Chapter 3

　　(Grover''s POV)

　　The pain hit me in the middle of greeting the Lycan delegation. Sharp.

Sudden. Like someone driving a knife between my ribs.

　　I doubled over. Couldn''t breathe. Everyone was staring.

　　"Alpha?" Roland stepped forward. "Are you alright?"

　　No. I wasn''t alright. Something was very wrong.

　　The pain came again. Worse. My wolf Thalia was going crazy in my head.

Howling. Furious.

　　What did you do??he snarled.

　　I knew. I''d rejected our mate. Three days ago. I''d been expecting

this. The bond breaking completely. It still hurt more than I thought it

would.

　　You''re an idiot,?Thalia spat.?She was defending herself. Yves was a

monster and you know it.

　　I ignored him. I had to. For the pack. For strength. For leadership.

　　The Lycan delegation was watching me with concern. The King himself

was coming tomorrow for my Alpha ceremony. I couldn''t look weak.

　　"I''m fine," I lied. "Just tired."

　　But I wasn''t fine. The mate bond was pulling apart inside me. Every

nerve was on fire.

　　I chose Daphne for the pack. She''s strong. Beautiful. From a good

family. She''ll make a perfect Luna. Perfect Alpha female.

　　Not like Seraphina. Broken. Damaged. A murderer.

　　Except she wasn''t. Deep down I knew she wasn''t. Yves was sick. He

liked young girls. Everyone knew but no one talked about it. We don''t air

dirty laundry.

　　And Seraphina... God, Seraphina.

　　I thought about her all the time. Even when I was with Daphne. Even

when I was trying not to. She was in my head. Under my skin.

　　When I touched Daphne, I imagined it was Seraphina. When I kissed

Daphne, I pretended she was someone else. Someone with dark hair and sad

eyes.

　　I''m sick. Just like Yves was sick.

　　The pain was getting worse. Spreading through my chest like poison.

　　She accepted the rejection,?Thalia whispered.?It''s done.

　　Then why did it feel like I was dying?

　　I excused myself from the delegation. Went to my room. Paced. The

walls felt too small. Too tight.

　　When the bond finally snapped completely, I roared. Actually roared.

The windows shook. Everyone in the pack house heard it.

　　She was gone. Really gone. The invisible thread that connected us was

severed forever.

　　I should feel relieved. Free. Ready to bond with Daphne properly.

　　Instead I felt empty. Like someone had scooped out my insides and left

me hollow.

　　I''d made a mistake. A terrible, irreversible mistake.

　　But it was too late now. The Moon Goddess had given Seraphina to me

and I''d thrown her away. There were no second chances with mate bonds.

　　Daphne knocked on my door. Came in without waiting for permission. She

was wearing the dress I''d bought her for tomorrow''s ceremony. Red silk.

Perfect.

　　"Are you alright, baby?" She put her arms around me. Pressed against

me.

　　I should have felt desire. Love. Something. Instead I felt nothing.

Just emptiness where Seraphina used to be.

　　"I''m fine," I said again.

　　But I wasn''t. And I never would be again.

　　Thalia had gone silent. Probably plotting ways to make me suffer for

what I''d done. He''d loved her. From the first moment he''d sensed her wolf,

he''d loved her.

　　I''d loved her too. I just hadn''t been brave enough to admit it.

　　Now it was too late.