Chapter 6 DIFFERENT SHIFT

SERENA'S POV

I knew what I was doing. 

It was something that I should have done. Inside me, my wolf stirred in such a way that I had never experienced before. I didn't even know if my wolf was angry or in support of my rejection of Alpha Kael. 

I wanted to tell him what I was doing but I felt that my silence would be felt the more. After all, what would I have to lose?

So I turned and faced the surprised crowd. They couldn't believe their eyes and they couldn't even believe what I had just done. Probably the first time it was happening. How could a lady reject an Alpha? It was usually the other way round. But I was done being treated like I didn't matter at all. 

I knew what I had done for him in my previous life. How  I had waited for him to come to me. And how much misery and waiting that had put me through. 

KAEL'S POV

“What are you doing?” I asked, and my voice didn't even sound like it belonged to me. It sounded rough.

Serena didn’t flinch. I noticed a difference in her. She wasn't soft anymore. It wasn't warm. Felt like she had become stronger and it made my wolf agitated. Made it possessive. Wanted to claim her. 

Claim her. Yeah, but I didn't move. I was confused. When a mate rejected an Alpha in public like the one we were in, the bond between them should weaken. Should snap with finality. But this one first. Instead, it grew tighter and burned. 

The seer was still on the ground. The elders of the pack formed a small crowd around her, as smoke kept rising from her skin. Now it wasn't just the sound of the prophecy that got the people shook. It was the smell of it that hung in the air. 

"The truth... Luna walks unclaimed."

I stepped closer to Serena even before I realized I had. Close enough to feel the heat from her body and to hear the beating of her heart. 

"Do you think this is a game?" I asked her, quietly. Didn't want anyone to hear. 

Her lips curved into a smirk. "No, I think this is the first honest thing that has happened in years." The drums kept beating. People were speaking in tones. Some arguing. 

"Named by the seer..."

"Defied the Alpha..."

"Hah. Impossible!"

My wolf kept telling me that she was ours. And before I could stop myself,  a low growl erupted from my mouth and the pack fell silent at once. 

"This ceremony is suspended," I snapped at the elders. 

Gasps. 

Elder Marrow stepped forward. He wasn't happy with my announcement and I could see it in his eyes. "Your Majesty, tradition.."

"Does not outrank prophecy," I interrupted what he was going to say. 

The seer writhed again then went still. Her eyes opened, and they were as white as the moon. "She will not kneel," she rasped. "The Moon will refuse."

Well, Serena hadn't asked for power. She had claimed herself. And something ancient had answered. 

I turned to her again. "You could have told me about this in private."

She squinted her eyes. "Would you have listened?"

That sounded like an accusation. And the truth? I had no idea. For years, she has been around. Had been quiet and observant. Loyal and never demanded attention. Kept telling myself that I was avoiding weakness. Maybe I was just avoiding her. Avoiding the way my wolf behaved whenever she entered a room. Avoiding the way my control slipped when she stared at me for more than a moment. 

"But this is an embarrassment to the council," I said, wanting my authority to have an edge. 

"It was you who embarrassed me first, Alpha Kael," she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm. 

"When?"

"This morning. When you looked at me like I was nothing."

I remembered. Hmm. 

You don’t reject me because you don’t feel it,” I said quietly.

“No,” she admitted. "I reject what you represent when you hide behind duty,” she continued. “I won’t be claimed like some piece of land. I won’t be chosen because it is convenient.”

Wow. So it was equality that she wanted.  The realization disturbed me even more than the prophecy. 

"So this is a challenge to your Alpha King?" I asked. 

She took a step closer. "No. This is a challenge to a man who has forgotten how to look at a woman."

No one had ever spoken to me that way. First of its kind. No survivor, to be more precise. But the thing was that, I wasn't angry. Just felt heat.

There was a sudden crack in the air. When I looked, I noticed that the ceremonial staff had a crack in the middle. 

The crowd was shocked. 

I looked at the wood, which had been carved from Moonwood, and should be unbreakable unless my authority was challenged by date. Then I looked at her and said, "This isn't over."

"It's just beginning," she said, with all confidence. 

I raised my voice so that everyone would hear me. "Until the next full moon arrives, there will be no claims. No mate bond will be sealed. Meanwhile, the prophecy will be investigated."

I noticed that there was some disagreement but no one challenged me. 

Serena turned to leave but I grabbed her wrist before she could and the contact was electric. The bond between us flared violently, causing white flashes. 

Her eyes flashed gold. "Don't," she warned me. 

My thumb brushed her pulse. "You think you can walk away from this?"

"I think," she said, meeting my gaze with no fear in those eyes of hers. "That if you want me, you'll have to follow."

And with that, she pulled free. I let her leave the circle. No one stopped her. The crowd parted. When she disappeared into the trees, the bond didn't fade. It was still there. Alive. Waiting. 

My wolf was satisfied and let out a low rumble.

She runs. 

"Yes, she runs."

And for the first time, I wanted to chase.