Chapter 334: What’s Next?

Rebecca’s POV

​I stayed on the grass for a moment with my hand pressed against my chest. It felt strange. Kaden was still right there in front of me, but I couldn’t feel him anymore. There was no pull toward him, no connection, no soft hum of his wolf in the back of my mind, and no mate bond drawing me toward him anymore.

​I was free.

​I had wanted this for so long, yet now that it had finally happened, I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel. Relief? Happiness? Sadness? Maybe all of them at once. All I knew was that the place inside me where the bond used to be suddenly felt empty. Then I remembered I wasn’t the only one affected by what had just happened.

​Laura? I called softly through our connection, but my wolf didn’t answer. I frowned and tried again. Laura, are you okay? There was still no response, and for a second, fear went through me. I reached deeper inside myself, searching for her until I finally felt her presence. She was there, but she had pulled away from me, hiding somewhere deep inside my mind.

​Laura, please talk to me.

​Nothing.

​I swallowed hard when I felt the sadness coming from her. She wasn’t gone, and she wasn’t blocking me completely. She simply didn’t want to talk to me. I couldn’t even blame her. I might have been the one who spoke the words, but Laura had lost something too. Kaden’s wolf had been her mate just as much as Kaden had been mine. She understood why I had chosen to reject Kaden, but understanding didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

​I’m sorry, I whispered to her.

​Laura still didn’t answer, but I felt her shift slightly inside me before becoming quiet again. At least she was there. I would give her time. Honestly, after everything that had happened today, I think we all needed it.

​Movement beside me pulled my attention back to Kaden. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain, and sweat covered his face as he struggled to recover from taking the heaviest blow of the rejection. After a moment, he slowly forced himself up from the dirt. Every movement looked painful, and for a second, I thought he might fall again. Somehow, he managed to sit back on the wooden bench, and I stood from the grass and sat beside him.

​For a long time, neither of us said a word. The garden was completely silent around us as I turned my head slightly and looked at him. His face was pale, his jaw clenched tightly against the pain, and somehow, sitting beside him felt different now. There had always been something between us before, even when we were angry with each other. Something I couldn’t see but could always feel, constantly reminding me that this man was my mate. Sometimes I had hated that feeling. Sometimes I had found comfort in it. Most of the time, I hadn’t known what to do with it.

​But now it was gone. Kaden was simply sitting beside me. Just Kaden. And I was simply Rebecca.

​A strange realization settled in my chest. Even without the mate bond pulling me toward him, even without the Moon Goddess tying us together, I still felt something for him. The feelings hadn’t disappeared with the bond. They were still there, quiet and painful inside my heart. Apparently, rejecting your mate didn’t magically erase every feeling you had for him. That would have made things much easier.

​I quickly looked away, staring down at my hands before he could notice anything on my face. Maybe these feelings would disappear with time. Maybe one day I would look at Kaden and feel absolutely nothing. I didn’t know, and right now, I didn’t want to think that far ahead.

​After another moment of silence, Kaden slowly stood from the bench, using the wooden armrest to steady himself before finding his footing. "I have to leave," he said, his voice low and rough.

​I looked up at him, worry immediately rising in my chest. "Are you okay?"

​"I’m fine," he answered softly, although his pale face and uneven breathing said otherwise.

​I almost told him that he was obviously lying, but I stopped myself. Kaden was no longer my mate. I wasn’t responsible for him, just as he was no longer responsible for me. Then another thought hit me, one I hadn’t considered until now.

​"What about your wolf?"

​Kaden went still, and I swallowed hard as the realization settled over me. Kaden’s wolf had lost his mate twice now. First, he had lost Helen when she died, and now he had lost me too. I had spent so much time thinking about what this rejection would mean for Kaden and me that I hadn’t really stopped to think about what it would do to his wolf.

​"Is he okay?" I asked more quietly.

​Kaden looked down at me, a tired expression in his eyes. "He will be fine."

​"Are you sure?"

​He was silent for a moment before giving me a small nod. "He just needs time."

​I didn’t entirely believe him, but I knew there was nothing more I could say, so I simply nodded. Maybe they both needed time. Hell, maybe we all did.

​Kaden stared at me for a few seconds before speaking again. "If you ever need help with anything, anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out."

​"I will," I promised softly.

​"And take care of yourself."

​I swallowed. "You too."

​An awkward silence settled between us again, and I found myself wondering what two people were supposed to say after breaking a supernatural bond that was meant to last for the rest of their lives. Nice knowing you? Take care? Maybe I’ll see you around? Honestly, everything sounded ridiculous.

​"Goodbye, Rebecca," Kaden finally said.

​My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. "Goodbye, Alpha Kaden."

​For a few seconds, neither of us moved. His eyes stayed on mine, and I had the strangest feeling that there was something else he wanted to say. But whatever it was, he kept it to himself. Then he turned around and started walking away.

​I stayed where I was and watched him cross the garden, every step looking heavy and slow. Once, he stumbled slightly, and my body immediately moved as though I was about to get up and go after him, but I stopped myself. He will be fine, I assured myself.

​I probably should have looked away, but I didn’t. My eyes remained fixed on his back as he walked farther from me, and a small part of me kept expecting him to turn around one last time.

​He didn’t.

​Kaden kept walking until he finally disappeared from sight. Only then did I look away and stare at the quiet garden around me.

​That was when the tears came.

​They gathered in my eyes and slowly spilled down my cheeks. I didn’t even know why I was crying. I had wanted this. I had asked for this. I was finally free from the bond that had caused so much confusion and pain, so why did it hurt so much?

​Maybe because freedom didn’t erase everything that had happened between us. It didn’t erase the good moments any more than it erased the bad ones. It didn’t erase the fact that somewhere along the way, despite everything, I had fallen in love with him. And apparently, love didn’t disappear simply because a mate bond did.

​I wiped my cheeks roughly. "Enough, Rebecca."

​I had cried enough these past two weeks to last me several lifetimes. I closed my eyes and focused on my bedroom upstairs, picturing the bed, the curtains, the familiar walls, and Stephanie sitting there waiting for me. I concentrated on the room until that familiar feeling rushed through my body, and a second later, the cool garden air disappeared.

​My feet landed on the soft carpet of my bedroom.

​Stephanie was still sitting on the edge of my bed exactly where I had left her. The moment she saw me, she immediately stood. "Are you okay?"

​I opened my mouth, but no words came out. What was I supposed to say? Yes, Stephanie, I just rejected the man I admitted I loved and broke a bond the Moon Goddess herself created. I’m doing wonderfully.

​Instead, I simply shook my head as fresh tears filled my eyes. Stephanie’s face softened immediately, and she didn’t ask another question. She walked straight toward me, and I wrapped my arms around her.

​The moment she hugged me back, whatever little control I had left disappeared. I buried my face against her shoulder and cried while Stephanie held me tightly, rubbing my back without saying anything. She didn’t tell me that I had made the right decision or promise that everything would feel better tomorrow. She just let me cry, and right then, that was exactly what I needed.

​After a while, I finally pulled away and wiped my cheeks.

​"I felt it," Stephanie said softly.

​I looked at her. "What?"

​"When the bond broke." She studied my face carefully. "There was this strange feeling in the air for a few seconds. I think everyone in the mansion felt it."

​I didn’t say anything. Hearing her say it somehow made everything feel even more real. I walked over to the bed and sat down, suddenly feeling completely exhausted, and Stephanie came over and sat beside me.

​"Are you really okay?" she asked gently.

​I stared at the wall across from us and took a deep breath. Was I okay? Honestly, I didn’t know. My baby was gone. My mate bond was gone. Kaden had walked away, and for the first time in what felt like forever, I had absolutely no idea what tomorrow was supposed to look like.

​For so long, my life had been about surviving whatever happened next. First my fake family, then Helen’s death, the accusations, the pain, Kaden, becoming Ruby, escaping, discovering my real family, my pregnancy, and then losing my baby. There had always been something happening to me, something I had to survive or run from.

​Now there was nothing chasing me. No prison, no choker, no false identity, and no mate bond.

​Just me.

​Maybe that should have terrified me, but strangely, it didn’t.

​"I don’t know," I admitted softly. "But I have to be."

​Stephanie reached over and squeezed my hand. "You don’t have to figure everything out today."

​"I know."

​And for once, I actually believed that. I looked down at our joined hands for a moment before wiping the last tear from my cheek.

​"Now I’m free," I whispered.

​The words felt strange coming from my mouth, but they also felt good. A small smile slowly appeared on my face despite the tears. I had no idea what I was going to do next. Maybe I would focus on learning how to control these ridiculous powers before I accidentally threw another person. Maybe I would continue my education. Maybe I would travel. Maybe I would do all of it.

​I didn’t know, but for once, the choice was mine.

​I looked at Stephanie. "Let’s see what the world has for me."