Chapter 9 Resolve
I remain rooted in the hospital hallway, unable to move, one hand pressed protectively over my belly where our unborn pup stirs. Alarion’s confession reverberates through me, a single word tolling like a funeral bell.
Did Cyrinne sever her mate bond because of you?
Yes.
That monosyllable pulverizes every fragile hope I’ve harbored. All of Alarion’s careful explanations–the tragic story of Cyrinne’s injured mate, the insistence their connection was only professional–dissolve into acid. Cyrinne broke her bond, for him.
I flatten myself against the cool wall, desperate to stay unseen, straining for every word that passes between the two
Alphas.
“That’s quite a burden to bear,” Daelor’s deep, unflinching voice carries down the corridor, heavy with accusation. “Especially when you have a mate who’s loved you for years.”
Silence yawns between them, thick and punishing.
“It’s complicated,” Alarion finally says, his tone brittle. “Cyrinne’s mate was wounded saving my life. I owe him everything.” “And what do you owe Aelira?” Daelor’s voice slices through the air, flint–sharp. “She’s your mate, Alarion. Your true mate.” My heart pounds so hard I’m afraid it will give me away. I wait, suspended on the precipice of his answer.
Daelor presses harder. “Are you planning to reconcile with Cyrinne now that she’s free?”
“No,” Alarion replies, his voice firm. “That’s not what this is,”
“Then what is it?” Daelor’s tone grows colder, merciless. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re neglecting your Luna while chasing a ghost from your past.”
I hold my breath, desperate for Alarion to defend us, to defend me. But his response is a hollow evasion.
“You don’t understand,” he says, voice tight.
Daelor’s reply is icy. “I understand perfectly. You can’t have both women, Alarion. You need to choose where your loyalty
lies.”
A piercing ring splits the tension–Alarion’s phone. I hear his voice change, annoyance crumbling into alarm,
“What? When?” His voice sharpens to a blade. “I’ll be right there.”
My wolf whines deep inside me, the dread already blooming
“Cyrinne attempted suicide, Alarion says, panic twisting his words. “I have to go.”
“Alarion,” Daelor warns, “think about what you’re doing.”
“She’s critical,” Alarion snaps, frantic. “What do you want me to do, let her die?”
“And Aelira?” Daelor challenges. “You’re abandoning her again?”
A sickening pause.
Take her home,” Alarion says at last, his voice rough with defeat. “Please, Daelor. I can’t deal with this now.”
His footsteps retreat down the hall–each one slamming into my chest. Cyrinne calls and Alarion answers. Again and
again.
I stumble back, desperate to escape before they see me. My legs shake as I duck into a dim utility closet, closing the door just as Alarion rushes past, oblivious. Through the narrow glass I watch him–my mate, the father of my child–race toward Cyrinne, not pausing, not looking back.
< Chapter 9 Resolve
O
Мета
My wolf howls inside me, a sound of pure heartbreak.
I rest my forehead against the cold metal of the door, lungs burning, tears searing my vision. The room reeks of antiseptic and cleaning agents, a sharp contrast to the ache in my chest.
“How could I have been so blind?” I whisper, voice ragged.
I believed in our mate bond. In destiny. In the story our wolves had written for us. Now I wonder if I was ever anything but second best–just a convenient Luna when Cyrinne was unavailable.
Cruel irony slices through me. I spent years yearning for a pup, desperate to give Alarion an heir, to build the family I dreamed of. Now I carry his child, and he’s running to another woman.
“Foolish, foolish girl,” I murmur, arms hugging my middle as the first tears fall.
I think of my mother, lying in her hospital bed, blissfully hopeful for a grandchild and trusting Alarion’s easy lies. I think of Jornic, always skeptical, always seeing what I refused to see. And I think of my unborn pup, innocent and oblivious to the storm swirling around its existence.
The door swings open and I whirl, hastily brushing away tears–only to find Daelor Briarhallow filling the doorway, his presence immense, unwavering.
He takes in my fear–streaked face, the way I clutch my stomach, and something in his gaze gentles.
“You heard,” he says quietly. It needs no answer.
I nod, unable to speak past the ache in my throat.
Daelor steps inside, closing the door behind him. In the cramped space, his Alpha energy should be overwhelming, but instead it grounds me, offering a strange, unexpected solace.
“Cyrinne tried to end her life after hearing her ex–husband’s condition has worsened,” he explains, voice low, careful. “Ala rion feels responsible.”
“Of course he does,” I choke out bitterly. “He always does, when it comes to her.”
Tears spill again, unstoppable. My wolf keens, lost and grieving, unable to understand why her mate keeps leaving.
“She broke her bond for him,” I whisper, the words tasting of ashes. “All those stories about professional boundaries_
Daelor’s jaw clenches, the anger in his eyes not directed at me but at the injustice. “Alarion is tangled in guilt and obligation. Cyrinne knows exactly how to use that.”
“And I’m just collateral damage,” I say, wiping at my cheeks angrily. “A Luna when it’s convenient. Forgotten when Cyrinne
calls.”
My voice shatters. To my surprise, Daelor doesn’t pull me into his arms, but he lays a steady, reassuring hand on my shoulder–a simple gesture, full of respect.
“You deserve so much more than this, Aelira,” he says, voice softer than I’ve ever heard it.
The words break open something deep within me. I cover my face and sob, the pain ripping out of me in harsh, shaking waves. Daelor doesn’t try to cross the boundaries of our roles, but his hand stays firm–an anchor in the chaos
When my crying ebbs to raw breaths, he speaks again, voice grave, unyielding. “My offer still stands. If you want to sever the mate bond, I’ll help you.”
Mook
up, my eyes swollen. “Why? What do you get from this?”
A faint smile ghosts his lips. “Maybe I just can’t abide injustice.”
Something in his eyes hints at deeper reasons, but I’m too hollow to chase them now.
“Severing a mate bond.” I whisper, shivering. “It’s agony. It can destroy a wolf.”
He nods, solemn, “It can. But sometimes it’s the only way to survive.”
451
< Chapter Resolve
Ode
I’ve heard the stories–werewolves broken by the raw pain of a cut bond, some never the same, others haunted forever. Could I survive that? Could my pup?
The thought terrifies me. Despite everything, despite betrayal and heartbreak, Alarion has been my world since I was a child. How do I walk away from that? Could I?
And what about the pup? What would happen if I left? Would Alarion fight for custody? Would the pain of breaking our connection hurt my unborn child?
Questions whirl, heavy and unanswerable. Yet Daelor’s unwavering presence sparks a faint, unfamiliar hope. Here, at last, is someone offering me a way out–a path to freedom, to peace, however painful.
“Thank you,” I say, voice steadier. “Maybe I’ll take you up on it. Someday.”
Daelor nods, grave and certain. “Whenever you’re ready, Aelira.”
