Chapter 7: The Bond That was not Allowed to Break

Julia did not know how she survived the rest of the day. She moved. She worked. She breathed. That was all. She spoke only when spoken to. Kept her head lowered. Kept her hands busy. She did not allow herself even a moment of stillness, because she knew the second she stopped, the pain would swallow her whole. She cleaned the storage rooms. Polished the hallway floors. Replaced water basins. Washed linens. The pack house bustled with energy, celebrating their new alliance. Warriors laughed louder. Leaders walked with pride. The scent of Nightfang mingled with Silver Fang in every corridor. And Julia endured. The hardest moment came near midday. She had been assigned to bring fresh documents from the study to the alpha’s office. A simple task. One she had done countless times before. Her steps were steady as she approached the open door. She did not expect— Them. Jason stood inside the office, his hands firmly at Willow’s waist. Willow’s fingers tangled in his hair as they kissed passionately. Not reserved. Not strategic. Intimate. Possessive. The open door left nothing to imagination. The sound that escaped Julia’s mouth was not intentional. A soft, wounded groan tore from her chest before she could stop it. The bond flared violently. Pain ripped through her abdomen and chest like a blade twisting inside her. Her knees weakened. Her claws extended instinctively as she fought the urge to claw into her own flesh again—anything to silence the tearing sensation in her heart. Before she could collapse, a firm hand caught her elbow. Beta Kirk. He had been walking down the hall and had seen everything. Without hesitation, he guided her backward, away from the door. Jason and Willow had already turned. They saw her. They saw the devastation she tried so hard to hide. Kirk stepped forward quickly, placing himself between Julia and the alpha’s office. “I accidentally bumped into the omega,” Kirk said smoothly. “My apologies, Julia. I was in a hurry and did not see you there.” His voice carried clearly. An alibi. For the pain written across her face. Julia struggled to steady her breathing. The shock still pulsed inside her veins. She swallowed hard and forced her voice to cooperate. “I should be the one to apologize, Beta,” she said softly. “I was in the way. In a place I shouldn’t have been.” The double meaning was unmistakable. Jason’s jaw tightened. Willow’s eyes narrowed slightly, assessing. Julia bowed her head. “I apologize for disturbing you, Alpha. Luna. But I was told to bring these document’s here” She handed the documents to Beta Kirk, then turn and left. She did not wait for dismissal. She walked away before her legs could betray her. ⸻ By the time night fell, Julia had nothing left. Her body felt hollow. Her mind numb. She barely made it to her cabin before collapsing onto her bed. But rest would not come easily. The bond pulsed again. Not faint this time. Strong. Claiming. Jason was with Willow once more. The betrayal pain exploded inside her like fire. Julia gasped and curled onto her side, claws digging into her chest as the tearing sensation overwhelmed her. “Stop…” she whispered through clenched teeth. But it did not stop. The bond punished her. Reminded her. Mocked her. She clawed at her skin again, desperate to escape her own body. Blood soaked into the sheets. Tears streamed down her temples. Sweat dampened her hair. She wanted to rip her heart out just to silence the agony. The pain lasted longer this time. Long enough for her strength to give out. When it finally subsided, her bed was soaked with blood, tears, and sweat. Her claws remained half-buried in her own skin as exhaustion dragged her into unconsciousness. ⸻ She woke to the feeling of a warm cloth against her forehead. A familiar scent hovered close. Jason. She blinked slowly, vision clearing. He sat beside her bed, carefully cleaning the blood from her chest. His expression was tight with regret. “I’m sorry, my mate,” he murmured. “For the pain I am causing you. But I have to do this. I need Willow to know I am fully committed to this alliance.” His voice held guilt. Julia stared at him quietly. “Alpha,” she whispered, her voice raw. “Please… just reject me.” The words felt like surrender. Jason’s hand froze. “I can’t,” he said immediately. “You are my mate. My wolf refuses it. We need you. Please… don’t leave us.” He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. Julia did not respond at first. “How can you kiss me?” she asked softly. “Are you not afraid the luna will feel it?” Jason shook his head. “She won’t. She is not my fated mate. She carries my mark, but my wolf did not claim her fully. I gave her a small dose of wolfsbane tonight—just enough to dull the bond.” There was a strange pride in his tone. Julia stared at him in disbelief. “The luna is fortunate,” she said quietly. “She has someone protecting her. Someone making sure she does not suffer.” Her voice trembled slightly. “Unlike me. I have no one. I am no one.” “Do not say that,” Jason insisted. “You are my mate. I am yours. You have me.” “Yes,” Julia replied bitterly. “But the part of you I have is pain. Humiliation. Secrecy. Agony.” Jason cupped her face gently. “Then let me remind you of what we had. The joy. The happiness. The love.” He kissed her again. The mate bond responded instantly. Her body betrayed her grief. Heat pooled beneath her skin. The familiar pull toward him tightened, making it difficult to resist. She hated that part of herself. Hated how the bond still wanted him. Hated how her wolf stirred at his touch despite everything. His kisses softened, trailing along her cheek, her temple. Julia closed her eyes. Not because she forgave him. Not because she forgot. But because the bond demanded it. And in that moment, she was too tired to fight it. The love she once believed in now felt like a chain. And she was still bound to it. ________ “You cannot leave me, my mate. I will not allow it.” Jason’s voice was low but firm, the tone he used when giving orders in council. “It might be painful now, but your body will adjust. It must. Because I would not know what to do without you. I love you, Julia. You are my mate.” His hand tightened around hers, as if afraid she would vanish if he loosened his grip. “But Willow—” he continued, exhaling heavily, “the pack needs this alliance. Nightfang’s support brings stability. Strength. Protection. The pack comes first. Before me. Before you. Do you understand?” Julia looked at him. Or at least, her eyes were open and facing him. But she was not truly seeing him. All she could see was the memory of him standing in front of the pack, proudly introducing another she-wolf as his luna. All she could see was the mating mark on his neck. All she could feel was the tearing, relentless pain that had carved into her chest night after night. Pain. That was all he was now. The male she had loved for three years—the one who whispered promises beneath the moonlight, who swore she would one day stand beside him—felt like a stranger sitting at the edge of her bed. “Adjust?” she repeated softly. Her voice was not angry. Not hysterical. Just empty. “You want my body to adjust to watching you claim another? To feeling you bond with her every night? To waking up drowning in pain while you call it necessary?” Jason flinched, but she continued. “You say you love me,” she whispered, her gaze unfocused. “But love does not feel like this. Love does not carve pieces out of someone and ask them to survive it.” He moved closer, cupping her face. “I am doing this for our future,” he insisted. “For the pack we will one day lead stronger. I need you to endure this with me. You are strong, Julia. Stronger than you think.” She let out a fragile breath that almost sounded like a laugh. Strong? Her fingers curled weakly into the sheets. Inside, she felt hollow. “You speak of the pack,” she said quietly. “Always the pack. Always duty. Always strength. But what about me? Where do I stand in your priorities?” Jason’s jaw tightened. “You stand with me,” he said immediately. “You always have.” “In the shadows,” she replied. The words settled heavily between them. Julia finally focused on him fully. Her eyes, once warm and filled with devotion, were distant now. Dull. “You are asking me to share you,” she said. “To accept scraps of your time. To carry your secret while she carries your title. You want me to survive on half a heart.” His expression darkened with frustration and desperation. “I am not giving you scraps,” he said. “You have my wolf. You have my bond. You have my love.” “And she has your name,” Julia answered. Silence. Outside, the night wind brushed against the cabin walls. Inside, the mate bond pulsed faintly between them—no longer comforting, but strained. Twisted. “You cannot leave me,” Jason repeated, softer this time. “I will not survive it. My wolf will not survive it.” Julia stared at him, and for a brief moment, something fragile flickered in her expression. But it was not hope. It was grief. “You are not the one dying,” she said quietly. He frowned. “What do you mean?” Julia’s hand pressed weakly against her chest. “This,” she whispered. “This feeling… it is not adjusting. It is not healing. It is killing me slowly.” Her breathing hitched, though she fought to keep her composure. “Every time you touch her, I feel it. Every time you bond with her, something inside me tears apart. You ask me to endure it, to adjust—but I am not bending, Jason.” Her voice broke for the first time. “I am breaking.” Jason’s face paled. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as if he could keep her from slipping through his fingers. “You will not break,” he murmured fiercely. “I will not allow it.” But Julia lay stiff in his embrace. Because deep down, she already felt it happening. Not loudly. Not dramatically. But slowly. Like a candle burning itself away in silence. She was not just hurt. She was fading. And the most terrifying part— Was that he still believed she would survive it