Chapter 473: Safer
Chapter 473: Seraphina
"Disgusts you?" I repeat, looking at Rylan. I cannot believe he just said that.
"Yes," he says. "This bond, this love, this connection between us—it feels like a rotten rope tightening its noose around me."
I scoff.
How dare he say that?
"How can you say this?" I ask him.
He looks at me. I do not like the look in his eyes. It feels too familiar....like when Eric rejected our bond.
No.
No.
I rush forward and grab his arms.
"Don’t do it, Ryl," I plead. "Just say sorry. Actually, do not even say sorry. We can move past this. All mates go through their own trials. This is ours. We will come out on top, yeah."
I hold his arms. He forcefully pulls away.
"I cannot do this," he says.
"No, no." I shake my head. "Is it because of the pup? I will adopt it. We will raise it together. Okay? Just do not say those words, please."
I fall to my knees, holding the bottom of his shirt.
"I love you. I will always love you. I am grateful for the goddess for giving me the chance to be your mate." Rylan starts.
I interrupt him.
"Don’t say it," I beg. "I beg you."
I cry and sob and hold his shirt tighter.
"I Alpha Rylan—"
"Theron! Marcus! Stop him!" I scream.
I hear movement behind me. I hear footsteps. But they are not fast enough.
"—of Stoneclaw Pack, hereby sever the mate bond with Seraphina, Luna of the Four Packs, under the authority of the goddess, I sever the bond, now and forever."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
A familiar pain rips through me. It feels like something has been torn out of me—something precious, something irreplaceable.
It hurts.
My hands press against my chest. The emptiness where the bond used to be is an ache I cannot describe. It is like losing a limb. Like losing a part of my soul.
I have felt this before.
Once.
When Eric rejected me.
But this is worse.
Because I loved Rylan.
I still love Rylan.
***
Daphne
Well. That was dramatic.
[Host, the breaking of a bond is something painful. Bonds are something spiritual. Breaking it is the act of tearing a soul apart.]
Well... I guess it was not dramatic.
I look at the main character on the floor, clutching her chest like she is having a heart attack, through the holographic screen from the System.
[Congratulations, Host.Harem Breakdown is 25% complete. With the departure of Alpha Rylan from the main character’s harem.]
The System says.
I groan.
All my effort, for only 25% completion? This whole mate bond thing is really inconveniencing. Anyway, for a world to be deemed successful, the mission completion rate should be at least 50%. So I need to have another one break the bond.
It definitely will not be Mr. Blonde Ken Doll Marcus. I am sure of that.
I do not know about Theron. I can only try on the other wolf with a pregnant wolf—the one who has been silent during all this and hiding.
Kai.
Where is he?
The holographic image switches from the dramatic main character on the floor to my next target.
***
Kai
"Calm down?!" Diana shouts at me.
"Clarissa almost died!!" She adds on.
"I..." I do not know what to say.
She is pacing the room, her pregnant belly leading the way. Her hands are shaking. Her eyes are wild.
"Go!" Diana says. "What if she realizes you are not there?! What if she comes to try to kill me and my pup?!"
"She would not."
"Well, Clarissa is fucking proof that she would! And she is the fucking Luna! No wolf can go against her!"
I feel the words hit me like stones.
I do not know—the mate I know is not so ruthless. But today proved otherwise.
She tried to kill Clarissa. She would have succeeded if the panther had not intervened.
Thinking of Diana in that position terrifies me. So Diana must be feeling worse. I do as she asks and leave.
I walk through the Redmoon pack house. My footsteps are heavy. My mind is spinning.
I find a quiet corner.
I sit down.
I press my hands to my face.
*
"Excuse me?"
I look up and find myself face to face with a little girl. I recognize her—the Panther’s daughter. What was her name? Lyra, was it?
"My mum says it is important," she says. "You have to go to the mansion right now."
Only then do I realize it is midday. How long have I been sitting here?
I blink. The sun is high. I do not remember the sun rising.
My heart is pounding. My mind is racing. I do not know what is waiting for me. I do not know if Diana is okay. I do not know if my pup is okay.
I burst through the doors. The Redmoon pack house is quiet. Too quiet. I follow the sound of voices to a room at the end of the hall.
I open the door, having been here for months now I walk familiar with these halls, I find them as expected in a room usually reserved for meetings.
Diana is sitting on a chair, her hands folded over her belly. Her parents are standing behind her, their faces pale and drawn.
The Redmoon alpha, his sister and her mate are present too.They all look at me when I enter.
I stop.
"What is going on?" I ask.
Diana looks at me. Her eyes are red.
"Alpha Kai," she says.
I walk toward her.
"Are you okay? Is the pup okay?"
"We are fine," she says.
I exhale.
"Then what—"
"We want to keep it hidden," Diana’s mother says. "That you are the father."
I feel the words hit me like a physical blow.
"What?"
Surely I have misheard. But their faces look serious.
"No," I refuse.
"Forgive me, Alpha Kai," Diana’s father says, "but Diana is our only child, and the pup is our grandchild. After what happened yesterday, it is safer for them to not be connected to you."