Rejecting His Dying Luna

Thunder rattled the glass of the Silvercrest frontline clinic. Blood soaked the floorboards, pooling around the examination table.

"His vital core has been completely severed," Dr. Thorne announced. He stepped back from the table and wiped crimson from his gloves. "The broadsword was laced with dark magic and pure silver. He won't survive the night."

I stared at the massive frame of Alpha Nikolai Volkov. His chest barely moved. Black veins crawled up his neck, poisoning his normally unstoppable healing factor.

"You're giving up?" I demanded.

"I am stating a fact, Aria," Thorne replied, his tone flat. "The Alpha is dying. We need to prepare the pack for the worst."

"No." I stepped closer to the table. "We don't stop trying."

"Look at him!" Thorne pointed a bloody finger at Nikolai's chest. "The silver is eating his tissue. The curse is rotting his heart. There is no cure for this."

"There is always a way."

Thorne scoffed. "You're just an orphan apprentice. Don't question my authority. Pack up the supplies."

"I will pack them when his heart stops," I shot back.

"It will stop in ten minutes."

"Then give me ten minutes."

Thorne's jaw tightened. "I will go inform the elders. Stay here and clean the wounds. Make his final hours comfortable."

He turned and marched out. The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind him.

Silence settled over the room, broken only by the erratic, shallow wheeze of Nikolai's breathing. I moved to his side. His skin felt like ice.

Years ago, I was the one freezing to death. The northern avalanche had buried my family's cabin. I was a child, trapped under frozen earth and shattered timber. Nikolai, newly crowned as Alpha, had dug through the ice with his bare hands. His fingers bled to pull me out. He gave me a home in the pack, a place as a healer's apprentice. He was my Alpha. My savior.

And he was engaged to Sienna Mercer, the former Beta's daughter.

I knew my place. I kept my feelings locked away, buried deeper than the snow he pulled me from. I only ever wanted him to live.

"I won't let you die," I whispered to the empty room.

I pressed against the gaping wound on his chest. The black magic stung my palms like a swarm of wasps. I ignored the pain. I closed my eyes and reached inward, tapping into the forbidden well of my own life force.

*Life for life.*

The ancient healing energy beneath my skin ignited. A searing heat rushed up my arms. My vision blurred as I pushed my own vitality into his failing heart.

"Take it," I commanded.

The black veins on his neck halted their spread. The flesh beneath my hands grew terrifyingly hot.

Then, something impossible happened.

Golden threads of light burst from my fingertips, weaving into his torn muscles. The threads did not just heal; they anchored. They dug into his soul and tethered it to mine.

A violent jolt rocked my spine.

*Thump.*

My heart slammed against my ribs.

*Thump.*

His heart answered, perfectly in sync.

The golden light flared, blindingly bright, wrapping around our arms. A fierce, undeniable pull dragged my spirit toward his. The Fated Bond. It tore through my body, raw and violent, snapping into place with crushing force.

Nikolai's eyes flew open.

The dull gray of near-death vanished, replaced by the blazing gold of his wolf. He gasped, a harsh, tearing sound, and his hand shot out.

His fingers clamped around my wrist like a vice.

"You," he rasped, his voice rough as gravel.

I tried to yank my arm away. "Alpha, you need to lie still."

He didn't release me. Instead, he pulled me closer, his nostrils flaring.

"Pine," he murmured, his golden eyes locking onto mine. "You smell like rain and pine."

Panic clawed at my throat. The bond hummed between us, a live wire of emotion and need. He felt it. I felt it.

"It's just the magic," I lied, my voice trembling. "The healing spell. It creates an illusion of closeness."

"No." His thumb stroked the inside of my wrist. The touch sent a jolt of lightning straight to my core. "This is real."

"Release me," I ordered, twisting my arm.

He loosened his grip just enough for me to stumble back. I hit the counter, knocking a tray of surgical tools to the floor with a deafening clatter. My chest heaved. I had just traded years of my life to save him, and in return, the Moon Goddess had cursed me with a bond I could never claim.

He belonged to Sienna.

Nikolai pushed himself up on his elbows. The wound on his chest was entirely closed, leaving only a jagged pink scar. "Aria. Why are you running?"

Before I could answer, a shrill, piercing sound shattered the night.

The main estate's alarm bell.

One strike. Two strikes. Three.

A dire emergency.

Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway. The clinic door burst open, nearly tearing off its hinges. Marcus, the lead guard, stood in the doorway, drenched in rain and gasping for air.

"Alpha!" Marcus yelled, his eyes wide with terror as he registered Nikolai sitting up. "You're alive!"

"Report," Nikolai barked, instantly shifting from a confused mate to a commanding Alpha.

"It's Sienna!" Marcus shouted, gripping the doorframe.

Nikolai swung his legs off the table. "What happened to my fiancée?"

"She was at the Moon Temple," Marcus stammered, his face pale. "Praying for your recovery. She just... she started screaming."

"Is she hurt?" I asked, stepping forward.

Marcus shook his head frantically. "She's dead."

Silence slammed into the room.

"Explain," Nikolai demanded, his voice dropping to a lethal growl.

"Black smoke," Marcus said, swallowing hard. "It poured out of her mouth, her eyes. The dark miasma... it exploded out of her chest in front of the whole congregation. She dropped dead on the altar."