The Alpha’s Temporary Mark

After a few seconds of hesitation, I accepted the forced link.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing his voice, I almost laughed. "What's this? The Alpha is trying the gentle approach now? I already told you, I'm not withdrawing the complaint."

For once, Kade didn't argue. His tone was uncharacteristically sincere. "I'm sorry."

His attitude caught me off guard.

I had never seen him act this way, almost humble.

"If you're really sorry, then clear things up. The rumors spreading through the pack, you're the Alpha, you can't possibly not know about them."

There was a few seconds of silence, then his low voice came through. "Anya, the damage is done. A clarification won't change what people saw. It will only drag Selena into this mess as well."

"Instead of escalating things, it's better to minimize the damage..."

I cut him off. "So, what you're saying is, it doesn't matter that my privacy was violated, that my name is being dragged through the mud, as long as your precious Selena doesn't get hurt."

"This is for the good of the pack, isn't it? As a warrior, you should understand the bigger picture..."

He wanted me to endure this humiliation for the sake of the pack's peace.

"Kade." Tears suddenly streamed from the corners of my eyes. "Dream on."

I angrily severed the mental link.

Less than a minute later, a stronger Alpha intent once again invaded my mental barriers.

"You dare sever my link?" Kade's voice was pure menace.

"I don't want to hear your bullshit."

"Anya, don't make me use force." His tone turned dangerous. "You know your father's condition. He needs pure Alpha energy to stay alive."

My heart sank.

"Are you threatening me?"

"I'm just stating a fact," Kade said, his voice flat and cold. "If I cut off his supply of energy, how long do you really think he'll last?"

I was silent.

The entire pack knew my father's old wounds required an Alpha's energy for treatment.

And Kade had been helping my father for years.

"Withdraw the complaint, and everything goes back to normal." His tone was non-negotiable. "This is your final warning."

I closed my eyes, feeling my heart being torn apart.

For my father, I had no other choice.

"I... I'll withdraw it."

"Good." Kade's voice softened, just a fraction. "You'll thank me for this later, Anya."

"Selena is your sister, after all. There's no need to be so ruthless."

A wave of nausea rose in my throat, and I abruptly cut the link.

I collapsed to the floor and finally broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

I couldn't risk my father's life over my own pride.

I couldn't take that gamble.

After the withdrawal agreement was delivered, Selena appeared at my door, looking smug.

"Sister, I heard you withdrew the complaint," she said, her smile sickly sweet. "I knew you would."

"Get out," I said coldly.

"Don't be mad, sister." She walked into the room, looking around the simple warrior's barracks. "It must be uncomfortable living in a place like this, right?"

"None of your business."

"I just wanted to show my concern for you, sister," Selena said, sitting in the only chair. "After all, we're family."

"We are not family."

"Why not?" she asked, blinking her innocent, wide eyes. "We have the same mother."

"Even if your useless father couldn't give you a good bloodline."

I was about to slap her.

But the moment I grabbed her wrist, Selena collapsed to her knees, her voice filled with terror.

"Sister, I know I was wrong, please don't hit me. I'm pregnant with Kade's baby..."

She covered her stomach with her hands, acting as if I had pushed her.

Kade saw Selena kneeling on the ground, and his instinct to protect his pup instantly overrode all reason.

"Anya, are you insane?"

"I didn't hit her!" I tried to explain.

Before I could get a word out, he shoved me hard.

My head slammed against the wall with a sickening crack.

I reached up and felt a handful of thick, wet blood.

Kade's eyes were bloodshot. "I warned you not to hurt her! She's carrying my bloodline!"

He carefully lifted Selena into his arms, then turned to me, his voice so cold it sent a shiver down my spine.

"Anya, as the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, I hereby formally reject you as my mate."

The moment the words left his mouth, he himself coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body staggering from the excruciating pain of his soul being torn in two.

I felt the agony of my heart being ripped in two.

Four years of a mate bond, ended just like that.

I crumpled to my knees, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth, the agonizing pain of the rejection clawing at the inside of my chest.

"I accept."

The two words escaped my lips, each syllable like swallowing shards of glass.

Kade rushed out of the room with Selena in his arms, not sparing me a single glance.

Good. From now on, I would never have to contact him again.

On the eve of my departure, I pushed through the searing pain of the broken bond to have one last meal with my father.

I didn't tell him about the rejection, only that I was leaving for my post at the Silver Crest Pack.

I packed my bag that night and crossed the Black Moon Pack's border before dawn.

The moment I stepped across the boundary, I severed my side of the mate bond with Kade for good.

The soul-tearing agony nearly made me black out, but when it subsided, it left an unexpected feeling in its wake: liberation.

I was free.

From now on, I would stay far, far away from him.