Ex-Alpha's Regret: Siren's Comeback novel Chapter 74

POV: Damian

I arrived at the front line to find a scene of carnage and chaos. Jax's warriors, though few, were fighting with the desperate ferocity of cornered wolves protecting their queen. They were using the ancient, monolithic stones as cover, turning the clearing into a killing field. My men were being bottlenecked, picked off by a disciplined, tactical defense that was far more effective than I could have imagined.

My rage was absolute. I let out a roar that shook the trees and plunged into the fray myself, my wolf a whirlwind of black fur and flashing claws. The tide of the battle turned instantly. The Thorne warriors, who had been holding their own against my guards, faltered in the face of my raw, unrestrained Alpha power. A warrior lunged, and I tore his throat out without a second thought, his hot blood spattering my fur.

I could see it now. The altar. And on it, a figure, bathed in a soft, ethereal light, the energy of the ritual swirling around her like a shimmering shroud. I couldn't tell what she was doing, but I could feel it—a profound, spiritual severing, a final, irrevocable farewell. The faint thrum of the mate bond was flickering like a dying candle, and the thought of it being extinguished filled me with a primal terror that eclipsed even my rage.

I fought my way forward, my path a trail of blood and broken bodies. I saw Jax, his face a mask of bloody determination, trying to rally his collapsing line. I bypassed him, leaving him for my Beta to handle, my entire focus on the woman on the altar.

"Seraphina!" I howled, my voice a desperate, ragged sound that was torn from the depths of my soul. "Stop this! Whatever you are doing, stop it now!"

The light around her flared, and I felt a wave of pure, spiritual power wash over me, a force filled with so much pain and pure, undiluted hatred that it made my wolf physically recoil.

"You are not allowed to leave me!" I roared, the words a desperate, possessive command. "You are mine! You are not allowed to leave me without my permission!"

My howl, for the first time in my life, held a note that I did not recognize. It was not the command of an Alpha to his Luna. It was the plea of a man about to lose his soul.

My own voice, clear and strong, imbued with the power of my awakened wolf, rang out in the spirit realm.

"My duty is to my people," I declared, my gaze unwavering as I met the eyes of the ancient spirits. "My purpose is not to be an anchor for a man who sinks me. When the sacred bond becomes a chain, when it is used as a weapon to cause suffering and death, then my duty is to break it. My rebirth is not a betrayal of my past. It is the only way to secure a future."

The ancestral spirits shimmered, their judgment fading, replaced by a slow, dawning understanding. They stepped aside, their forms dissolving like mist in the morning sun. The path was cleared.

The world fractured and fell away.