Karen’s Pov
I was back in Shadowhaven. Back in the place filled with so many memories, both good and bad, but the bad always outweighs the good.
I wanted to go to the mansion to face Ryan. He had not seen me since the incident with Aurora. It was not like I had been hiding. I had just not been myself, knowing I had lost him.
I lost Asher. Now Ryan. I guess I was bound to loneliness.
As I walked deeper into town, I saw a crowd. Ryan and Aurora were there. He had already brought her to Shadowhaven. That was interesting.
I was not sorry for what I did. If I had the chance, I would do it again. I watched them from a corner, careful to stay out of Ryan’s range so he would not sense me. I did not want to talk to him outside, not like this, not in front of everyone. It was already humiliating enough that my bound mate was with another woman. Sharing a bed with her, for all I knew.
The thought made my chest ache. I had slept with Ryan a few times, but I had never truly had him. He always held back. It infuriated me then, and now it destroyed me.
They were heading back to the mansion. I followed from a safe distance until they disappeared inside.
Then I walked in immediately. Now they could see me.
“Ryan,” I called out.
He was holding Aurora’s hand when he turned to face me. His eyes were cold, full of disapproval. I knew it was because of what I did.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I am still bound to you, so I can come here anytime I want,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Apologize. This instant.” His voice was low and firm, leaving no room for argument.
I knew this was coming, but guess what? I would never do such an unspeakable thing.
Apologize to a mere human? That was funny. Especially the one who stole him from me. Still funny.
“I don’t have time for this,” I said, waving him off.
I turned towards the stairs. “I am going upstairs to take a bath. Catch you later, honey.”
I still had hope. He would come to his senses. I was beautiful, tall, elegant, strong. He would not pick her over me.
As I reached the first step, his voice cut through the silence.
“Wait for me in the meeting room in an hour. We have to discuss something.”
I paused, then nodded. My eyes flicked to Aurora, and I let my glare linger. She said nothing. Just held onto Ryan’s hand tighter, as if afraid he would slip away. As if coaxing him not to press the matter.
Pathetic.
She might have him now, but I was not done yet.
I immediately went upstairs and stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash over me. I thought it would help, but instead, I found myself breaking down, silent sobs wracking my body. I wasn’t crying just for Ryan. I was crying for everything. For all the things I lost. For the love I never truly had. For the pieces of myself I kept giving away, only to be left empty-handed.
When I stepped out of the bathroom, my face was blank. The weight in my chest remained, but I felt lighter. That was the last time I would cry. I had let it all out, and I wasn’t going to do it again. Not for Ryan. Not for anyone.
I thought about what he had said. He needed to talk to me. I wasn’t stupid. I knew he wanted to tell me to leave the mansion, to leave his life. But that wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was here to stay.
I dressed in something that clung to my body just right. Something that would make any man turn his head. If Ryan was still the man I knew, he would feel something, even if he tried to deny it. I paced the room, watching the clock tick by, the minutes dragging like they wanted to mock me.
I needed air. The garden was my only solace, a place untouched by the chaos in my head. The flowers were in full bloom, their scent sweet yet suffocating. I sat down on the stone bench and closed my eyes, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself think about Asher. I let myself remember the way he smiled, the way his voice had felt like home.
I didn’t realize how long I sat there until a soft voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Lady Karen,” a maid spoke hesitantly.
I turned my head slowly. “What do you want?”
“The Alpha sends for you.”
I cursed under my breath. Time had slipped away from me.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nodded and left, and I forced myself to stand. I straightened my dress, lifted my chin, and walked to the meeting room with measured steps, ignoring the tightness in my chest.
The moment I stepped in, my breath caught in my throat.
My parents were there.
Nara, the moon goddess, was there.
My stomach twisted. This wasn’t a simple conversation. This was something else. Something worse.
“What’s happening, Ryan?” My voice was steady, but my hands curled into fists.
Ryan met my eyes without hesitation. “Sit.”
I hesitated for only a second before lowering myself into the chair. The room was silent, heavy with something I couldn’t name.
“Mum? Dad?” My voice wavered. “What’s going on?”
It was Nara who spoke. “Karen.”
I swallowed. “Yes?”
My mother reached for my hand, her grip firm but trembling. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
Ryan’s voice cut through the silence. “I’m sorry, Karen. Our chapter is over. I have to reject you.”
The words slammed into me like a blade to the chest.
I shot up from my seat. “What?”
Ryan didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink.
“You wouldn’t dare,” I hissed.
“He can,” Nara said, her voice final. “And I will separate you both. Now sit.”
I couldn’t breathe. My world was crumbling right in front of me, and no one was stopping it. No one was saving me.
“You won’t do that,” I whispered. “It’s not possible. Ryan, we can fix this. Please.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, and it was that same cold indifference that made my blood turn to ice.
I turned to my parents, desperation clawing at my throat. “Mum? Dad? Do something. Please.”
My father’s expression was unreadable. “You’ll find someone else, Karen. Let’s get this over with.”
A strangled sound escaped me. They weren’t even trying. They weren’t fighting for me.
“So shall it be,” Nara declared.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. I wanted to wake up and find out this was just another cruel nightmare.
“Should I proceed, Ryan?” Nara asked.
I turned to him one last time. I don’t know what I was hoping for. Maybe that he’d change his mind. Maybe that he’d say no.
But he didn’t.
“Go ahead,” he said.
The final blow.
Nara began chanting, her voice weaving magic through the air, binding my fate. She turned to Ryan and instructed him.
“Say the words.”
Ryan’s voice was steady, like this meant nothing to him. “I, Ryan, Alpha of Shadowhaven, reject you, Karen, as my mate.”
The moment the words left his lips, I felt it. The bond that had tethered us together snapped like a fragile thread. Pain seared through my chest, like something had been ripped from inside me, leaving only a hollow, gaping wound.
It was over.
I was rejected.
I was without a mate.
I was nothing.