Page 5 of The Alpha's Shattered Bonds

I brushed aside the feeling, casting my attention out to the pack. The whole pack was gathered except for the two wolves on guard duty. After the Black Moon Pack’s invasion four years ago, only twenty hardened warriors remained. We were always on the alert, guarding our home against potential threats. Linda and I had only announced our mate ceremony this morning, a strategic choice to prevent external packs from taking advantage of our lowered guard.

I took in the familiar faces of our warriors and other packmates. I scanned the crowd, searching faces but only truly seeing one—Seffy, standing at the edge in her midnight blue dressshimmering like the night sky. My heart skipped. My mind whispered that I needed to focus on the ceremony. But I knew that she was hurt by what I was about to do, and I was conflicted with how I’d always strove to protect her.

Ever since Seffy’s nineteenth birthday three weeks ago, my heart had been behaving treacherously. More than anything, I wished I could take that night back. Until then, I had felt a deep sense of familial love for her—an affection that came from knowing her like the back of my hand. But that birthday awakened a connection that thrummed like a live wire, igniting a passion I had never felt before and which had resulted in the best night of sex I’d ever had.

Remorse and shame prickled over me. That never should have happened. I thought of the moment reason had returned to me and how Seffy had thought our intimacy meant that we were meant to be together. But I’d been unable to honor that bond, and I’d had to tell Seffy we could never be. Her parents’ betrayal meant that she could never hold our pack’s trust. I’d told Seffy this morning that I would always hold her as my family, and I promised her she would always have a place in my home. In time, Seffy would understand the path I had chosen. Regardless of the wounding truth, I knew the affection we shared was unbreakable, no matter what.

My eyes found Linda across from me, her poised figure the embodiment of all I needed my mate to be. She was someone the pack respected and followed.

I fortified the walls around my heart, telling myself that that night should never have happened. It was just a chemical reaction fueled by pheromones and shared memories.

Our packmates erupted into cheers, showering us with Igaluk’s blessings. Their joyous shouts struck a chord with me, a reminder of the joy our pack had lost and needed to reclaim. I shared a look with Linda again, seeing the woman across from me as a bridge to a stronger future. I had a duty to strengthen our pack’s leadership. Too many young and brilliant Silver Moons had fallen during the invasion, their names forever etched on my heart. They had given their lives defending our home, and now it was my duty to strengthen our pack.

Linda squeezed my arm, her eyes sparkling with understanding. As a skilled healer and warrior and the daughter of Elder Darius, she was an excellent choice for my luna. She was a respected member of our pack, and her presence by my side would bring stability and balance to our community.

In truth, I should have forged this bond years ago. The pack needed strong leadership in the aftermath of the invasion. But I’d held back, believing Seffy needed stability after her parents’ deaths. Little Seffy was a lively child, filled with spirit. Liam, my beta and best friend, was her father. Betrayed by him, I’d believed I’d never trust anyone again.

Yet, the bright girl I had taken under my wing had needed me more than ever. Some packmates had thought me mad for taking her in, given her parents’ betrayal. But as alpha of my pack, I couldn’t turn my back on an innocent packmate. She’d still been a teenager back then and needed a guardian. Without hesitation, I’d been her protector. Undoubtedly, Seffy had needed my support, but I’d needed hers, too. In many ways, we had healed each other through the pain of betrayal and loss.

A familiar ache coursed through me at the thought of the tragedy she’d endured. Seffy had faced more at such a young age thananyone should. I had shielded her as best I could from the judgment of our pack, but I knew their resentful whispers had weighed down her adolescence. I replayed the nights when I sat with her, whispering words of comfort, reminding her that love existed even amidst the darkest of times—assuring her that her parents had loved her despite their destructive choices.

Through the shadows, I had watched her bloom from a kind-hearted child into an even more remarkable woman. A mix of pride and protectiveness surged within me. Seffy was now a university student, a young adult, making my decision to proceed with Linda feel right. It was time for me to cement our leadership and ensure the future of our pack.

“Tyler?” Elder Darius’s voice jolted me from the haze of reflection.

“What?” I started, meeting the elder’s frown.

A gentle ripple of laughter stirred from nearby packmates, cutting the tension that hung in the night air.

“Your vows, Alpha Tyler. You must repeat them if you are to join with my daughter.” Darius’s authoritative words jolted me back into the present, making my heart race and pulse quicken, adrenaline spiking through my veins.

I nodded, shifting my gaze to Linda, whose smile wobbled, a quizzical look knitting her brow.

“Of course,” I said, my voice lower than I intended, laced with sudden gravity. I forced a reassuring smile for Linda and then focused on the elder’s dark brown eyes. Dressed in a black tunic and trousers, he’d have been lost to the night if it weren’t for thegiak thread glimmering in intricate patterns—runes bearing the blessings of the Moon goddess.

“I, Alpha Tyler Tremblay, take you, Linda Martin.”

“I, Alpha Tyler Tremblay, take you, Linda Martin.” The words left my mouth steadily, and I looked out over the pack, telling myself that I wanted to look at the whole pack as I made this commitment, even as my gaze stole to the rear of the pack.

Familiar faces gazed up at me. Valerie and Logan were the farthest packmates. My heart thumped. Where was Seffy? Protectiveness stole through me. Logan had always picked on Seffy as a young teen. I frowned, wondering if he’d said something that had caused her to move.

“I vow to honor and protect you,” Darius urged.

I repeated the words, my gaze reluctantly returning to Linda, where it was meant to be, even as the guardian in me worried about Seraphina. I assured myself that I’d find her after the ceremony and check that she was okay.

“I promise to—” Darius began.

But pain flared in my chest. My wolf roared within. I struggled to focus on the solid wood beneath my feet. I gasped, a deep flare of pain echoing through me. My breath caught in my lungs, the bite there feeling like winter’s deepest chill, pulling me down to my knees.

As I hit the dais hard, my knees smarted, but the freezing pain in my chest was far more excruciating. Agony shot through me: Was this dark magic? Had the Black Moon Pack chosen this very night to invade despite all our precautions? Then, instinctstruck. The coldness emanated through the mate bond in my chest, just below my heart.

In my attempts to shield myself from the bond, I’d failed to recognize that something was wrong with it. Now, its powerful thrum was dissipating like smoke in the wind. No… it hadgone. Panic fired through me. The tether that had blossomed into existence three weeks ago had vanished completely.

“Tyler?” Elder Darius’s voice pierced through the turmoil, his concern tightening the knot in my gut. Linda’s hands gripped my arms, but all I could see was the gathering assembly. Their faces were twisted in confusion as the laughter and joy evaporated, leaving only a heavy silence.

Darkness surged upon me. The ceremony that was supposed to forge our future crumbled beneath the knowing silence that enveloped my heart. Again and again, I reached out for the bond that had ignited so recently, but like a mine cleared of its ores, it was barren.

My wolf roared within, panicked at the sense of losing our connection with our mate. What had happened to our bond? Suddenly, the knowledge that Seffy and I were destined for each other flooded through me. Ironically, without the mate bond tethering my heart, I had never been more keenly aware of it. Its absence was everything. I’d never expected to find myself bound to Seffy as a fated mate. And yet, there it was—an undeniable connection that transcended a guardian’s duty, a bond that nestled deep within my very soul. She wasn’t just under my care. She was an integral part of me.

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