Chapter 3: The Alpha Who Refuses to Let Me Go

Lyra’s POV

Which meant that I still belonged to him.

The words echoed in my head and for a moment, no one spoke and the hall erupted.

“What is this nonsense?”

“He asked her to sign!”

“This is madness!”

Voices rose everywhere and the elders argued with one another, some stared at Kael while others stared at me and my heart rang hard.

I then looked up at Kael and his hand still gripped my arm.

It was strong and unmoving and Darius watched him with dark eyes.

“You think this trick will hold?” Darius asked but Kael did not answer right away and then Darius took another step closer.

“You rejected her.”

“No,” Kael replied.

“You pushed papers to her.”

“Yes.”

“You told her to leave your pack.”

“Yes.”

Darius then spread his hands.

“Then explain why you still claim her.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“The ritual was not completed.”

Darius scoffed.

“That is your excuse?”

Kael’s voice rose.

“It is not an excuse. It is the law.”

The elders fell silent and everyone knew the law, to break a mate bond, the Alpha must speak the rejection words.

The mate must accept it and only then would the bond break. Then Darius glanced at me.

“Did you accept the rejection?”

My lips parted and I remembered that moment.

The paper, the pen and the pain and also my wolf screaming inside me and I shook my head slowly.

“No.”

A murmur ran through the hall and Kael spoke again.

“You see.”

He then turned to the elders.

“Her wolf refused the rejection.”

My wolf growled inside me, she hated that moment, she did not want to let him go, which means the bond still stood.

Darius then folded his arms and his voice was lowered.

“Then complete it now.”

Silence fell again and the words hung in the air.

Complete it now, my heart jumped.

Yes. Finish it. End this.

Everyone waited and the elders looked at Kael, Rowan looked at Kael and Serena looked at Kael and Darius waited.

I waited and my wolf waited but Kael said nothing, seconds passed and Serena stepped forward.

“Kael,” she said and her voice shook.

“Reject her.”

He did not move.

“Kael,” she said again, but it was louder this time.

“She signed the papers, you promised.”

My chest tightened.

Promised?

Kael finally spoke.

“Serena, step back.”

Her eyes widened.

“Step back?”

“Yes.”

Her voice rose.

“I came back for you!”

“I know.”

“You told me you would fix this!”

“I will.”

“Then do it now!”

Her finger pointed at me.

“Reject her!”

The hall was heavy and Darius watched with interest.

“Your true mate is asking you,” he said and Kael’s eyes flashed.

“Stay out of this.”

Darius laughed.

“You dragged me into it when you rejected your Luna.”

“I did not reject her.”

“You tried.”

Kael then pulled me closer to him and my shoulder touched his chest and I froze and then his arm moved around me, it was like he was shielding me.

My mind spun.

Why is he doing this?

He wanted me gone.

He then pushed the papers and he asked me to leave.

Now he held me like this? And Serena gasped

“Kael!”

Her eyes burned with anger.

“What are you doing?”

Kael’s voice turned hard.

“The rejection will not happen tonight.”

The hall fell silent again and my breath caught.

What?

Serena then shook her head.

“No. No. You cannot do this.”

Darius then raised an eyebrow.

“Interesting.”

Serena stepped closer.

“You promised me!”

Kael looked at her.

“I said I would handle it.”

“Then handle it now!”

His voice dropped.

“Not tonight.”

Serena’s hands shook.

“Why?”

Kael did not answer but instead he pulled me behind him and his body blocked mine and the action stunned everyone and Darius’ eyes narrowed.

“So you keep both mates now?”

Kael glared at him.

“Watch your words.”

The elders whispered again.

“This is getting worse.”

“What will the Moon Goddess think?”

Darius then let out a breath.

“Finish the ritual or release her.”

Kael shook his head.

“Neither will happen tonight.”

My head spun, and I stared at the back of his shirt.

What was he doing? Did he even know? Darius then studied him for a long moment and then he spoke.

“This is not over.”

His eyes then shifted to me.

“Mate bonds do not lie.”

My wolf stirred again and she felt that pull, that strong pull toward him and I hated it.

Darius then turned toward the door, but before he left, he said one last thing.

“I will return tomorrow.”

Then he walked out and his footsteps faded and the hall stayed silent and Serena turned to Kael and her face held anger and pain.

“You choose her?”

Kael sighed.

“I choose nothing tonight.”

“That means you choose her!”

“That is not what I said.”

Her voice broke.

“I waited three years!”

“I know.”

“I survived alone!”

“I know.”

“Then why?”

Kael then closed his eyes for a moment and then he spoke.

“We will talk later.”

Serena then laughed in disbelief.

“You want to talk later?”

“Yes.”

She then shook her head.

“This is not over.”

Then she stormed out of the hall and the elders slowly left too and they whispered among themselves.

Rowan then patted Kael’s shoulder.

“Alpha… this will cause problems.”

“I know.”

Rowan looked at me and then back at Kael.

“Handle it fast.”

Then he left and soon the hall became quiet and only Kael and I remained and then his arm still rested around me and I slowly stepped away.

He then let me go and I walked toward the door.

I did not look back and my mind was heavy and my heart hurt.

Everything felt wrong and I walked through the long hallway, past the guards, past the stairs and past the windows and then finally I reached my room.

I closed the door but before I could breathe, the door opened again and Kael stepped inside.

I then turned to face him.

“Why are you here?”

He then closed the door behind him.

“We need to talk.”

I laughed bitterly.

“You had many chances to talk earlier.”

“This is different.”

I then crossed my arms.

“Then say it.”

He watched me and his eyes held something I could not read and anger rose in my chest.

“Why did you stop the rejection?”

He stayed silent.

“You asked for a divorce.”

Silence.

“You pushed the papers.”

Silence.

“You told me to leave tomorrow.”

Still silent, but then my voice rose.

“Then why won’t you let me go?”

The question burned in my chest, it had been there since the hall and Kael’s eyes darkened and he took a step closer.

“Because things are more complicated than you think.”

I then stared at him.

“What does that mean?”

He looked at me for a long moment and then said the words that shook my entire world.

“Your wolf is not ordinary.”