Zyra lay rigid on her bed, her body wracked with unrelenting pain. But she refused to cry out, refusing to acknowledge the gaping wound inside her chest. She would not break. Not over an Omega.
Yet, no matter how much she willed herself to be unaffected, she could hear her wolf sobbing within, curled up in silent agony. The sound echoed in her mind, each whimper like a dagger to her soul. Still, she shoved it aside, burying it beneath the steel of her will.
The chamber door creaked open, and the scent of burning sage and wild herbs wafted in. The healer entered, her robes whispering against the stone floor. Behind her, Kael and a few Lunarion elders followed, their expressions unreadable but their curiosity evident.
The healer approached the bed, placing a hand over Zyra's chest, her touch featherlight yet filled with an energy that sent shivers through Zyra's already frayed nerves. She muttered incantations under her breath, the air around them thickening, charged with something ancient and unseen.
Zyra felt her body tense as a strange warmth spread from the healer's hand, seeping into her skin like liquid fire. The woman frowned, pressing her palm over Zyra's pulse point, then over her heart. Her brows furrowed deeper.
"You two would have died," she murmured, her voice laced with both awe and concern.
The room fell silent. Even Kael's ever-present smirk was nowhere to be seen.
"Fated mates were never meant to reject each other and survive," the healer continued, pulling back slightly. "Yet here you are, breathing… suffering."
Zyra scoffed, attempting to push herself up, but the sharp pain in her chest sent her collapsing back onto the bed.
"Spare me the dramatics," she gritted out. "The bond is broken, isn't it?"
The healer shook her head. "No. It isn't."
Zyra's stomach twisted, her wolf stirring within her.
"The Moon Goddess herself wove your souls together," the healer explained. "A rejection does not sever the bond—it only fractures it. The pain you feel now is your souls being torn apart, yet they remain tethered. That is why you still feel her, why your body aches even though she is no longer here."
Zyra clenched her jaw, but her fingers twitch involuntarily.
"As long as you both live," the healer warned, "this torment will never fade. You are still bound—always will be. The only true way to end it… is death."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Kael shifted uncomfortably. The elders exchanged glances, their intrigue turning into something far more calculating.
Zyra swallowed down the tightness in her throat.
Death.
"Was that the only way? Then I will kill her" , zyra said with a lot of determination
If you kill her you die too , your souls are together she retorted and exhaled sharply,
"Then I will learn to live with the pain." Zyra concluded because she has to take care of her pack and won't throw her life away just to break the bond, her pack comes first.
The healer's gaze didn't waver. "You don't have to live with the pain," she said softly. "If you accept the bond, the agony will fade."
Zyra's muscles tensed, a cold rage simmering beneath her skin. Accept the bond? After everything?
"That's not an option," she snapped, her voice edged with defiance.
The healer only sighed. "You say that now, but the bond will only grow heavier. Even now, you can still feel her, can't you? The lingering warmth. The pull in your chest, like a phantom thread refusing to break."
Zyra clenched her jaw. She didn't need anyone to tell her that. Every breath felt tainted with Liora's presence, an invisible chain that refused to let go. It was infuriating.
Kael, who had remained silent, finally spoke. "So what? You're telling me our Alpha is just supposed to roll over and accept some cursed fate?" His voice was sharp, protective.
The healer turned her knowing eyes on him. "I am saying that fate does not bow to hatred, nor does it heed our desires. It simply is."
Zyra's fists curled into the sheets. "Then let fate watch as I defy it."
The healer studied her for a long moment before shaking her head. "As you wish, Alpha. But know this—no one has ever rejected their fated mate and come out whole."
Zyra's wolf whimpered within her, but she refused to acknowledge it.
She had already lost too much. She would not lose herself to this bond.
Well Alpha I will take my leave now , you are stable now but weak , rest.
The healer left.
—------------
Sera practically had to drag Liora into the healer's hut, her body still weak from the rejection's toll. The scent of dried lavender and crushed mint filled the room, mixing with the faint aroma of burning incense.
The Moonveil healer, an elderly man draped in soft linen, greeted them with a solemn nod. "Lie down, child," he instructed gently.
Liora hesitated, her lips pressed into a thin line, before finally lowering herself onto the woven mat. She still felt the remnants of her wolf's sorrow clawing at her insides, but she was too drained to fight anymore.
The healer sat beside her, placing two fingers over her forehead before tracing a rune-like symbol over her chest. He muttered in the old tongue, his voice barely above a whisper, yet the air around them shifted, crackling with an unseen force.
Sera, standing close by, watched with growing unease.
After a moment, the healer exhaled deeply. "You two are still bonded," he said, his gaze unreadable.
Liora tensed, her fingers curling into the fabric of her clothes. "No. I rejected her," she spat.
The healer gave a small, sad smile. "Ah, child. Rejection does not mean severance. The bond still exists—it merely festers, like an open wound."
Liora's breath hitched.
"You can still feel her, can't you?" the healer asked knowingly. "The ache in your chest, the way your soul yearns for something lost?"
Liora swallowed, refusing to confirm it, but her silence was answer enough.
"As long as you both live," the healer continued , "the bond will remain. No force in this world, not hatred, not even time—can undo what the Moon Goddess has bound."
Sera stiffened. "Then… what happens now?"
The healer sighed. "There are only Three choices, child. They either learn to live with it or accept the bond or they both die."
The words settled in the room like an unbearable weight.
Liora's hands trembled. "No I love my pack, my father , sera , I will not Die"
She had thought rejecting Zyra would bring her peace. But if anything… it had only ignited something far worse ,but liora made up her mind to find other ways.
Just as Liora shifted uncomfortably on the mat, the heavy wooden doors swung open, and the Moonveil elders, followed by her father, stepped inside. Their sharp gazes swept over her, their eyes silently demanding answers.
Aldric's face was unreadable, but the tension in his posture betrayed his concern. He took a step closer, but before he could speak, the healer straightened and faced them all.
"I have done my work," the healer said calmly, his voice carrying a quiet authority. "She is stable now, but still weak. She needs rest."
Liora exhaled, relief and frustration warring within her. Rest. As if rest would mend the shattered pieces inside her.
Aldric's eyes softened, just for a moment, before he gave a curt nod. "Then we'll leave."
The elders hesitated, their expressions unreadable, but one by one, they turned toward the door.
Sera, standing protectively at Liora's side, shot the healer a questioning glance. "Are you sure there's nothing else? She still looks—"
"I said she is stable," the healer interrupted gently but firmly. "But what has been broken inside her… that is not something herbs or remedies can fix."
Liora swallowed hard, her throat tightening.
She knew exactly what he meant.