Chapter 2

The days following the mate bond revelation were a blur for Lyra. She had spent her entire life dreaming of the moment she would meet her fated mate, imagining the joy and completeness it would bring. But instead of warmth, she was left with a cold, hollow ache that refused to fade. Darius's rejection echoed in her mind, his words cutting deeper than any physical wound ever could.

"This isn't what I wanted."

Lyra sat by the edge of the forest, her knees drawn to her chest as she stared blankly at the horizon. The once-vibrant colors of the woods seemed muted now, as if the world itself had dimmed in response to her pain. She barely noticed Evren approaching until he crouched beside her, his usual playful demeanor replaced by quiet concern.

"Lyra," he said softly, his voice a lifeline in the storm of her thoughts. "You can't keep doing this to yourself."

She turned to him, her eyes red-rimmed and filled with unshed tears. "What else am I supposed to do, Evren? Pretend it didn't happen? Pretend I don't feel this bond every second of every day?"

Evren sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I don't know. But sitting here, tearing yourself apart over someone who doesn't deserve you—it's not helping."

Lyra wanted to believe him, but the bond was relentless. It wasn't something she could simply ignore or forget. It was a part of her, as intrinsic as her heartbeat. And yet, Darius had cast it aside as if it meant nothing.

The pack wasn't making things any easier. Whispers followed her wherever she went, hushed voices carrying words of pity and judgment. Some saw her as a victim, others as a failure. The rejection of a mate was rare, almost unheard of, and it left a stain on both wolves involved. But while Darius's status as the future Beta shielded him from most of the fallout, Lyra bore the brunt of it.

The final blow came one evening during a pack gathering. Lyra had been keeping her distance, lingering at the edges of the clearing as the others mingled and laughed. She was about to slip away unnoticed when a ripple of excitement swept through the crowd. Curious despite herself, she turned to see what had captured everyone's attention.

Darius stood at the center of the clearing, his arm draped around Alina—a striking she-wolf with fiery red hair and a sharp, confident smile. The two of them looked every bit the perfect couple, their chemistry undeniable. But it wasn't their closeness that sent a jolt of pain through Lyra's chest. It was the announcement that followed.

"We're expecting," Darius said, his voice filled with pride as he glanced down at Alina's stomach.

The words hit Lyra like a physical blow, stealing the breath from her lungs. She stumbled back, her vision swimming as the crowd erupted into cheers and congratulations. She barely registered Evren's hand on her arm, steadying her as she fought to stay upright.

"Lyra," he said urgently, his voice cutting through the noise. "Let's get out of here."

She nodded numbly, allowing him to guide her away from the clearing and into the relative quiet of the forest. Once they were far enough from the others, Lyra sank to the ground, her body trembling with the force of her emotions.

"How could he do this?" she whispered, her voice breaking. "How could he reject me and then...and then..."

Evren knelt beside her, his expression dark with anger. "Because he's a coward," he said bluntly. "He's too blind to see what he's lost. And Alina? She's nothing compared to you."

Lyra shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "It doesn't matter. None of it matters. The bond...it's still there. I can't just stop feeling it."

Evren hesitated, his frustration giving way to helplessness. "I wish I could take it away for you," he said quietly. "I wish I could make you see that you're worth so much more than this."

But Lyra couldn't see it. All she could feel was the crushing weight of rejection, the unbearable ache of a bond that had been severed on one side but remained intact on the other. She had always believed in the sanctity of the mate bond, in its power to bring two souls together. But now, that belief felt like a cruel joke.

As the days turned into weeks, Lyra withdrew further from the pack. She avoided gatherings, kept her interactions brief, and spent most of her time wandering the forest alone. The whispers grew louder, the stares more pointed, but she no longer had the energy to care. She was a ghost of her former self, drifting through life without purpose or direction.

And yet, somewhere deep inside, a spark of determination began to flicker. Lyra didn't know what the future held, but she knew one thing for certain: she couldn't stay here. Not in a place where every corner held a memory of her pain, where every face reminded her of what she had lost. If she was ever going to heal, she needed to leave. She needed to find a way to reclaim her life, to rediscover the strength she had forgotten she possessed.

It was a daunting prospect, the idea of leaving the only home she had ever known. But as Lyra stood at the edge of the forest one final time, the moonlight casting a silver glow over the trees, she felt a glimmer of hope. The journey ahead would be difficult, but it was a journey she had to take. For herself. For her future.

And so, with a deep breath and a heavy heart, Lyra stepped into the unknown.