KADEN'S POV
I was dancing with Lyanna when my world exploded.
One second, I was smiling for the pack cameras, playing the perfect Alpha heir. The next, something hit me so hard I couldn't breathe.
*MATE!* my wolf roared inside my head, so loud I thought my skull would crack open. *MATE! CLAIM HER NOW!*
"What?" I gasped, stumbling mid-step.
Lyanna grabbed my arm. "Kaden? Are you okay?"
But I wasn't listening. My wolf was going absolutely crazy, howling and clawing to get out. My eyes searched the crowd desperately, looking for whoever made my wolf lose his mind.
Then I saw her.
The silver wolf stood in the center of the clearing, glowing like she was made of moonlight. Power radiated from her in waves that made my knees weak. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
*That's our mate!* my wolf screamed. *Go to her! Now!*
The wolf shifted, and my heart stopped completely.
Sera.
No. Not Sera. That was impossible. Sera was the quiet girl I barely noticed. The weak one who never shifted. She couldn't be—
But the mate bond didn't lie. It wrapped around my chest like a rope made of lightning, pulling me toward her so hard I physically hurt fighting it.
"Kaden?" Lyanna's voice sounded far away. "What's happening?"
I couldn't answer. My wolf was taking control, forcing my feet to move. I crossed the clearing in a daze, everything else disappearing except Sera.
She looked terrified. And angry. So angry her gray eyes burned silver.
"Sera," I heard myself say. My voice sounded weird, desperate. "You're my—we're—"
"Nothing," she snapped, stepping back like I was dangerous. "We're nothing. Stay away from me."
Her words felt like claws ripping through my chest. My wolf howled in pain.
"The mate bond—you feel it. I know you do." I moved closer, needing her to understand. "This changes everything—"
"It changes NOTHING!"
Her scream made the entire pack go silent. Even the music stopped.
"You made my life hell, Kaden!" Sera's whole body shook. "You taught the pack to treat me like garbage. You're engaged to my sister who hates me. And now you expect me to fall into your arms because biology says we match?"
Every word hit me like a punch. Because she was right. I had done all those things.
"I reject this bond," she said clearly. "I reject you. Publicly, officially, permanently."
The pain was instant and horrible. It felt like someone was ripping my heart out through my chest. I fell to my knees, gasping for air that wouldn't come.
Around us, the pack gasped and whispered. Rejecting a mate bond was forbidden. Dangerous. It could kill us both.
But all I could think about was the look on Sera's face—pure hatred mixed with satisfaction as she watched me suffer.
"Sera, wait—" I managed to choke out.
She turned to walk away, her head held high like a queen.
That's when my father's voice boomed across the clearing. "You cannot reject him! Ancient law states—"
"I don't care about your laws!" Sera shouted back. "I'm leaving this pack tonight!"
Panic flooded through me. If she left, the bond would tear us both apart slowly. We'd go insane from the separation, our wolves dying piece by piece.
And suddenly I understood why this hurt so much. Not just the bond breaking—but the idea of Sera disappearing from my life forever.
When had she stopped being invisible? When had she become the only person I wanted to see?
"Sera, you don't understand!" I forced myself to stand even though my legs shook. "My father—he planned this whole thing. He knew you'd shift tonight. He's been tracking your bloodline for weeks. If you run, he'll use ancient laws to hunt you down and force you back!"
I shouldn't be telling her this. My father would kill me for revealing his plans.
But I couldn't let her walk into his trap.
"SILENCE, KADEN!" My father's Alpha command slammed into me like a physical blow.
But everyone had already heard.
Sera's face went pale. "What?"
"It's true," I said quickly, fighting through my father's command. "He wants to control you. Your Omega power—it's rare, valuable. He'll never let you leave freely—"
My father's fist hit me so hard I tasted blood. I crashed to the ground, ears ringing.
"You dare betray your Alpha?" he snarled.
Through the pain, I looked at Sera. She stood frozen, clearly realizing she was in more danger than she thought.
Then Riley burst through the crowd, breathless. "Sera! Border patrol just reported—there are rogues surrounding the territory. Dozens of them. They're blocking all the exits!"
My blood ran cold.
"Perfect timing," my father said with a cruel smile. "No one leaves Silvercrest tonight. Especially not our new Omega."
Sera's eyes met mine across the clearing. For the first time, I saw real fear there.
And I realized with horrible clarity: my father had planned everything. The ceremony. The bond. Even the rogues.
He'd built a perfect cage, and Sera had just locked herself inside it.
*We have to protect her,* my wolf growled desperately.
But how could I protect my mate when she hated me—and when my own father was the biggest threat of all?