Chapter 405
Four hundred and seven
Emma POV
About twenty minutes later, two doctors arrived with medical bags. Relief hit me when I recognized them. They were pack physicians, not mate bond specialists or members of the Daughters, the spiritual sect led by elders like Grandma Cassidy who studied ancient marks and soul links.
The doctors checked our eyes, took our blood pressure, and looked for bruises. Before leaving, they gave us small cups of blue liquid to calm our nerves.
I drank it. Within minutes, drowsiness spread through my limbs.
I excused myself and walked down the hallway to my bedroom in the west wing of the Alpha House. I opened the door to my room. The bed was made with clean sheets, but the moment I lay down, my body began to ache again
Being away from Alexander felt like a punishment. My skin felt cold without his touch. I’d wanted to escape his world, but I hadn’t known leaving him would hurt this much.
If this distance felt like my chest was being pulled apart, what would an actual severance feel like? How could anyone survive cutting a mate bond forever?
The medicine pulled me into sleep, but my mind refused to rest.
Dreams flooded my head one after another, so clear I could feel the wind on my face.
In the first dream, Alexander stood before me in the rain. He dropped to his knees in the mud, grabbed my hands, and begged me not to leave him. His face broke with desperation.
Then the scene shifted. I was back in the dining hall of our pack. My father stood at the head of the table, raised a glass, and announced to the Alpha Council that Alexander was my true mate.
Then we ran through a forest, holding hands and laughing as pack guards chased us.
Finally, I sat on a throne inside the rogue stronghold. Alexander stood beside me and placed a crown on my head while rows of rogues bowed and called me their queen.
I gasped and opened my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the curtains. I’d slept for hours, but my body felt heavier than before.
The house was quiet. I slipped out of my room and walked down the corridor to a study with a desktop terminal connected to the pack network.
I sat down, opened the digital archives, and typed into the search bar: Mate Bond Severance Rite.
I read through the text, scanning line after line.
The ritual required three days of isolation inside a sacred stone chamber. A priestess had to burn silver ash and recite chants while both people sat back to back. Breaking the bond could cause a fever that could break a wolf’s mind. Many who underwent severance suffered lasting weakness, lost their ability to shift, or spent months depressed.
Sweat broke out across my forehead. I closed the browser, deleted my search history, and stood.
I walked to Anita’s room and pushed open the door. She sat on her bed with her phone to her ear. “Oh, there she is right now,” she said into the phone.
“It’s Wesley p>
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I gave her a look and mouthed, Did you tell him?
Anita frowned and shook her head. She glared at me, as if asking whether I really trusted her that little.
“Here, talk to him,” Anita said, handing me the phone.
“Emma?” Wesley’s voice came through the speaker. “Are you okay p>
“I’m fine, Wes,” I said, keeping my tone light. “You don’t need to worry about us p>
3
“Isabella was terrified the second she heard you two were taken,” Wesley sighed. “We almost canceled the rest of our honeymoon to fly straight back today p>
“Don’t cut your trip short,” I told him quickly. “We’re completely fine. The rogues are gone, and nobody’s coming back here for us p>
After a few more assurances, I hung up and handed the phone back to Anita.
“I still can’t believe that idiot Lucas told our parents we were being used,” I said, shaking my head as I sat on the edge of Anita’s bed. “He almost caused a full battle on that road p>
“He’s a lunatic,” Anita agreed, adjusting her pillows. “And honestly, Alexander is just as bad for keeping a volatile psycho like that right next to him. I don’t know how he deals with that kind of crazy every day p>
“It’s going to be hell over there,” I murmured, thinking of the tension between Lucas and Alexander. “With Lucas’s temper, they’ll probably tear each other apart p>
I leaned back on the mattress, lying down beside Anita and staring up at the ceiling.
Anita turned her head, her eyes searching my face.
“How are you really feeling, Emma p>
“Like absolute crap p>
Anita reached over, took my hand, and squeezed it. “Everything’s still raw. Give yourself time p>
“I checked the pack archives a few minutes ago,” I confessed. “I read about the severance rite p>
Anita sat up and frowned. “Why would you do that to yourself? Don’t fill your head with all those details. You don’t have to make a permanent decision today. Give yourself at least a month before you even think about severance p>
“What’s the point of dragging it out?” I asked. “If it’s inevitable, waiting only makes the pain last longer p>
“I get it, but this is huge,” Anita said. “You can’t rush into something like that. What if you regret it for the rest of your life p>
I stayed silent.
“Maybe you should try seeing other men,” Anita said after a moment. “Look at Charlie. He worked so hard to get us back, and he’s always cared about you. You used to have feelings for him p>
“That won’t work,” I said, shaking my head. “How am I supposed to go out with Charlie or sleep with another man when my wolf is tied to a mate? I’m not going to lie to him or lead him on p>
“You don’t have to jump into bed with him,” Anita said. “Just get your mind off it. Try to be happy while you’re here p>
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“It doesn’t matter,” I said, staring at the ceiling.
Anita, severance was a choice for the future. But to my body, it had already begun. When Alexander walked away on that road, it felt like a piece of my soul had been ripped away. If this distance felt so empty, I wasn’t sure what would be left of me when the bond was cut.
The medicine had helped. I felt steady enough to face the conversation downstairs. Anita and I walked down the marble staircase and into the main lounge.
I sat beside my mother. Charlie sat nearby. When I walked in, he smiled at me. I managed a smile back, but discomfort tightened my chest. Anita’s suggestion that I date Charlie came back to me, and I felt awkward around him.
The family was already discussing the rogue syndicate when we joined them.
Uncle Cameron was speaking. “If every wolf who gets upset forms a rogue gang and demands official pack status, we’ll have fake packs everywhere. We can’t give them an inch p>
My father nodded, staring into the fireplace. “It sets a dangerous precedent for the region p>
Luna Lisa looked up from her cup. “Did they tell you why they separated you from the other captives p>
Anita and I exchanged a glance. Before I could hesitate, Anita spoke. “They split us between different locations on purpose. That way, if our pack found one camp, we wouldn’t all be rescued at once p>
My father looked at us. “What was it like in that camp? Did you hear anything about their plans, or notice anything useful p>
“Not really,” Anita said. “They mostly left us alone in a back room. We didn’t see much p>
Uncle Cameron shook his head. “They need to be punished. If they’re bold enough to kidnap Alpha family members, they could do worse. We need to cut off their power. I plan to push the Regional Council to impose sanctions. Any pack caught trading or doing business with rogue settlements will face isolation p>
The words came out before I could stop them.
“Alexander ‘didn’t abduct us. Their rogue Alpha wasn’t behind the kidnapping. It was his second-in-command p>
The room went quiet.
Charlie frowned at me. “How would you even know that, Emma? And what difference does it make? He operates
under the same umbrella p>
“It matters,” I said. “You can’t punish every rogue in those settlements. There are children, orphans, and old women living there. It’s a mix of people, not just criminals. And their Alpha didn’t even know we were going to be taken p>
My father’s mouth fell open. My mother turned to me, her eyes wide. “Emma, why are you speaking up for a rogue? They held you hostage, no matter who planned it p>
Charlie laughed. “It’s ridiculous that you’re defending him. Alexander is a hardened criminal. You wouldn’t know that because you don’t run a pack p>
My cheeks burned. I heard how it sounded and tried to correct myself. “I’m not defending him. I’m telling you the facts. He didn’t abduct me. I wasn’t even the target. I went looking for Anita and got caught up in it p>
Anita backed me up. “She’s right. That lunatic guy with the dyed hair, Lucas, came to my room. He also lied about
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us sleeping with them p>
cle Cameron raised a hand, stopping the argument. “It doesn’t matter who pulled the trigger. A rogue is a rogue. Bad people can have good moments, but we don’t need to excuse criminals. You two don’t need to worry about this anymore. You won’t spend any future vacations afraid of rogues. By the time the Council is done with them, they’ll fear our region and be driven from these lands p>
I kept my mouth shut.
The difference between my family’s view of the rogues and the mate bond pulling at me hit me hard. I’d stated one fact about Alexander, and this was the response.
I looked across the table at Anita. She lifted her glass and took a sip through her straw.
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Lucia Morh
Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.