AMARIS — POV
"We'll break it," Amaris whispered, barely hearing her own voice. "I just… I have to speak to him first. Let him know I'm not interested. Dad, you said there are old alphas who can sever a mate bond. You always told me stories about it—about mates who weren't compatible."
Her father didn't reply.
That silence hit her harder than anything.
Before she could push again, Miandra stepped forward.
"I'm sure my alpha wouldn't force you into anything you don't want," Miandra said softly, but there was steel under her words. "Right now, he's fighting his own lycan—holding it back from claiming you. He has it worse than any wolf or lycan would. He saw his mate, and he can't go to her… can't touch her… can't even speak to her."
She stepped closer, her gaze steady.
"You, on the other hand, forget that as a human, you wouldn't feel a thing if the bond were severed. But my alpha would. The pain is… unbearable. And even knowing that, he still thinks of you first. He would let you break it if that's what you truly wanted."
Her eyes softened, but the truth didn't.
"Your father told you many stories about bonds being severed. Did he ever tell you that for wolves or lycans, forcing a bond to break can send them rogue? That it snaps something inside them?"
Amaris froze.
"You think you have it bad," Miandra continued, voice quiet but cutting. "But my alpha has had it worse. We all have. Lycans are treated like monsters—by our own kind. Feared. Avoided. Judged. Even when we've done nothing wrong."
She sighed.
"I'm sorry fate brought this to your door. Truly. But your fear blinds you, Amaris. You haven't even given him—or our kind—a chance. Sometimes it takes days… weeks… months… to learn that the people you paint black aren't as dark as you were taught to believe."
She bowed her head politely, then turned to her father.
""You and your family are welcome to stay as long as you need, Beta," she said, her tone polite but firm. "But I believe it's in both our best interests that you depart tomorrow morning. You can inform your Alpha that the deal remains intact and will stay that way until he returns. We would rather handle this with him present."
She gave a small nod. "I hope you understand. Lora will show you all to your rooms for the night."
The room fell quiet.
As soon as Miandra finished, shame wrapped around Amaris's chest like iron chains.
Miandra was right. Because of her fear—fear of accepting something she never expected, something that didn't fit neatly into her life—she had been ready to throw it all away without even giving it a chance. How had she missed it?
She had spent her whole life being the outsider—the girl born without a wolf, judged for something she couldn't control. She knew what rejection felt like better than anyone. And yet… she'd done the same thing. Instantly. Thoughtlessly.
She didn't realize she was crying until Evan came to her, pulling her gently into his arms.
"Shh… it's okay," he murmured, rubbing her back.
"I'm just like them, Evan," she sobbed. "She's right. I'm just like them. Oh God… I'm even worse."
"You're not like them, Iris," he said softly. "You don't have to be guilt-tripped into doing something you don't want to do."
"But he'll hurt, Evan," she cried harder. "I didn't think of that. I'm human—I wouldn't feel a thing. But he will hurt. Worse, he could go rogue, and I said all that without even thinking of what could happen."
Her parents stayed silent. What could they say? The truth had just been laid bare in front of all of them—raw, undeniable, ugly.
By the time they were shown to their rooms, Amaris felt hollow.
She didn't shower.
She didn't change.
The moment she touched the bed, the guilt broke her open again, and she cried herself into a restless sleep.