Alpha's Oath, Omega's Rise

I ran through the storm, clutching the one herb that could save her. My mate, Seraphina, had lost her memory in a Rogue attack a month ago-an attack where she'd thrown herself in front of an arrow meant for me. This rare Moonpetal grass was our last hope of bringing her back to me.

As I neared her villa, I reached out through our Mind-Link, only to hear her voice already there, laughing with someone else. "Honestly, it's just a game," she said, her thoughts sharp and cruel. "I'll play with the little Omega for another month, tops. Then I'll stage a dramatic 'recovery' and go back to being Kaelen's devoted Luna."

The world went silent. The herb slipped from my numb fingers, its silver light extinguished in the mud. Seven years of devotion, the three years she'd relentlessly pursued me, the sacred vow I broke to make her my Chosen Mate-it was all a game to cure her boredom. The Rogue attack, the memory loss, her near-death experience saving my life... all of it was a lie.

A growl tore from my chest, my inner wolf clawing at the cage of my control. The woman I had spent a fortune trying to heal, the mate I would have given my life for, was laughing at my devotion while planning her next move. The irony was a physical blow, leaving nothing but a hollow ache where my heart used to be.

I turned my back on the warm, lying light of her villa and walked straight to the Hall of Elders. Kneeling before the Moon Goddess, my voice stripped of all warmth, I invoked the Rite of Severance, breaking our bond forever. Then I relinquished my title as Alpha. I chose exile.

Chapter 1

KAELEN POV:

The Moonpetal grass felt cool and fragile in my hand, its faint silver glow a stark contrast to the storm raging around me. Each drop of rain that hit my leather jacket felt like a tiny, cold fist. I ran, my long legs eating up the muddy ground, my only focus the soft, warm light of Seraphina's villa cutting through the darkness.

She needed this. The Healers said the trauma from the Rogue attack had fractured her mind, locking away her memories of us, of our seven years together. This herb, a rare gift from the Moon Goddess herself, was said to soothe the most tormented souls. It was our last hope.

As I neared the porch, I instinctively reached out to her through our Mind-Link, the special connection forged between chosen mates. I wanted to let her know I was almost there, that help was coming.

I'm here, my love. Just hold on.

But the link was already open. Her mental voice, usually a melody in my mind, was sharp, amused, and directed at someone else. It sliced through my consciousness like a shard of ice.

"...honestly, it's just a game, Cassandra. I'll play with the little Omega for another month, tops. Then I'll stage a dramatic 'recovery' and go back to being Kaelen's devoted Luna. He'll be so grateful he'll probably give me the moon."

The world stopped.

The roaring wind, the pounding rain, the frantic beat of my own heart-it all went silent. The words echoed in the sudden emptiness of my mind, a venomous whisper that coiled around my soul and squeezed.

A game.

Seven years of devotion. Three years of relentless pursuit from her before I finally broke my own sacred vow to only accept a Fated Mate. The nights I'd spent holding her, promising to protect her from the world. The absolute trust I'd placed in her... it was all a game to chase away her boredom.

My fingers went numb. The Moonpetal grass, our last hope, slipped from my grasp. It landed in a puddle at my feet, its silvery light extinguished by the muddy water before being washed away into the storm.

I stood frozen, the rain plastering my black hair to my forehead, dripping into my eyes. But I didn't feel the cold. I felt nothing but a vast, hollow ache spreading through my chest.

My mind, against my will, threw images at me. The annual Pack Gala, the first time I saw her. She was nineteen, a fiery vision in a crimson dress, her eyes locking onto me, the newly appointed Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, with an intensity that promised conquest. Then came the three years of her chase-bold, passionate, relentless. She learned my routines, my favorite foods, my deepest fears. She made herself indispensable.

And then... the ambush. Rogues, their eyes glowing with malice, their claws tipped with silver. An arrow, carved from pure, deadly silver, meant for my heart. I remember the hiss as it cut through the air, and then a flash of crimson as she threw herself in front of me. The scent of her blood, mingled with the burning poison of silver, filled the air. She had almost died for me.

That was the moment. That was when I broke. How could I deny a love so fierce, so selfless? I had accepted her. I had made her my Chosen Mate, my future Luna, even if the Moon Goddess hadn't marked her as mine.

The irony was a physical blow. The "Rogue attack" that stole her memory a month ago... I had mobilized every Warrior, interrogated every captured Rogue, spent a fortune on Healers from every corner of the globe. All for a lie.

A low growl rumbled in my chest, the sound of my inner wolf clawing at the cage of my control.

I turned away from the warm light of her villa and walked back into the heart of the storm. My steps were heavy, each one a final, crushing end to a Chapter of my life. I didn't go back to my manor. I went to the Hall of Elders, the sacred heart of our Pack.

The ancient stones of the temple felt colder than ever. I strode past the assembled Elders, their faces etched with confusion, and knelt before the towering marble statue of the Moon Goddess. Her serene face, carved from moonlight-infused stone, seemed to look down at me with pity.

I didn't need pity. I needed an ending.

"Alpha Kaelen," the Great Elder began, his voice a gravelly whisper. "What is the meaning of this?"

I raised my head, the rainwater dripping from my chin onto the polished floor. My voice, when it came, was devoid of all warmth, a blade of pure, cold steel.

"I, Kaelen Blackwood, Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, hereby invoke the Rite of Severance."

Gasps echoed through the hall.

"Before our Goddess and our Elders, I declare the bond between myself and Seraphina Volkov, my Chosen Mate, to be broken. It is null. It is void. From this moment until the end of time, she is nothing to me."

I pressed my forehead to the cold stone floor.

"And I," I took a ragged breath, the words tasting like ash in my mouth, "relinquish my title as Alpha. I choose exile."