(Amaia)

A week has gone by since Alnilam left the academy. Most of the time one of my mates stays by my side so I won’t be alone. But his absence feels like a burning ember in my heart.

The mindlink between us is like a live wire from my side but a brick wall from his. He keeps me blocked out at all times.

"No news from Alnilam?" I ask Saiph as I lean on his huge shoulder.

He stays quiet for a few seconds before speaking, "He is at the palace."

I guess he wants to be near home while he ponders over his future. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Will he come back?" My voice refuses to stay steady.

"He will." Saiph’s words and at the same time his hand on my shoulder hold me a bit tightly, seeming to say he will be there for me no matter what.

That’s the thing about Saiph, he never says much but the way he speaks and the care he carries always calms me down.

"You should sleep now." Saiph gets up and tucks me into bed. I pick up my stuffed Yeti.

"I have named him Mr Tumbles." I show it to Saiph and he smiles at me. Bending down he kisses me goodnight.

"Mr Tumbles can sleep in your arms when I am not here." He takes it from my arms and places it near my head before transforming into Zille.

I smile at his action, my heart overruns with love I hold for his bird form. He hops over and rests on my chest, in the valley between my breasts. That’s where he loves to sleep.

Both of us fell asleep with my arms around him and his body pressed into me.

A knock on my door wakes me up early. Rubbing my eyes together, I find that Saiph is gone, and I am hugging Mr Tumbles. Saiph must have placed it in my arms before leaving.

Who could it be so early on a weekend? Twins never wake up early, they love to sleep, especially Alnitak. Even Rigel likes coming late to meet me but never this early.

Flipping away the blanket, I leave the bed and open the door.

I completely freeze in my place because of the sight that meets my eyes. Like setting foot in an alpine library, every sense I possess is overwhelmed and heightened. My head swims from the giddy feelings he invokes, and the bond frustratedly hums in my chest, making my heartbeat go wild.

Like a prince of some frozen lands, he stands there, all stoic and expressionless, but it’s the eyes that shift between violet and obsidian that tell me how affected he is.

There are deep circles under his eyes. He hasn’t been sleeping much, that’s for sure.

Alnilam takes his sweet time regarding me like a desert wanderer who has just spotted a mirage. I clutch Mr Tumbles tightly to my aching chest.

This man and his antics will be the death of me. For about ten days, he has forgotten about my existence and ignored me, and now he stands before me.

"Can I come in?" He finally asks, trying to keep his voice neutral.

I should refuse him since he told me to stay away so why is he here? And yet a part of me that cares deeply for him wants to ensure he is alright.

"Shouldn’t you be staying away from me? Why do you want to come in?"

Alnilam remains calm, the kind of calm which hits before a tornado. The silence and stillness of the air, the ceasing of birds’ chirping, the ominous silence. It’s all part of the deceptive tranquility which makes this worse because what follows is violent disruption and chaos.

Alnilam is my storm and I know he is the one who will wreck me the most, who is wrecking me the most.

"We need to talk. There is a lot to be said," he finally says with the same deceptive quietness.

Slowly I step aside, letting him enter my room. Alnilam takes a few steps in, observing my room with his keen gaze.

Did he take a deep breath when he passed by me?

Closing the door, I turn around and face him, keeping Mr Tumbles close to my heart as if he will protect me from Alnilam’s harsh words.

Our eyes clash, deep violet and mad black.

"I went to see Tarian." His gaze softens for me, but my body goes rigid at the name he has uttered.

"He is no longer Alpha of the pack and I have ensured that he will spend the rest of his days rotting in a cell for what he did."

A snort leaves me. "So now you believe me?" The agony ripples in my chest.

His hair is tightly bound behind him and they don’t reach out for me like they usually do. I am not sure what he has done to them but I hate it.

"Yes, I should have done it before but I was blinded. I apologise for my behaviour and how I handled the situation."

"You should have. I don’t care about Tarian or whatever you did to him," I flatly tell him, masking the pain from reflecting in my voice.

"I know, it’s just that we might have to visit the Werewolf Council for Tarian’s trial. You will have to testify so he can be given a proper sentence. He abandoned and rejected you without a reason; it’s punishable by law in the werewolf court," Alnilam explains, but I already know that.

I stay quiet. He takes a few seconds and when I don’t speak, he continues,

"There is another reason we will need to visit the Werewolf Council." Alnilam hesitates, a shroud of pain tightens his features.

He is going to say something horrible, something vile which is going to rip my heart out. I embrace myself, my arms tighten further around Mr Tumbles.

"We will need to go through a mutual rejection. So both of us can be set free from this bond."

Several actions follow his heartless, barbaric words.

Mind-numbing pain erupts in every cell of my body.

His hair set itself free with a blast while Snow let out a heavy, torturous growl.

I want to laugh and cry at the same time at the audacity this man possesses.

"What bond, Alnilam?" I ask through the stabbing pain in my thigh. "You never accepted it."