Beside him,a female cloaked in a veil and hood—a deliberate suppression of her scent—had her hands possessively wrapped around his powerful arm as they walked.Her gaze was singularly fixed on him as she spoke.
Kian tilted his head,his focus entirely hers.His eyes held a flicker of warmth as he responded to her words.The female let out a playful whine and shook his arm.
Kian offered her a soft smile and inclined his head in acceptance.Selena watched his lips shape the silent affirmation,“Lyra.”
Lyra,Kian’s first and true desire,had finally returned.
The sight of the two of them together felt like a sudden plunge into glacial water.
A brutal,final realization.
That Alpha was the Sire of her pup.They were meant to be celebrating the strength of their new bloodline.
But now,that Alpha was openly escorting his true Mate into the night.
Selena felt her entire body seize with an uncontrollable tremor.Tears blurred her vision as she released a series of gasping,heavy sighs.Bitterness and profound pain surged through her,wave after wave.
She had never sensed Kian this gentle or this happy before.He had always been stoic and quiet,maintaining a formal distance from her for the past three years.Selena had rationalized this,comforting herself by believing that it was simply his dominance—always quiet and indifferent toward all but matters of Pack necessity.She had lied even to her own wolf.
Now,she witnessed that all her self-imposed beliefs about Kian were false.He possessed the capacity for warmth and profound care,but only for a different female.
The two passed directly by her shielded transport.They did not even register Selena’s scent,or the proximity of her vehicle.Not even Kian.
“Luna Selena,you’ve returned to the den.Do you require a prepared meal?”The Omega aide politely inquired.Her smile faltered slightly when she noticed the faint scent of distress clinging to Selena.
The question,however,was lost on her.Selena moved like a wounded machine,walking toward her sleeping chamber in a daze.
As soon as she sealed the door,Selena leaned against the reinforced wall and slid to the furs.She had lost all her core strength.She could not hold the rising grief in any longer.Tears streamed down her cheeks.She tightly clasped her chest,feeling the pain of the bond’s tearing spread from her heart to her entire frame.