Kyra’s POV
"How did he find us?" my wolf, Sylvia, growled low in my mind, her instincts sharpening as I stood frozen before him.
Nathan knelt in front of , gripping my hands with a desperation that made my chest ache. The scent of his minty musk—once so comforting—now felt like a cruel reminder of everything we’d lost. Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
"He shouldn’t be here," Sylvia snarled. "Not after what he did."
I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to focus. His hair was longer now, his face shadowed with stubble. Dark circles bruised his eyes, and he looked thinner—like he hadn’t slept or eaten properly in weeks.
"H-How did you find ?" My voice ca out hoarse, barely above a whisper.
He shook his head, his grip tightening. "I’m sorry. I-I’ve been following you."
Following ? I yanked my hands back, my pulse roaring in my ears. "What are you doing, Nathan? Why are you doing this?"
My heart felt like lead. The words from his diary still haunted , and now he was here, tearing open old wounds. Why couldn’t he just let go? He’d begged to release him so he could be with Sophia, his fated mate. Now he wanted back? For what?
I pressed my lips into a hard line, hardening my expression. "You should leave, Nathan. You’re just drunk."
"No, Kyra." His voice cracked. "I know what I’m doing, even when I’m drunk. I want you back—and I’m certain that when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll still want you."
He reached for again, but I shoved him away, my nails biting into my palms. "You can’t just do this, Nathan! You don’t get to ask to let you go and then take you back whenever you want. I’m not so toy you can play with!"
"I-I regret it..."
My breath hitched. Regret? Sylvia let out a bitter laugh in my mind. "Too late for that."
"It’s too late, Nathan," I whispered, turning my face away before he could see the tears threatening to spill.
"No, Kyra." His voice was raw. "Please, give another chance. I’ll do better this ti. I’ll love you right. Just... give one more chance."
A hollow laugh escaped . "Your feelings are a ss, Nathan. You’re just confused—mistaking guilt for love."
"I’m certain this ti, Kyra. I love you!"
"Liar," Sylvia hissed.
Gritting my teeth, I noticed my neighbors peeking through their doors. Nathan wasn’t leaving, so I had no choice. I grabbed his arm and dragged him inside, slamming the door behind us.
"Sit," I ordered, shoving him onto the couch before patting his pockets for his phone. When I found it, I shoved it toward him. "Put your passcode in."
He stared up at , his brown eyes—the eyes of an Alpha who’d once commanded my loyalty—now pleading. "It’s our wedding anniversary."
My heart stuttered. Damn him.
To stop myself from crumbling, I forced my voice flat. "Put the passcode in. I forgot it."
"Why?" Nathan’s voice was rough with emotion, his Alpha pheromones flooding the space between us. My wolf, Sylvia, bristled at his proximity. "He has no right," she snarled in my mind. "Not after choosing his fated mate over his chosen Luna."
"I’m calling Sophia to pick you up," I said coldly, reaching for my phone. The ntion of his fated mate made my stomach churn. Sylvia growled low in warning as Nathan snatched my phone and tucked it into his pocket with that infuriating Alpha speed.
My forehead creased in frustration when he suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulling down onto his lap. Before I could react, his lips crashed against mine in a kiss that sent my wolf howling in protest. The familiar minty scent of his wolf, Alaric, wrapped around like a cruel joke.
"Push him away!" Sylvia demanded, but my traitorous body rembered this—rembered us. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he kissed with a desperation that mirrored the ache in my chest. His kisses were carnal yet gentle, hungry yet soothing. I could taste his regret, his longing—and that made it worse.
"Nathan!" I shoved against his chest, but his arms banded around my waist with Alpha strength. His wolf’s possessive grip made my own wolf snarl in response. When he finally pulled away, panting, his brown eyes were filled with emotion.
"Be with again, Kyra," he begged, his voice rough. "I’ll be a father to your pup. I don’t care if it’s Kieran Carver’s. I’ll claim it as my own—"
The slap rang out before I even realized I’d moved. Sylvia’s rage burned through . "You should be a proper Alpha first before dreaming of being a father," I spat. "You can’t even honor your own mate bond."
"Good," Sylvia approved viciously.
Nathan shook his head, his wolf’s distress scent filling the room. "How can I prove my feelings are real?"
"Let’s say they are," I countered, fists clenched so tight my nails bit into my palms. "What about Sophia? Your fated mate?"
He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. "Kyra, we could keep us secret until I can break the engagent—"
"So I’d be your dirty little secret?" My laugh was bitter. "Your hidden Luna while you parade your fated mate before the pack?"
"Disgraceful," Sylvia sneered.
"I didn’t an it like that," Nathan protested, pain flashing in his eyes.
"Then how?" I demanded. "Am I just your backup mate when your fated bond fails?"
The hurt in his expression almost undid . "I never saw you that way. Why won’t you believe ?"
"Because a true Alpha doesn’t waver between mates!" I snapped. "Our pack laws are clear—once claid, a bond is sacred. But you threw ours away the mont Sophia returned."
His next words ca in a rush. "I’ll give you the grandest mating ceremony the packs have ever seen. I’ll make you my Luna in truth. Just co ho, Kyra. I’m begging you."
"I don’t want ceremonies!" My voice broke. "I want an Alpha who’ll stand by his Luna before the entire pack, not hide away like so shaful secret!"
His gaze dropped. "I can’t break the engagent yet. It will affect the company and my father will—"
"Then there’s nothing more to talk about. You should leave," I cut him off coldly.
"But the company. You put all your efforts in there. It was the fruit of our hard work. I can’t just give up on the things you treasured so much," he tried desperately. "Our pack’s future—"
"I don’t care about that anymore." All those years as his Luna, building his empire, only to be discarded when his fated mate returned.
His pain scent spiked. "Kyra, please... What must I do?"
I gave him a wry smile. "Nothing. Even if I believed you, we can’t undo what’s been done. The Moon Goddess doesn’t give second chances with bonds. We were badly bruised by our mistakes, Nathan. Just leave our past in the past and live without each other."
When tears glimred in his eyes, I took his left hand, pointing to the bare finger where our mating ring should be. "You removed your claim, Nathan. Focus on your fated mate, not the Luna you threw away."
"Leave," I said finally, letting my wolf’s authority bleed into my voice, "or I’ll call the enforcers for trespassing on an unmated she-wolf’s house."
No Alpha could force himself on an unclaid she-wolf, not even a forr mate. The devastation on his face almost broke , but Sylvia’s growl kept strong. This was the price of broken bonds.
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