Chapter 3: Shattered Bonds
Kade POV
I had barely spoken the words when the weight of the pack's silence hit me like a falling mountain. The name left my mouth, and the world shifted. I felt it in the air. In the way Sasha’s breath stopped. In the way my own heart twisted. Delia stepped forward. Sasha ran. And Ronan stepped out of the shadows like a damn ghost. The murmurs started low but built fast, panic under velvet. My brother, my banished, cursed brother, was back, and the pack didn’t know what to fear more: his return or what it meant that Sasha had just been publicly rejected. Delia’s fingers tightened around mine.
"Kade," she whispered. But her voice sounded too sharp. Too victorious. I looked down at her and everything inside me recoiled. Her skin was cool against mine, and I hated that I noticed. Because it wasn’t supposed to be her hand in mine. It was supposed to be Sasha’s. The clearing buzzed with confusion. Eyes darted. Elders stared at me like they expected me to fix the storm I had just set loose. Elder Rowan stood like a statue. Thelma looked like she had swallowed poison. And Jones looked ready to drag Ronan back into exile by the throat. But no one moved. So I did what I had to. I finished the damn ceremony. I took Delia’s hand and sliced my palm. The blood meant nothing. The forced cheers meant even less. It was done. I had made my choice. And I couldn’t even look at her.
Sasha. My mate.
I turned away from Delia before the smile fully formed on her lips. I didn’t care what she thought. I couldn’t feel anything except the massive hole cracking down the center of my chest. And then I felt it. Sasha’s scent, tangled with fear and fury, trailed through the trees. Ronan was with her. I shoved Delia’s hand away and shifted. My skin tore, fur replacing flesh as Kay roared to life beneath me. I didn’t wait. I ran. Branches whipped across my face. Blood rushed in my ears. Kay didn’t care about consequences or politics or duty. Kay wanted Sasha. Wanted her back. Wanted to rip Ronan apart for even touching what was ours. But her scent wasn’t just fear anymore. It was anger. And something else. Something wrong. I howled in pain. In rage and anger. I followed her scent until I heard them. Their voices, low and thick with something I couldn’t name. I shifted back fast, my skin still burning as I crouched behind the trees.
She was there. And so was he. Too close. Too calm. Like they had been this way forever.
Her dress was torn, and her hair was wild. But she wasn’t broken. Not entirely. She stood in behind him like she belonged there. And he looked at her like she was the only thing left worth saving. I stepped forward, and a twig snapped beneath my foot. They turned and her eyes widened. Ronan didn’t move. Of course, he didn’t. No, instead, he stood in front of her, like a damn shield.
"Sasha," I said, my voice thick, raw. She didn’t answer. Ronan did. He tossed a jacket at me, the corner hitting my chest. I blinked down and realized, right, I was naked. I slipped it on slowly, my eyes never leaving hers. "Sasha...why did you run?" she stepped out from behind Ronan.
"Why do you think?" she snapped. "You called someone else’s name, Kade. In front of the entire pack,”
"It wasn’t supposed to be like that,”
"But it was," she said, her voice cutting. "You didn’t just reject me. You embarrassed me. You erased me,” Ronan growled in anger.
"You shouldn’t be with him," I said. "He has been banished,” she flinched and then she laughed. It wasn’t a sound I ever wanted to hear again. It was empty. Angry. Dangerous.
"And yet, here is he. Welcomed without applause…no, because he was tossed aside and forgotten…and cursed,” she said, and I glanced at Ronan. He looked at me like he already knew what I was going to say next.
"You rejected her," he said flatly. "Don’t act surprised that someone else showed up to claim what you gave away,”
Claim.
I hated that word coming from him. But the way Sasha stood beside him, not behind, not apart, said everything. She folded her arms, her jaw tight.
"I didn’t want to hurt you," I said, softer now. "But I had to choose. For the good of the pack,”
"Don’t you dare blame the pack for your cowardice,” her words hit harder than claws and I knew that she meant them.
“You don’t understand. I didn’t want it to happen this way,” I tried again, but Sasha shook her head.
“I don’t need to understand your cowardice, Kade,” she snapped and Ronan flinched. I wanted to tell him to leave, but I couldn’t. Right now, he was all she had. I had made my choice.
“Sasha…I’m sorry, please…let me explain,” I pleaded, but she stood her ground. I had crossed the line.
“No, get away from me,”
“Just go, Kade,” Ronan added, and I huffed angrily. I didn’t want him to tell me anything, least of all, to tell me what I should do. I stood still for a long moment, but something had shifted in the air. Something that I noticed earlier, but had mistaken. Sasha and Ronan seemed to sense it as well. The three of us looked around, and the only sound was the heaviness of our breathing.
“What is that?” I asked, but no one knew the answer.
“We should get back to the pack,” Ronan suggested, and I nodded in agreement. I reached out to take Sasha’s hand, but the wind picked up so suddenly that for a moment, I was blinded. But it wasn’t just the wind. It was the smell. It was overpowering and dangerous. “We should leave, now,” Ronan repeated.
“Yeah…” I agreed as I once again reached out for Sasha. I may have chosen Delia, but that didn’t mean I had stopped loving her. She was still mine. She was still my fated mate. Sasha rejected my hand just as a sound emitted from the surrounding forest. Something was coming.
“RUN!” Sasha screamed.