Chapter 5

"Alpha, we've got intruders at the border!" Beta burst into Kaelen's conference room, interrupting his meeting with the elders.

Kaelen frowned. "Send out a patrol. I'll check it out later."

The meeting continued, but he was totally out of it.

In the two weeks since Aria had left, he’d been feeling this unshakeable emptiness.

The nights were the worst, a dull ache throbbing where their mate bond had fractured.

Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain shot through his chest.

Kaelen shot to his feet, knocking over the cup in front of him.

"Alpha?" The elders stared at him, surprised.

"Meeting's over," he snapped, before bolting from the room.

The pain was familiar yet foreign—it was the agony of his mate bond, Aria was in torment somewhere.

He barged into his own room, grabbing his jacket, ready to leave, when Seraphina blocked his way.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked coldly.

"To find Aria," he answered without a second thought.