Chapter 2 Bounded by fate, broken by choice

The festival was in full swing. The air buzzed with the mingling scents of roasted meat, burning wood, and wildflowers. Drums pounded in rhythmic beats, and the pack danced, celebrating under the full moon. But for Kieran, the world had narrowed to a single point, the girl standing across from him.

Amara.

The moment their eyes met, a force stronger than anything he had ever known slammed into him. His wolf growled possessively, recognizing her as their mate. The Moon Goddess had chosen an omega for him, the Alpha of the Bloodfang Pack. The mate bond snapped into place like an unbreakable chain, the pull between them undeniable.

But instead of joy, Kieran felt a cold wave of rage and denial crash over him.

His father's words echoed in his mind: An Alpha's mate is a reflection of his power. If you take an omega as your Luna, you will lose the respect of the pack.

No. He would not let the bond dictate his fate.

Amara's wide, hopeful eyes searched his, her lips parting slightly. She felt it too, the pull, the connection. The love that was meant to be. But Kieran hardened his heart.

Steeling himself, he stepped forward. The crowd hushed as he spoke, his voice ringing clear in the night air.

"I, Alpha Kieran of the Bloodfang Pack, reject you, Amara, as my mate."

Gasps echoed through the clearing. The weight of his rejection hit Amara like a physical blow. Her wolf whimpered inside her, her heart shattering into a thousand pieces.

He should have stopped there, but he didn't. He had to make sure she would never try to claim him.

"You are nothing. Weak. Worthless." His voice was laced with cold disdain. "A Luna? You couldn't even be a decent pack maid. I will never accept you."

A strangled sound escaped Amara's lips. Humiliation burned in her chest, stronger than the mate bond. Tears filled her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Without another word, she turned and fled, her heart breaking with every step she took away from him.

Weeks passed. The pain of rejection clung to her like a shadow, eating away at her. She barely ate, barely slept. The mate bond was a cruel torment, keeping her tethered to the one who had cast her aside.

And it wasn't just Amara who suffered.

Kieran told himself he had made the right decision. But at night, when the pack was silent and the moon was high, he felt the unbearable emptiness claw at him. His wolf howled inside him, restless and aching. He could still feel her, her scent, her presence, the invisible bond pulling him toward her.

He ignored it. He drowned himself in training, in the duties of an Alpha. He convinced himself it would fade. And yet, the longer he resisted, the stronger the pull became.

Until one night, it became unbearable.

Without realizing how, Kieran found himself moving, his feet carrying him deep into the forest, his body following the mate bond's unrelenting call. It was as if something inside him had snapped. The pull dragged him forward, past the towering pines, past the whispering streams. His wolf clawed at him, demanding to get closer.

Then, he saw her.

She sat by the river, her secret sanctuary. Her arms were wrapped around herself, her face pale under the moonlight. Her eyes, once filled with warmth, now looked hollow.

Kieran's breath hitched. The pain he saw in her made something twist inside him, something primal and possessive. He clenched his fists, fighting against the bond, fighting against himself.

Amara sensed him before she saw him. Her body tensed, and when she turned, her lips parted in shock. "What are you doing here?" Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

Kieran didn't know what to say. He had no excuse, no reason that would make sense. "I..." He swallowed hard. "I couldn't stay away."

Her eyes flashed with anger. "You rejected me."

"I know." His voice was raw, filled with something that sounded like regret.

"Then leave," she said, turning away from him. "You don't get to do this, Kieran. You don't get to pretend you care."

He should have walked away. That was the logical thing to do. But his wolf wouldn't let him. The mate bond had pulled him here, and now that he was so close, it was suffocating.

"Amara," he said softly, stepping closer.

She stood abruptly, putting distance between them. "Don't." Her voice cracked. "Just don't."

Kieran exhaled harshly. His wolf growled, desperate to comfort her, to touch her. "I don't know what's happening to me," he admitted. "I thought rejecting you would break the bond, but it hasn't. I can still feel you. I can't sleep. I can't think. It's... tearing me apart."

Amara laughed bitterly. "Good," she said, her voice sharp with pain. "Now you know what you did to me."

He took another step forward. "Amara, please..."

"No." Her voice was stronger this time. "You made your choice, Kieran. You don't get to take it back just because you're suffering now."

Kieran clenched his jaw, his fists tightening at his sides. "I don't want to take it back," he lied. "I just... I needed to see you."

Amara shook her head. "You needed to see if I was still broken."

He didn't answer right away. He took slow, unsteady steps toward her, his golden eyes shadowed with something she couldn't quite name. Guilt? Regret? Or was it simply the haze of liquor dulling his sharp edges?

"I couldn't stay away," he admitted at last, his voice hoarse.

Amara's chest tightened. Don't do this. Don't give me false hope.

"You rejected me," she said, bitterness seeping into her tone. "You don't get to be here."

"I know." He dragged a hand through his disheveled hair. "I thought it would fade." He let out a humorless chuckle. "I thought I could forget. But I can't. It's eating me alive."

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. "Good."

He flinched at her venomous tone but didn't turn away. Instead, he took another step forward. Amara instinctively stepped back, shaking her head.

"No. You don't get to do this, Kieran. You don't get to pretend you care when you throw me away like I was nothing."

His jaw tightened. "You don't understand..."

"I understand perfectly." Her voice wavered, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. "You're an Alpha. You have an image to protect. An omega for a mate would make you look weak."

His silence was damning.

Amara swallowed against the lump in her throat. She turned away, her arms wrapping around herself for warmth. "Go home, Kieran."

But he didn't leave.

Something shifted in the air. His breathing grew heavier, his body tensing. A low growl rumbled from deep within his chest. Amara stiffened. She knew that sound. It wasn't anger. It was needed.

His wolf had taken over.

Before she could react, he was in front of her. His hands gripped her waist, his touch burning through the thin fabric of her dress. "I can't fight it," he muttered, his breath warm against her skin. "I don't want to fight it."

She should have pushed him away. She should have screamed, reminded him of all the ways he had broken her. But she couldn't. The bond had its claws in her, pulling her toward him as much as it pulled him toward her.

His lips crashed against hers, raw and desperate, and she surrendered. For one night, she let herself believe he was hers. They moved together under the moonlit sky, tangled in passion and pain, in love and loss.

But morning came too soon.

When she woke, he was gone. No words. No explanations. Just an empty space where he had been.

And three weeks later, the announcement came.

Alpha Kieran of the Bloodfang Pack was betrothed to Lena, the daughter of an influential Elder.

Amara stood among the crowd as the news was declared, her body frozen, her mind struggling to process what she was hearing. The pack erupted in cheers, celebrating their Alpha's decision, but Amara only felt the world tilt beneath her feet.

A sickening nausea rolled through her stomach, and she barely made it outside before she doubled over, heaving into the dirt. Her wolf howled in agony, the bond pulling tighter like a noose around her throat.

Then, as she wiped her mouth with shaking fingers, she realized....

She was late.

A cold dread settled over her. It couldn't be. It couldn't.

Heart pounding, she ran to the healer's hut. The old woman took one look at her and knew. The test was a mere formality.

The answer was undeniable.

She was pregnant.

Terror clawed at her chest. An unmated omega carrying the Alpha's child? It would be a disgrace. The pack would turn on her. And Kieran, he had already rejected her. He had made his choice. He was marrying another.

She had no place here anymore.

That night, under the cover of darkness, Amara packed her few belongings and fled.

She didn't look back.