The Stolen Bond

Valeria’s POV

"Mate."

The singular word echoed savagely in my mind, a relentless drumbeat courtesy of my newly awakened wolf. She was howling, a beautiful, deafening sound of pure ecstasy that rattled my skull and sent a massive rush of exhilarating adrenaline surging through my veins.

My heart stuttered, missing a crucial beat before slamming against my ribs in double time. The words sank into my marrow. Was he here? Was my destined mate actually standing somewhere inside the pack house tonight?

A fierce, impatient energy hijacked my nervous system. My wolf clawed at the edges of my consciousness, urging me to move, to hunt, to find him. I surrendered to her demand. The shift back into my human skin initiated immediately. This time, the agonizing sequence of breaking bones and melting fur felt distant, overshadowed by the intoxicating promise of the bond.

I collapsed onto the floor, my human chest heaving as I sucked in greedy lungfuls of air. The midnight blue gown I had worn earlier lay in ruined, shredded pieces around my bare legs. I pushed myself up from the hardwood, ignoring the lingering ache in my spine. I threw open the doors of my closet. My hands trembled as I pushed past hangers, desperate and frantic. I grabbed a sleek black dress that fell just below my knees, the dark fabric sliding smoothly over my heated skin. I didn't care about makeup. I didn't care about my hair.

I only cared about the scent.

It was a heavy, magnetic fragrance hanging thick in the air—dark cedar mixed with the sharp, static ozone of impending rain. It acted as an invisible, unbreakable tether wrapped securely around my chest, dragging me out of my bedroom.

I bolted down the corridor. My bare feet slapped quietly against the floorboards. The scent grew thicker, richer, coating the back of my throat and making my fangs ache to descend. It pulled me relentlessly toward the grand hall. The lively coming-of-age ceremony was currently reaching its peak, the muffled sounds of the celebration vibrating through the stone walls.

My breath hitched as I reached the heavy wooden double doors. The magnetic pull intensified to an agonizing degree, buzzing right beneath my skin. I pushed the doors open and stepped into the blinding light.

The air inside the hall was suffocatingly thick. It was a chaotic mix of a hundred different shifter scents, booming laughter, and the sharp clinking of crystal glasses. But the sensory overload barely registered. I was scanning the dense sea of bodies, hunting for the source of the cedar and rain.

Then, my gaze slammed into a towering figure standing near the head table.

The entire universe screeched to a brutal halt.

The deafening noise of the party, the bright chandeliers, the swirling mass of dancing people—everything blurred into a muted, meaningless gray. Only he remained in sharp focus.

The moment our eyes locked, the electric tether stretched taut between us, sparking with undeniable recognition.

"Mate," my wolf purred, her voice a deep, vibrating rumble of pure possession.

He was magnificent. Broad shoulders stretched the dark fabric of his tailored suit, his commanding presence demanding immediate submission from everyone in the room. I watched his sharp jaw clench tight. His nostrils flared as he inhaled a deep, ragged breath, his massive chest rising and falling heavily. His eyes darkened, pupils blowing wide to swallow the irises.

He felt it too. It was the irrefutable proof I needed. His wolf recognized me just as mine recognized him.

A desperate, fragile hope blossomed inside my chest. I took a shaky step toward him, ready to close the distance, ready to claim what the Moon Goddess had created for me.

But in a cruel twist of fate, deafening cheers erupted from the pack.

The sudden wall of sound shattered our silent communion. Confused, I blinked, forced to break eye contact as the dense crowd shifted. The guests physically parted, stepping aside to form a wide, clear path leading directly to him.

My stomach plummeted. A sickening dread pooled in my gut.

My half-sister, Nadia, glided down the newly formed path.

She moved with sickening grace, her radiant smile blinding the room. Joyful tears glistened on her perfect cheeks. She wore a stunning gown that caught the light with every step, captivating the attention of every single wolf in the hall. Including his.

I was paralyzed. My feet rooted to the floor, trapping me in a shattered, stunned silence as I watched the nightmare unfold. Nadia stepped directly into his waiting arms.

The hard, ruthless features of my mate softened instantly. He wrapped his strong, muscular arms protectively around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. He looked down at her with a tender, glowing warmth that made my blood run cold. A loving smile graced his lips as he leaned down, resting his forehead intimately against hers.

Numbness encased my body. Ice flooded my veins, freezing my lungs.

"What is happening?" I begged my wolf, but she gave no answer. She had retreated into the dark corners of my mind, whimpering in sudden terror.

Desperation clawed raw trails down my throat. I turned to a nearby maid carrying a silver tray of champagne.

"What’s going on?" I asked. I forced my tight throat to form the words, my voice cracking under the strain.

The maid paused, blinking at me in genuine surprise. Her cheerful smile felt like a physical blow to my jaw. "Oh, you don’t know? Your sister just found her mate."

I frowned, the edges of my vision darkening. "Mate?"

"Yes," the maid nodded eagerly, gesturing toward the couple. "The Alpha King. Aren’t you happy for her?"

I couldn't reply. I couldn't draw oxygen into my lungs.

The Alpha King. Gideon.

My mate.

I stumbled backward, the heel of my foot catching on the rug. The burgeoning bond inside my chest felt as though invisible hands had wrapped around it, brutally strangling it before it could even take root. My heart let out a phantom scream. My hands trembled helplessly at my sides.

This could not be real. My wolf could not be mistaken.

I looked back at them. As if sensing my immense distress, his eyes flicked away from Nadia and slammed back into mine.

For a brief, torturous second, I saw a storm of conflict swirling in his dark gaze. His jaw tightened again. I saw his fingers twitch against Nadia's dress, a subconscious physical betrayal fighting the overwhelming urge to reach out to me, to answer the primal call of our shared blood.

But then Nadia let out a melodic, breathy laugh. She leaned closer, her delicate fingers trailing possessively over his chest, anchoring him back to her.

His attention snapped back to her face. The connection between us severed with an audible snap in my mind.

Suffocating on the betrayal, I spun around. I pushed blindly through the heavy doors, fleeing the grand hall and bursting out into the biting cold of the night air.

Whispers and murmurs erupted in my wake, questioning my sudden exit, but they faded into white noise. I sprinted across the dark grounds. The freezing wind slapped my face, burning my eyes, but it did nothing to cool the searing agony spreading through my chest.

How had my life turned into this endless cycle of misery?

I wrapped my arms around my stomach, stumbling up the back stairs of the pack house. I reached the dark sanctuary of my bedroom and slammed the door shut.

My knees gave out. I collapsed onto the edge of the mattress, my body wracking with agonizing, ugly sobs.

Why, Nadia? Why did she always have to take everything?

She had systematically stripped me bare over the years. She stole my father’s affection, replacing me as the favorite daughter. She stole the pack’s respect, turning them against the motherless outcast. And now, she had stolen my destined mate. The one person meant to save me.

Fresh tears cascaded down my cheeks, soaking the dark fabric of my dress. I wanted to scream until my vocal cords shredded. I wanted to smash the mirror, tear the room apart, demand answers from the universe. But what good would it do? No one ever chose Valeria.

The sound of a soft knock abruptly halted my tears.

I stiffened, holding my breath. I wiped my wet face, sitting up straight. I hesitated for a long moment before crossing the room and turning the knob.

To my stunning disbelief, my father stepped across the threshold.

He hadn't set foot in this room for years. He treated this side of the hallway like a quarantined zone. Yet here he was, standing tall, his broad shoulders blocking the only exit.

His face was a chilling mask of cold emotionlessness. He stared down at me, his eyes empty of any paternal warmth.

"Your sister found her mate," he stated flatly. The words held no celebration, only a grim finality.

A dark, bitter laugh ripped from my throat. "Her mate?" I spat back, the syllables dripping with venomous anger. "She stole mine."

I waited for the shock. I waited for him to call me a liar, to demand an explanation.

Instead, his expression remained chillingly blank. Not a single muscle twitched in his face.

He already knew.

"You have to let your sister be mated to him," he commanded, his tone hard and unyielding. It was an alpha’s order, meant to force me to my knees.

Rage ignited the remaining embers of my broken heart. "Or what?" I challenged, taking a step closer, my chin raised. "I should just tell him."

"Tell who?" he snapped, a dangerous edge finally bleeding into his voice.

"The Alpha King, of course," I countered. "I’ll tell him the truth."

Instantly, his demeanor turned dark. The indifferent father vanished, replaced by a ruthless enforcer. He lunged forward with terrifying speed. His large, calloused hand clamped around my upper arm, gripping the muscle like an iron vise.

I gasped as he yanked me backward, shaking me once, hard.

"You will do no such thing," he snarled, his face inches from mine. "You were never meant to have him, Valeria. You are nothing compared to her. Accept your place and stay silent."

I struggled against his grip, but he only squeezed tighter, bruising the flesh.

"You will not tell a single soul what happened tonight if you still value your life," he warned fiercely, his eyes promising violence. "And to ensure you don't ruin this for her, you will be locked up for the time being."

He shoved me back. I stumbled, catching myself on the bedpost as he turned on his heel. He strode out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

The harsh, mechanical click of the lock echoed in the silent room.

He sealed my fate. He was willing to sacrifice my life, my soul, just to protect Nadia's elevated status.

I slid down the rough wood of the door, hitting the floorboards with a dull thud. I pulled my knees to my chest, letting the tears cascade freely. The sheer injustice of it all crushed the air from my lungs.

Then, without warning, an excruciating, sharp agony impaled my heart.

I screamed, my hands flying to my chest. It felt as though a serrated blade had been driven straight through my sternum, twisting viciously. I pitched sideways, rolling onto the hard wooden floor as the physical pain escalated to an unbearable, blinding degree.

I clawed at the floor, gasping for air that wouldn't come.

Inside my mind, my wolf let out a long, horrific howl drenched in pure, unadulterated anguish. She thrashed against her mental cage, feeling her very essence being ripped apart.

The horrifying, nauseating truth settled over me, turning my blood to ice even as my body burned.

The pain was a sympathetic consequence. It was the dark, twisted side of the mate bond.

Gideon was physically mating with my sister.

I choked on a sob as a phantom pressure forced my thighs apart. A burning, brutal stretch tore through my core. I could feel him. Through the mangled, bleeding tether of our destined bond, I felt the Alpha King’s thick, hard cock thrusting deep inside Nadia’s wet pussy.

Every time his hips slammed against her, a shockwave of agonizing friction ripped through my own nerve endings. He was sinking his heavy length into her, dragging deep, wet sounds from her throat that echoed in my own mind. He was stretching her, claiming her body, grinding his rigid cock against her sensitive flesh while I lay locked in a dark room, forced to experience the agonizing phantom sensation of his flesh burying itself in someone else.

I writhed on the floor, my fingers digging desperately into the wood. The brutal rhythm of his thrusts tore at the invisible strings connecting his soul to mine. He was physically sealing a false bond with her, and with every deep, driving plunge of his cock, he was shattering mine.