Alpha Kael had felt pain before.
He had felt claws tear through flesh in battle, bones crack beneath impact, silver burn through his veins. None of it compared to this.
The moment it hit, it dropped him to one knee.
His hand slammed into his chest as something vicious twisted inside him, sharp and furious, like a living thing clawing its way back to life. The Great Hall blurred around him. Voices faded. The smell of celebration turned sour.
"What in the hell—"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
The bond.
The bond he had shattered with his own words.
It burned now, stronger than before, pulling at him with undeniable force. His wolf surged forward, not in submission, but in rage.
Mate.
The word echoed in his skull like a curse.
"No," Kael growled under his breath, forcing himself upright. Several warriors turned toward him, concern flickering across their faces.
"Alpha?" one asked.
"I'm fine," Kael snapped.
He wasn't.
The rejection should have weakened the bond until it faded into nothing. That was how it had always worked. That was how it was supposed to work.
So why did it feel like it had been reforged?
Kael turned away from the crowd and strode down the corridor, his boots striking stone harder than necessary. His wolf paced restlessly beneath his skin, tension coiling tight.
You felt it too, the wolf muttered.
"Yes," Kael answered silently. "And I don't like it."
He stopped abruptly outside the council chamber.
Elder Thorne was already there, standing as if he had been waiting.
"You rejected her," the elder said without greeting.
Kael's jaw tightened. "I did what was necessary."
Thorne studied him closely, his ancient eyes sharp. "Then explain why the bond is screaming across the pack lands."
Kael's fingers curled slowly.
"I broke it," he said. "I felt it shatter."
"So did everyone else," Thorne replied. "And yet… here you are. Being pulled."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Kael exhaled sharply. "She's an omega. Rankless. Weak."
Thorne's brow creased. "Was."
Kael looked up.
"What do you mean?"
The elder didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the distant treeline, where the healer's abandoned hut sat alone.
"She survived the rejection," Thorne said. "Without collapse. Without madness. Without prolonged pain."
Kael felt something cold settle in his gut.
"That's not possible."
"No," Thorne agreed quietly. "It isn't."
Aria dropped the bowl before she realized her hands were shaking.
The broth splashed across the floor, steam curling upward. She stared at it, heart pounding, breath shallow.
It was happening again.
The warmth inside her chest surged without warning, spreading through her limbs in waves. The air in the hut thickened, pressing against her skin, vibrating faintly like something alive.
She staggered back, gripping the edge of the table.
"Stop," she whispered. "Please… stop."
Her wolf stirred, no longer timid or curled in fear. It stood tall inside her, vast and watchful, eyes glowing with something ancient.
This wasn't omega energy.
This wasn't any energy she recognized.
The wooden walls creaked softly. Dust lifted from the floor, hovering for a brief, terrifying second before dropping back down.
Aria gasped and sank into the chair, clutching her chest.
Her heart wasn't racing.
It was steady.
Strong.
That scared her more than pain ever had.
A knock sounded at the door.
She froze.
"Aria," a male voice called. "Open up."
She recognized it immediately.
Beta Rowan.
Her throat tightened. Slowly, she stood and crossed the room, every step cautious. When she opened the door, Rowan's confident expression faltered.
"You feel it too," he said quietly.
She swallowed. "Feel what?"
"The pack," he replied. "It's reacting to you."
Her breath caught.
Rowan hesitated, then lowered his voice. "The Alpha is asking questions."
Fear flared — sharp and instinctive.
"I didn't do anything," Aria said quickly.
Rowan met her gaze. "That's what worries him."
As he turned to leave, Aria's chest burned suddenly, fierce and unrelenting.
Across the pack lands, Kael stopped mid-step, his breath hitching as the pull yanked hard.
Not away.
Toward her.
For the first time since the rejection, realization dawned — cold and unmistakable.
The bond hadn't been broken.
It had changed hands.