Page 73 of Fated (The Bonded Legacy #1)

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

LENA

S unlight streamed through the high windows, casting golden patches over the long oak table where Lena sat.

Her fingers tightened around the steaming cup of tea in her hands, the scent of chamomile and honey rising with the heat, its warmth doing little to ease the chill settling in her chest. The dining hall was quieter now, though the emotion of last night’s rituals hovered like a shadow.

Beyond the windows, Bloodstone’s packlands stretched out, still battered but alive .

Wolves moved about, tending to the aftermath of the rogue attack, their movements steady and purposeful.

The distant sound of hammers and saws drifted in, a rhythm of rebuilding.

There was a resilience here that humbled Lena, but today it only underscored the ache in her heart.

Elara shifted beneath her skin, her presence a tangle of conflicting instincts. “We could belong here,” the wolf whispered . “With time. With healing.”

Lena pushed the thought away. This wasn’t her home. It likely never would be.

“Lena.” Darius’s warm voice broke through her thoughts.

She turned to find the Bloodstone Alpha standing a few steps away, his normally authoritative pine scent tempered with exhaustion. Gratitude crossed his features, but there was something else too—something more profound.

“Alpha Darius,” she greeted, voice holding strong despite the emotions tangling inside her. She set her cup down, inclining her head in respect.

“None of that.” he waved off her formality as he stepped closer. “You’ve earned the right to call me Darius.” He took the seat across from her. “Are you about ready to leave?”

Lena nodded, meeting his gaze. “I am. My pack needs me. Cian’s ceremony is in three days.”

The corner of Darius’s mouth lifted. “Of course. Ever the responsible one.” His smile faded, replaced by a solemn expression. “But I couldn’t let you leave without thanking you properly.”

Lena’s brow furrowed. Darius had expressed his gratitude multiple times throughout the week, but she remained silent as he continued.

“Lena, you’ve been more than I could have hoped for.

The way you’ve supported Bloodstone, carried its weight…

” His voice caught, and he paused, hands resting on the table.

“You stepped into a role that isn’t even yours yet, and you did it with grace and strength I can only marvel at.

It’s more than I could’ve imagined. You’ve surpassed every expectation. ”

His recognition tested the fragile dam she’d constructed around her emotions.

The mate bond pulsed beneath her skin, an uncomfortable throbbing that spread from her chest outward.

Darius was right, but she knew she couldn’t stay.

The sincerity of his praise made the truth she was about to share feel even heavier.

She swallowed hard, pressing her fingernails into her palms to ground herself. The pain helped focus her thoughts, pushing back the burning behind her eyes. “Bloodstone is full of incredible wolves,” she said softly, voice steadier than she felt. “They deserved every ounce of effort I could give.”

Darius studied her, green eyes sharp but kind. “I meant what I said last night. You will be an extraordinary luna. Knowing that Kai has you by his side makes me feel good about stepping down.”

The words pierced her like a blade between ribs.

Her fingers curled around her cup, knuckles white against the ceramic.

A cold sweat broke across her skin despite the warmth of the tea seeping into her palms. She took a steadying breath, fighting against the tightness in her chest, and stated with quiet determination, “Darius, I need to tell you something.”

Worry lines appeared around his mouth. “What is it?”

“I can’t be Luna of Bloodstone.” Her words faltered despite her best efforts to remain composed. A tremor coursed through her body as she spoke the truth aloud, her wolf whimpering in response. “I won’t be coming back after the ceremony.”

The silence that followed was thick, weighted with the implication of her words. The steady tick of a distant clock punctuated the stillness.

Darius stared at her, expression unreadable, but the scent of his distress hit her, sharp and acrid. “What are you saying?”

She forced herself to meet his gaze, hands trembling so badly she had to set the cup down before she spilled its contents.

Her mouth had gone dry, tongue sticking to the roof as if her body was physically rejecting the words she needed to say.

“I’ve done what I can here, but I can’t… I’m not coming back.”

Darius’s jaw ticked. “Lena, I know things haven’t been easy between you and Kai, but—” He stopped himself, hands clenching into fists on the table. His voice softened, almost pleading. “Kai is worth it, Lena. The bond is worth it.”

She felt the truth of his words resonate through her entire being, the mate bond humming in agreement and sending a wave of longing so strong it made her dizzy.

Kai was worth it. The bond, worth everything.

But their bond was broken, jagged at its edges, and every moment she held on while he was so torn only cut deeper into her soul.

Love wasn’t supposed to feel like this. She couldn’t let it consume them both.

She blinked rapidly, fighting back tears, fingernails leaving crescent marks in her palms. A shudder ran through her as she fought Elara’s urge to flee, to find Kai, to beg him to choose her.

“He is worth it,” she agreed, voice barely above a whisper.

“But the male I fell in love with in Moonshadow isn’t the one I’ve seen here.

Kai needs healing, Darius. He needs space to find himself, to figure out what he needs—what he wants.

I can’t be part of that right now. The bond is only making his pain worse. It’s making my pain worse.”

Darius’s shoulders sagged as if her words had hollowed him out from the inside.

The wooden chair creaked under his shifting weight.

For a long moment, he said nothing, gaze fixed on the table where a patch of sunlight illuminated every grain and knot in the wood.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost broken.

“I wanted so badly for him to have everything he deserves, to know what I know—how the love and bond with his fated would complete him, make him the best alpha he could be. I didn’t realize I was taking away his chance to find it on his own.”

His admission was raw, laden with years of regret, striking something deep inside Lena. Maybe, just maybe, this moment would be a turning point for Kai—a chance to find himself without the pressure of the bond or his father’s expectations clouding his path.

“It’s not forever,” Elara insisted. Her presence surged with the fierce certainty that only a wolf could possess. “He will choose us freely. When he’s ready. When his heart is whole again.”

The thought brought a flicker of solace, but it wasn’t enough to fill the vacuum that had formed inside her. Lena couldn’t share her wolf’s certainty, couldn’t risk her heart on maybes. She needed to leave. She couldn’t come back—for both their sakes.

Lena reached across the table, grasping Darius’s hands. “Take care of him. Not as his alpha, but as his father. Let him figure Ava out on his own. Don’t push him, Darius,” she pleaded. “If you force him the way you did at the summit, you’ll only break him further.”

Darius nodded, regret and resolve warring in his expression. “I will. You have my word.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. She hesitated, thumb brushing against the back of his hand. “Be happy, Darius. For your pack. For Kai. For yourself.”

A ghost of a smile, tinged with sadness, crossed the alpha’s features. “You’re remarkable, Lena. Perhaps more than Kai deserves right now, but I’ll hold out hope that Selene will guide you both back to each other, will guide you back here.”

Lena didn’t respond, couldn’t bring herself to. She couldn’t let that hope root inside her because there was no guarantee that Kai would make it through, that he would truly choose her. Instead, she nodded. Her quiet acceptance the only answer she could give.