Chapter 151: This is madness

Alyssa was on the verge of losing control, her fingers clawing the air as she fought to lunge across the table at Elvira, when Pandora suddenly yanked her back by her shoulders and slapped her across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the silent dining room.

Alyssa froze instantly. Her hand rose slowly to touch her stinged cheek, her eyes wide as she stared at Pandora in complete shock.

Henna and Alec stood rooted to the spot, stunned by the sudden blow. A few feet away, Elvira pressed both hands over her mouth, playing her role of the terrified bystander perfectly.

After making certain the wild fury had drained from Alyssa’s gaze, Pandora pulled her firmly into her arms, holding her close.

"I’m sorry," she whispered against her hair, her voice trembling. "I’m so sorry. I had to snap you back. I didn’t mean to hit you."

Alyssa closed her eyes, letting out a long, shaky breath. Truth be told, she felt no offense at the blow. In reality, she was grateful for it; she needed that sudden sting to anchor her mind before she surrendered entirely to her anger.

"It’s okay," she murmured, pulling back slowly and forcing a calm smile. "I’m not offended."

"Are you sure?" Pandora searched her face anxiously. "You were completely out of control. I didn’t know how else to calm you."

"It’s fine, Pandora. I’m glad you did. It snapped me back." Without casting a single glance toward Elvira, Alyssa turned and walked out of the dining room.

"Where are you going?" Henna called after her.

​Alyssa didn’t answer. But as she reached the front door, she paused and looked back at Alec.

"Could you drive me to the Academy, Alec? Dorian was supposed to take me, but he’s..." She trailed off, the composure on her face faltering for a brief second before she locked it down again.

Alec exchanged a deeply concerned glance with Pandora. Seconds ago, the Luna had been ready to tear Elvira apart with her bare hands; now she was speaking in a quiet, measured tone, as if nothing had happened.

"Uh... yes, Luna," he said, stepping forward quickly. "I can drive you. But wouldn’t you prefer to wait until the Alpha returns...?"

"Dorian left without so much as looking at me," Alyssa interrupted flatly. "If he comes back, he knows where to find me. But I refuse to sit here like a helpless ghost and wait."

"Let us come with you," Pandora offered, taking a step toward her.

"No, stay here," Alyssa shook her head. "I need you here to keep an eye on Dorian when he returns. I don’t want him left alone with her."

Her eyes finally cut across the room to Elvira, who was standing near the dining table. She caught the strange gleam in her eyes, and the subtle, smug curve at the corner of her lips.

Alyssa would bet her life that Elvira was behind Dorian’s sudden behavior. But without proof, she wouldn’t waste another second throwing empty accusations.

She turned and walked out to the driveway, Alec hurrying to keep pace with her. He pulled open the rear door of the white SUV and helped her into the back seat.

"And Alec," she added softly. "No escort guards, please. I don’t want a procession drawing attention to me."

"But, Luna..."

"Please, Alec," she urged quietly. "Nothing is going to happen to me at the Academy. I just want to focus on something else for a few hours."

Alec saw the pain she was fighting so hard to bury beneath her calm exterior. He didn’t have the heart to refuse her, so he nodded.

"Alright, Luna. But promise me you’ll stay right by my side until we return."

Alyssa managed a small, grateful smile. "I will. Thank you."

Alec shut the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. As he cleared the main gates and pulled onto the road, he glanced into the rearview mirror.

Through the reflection, he watched the tears Alyssa had been holding back finally spill over her lashes and trace silently down her cheeks.

...

Dorian drove for over an hour without slowing down, only pulling off the road when he reached the desolate outskirts of the Northern border.

Here, there were fewer houses, and the lands gave way to thick, overgrown forest roots and dense brush.

He cut the engine, shoved his door open, and slammed it shut with enough force to shake the frame. His hands tightened into fists. He was consumed with fury; fury at himself, and at the uncontrollable surge that had hit him the moment he looked at Elvira.

And in his panic, he had abandoned Alyssa. What the hell was happening to him?

As he stood at the edge of the road, staring blindly into the dense treeline, the sound of tires crunching on gravel announced another vehicle pulling up behind him.

Anthony and Jake stepped out of the second car, their expressions heavy with worry and frustration.

"Dorian, what the hell was that back there?" Anthony demanded, striding up to him. "What happened to you, man? Why did you tear out of there like that?"

"Alpha, are you alright?" Jake asked cautiously, lingering a step behind.

Dorian closed his eyes, releasing a ragged breath. He turned slowly to face his beta and best friend.

"I don’t think I can reject Elvira anymore."

The words hung in the air like a storm waiting to break. Jake looked appalled, while Anthony’s expression shifted into sharp anger.

"Have you lost your mind?" he snapped harshly. "Do you hear what’s coming out of your mouth?"

"Anthony, you don’t understand..."

"You’re damn right, I don’t!" Anthony cut him off sharply. "I have known you my whole life to stand by your honor, Dorian. But this? This is madness."

"I want to reject her!" Dorian snapped suddenly, his jaw setting tight. "I want to break the bond between us. I want it more than anything!"

"Then what is stopping you?"

"I don’t know! There’s a force holding me back and pulling me toward Elvira at the same time, like the bond has been locked down from the inside. I can’t even force my mouth to utter the rejection words, no matter how hard I push."

Jake stepped closer, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, ’locked down from the inside’?"

Dorian rubbed his temples, letting out another long exhale. "I can’t explain it. The moment she entered the room this morning, Shadow lost his mind. Her scent was unnaturally intense. Suffocating. I felt completely paralyzed just standing in her presence."

He met Anthony’s angry gaze. "I despise it. Do you think I wanted to hurt Alyssa like that? I shouldn’t have driven off, but if I had stayed in that room for another second, I would have lost control of my beast. Something about the mate bond has changed, and it’s rubbing off on me and Shadow."

"But everything was fine yesterday," Jake muttered, his brow creased in deep thought. "How could the bond suddenly shift like this overnight?"

"I don’t know," Dorian said, running a hand through his hair as he stared into the dense forest. "I need to fix this. Right now, my head is clear because I’m miles away from her. But the moment I step back into that house and smell her again, Shadow will take over."

"What if we send her away from the territory?" Anthony suggested.

"I can’t do that while the mate bond remains unbroken," Dorian replied bitterly. "It would tear my wolf apart and spark an instinctual backlash. I have to break the bond first."

He looked toward the horizon, his heart aching as he thought of Alyssa’s face when he had sped away. He had wounded her deeply, and he needed to fix it before the distance between them grew permanent.

"There’s only one thing we can do," Jake said after a long silence, drawing their eyes to him. "We ask Nina. She understands the mate bond better than anyone. If something was done to lock down the bond, Nina will find it, and probably have a cure."

Dorian sighed deeply and nodded. "Alright. Let’s go get Nina."