Chapter 129: The Broken Bond

Author’s POV~

Raven and Keiran froze at the door.

The scent hit them both at the same time.

An omega’s scent.

But they felt nothing different and that scared them.

Raven’s eyes snapped instantly to the bed. Adeline was sitting there tangled in the blankets, wearing that oversized black shirt, the metal pendant still clutched tightly in her palm. Her lips parted in a silent gasp. She looked as terrified and stunned as they felt.

It’s coming from her.

Keiran’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek. Raven’s fingers slowly curled into fists at his sides, his nails biting into his own palms.

Her wolf had woken up.

That should have meant something.

According to every law of their blood, every instinct drilled into a royal Lycan since birth, this should have shattered their self-control. Their inner wolves should have slammed against their ribs, howling for dominance and claiming. Their veins should have caught fire. They should have felt that violent, irreversible pull dragging them across the room toward their true mate.

They stood frozen.

They felt nothing.

No pull. No bond. No heat. Just a plain, quiet scent, the kind they could have smelled on any omega in the pack.

Raven swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out at the base of his neck. It felt worse than a blade through his chest.

Keiran took a slow, heavy breath.

The dowager luna looked from the two Princes to Adeline. She had seen the faces of both princes, and she understood more than she showed. Her voice stayed calm and gentle when she spoke.

"Adeline, eat and rest, sweetie. I will come back and see you after some time."

Adeline blinked and turned her gaze towards the dowager luna. "Okay!"

Then the luna turned to Raven and Keiran, and her tone changed. It was sharp and clear, the voice of a woman who had ruled beside a Lycan king for decades.

"Raven. Keiran. Come with me."

Neither of them argued. They gave Adeline one last look, one that held too many questions, and followed the Matriarch into the hallway.

The door closed behind them.

Inside the room, Adeline let out a long, shaky breath. She dropped her shoulders and pressed the pendant to her chest.

For one second, she felt relieved.

Then it hit her.

Adeline sat up straight, her spine stiff against the pillows, her eyes locked on the doorway. She waited for something. A tug, a heartbeat, the strange heat that she should feel when her mates are close.

Nothing.

She had just watched two of her mates stand ten steps away from her, and her body hadn’t reacted at all. No pull. No bond. No mate scent drifting in the air.

Her hand slowly lowered to her lap.

Why am I not feeling anything? The terrifying question echoed wildly in her mind. Why isn’t my wolf reacting to them at all?

~

The door to the dowager luna’s bedroom shut with a heavy click.

It was a large room, dark and quiet, with thick curtains and a couch on a side near the windows.

The luna walked to the center, turned around, and folded her hands in front of her. Raven and Keiran stood by the door.

"What the hell was that?" Raven finally muttered. His voice was low and rough.

The luna looked at him with sharp, tired eyes. "You caught her scent, didn’t you? Both of you?"

"Yes." Keiran crossed his arms. His face was hard. "An omega’s scent. But was it really hers? Is her wolf actually awake?"

"Yes. Her wolf has been awake for a long time now," the luna said. "She never told anyone. She kept the pendant I gave her on, even after her wolf woke up. It covered her scent. That’s why none of us knew. Until she told it herself now."

Raven’s head turned. "She hid it from us?"

"She hid it from everyone, Raven. She has her own reasons." The luna’s voice softened.

Raven dragged a hand through his hair. "I’m confused as fuck."

Keiran stepped forward. "So what now? Does this mean the pain-binding curse is finally over? Is it done?"

The luna shook her head slowly.

"No. Her wolf has been awake for a long time," she said. "And the curse is still there. She still feels it. Her wolf did not reject it."

"That’s not possible." Raven’s voice rose. "The witch said it herself. The permanent way to break the curse is for her wolf to wake up and reject it. That was the whole fucking plan. So why didn’t her wolf..."

"That is exactly what Adeline asked me," the luna said. "She told me she believes the witch is lying."

Silence.

Raven’s eyes went dark. Keiran’s jaw twitched.

"Lying," Keiran repeated. "The witch is lying to us?"

"That is what Adeline thinks. Either the witch is lying, or she simply doesn’t understand the curse she is trying to break." The luna turned and walked slowly toward the window. "But I don’t think either of those is the truth."

Keiran frowned. Then, suddenly, his eyes narrowed. He looked at Raven.

"Raven. Wait. Think about it," Keiran muttered, his voice dropping into a harsh, frantic whisper. "Did you feel anything? Did your wolf react?"

"What?"

"When we walked in. Did you feel the bond? The mate scent? That roar in your chest, like when we are near our mate we should feel it?" Keiran’s voice was low and tense. "Anything at all?"

Raven stared at him. His mouth opened and then closed.

"No," he said quietly. "Nothing."

"Me neither." Keiran let out a harsh breath. "I only smelled a common omega scent. It was nothing like the mate scent. Our wolves didn’t react at all. It’s like they don’t even recognize her."

"Yes. It’s different," Raven said slowly. "It’s plain. It’s soft and ordinary. Not even close to how I felt when she first came to the estate."

The luna turned from the window. "You mean when I brought her here a year ago? When she was weak and bleeding after she saved me from an alpha in the woods?"

"Yes." Raven nodded. His eyes had a faraway look. "That night, when you brought her to this estate, her smell was so small and faint. But my wolf went wild. I could barely stand. I wanted to tear the whole house apart just to get to her." His fists tightened. "And today? Today I walked in, and I felt fucking nothing."

The luna closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, something old and heavy lay behind her gaze.

"I know exactly what is happening."

Both the Princes looked at her.