Chapter 9: The Alpha Who Arrived Too Late

Damien's POV

"Alpha," the Head Elder approached the altar, his face grim. "Isla initiated the Severing Ritual an hour ago."

"She said the Mating Ceremony is off."

"What?"

The Elder's words hit me with the force of a physical blow.

"The Severing Ritual?" I grabbed his robes, my voice raw with shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Alpha, she invoked the ancient Rite of Rejection," the Elder said, his voice heavy. "Isla has rejected this Mating."

At the altar, every guest was staring at me.

My blood ran cold.

Rejected?

That wasn't possible.

Isla loved me.

For five years, she had stood beside me through every battle, every council meeting, and every crisis our pack had faced. She had been the one person I knew would never abandon me.

And yet, she had done exactly that.

"Where is she?" I demanded.

The Head Elder hesitated.

"She's gone."

My chest tightened.

"Gone where?"

"Europe. The Laurel Healers' Guild accepted her into their research initiative. Her flight departed at three this morning."

Europe.

The word echoed in my head.

She had planned this.

She hadn't merely called off our ceremony. She had prepared to leave me completely.

I looked toward the empty place beside the altar where Isla should have been standing.

Her absence suddenly felt heavier than the presence of hundreds of wolves around me.

"Alpha," the Elder continued carefully, "the Severing Ritual has already been recorded in the pack registry. Unless both parties agree to reverse it, the rejection is permanent."

My fingers curled into fists.

"Then reverse it."

"I can't."

"You're the Head Elder!"

"And you're the Alpha," he replied quietly. "But neither title gives us the right to override a mate's rejection."

Silence fell.

For the first time, I realized something I had never allowed myself to consider.

I had taken Isla's presence for granted.

I had assumed she would always be there.

No matter how many times I pushed her aside.

No matter how many times I chose Seraphina.

No matter how many promises I broke.

She would wait.

She would forgive me.

She would remain my Luna.

But she hadn't.

She had chosen herself.

My wolf suddenly slammed against the walls of my mind, furious and terrified.

MATE.

COME BACK.

I staggered backward, gripping the altar for support.

"Alpha?" someone asked.

I barely heard them.

Through the weakening mate bond, I felt the faintest trace of Isla's presence.

It was distant.

Painfully distant.

But she was alive.

She was safe.

And she was leaving me behind.

Then a sharp voice broke through the silence.

"Damien!"

Seraphina came running toward the altar, one hand pressed against her stomach.

Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I heard what happened."

She reached for me.

I instinctively stepped away.

Her hand stopped in midair.

"Damien?"

I stared at her.

For the first time, something felt wrong.

Not with her pregnancy.

Not with the mark.

With everything.

Six weeks pregnant.

The thought struck me like lightning.

Six weeks.

And the night I had marked her had been less than three weeks ago.

Isla had known.

She had looked at that report and immediately understood what I had refused to see.

My stomach dropped.

"Seraphina," I said slowly, "when exactly did you realize you were pregnant?"

Her face went pale.

"I... I don't understand why you're asking me that now."

"Answer me."

My Alpha command slipped into my voice.

Seraphina flinched.

"A few weeks ago."

"How many?"

She looked away.

"I don't remember."

A cold suspicion began crawling through my veins.

"You don't remember?"

"Damien, I'm scared."

She reached for my arm again.

This time, I didn't let her touch me.

"I need the full medical report."

Her eyes widened.

"Why?"

"Because Isla found something wrong with it."

The color drained from her face.

Behind us, the Elders exchanged uneasy looks.

Then one of the younger healers stepped forward.

"Alpha, I might be able to help."

I turned.

"What is it?"

"The medical records from Seraphina's first examination were stored in the healer's archive. If you want, I can retrieve the original files."

Seraphina suddenly grabbed my sleeve.

"Damien, please. There's no need to do this today. You're under too much pressure."

I looked down at her hand.

Then I remembered Isla's face when she had shown me the report.

The calmness in her eyes.

The way she had said only one word.

Congratulations.

I had thought she was being cruel.

Now I wondered if she had been giving me one final chance to tell the truth.

And I had failed.

"Get the records," I ordered.

The healer nodded and hurried away.

Seraphina's fingers tightened around my sleeve.

"Damien, please listen to me."

I slowly pulled my arm free.

"I listened to you for too long."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"You don't mean that."

I looked toward the doors.

Somewhere beyond those walls, Isla was already flying away from me.

And for the first time in five years, I was terrified that I might never see her again.

My wolf growled inside me.

MATE.

FIND HER.

But the bond was fading.

And I knew exactly who had caused it.

Me.

I had chosen Seraphina when I should have protected Isla.

I had broken promises and called them sacrifices.

I had demanded her understanding while giving her none.

And now that she was finally gone, I wanted her back.

Too late.

The doors of the ceremony hall opened again.

The healer returned, carrying a sealed file.

He looked at me with uncertainty.

"Alpha... you should see this."

I took the file.

The moment I opened it, my heart stopped.

The first examination date was six weeks ago.

The father's identification field had been deliberately blacked out.

But beneath it was a second document.

A genetic compatibility report.

My eyes moved down the page.

Then froze.

The pup's lineage wasn't connected to my Alpha bloodline.

My hands began to shake.

Seraphina's face turned completely white.

And suddenly, I understood why she had been so desperate to keep Isla from discovering the truth.

She wasn't carrying my pup.

She had been using me.

And I had destroyed the one woman who had never betrayed me to protect a lie.

I closed my eyes.

The regret that hit me was so violent that my wolf howled inside my skull.

But regret couldn't bring Isla back.

Not anymore.