for Me

For one second, Caleb’s blood was still warm on my hands. Then moonpetal incense caught in my throat, and the crowd around the altar came back into focus. He was alive. His hand closed around mine before the pack and the Moon Goddess. We stood on the high altar, minutes from completing the marking ceremony. In my previous life, what happened here had kept me guilty for years. His thumb rubbed over my knuckles, careless and possessive. "Just get this over with, Serena," he muttered for me alone. "The elders will have their show." I looked at his sharp jaw and storm-gray eyes. He was twenty-four again, impatient and alive. Pain tightened under my ribs. I left my hand in his until the Elder lifted the ceremonial chalk. A soft gasp came from the crowd. Elara. She swayed, pressed a hand to her forehead, and folded to the ground with her eyes closed. Just like last time. Caleb dropped my hand and vaulted off the altar without looking back. "Elara!" He caught her and pulled her into his arms. Whispers started below the altar. Some faces held pity; others, open scorn. He turned on me. "This farce ends now. I don't care about a prophecy or a ceremony. She needs me." He held the woman who had stolen my research and title. Last time, I had begged him to finish the ceremony. This time, I took the silver dagger from the altar. It was supposed to cut a lock of hair as a symbol of unity. The hilt sat cold and heavy in my hand. The crowd gasped. Caleb shifted Elara behind him, expecting me to lunge at her. "I, Serena, true healer of Wind Valley, do not seek a bond born of duty." The murmurs stopped. I met his gaze over the heads between us. "And I will not be a chain." I drew the blade across my palm. Blood ran onto the sacred white stone. "Before the Goddess and this pack, I sever this bond. I release you, Caleb. You are free." The bond ripped loose under my ribs. My knees buckled, and I pressed my bleeding hand to my chest. Caleb froze with his arms around Elara. One foot moved toward me before he caught himself. Then he stopped. His jaw locked. I had expected triumph or at least relief, but neither came. His eyes widened, and his hand went to his chest. I wrapped my hand in the altar cloth and walked down the steps, leaving drops of blood on the stone. The cloth turned red around my palm. I didn't look back. At the bottom of the stairs, I heard Caleb call my name once. I kept walking.