Later that night ,
Kieran stands in his room, staring out the window into the dark expanse of the woods.
His hands are clenched behind his back, tension radiating through every muscle.
The moon casts a pale light over the treetops, but it brings him no comfort.
Ace hasn't returned.
That fact gnaws at him more than he wants to admit. Could he have gone to Xiao Jun?! He wonders.
He's used to feeling Ace—his emotions, his presence, the pull and faint scents even when they were miles apart.
It was like a thread tying them together, unbreakable despite his efforts to ignore it.
But now, there's nothing. He can't feel or sense a thing about Ace.
It's not just that Ace isn't nearby.
It's the silence, the emptiness where the bond used to hum faintly at the edge of his mind.
Not even his wolf complaining, demanding Ace. It's as quiet as never and that just make Kieran even more restless.
He scowls, pacing the room. Why can't I feel him?
The soft creak of the door pulls him from his thoughts.
Dren steps inside hesitantly, his expression a mix of concern and exhaustion.
"Alpha, they are resting now. Most of them are stable, but… some are still struggling with what happened. They keep talking about shadows, whispers they can't escape."
Kieran's jaw tightens.
Lila's magic still lingers, a stain on their lives. "We'll deal with it," he says curtly, though the weight in his chest tells him it won't be that simple.
Dren hesitates for a moment, then speaks again, his tone careful. "And… the one who was with you before? Ace."
Kieran glances at him sharply.
Dren shifts uneasily but presses on. "The wolves who saw him said he helped during the fight. Some are asking what happened to him… if he'll be coming back."
The words catch Kieran off guard, though he doesn't let it show. He forces his expression to remain neutral. "He's… doing what he needs to do."
Dren nods, but his silence speaks volumes. After a moment, he bows and leaves, closing the door softly behind him.
Kieran exhales heavily once Dren is gone, his mind spinning.
The mention of Ace brings an uncomfortable tightness to his chest, but he shoves it down.
He moves to the window, watching the pack below as they try to return to some semblance of normalcy.
Shadows linger in their movements, fear etched into their expressions.
The scars Lila left behind aren't just physical.
He presses a hand to the glass, frustration bubbling up. I did this! He yells to himself inside.
But where is Ace and why can't he feel him anymore?!
He shakes his head, turning away from the window. He has more pressing matters to deal with.
The pack's wounds won't heal on their own, and Lila's threat isn't truly over.
-
Later that night, when the packhouse falls silent and darkness envelops the land, Kieran lies awake in his room.
The emptiness gnaws at him more than he'd like to admit, and his thoughts keep drifting back to Ace.
And the harm he has brought to the wolves's.
Eventually, exhaustion claims him, and he drifts into a restless sleep.
-
At first, it feels like every other dream—chaotic and shapeless, fragments of memory and emotion colliding in a blur.
But then, the air shifts. The chaos stills, and an unnatural calm settles over him.
Kieran finds himself standing in a vast, endless field, the kind that stretches forever without boundaries.
The ground beneath his feet glows faintly, a soft, silvery light that seems to pulse with an otherworldly rhythm.
Above him, the sky is a deep, velvety black, scattered with stars that shine brighter than any he's ever seen.
His breath catches. This place feels different. Alive. Real.
"Where am I?" he mutters, turning in a slow circle.
The air grows colder, and a presence fills the space around him—a presence so powerful it feels like the stars themselves bow in reverence.
A figure steps forward from the shimmering light.
She's radiant, her form cloaked in silver and white, her hair flowing like liquid moonlight.
Her eyes pierce through him, sharp and unyielding, and her very presence commands submission.
The Moon Goddess.
Kieran falls to his knees, bowing his head low. "Moon Goddess," he whispers, his voice trembling under the weight of her gaze.
"Alpha of Alpha's," she says, her tone carrying the authority of countless lifetimes. "Kieran , I chose you because even without my blessings , you were great leader and a good at heart wolf. But you failed me!"
He raises his head slightly, his throat dry. "I deserve punishment, moon goddess," he says, his voice barely above a whisper.
Her eyes narrow, her expression a mix of disappointment and sorrow. "You speak of punishment, yet you do not fully grasp the gravity of your actions. You have defied my will, Kieran. You have scorned the mate I chose for you, allowed darkness to take root in your pack, and lied to those who trusted you."
Her words strike like a whip, each one cutting deeper than the last. Kieran forces himself to meet her gaze, his heart pounding. "I know I've failed," he says hoarsely. "And I'm ready to pay for it. Whatever you decide, I'll accept."
The Moon Goddess steps closer, her presence overwhelming. "You believe you understand the price of your choices, but you do not. You have rejected the bond I created—a sacred connection meant to guide and strengthen you. You chose pride over purpose, fear over faith."
Kieran's jaw tightens, shame burning in his chest. "I thought… I thought I was protecting my pack. That a male mate—"
"—was a weakness?" she finishes, her voice sharp as a blade. "You allowed what you believed ~ that males cannot be together, and also you let the expectations of others to cloud your judgment. You convinced yourself that you knew better than the one who created you."
Her words leave him reeling, but he doesn't argue. He has no defense.
"I have severed the bond between you and Ace," she continues, her tone softer now but no less firm. "There's no longer a bond between you two."
The words land like a blow, but Kieran forces himself to stay calm.
He suspected as much.
Maybe… maybe this is for the best. Without the bond, Ace can be free, unburdened by the mistakes Kieran made.
The Moon Goddess's gaze hardens. "You may now choose whomever you wish as your mate. Present her to me, and I will grant my blessing. I am giving you this chance because you have never failed me even once except the one time. But know this—your actions still have consequences."
The air around them grows colder, and Kieran feels a deep, gnawing dread settle in his chest.
"The darkness you allowed into your pack will follow you," she says, her voice echoing like thunder. "It will linger in your shadow, a constant reminder of what you allowed to fester. Its pain, its weight—it will be yours to bear until it is purged from this world."
Her words twist in his mind, heavy and suffocating.
"And the suffering you caused," she continues, her tone like ice, "will cling to you as well. The pain of those you betrayed will become your own, a scar that will not fade."
Kieran bows his head, his voice quiet. "I understand. I'll carry it all."
The Moon Goddess steps closer, her expression softening slightly. "This is not only punishment, Kieran. It is a chance for redemption. Whether you rise above this or let it consume you is a choice only you can make."
Her final words echo in the vast emptiness as she disappears, leaving Kieran alone in the ethereal field.
-
Kieran wakes with a sharp gasp, his heart hammering in his chest.
His room is dark and silent, but the dream lingers, vivid and raw, as if the Moon Goddess had been there in the flesh.
He sits up slowly, running a hand through his damp hair.
The absence of the bond is undeniable now—a hollow ache that he can't ignore.
Ace is free. He can live his life unburdened, unconnected to Kieran's failures.
And Kieran?
He'll carry the weight of his choices, the darkness and pain, and the hope for a future he no longer believes he deserves.
As the first light of dawn seeps through the window, Kieran rises from the bed. The Moon Goddess's words echo in his mind, a constant reminder of his failures and the long road ahead.
He steps to the window, staring out at the horizon. The path before him is unclear, but one thing is certain.
Whatever comes next, he will face it alone.