Mate Bond Broken

I knew something was wrong the moment Dad's truck pulled into our driveway. The golden wolf spirits that usually danced around our house—the ones only I could see—suddenly scattered like frightened birds. In their place, something dark and cold crept across our front yard, making my skin crawl.

Mom was in the kitchen making her famous honey cakes when the front door slammed open. She looked up with that bright smile she always wore when Dad came home, flour dusting her cheek. But her expression froze when she saw him.

Dad wasn't alone.

A woman with long black hair stepped through our doorway, her hand resting possessively on a very pregnant belly. The moment I laid eyes on her, my spiritual sight flared to life without warning. Dark auras swirled around her head like angry storm clouds, so thick and menacing that I had to grip the kitchen counter to steady myself. I'd never seen anything so... wrong.

"Cassandra," Dad said, his voice strangely formal. "We need to talk."

Mom's hands trembled as she set down her mixing bowl. The golden spirits that usually hovered protectively around her shoulders flickered, as if sensing the danger approaching. "Rex? What's going on? Who is this?"

The pregnant woman stepped forward with a smile that made my stomach turn. When she spoke, her voice dripped false sweetness. "I'm Nyomi Foster. Your husband's chosen mate."

The words hit our kitchen like a physical blow. Mom stumbled backward, her face draining of all color. "What?"

Dad's aura, which had always been a steady silver-blue in my sight, suddenly turned murky and cold. Shadows I'd never seen before began creeping around his edges. "Cassandra, I'm rejecting our mate bond. Nyomi is carrying my child, and I've chosen her as my Luna."

I watched in horror as the golden spirits around Mom began to dim. Her hand flew to her throat, to the place where Dad's mark had always been. "Rex, please. We can work through this. We have Star, we have our life together—"

"No." Dad's voice was sharp, final. "My decision is made. The formal rejection will happen at tomorrow night's pack gathering. You have until then to... adjust."

Nyomi moved closer to him, her dark auras spreading like poison through our home. When she looked at me, something predatory gleamed in her eyes. "Hello, Star. I hope we can be friends."

I couldn't speak. My spiritual sight was screaming warnings, showing me things that made no sense. Why couldn't Dad see the darkness surrounding this woman? Why couldn't he see how the golden spirits around Mom were crying out in pain?

"Star belongs with me," Dad continued, not even looking at me. "An Alpha's daughter needs proper training. She'll stay in the pack house."

"No." The word burst from my lips before I could stop it. Both adults turned to stare at me, but I only had eyes for my mother. The golden spirits around her were flickering like candle flames in a hurricane, and I knew—somehow I knew—that if I left her now, they might go out forever.

Mom's eyes filled with tears, but she straightened her shoulders. "Star can choose for herself."

"She's thirteen," Dad snapped. "She doesn't get to choose."

"I choose Mom." My voice came out stronger than I felt. The dark auras around Nyomi seemed to pulse with anger at my words, growing thicker and more menacing. "I'm staying with her."

Dad's face darkened. "Star, don't be foolish. Your mother will have nothing after tomorrow. No pack, no protection, no home. Is that what you want?"

I looked at Nyomi again, at the swirling darkness that surrounded her like a living thing. Then I looked at my mother, at the golden spirits that still danced around her despite their dimmed light. The choice was so clear it hurt.

"Yes," I whispered. "That's what I want."

For a moment, nobody moved. Then Nyomi's false smile slipped, revealing something cruel underneath. "How ungrateful. After everything your father has provided for you."

Mom stepped forward, placing herself between Nyomi and me. Even broken, even betrayed, she was still protecting me. The golden spirits around her flared brighter for just an instant, and I felt a surge of fierce love for this woman who refused to abandon those she cared about.

"Get out," Mom said quietly. "Both of you. Get out of my house."

Dad's jaw clenched. "Tomorrow night, Cassandra. The pack will witness the rejection. After that, you have twenty-four hours to leave Silver Creek territory."

They left without another word, Nyomi's dark auras trailing behind them like smoke. The moment the door closed, Mom collapsed into a chair, her whole body shaking.

I ran to her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. The golden spirits were still there, still dancing, but they seemed so fragile now. So afraid.

"Mom," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She held me tight, her tears falling into my hair. "You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. Nothing at all."

But as I held my mother in our suddenly empty house, watching the golden spirits flicker around us like dying stars, I couldn't shake the feeling that our whole world was about to crumble. Tomorrow night would change everything.

And I was the only one who could see the truth of what was coming.