The weight of his words_ the revelation that the Moon Goddess herself had bound him to Ace before he rejected the bond_ spreads like wildfire through the gathered wolves.
An elder steps forward, his face stern, lined with years of wisdom. There is deep disappointment in his gaze. "Alpha, tell us, is it true?" His voice cuts through the noise, commanding attention. "The Moon Goddess gave you a mate, and you refused her gift? And then you brought disaster upon our pack? You let that woman into our ranks
_ we couldn't eat, we couldn't sleep, we were restless. But it was your doing all along?!"
Kieran's jaw tightens. "Yes."
Gasps ripple through the crowd. A few wolves instinctively step back, as if physically recoiling from his admission.