Kael stopped an arm's length away.
The distance between them was nothing; and yet it felt like standing at the edge of a cliff with the ground crumbling beneath Sera's feet.
The Moon Gala did not breathe.
Music still hung in the air from the suspended orchestra, a final trembling note stretched thin like glass. Conversations had died mid-sentence. Even the servers stood frozen, trays hovering in uncertain hands.
Every elite wolf in Silverfang Tower was watching.
Sera felt it; their attention pressing against her skin, sharp and invasive. Eyes tracked the invisible thread between her and Kael, drawn to the same primal truth she was fighting to contain.
The bond pulsed. Once. Hard.
Her breath hitched.
It wasn't the warm curiosity from before. This was violent recognition. A surge of instinct crashed through her chest, wolf and human colliding in a single overwhelming command:
Mate.
The word did not form in her thoughts; it burned there.
Kael flinched.
The movement was small, almost imperceptible, but Sera saw it. His shoulders tightened. His jaw flexed as if he were clamping down on something feral trying to claw its way out.
Their eyes locked. The connection snapped fully into place.
Pain laced through the pull; sharp, electric, impossible to ignore. It threaded from Sera's sternum to Kael's, a glowing tether that screamed awareness. Her knees nearly buckled under the force of it.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
They sensed it now.
Elite wolves stiffened. A few elders leaned forward, nostrils flaring as the mate scent bloomed thick and undeniable in the air. Whispers began like sparks catching dry leaves.
"Impossible…" "That's her?"
"A servant?"
Sera's pulse roared in her ears.
Across the marble floor, Mira Ashwood stepped forward, heels clicking like a countdown. Her gaze cut to Sera, sharp, assessing, predatory. The faint smile she wore did not reach her eyes.
Kael didn't look at Mira. He didn't look away from Sera.
The bond flared again. This time it hurt.
A tearing heat spread through Sera's chest, too intense, too raw. Her wolf surged toward it, desperate, pleading, reaching. Instinct screamed to close the distance, to touch, to seal the connection before it devoured her whole.
Her fingers trembled, and she curled them into fists.
The room leaned in, while Kael inhaled slowly.
Control settled over his features like a mask. The wild flicker in his eyes vanished, replaced by something colder. Calculating. Resolute.
Sera felt the shift before he spoke, the bond shuddered.
Fear prickled under her skin, "No," her wolf whispered inside her. Wait.
Kael's voice carried effortlessly through the silent hall. "This bond," he said, each word precise, deliberate, "is a mistake." The sentence struck like a physical blow.
Sera's breath vanished.
The tether between them spasmed violently. Pain ripped through her chest -not metaphorical, not emotional- real. It felt like claws dragging across her ribs from the inside.
The crowd reacted instantly.
Gasps. Murmurs. Shock crashing into fascination.
Kael did not waver. "I reject you," he said.
The words landed with ceremonial finality.
Silverfang tradition did not require raised voices. Authority alone was enough.
And Kael Blackthorne had it in abundance. "I reject this bond," he continued, eyes never leaving Sera's, "and sever any claim between us."
The bond detonated. Sera screamed.
The sound tore from her throat before she could stop it; raw, broken, animal. Agony speared through her chest, lightning splitting her in half. Her wolf howled inside her skull as the connection was ripped away, fibers of instinct shredding like torn muscle.
She staggered back. The world tilted.
Somewhere, someone whispered, "He rejected her…"
"In public…"
"During the gala…"
Phones appeared.
Sera saw the glowing rectangles rise through blurred vision. Cameras capturing every second, her face twisted in pain, her uniform marking her status, the spectacle of rejection packaged into something shareable.
Humiliation burned hotter than the bond tear.
Her ears rang with overlapping voices:
"She thought she had a chance…" "Know your place…" "A servant reaching for an alpha…"
Each word carved deeper.
Kael's expression did not soften. If anything, his gaze hardened; not cruel, not triumphant. Controlled. Final.
Mira stepped to his side then, her presence smooth and deliberate. Her fingers brushed Kael's sleeve in a gesture that was subtle yet unmistakably possessive.
Approval murmured through the crowd, stability restored, order reaffirmed.
Sera swayed. Her chest felt hollow; like something vital had been ripped out and left her echoing. Breathing hurt. Standing hurt. Existing hurt.
The orchestra did not resume.
No one dared break the moment.
She met Kael's eyes one last time, there was nothing there for her.
No hesitation. No regret. Just the cold certainty of a future Alpha who had made a public decision and would not look back.
The final thread of the bond snapped, silence roared.
Her wolf collapsed inward with a whimper.
So did she.
Her knees hit marble.
The impact barely registered. The pain was distant compared to the crushing weight in her chest, betrayal layered with instinctive grief, humiliation sinking its teeth deep.
Cameras flashed. Someone muttered, "Pathetic… " Another voice laughed softly.
Sera's hands shook as she tried to push herself upright. Her strength failed. The world narrowed to fragments; polished floor, shimmering gowns, Kael's boots turning slightly away.
Away. The symbolism landed like a final blow.
Her vision blurred. The whispers grew louder, feeding on the spectacle.
"This will be everywhere…" "She'll never live this down…"
"Rejected in front of the entire pack…" Sera's breath became shallow.
Her wolf did not answer. The absence was worse than the pain.
Darkness crept in at the edges of her sight. For a fleeting second, instinct begged her to run; to disappear, to escape the crushing weight of watching eyes. But her body refused to obey.
The gala hall spun.
The last thing she saw was Mira's calm profile beside Kael, perfectly composed, already absorbing the narrative as if this humiliation were a minor disruption in an otherwise flawless evening.
Sera's chest tightened once more. Then everything gave way.
She collapsed.
The marble rushed up to meet her, or maybe she fell into it. Sound drained from the world, whispers dissolving into distant static.
Darkness closed over her like water, and Silverfang watched her sink.