Chapter 3: Ice Snow Heartbreak

Selene

The morning sun cast long shadows across the courtyard as I approached the Wolf Council Chamber.

My phone buzzed—a message from Vortend offering to send a car. I declined with a swift tap of my finger. I'll get there myself, I replied, a small act of independence in the face of complete devastation.

I'd chosen a simple ice-blue dress for the occasion, my platinum white hair twisted into an elegant chignon with strands of ice-blue highlights woven throughout. The silk clung to my slender frame, revealing nothing of the life growing within me.

The Council Chamber occupied the top floor of the old stone building, its most distinctive feature a retractable dome ceiling that could open directly to the moonlight during ceremonial gatherings.

I arrived early, as was my habit. I paused outside the heavy oak doors, my hand raised to knock, when my enhanced hearing captured voices from within.

"But I want to be here," came Adriana's sweet voice, its tone carrying the distinctive ripple of her enchantment ability.

"This is between me and Selene," Vortend replied, his voice resonating with the unmistakable Alpha vibration that brooked no argument. "I'll see you outside when it's finished. This is official pack business."

At least he wasn't allowing Adriana to witness my humiliation. It was degrading enough to be cast aside; having to endure the ritual bond-breaking with my half-sister watching would have been unbearable.

"Fine," Adriana responded reluctantly, the enchantment in her voice subsiding.

The door swung open, and I found myself face-to-face with Adriana. My half-sister stared at me with arrogant triumph, a smirk playing at the corners of her perfectly painted lips.

The scent of victory rolled off her in waves, making her appear even more spiteful. Without a word, she brushed past me, deliberately bumping my shoulder.

I watched her retreating back, listening as she hummed to herself. Of course, for her, this severing was cause for celebration.

Turning my attention forward, I saw Vortend standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, his back to me.

His dark gray suit emphasized the powerful breadth of his shoulders, making him look both imposing and unreachable. At the sound of the door closing, he turned, his silver-gray eyes meeting my silver-blue ones.

A tense silence filled the air. I could feel the Alpha aura he was releasing—a primal signal of dominance—but I remained calm, even as the temperature around me began to slowly drop.

"Drink?" he asked, reaching for two glasses from the bar and lifting a bottle of what had once been my favorite champagne.

"No, thank you," I said softly. I couldn't drink because of my pregnancy, but I also noticed his hand trembling slightly, uncharacteristic of his usual steady composure.

"Then let's get this severance ritual over with," he said coldly, setting down the glasses with more force than necessary.

"Begin," I answered, my eyes flashing with icy determination. I would not let him see how this was breaking me.

He studied me for a moment, seeming to hesitate, but finally his expression hardened.

"I, Alpha Vortend Fenrith of the Black Pine Pack, dissolve you, Selene Frost, as my mate and Luna." His voice carried a strange hollowness, but the power of the Alpha command was undeniable.

I gasped, the ripping pain in my chest and the violent tugging of the bond tearing through me, but I lifted my chin, determined to maintain my dignity.

Vortend watched me, appearing to doubt my ability to complete the ritual, while simultaneously seeming unable to look directly at my suffering face.

"I, Selene Frost, former Luna of the Black Pine Pack, accept your rejection, Alpha Vortend Fenrith."

As I felt the last strands of our bond breaking, a whimper escaped my lips, and I experienced a sensation of being torn apart. With each word Vortend uttered, the mating mark on my neck erupted in blue flames, a visual manifestation of our contract breaking.

When he pronounced the phrase "stripped of the Moon Goddess's position," I smiled bitterly, thinking to myself, What you should truly be stripping is your unborn child's right to inheritance.

As the pain intensified, I struggled to breathe, the air around me becoming bitingly cold. My vision dimmed, and I turned my head to look one last time at the man I had once called my own.

The persistent beeping of a medical monitoring device roused me from unconsciousness. My entire body ached as though it had been torn apart and reassembled.

I groaned, looking around to see Vivian and my mother conversing quietly. They turned to look at me.

"You're awake, Selene!" my mother exclaimed, rushing to my side.

"Ms. Bennett, please allow me to run some tests. Her body temperature is abnormally low, and we need to ensure her abilities aren't spiraling out of control," Vivian intervened professionally.

I forced a smile, telling my mother I was fine.

"Are my babies okay, Vivian?" I asked softly, my hand instinctively resting on my abdomen.

"Yes, but you should be more concerned about yourself. You're still weak, and your frost abilities are unstable," Vivian admonished. "So he dissolved the bond, and you let him? Why didn't you tell him you're pregnant?"

My mother's face crumpled with barely contained rage. "That monster did this to you. He knew what breaking a mate bond would do—especially to someone with your abilities."

"Melanie," Vivian cautioned, "emotional distress will only make Selene's condition more unstable."

"He wouldn't have cared," I answered, turning my head to hide my icy tears. "He's enchanted, or worse."

"Well, you're lucky it wasn't worse. Your frost abilities will be unstable temporarily, but that might actually help protect your heart from further damage, but mentally, I can't say. The severance ritual is extremely traumatic for ability wielders."

"Thank you for saving me again. Can I ask that you not tell anyone about my pregnancy? Not even Vort—the Alpha," I said quietly. I couldn't call him Vortend anymore.

The room fell into silence, broken only by the steady beeping of the machines. My mother gently squeezed my hand, her touch warming my icy skin.

"Rest now," she whispered. "Everything will be ok."

I closed my eyes, exhaustion washing over me in waves. The weight of everything—the pregnancy, the rejection, the uncertain future—pressed down on me, but beneath it all, a kernel of resolve was hardening like ice in winter.

Suddenly, the door was pulled open, and for a heartbeat, my pulse quickened, thinking that maybe, just maybe, it was him...