Chapter 253: Chapter 253

When Lisa turned to Rowan and Kael, her eyes burning with something I couldn’t even name, I felt the air shift.

The whole room went silent, heavy, cold, like even the walls were scared to breathe.

Rowan and Kael stood there, both pale and unsure. I could see guilt written all over their faces. They looked at her the way a sinner looks at his god, hoping for mercy, knowing they didn’t deserve it.

"Enough," she said firmly. "You both made your choice. You rejected me when I needed you most. So now..." she took a step forward, her eyes glowing faintly, "I reject you."

The moment those words left her lips, I felt something I couldn’t explain, a surge of raw energy that rippled through the air like lightning.

Then she turned and walked away.

For a moment, I couldn’t even breathe.

Lisa’s voice echoed in my head like a curse I couldn’t escape.

"I reject you both... just like you rejected me."

Then she turned her back on them, on all of us, and walked away.

I wanted to stop her.

But my legs wouldn’t move. Something about her aura, about that power rolling off her, held me still. It wasn’t the Lisa I knew. It was someone else. Someone stronger. Someone broken.

"Lisa, wait...." I tried, reaching a hand toward her.

She didn’t even look at me. She just walked past, her hair flying behind her, her steps heavy with anger and pain. Then she was gone.

Rowan groaned beside me, clutching his chest. Kael followed, falling to one knee.

"Damon!" Kael gasped, his voice raw. "Help us...!"

I blinked, confused. "What’s wrong with you two?"

"It burns," Rowan choked, gripping his heart. "The bond... You know what happened when an alpha is rejected!"

Then I understood. My stomach dropped.

"Oh, Goddess..." I whispered, staring at them as they both fought for air.

Their skin had gone pale. Their breathing was ragged. I could feel their pain through the air, thick and heavy like smoke after a fire.

"This isn’t supposed to happen," Kael said, teeth gritted. "We were supposed to protect her..."

"But you didn’t," I muttered before I could stop myself.

He looked up, his eyes full of regret. "I know."

Rowan slammed his fist against the floor, trying to steady himself. "You don’t understand, Damon. It’s killing us."

I crouched beside them, my head spinning. "Of course it is. When a mate rejects the bond... it tears through our soul. It’s not just pain, it’s destruction. You both should have known this was taboo."

Kael coughed, clutching his chest tighter. "We didn’t think she’d actually go too far..." The rıghtful source is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖~𝙣𝙚𝙩

I sighed deeply. My own body was still weak from the poison, but I pushed through it. "You brought this on yourselves. You broke her. You left her to drown in her own grief. And now she’s drowning you both."

Rowan looked like he was about to argue, but his face twisted in agony again.

"Lisa..." he whispered, as if saying her name could bring her back.

I nodded toward the door, but my mind was spinning. Everything was happening too fast: Lisa’s rejection, their pain, the strange aura that still lingered in the air. I could still feel it, heavy and cold, pressing against my skin like mist after a storm.

"I said I’ll send for the healer," I repeated, but neither of them seemed to hear me.

Rowan groaned, clutching his chest again. "She didn’t even hesitate," he whispered. "She looked us in the eye and said those words like she meant them."

Kael’s breathing was ragged, his head bent low. "Because she did mean it," he muttered. "We made her this way. We broke her... and now she’s breaking us."

I swallowed hard. He wasn’t wrong.

"Damon," Rowan rasped, his voice rough with pain. "You have to stop her before she does something reckless. She’s angry. She’s....she’s not herself."

I looked toward the door again, wishing I could still sense her. But her scent was already fading, mixing with the cold air. I could still remember her eyes before she turned away, fierce, wild, and yet empty. Like something inside her had snapped.

Kael groaned louder this time, his hand trembling as he pressed it against the floor.

I crouched down beside them again, watching helplessly as their bodies shook with each wave of pain. "Then why the hell did you let it get to this?" I asked quietly.

Neither of them answered. Rowan just bowed his head, his shoulders trembling.

I sighed and rubbed my temple. "You both need to stop talking. Save your strength."

Rowan tried to speak again, but a sharp cry escaped his throat, cutting him off. His body jerked slightly, and I moved quickly, grabbing his shoulder to steady him. "Easy, damn it," I muttered. "You’re going to tear something if you keep fighting it."

"It hurts," he gasped.

"Listen," I said, keeping my voice steady. "You’ll both live. It’ll weaken you for a while, but you’ll survive. Right now, Lisa’s the one we need to worry about. If she leaves that gate, I don’t think any of us will ever see her again."

Rowan’s eyes lifted to mine, desperate and bloodshot. "You have to find her, Damon. Please."

I nodded slowly, though my chest felt heavy. "I will. But you need to hold on until I get back. Don’t move, don’t push yourselves, and don’t do anything stupid. The healer’s on the way."

Kael gave a weak nod. "Just... bring her home."

I stood, turning back toward the door, and for a moment I hesitated. I could still hear their labored breathing behind me, the sound of two broken hearts struggling to keep beating.

By the time I reached the end of the corridor, two guards came running toward me, panting heavily. Their faces were pale, and my gut twisted the moment I saw them.

"Alpha Damon!" one of them called out, bowing slightly. "We’ve searched the palace grounds, every hall, every garden, the training field, even the stables."

I froze, my heart already knowing the answer I didn’t want to hear. "And?"

The other guard hesitated, exchanging a nervous glance with his partner before speaking. "She’s gone, Alpha. Lady Lisa isn’t anywhere inside the palace."

For a second, the air left my lungs. I just stood there, staring at them, my mind refusing to process it. "That’s impossible," I said quietly. "I told you not to let her leave."

"Yes, Alpha," the first one stammered. "We doubled the guards at the gate as you ordered. None of them saw her pass. She...she must have found another way out."

I swore under my breath, clenching my fists. My wolf stirred angrily inside me, howling in frustration. "You’re telling me a woman just vanished from a locked palace?" I snapped.

The guards flinched. "We... we don’t understand it either, Alpha. But we’re still looking. We’ll find her."

I took a deep breath, forcing myself not to lash out. The anger wasn’t really for them; it was for me. For not getting to her in time. For letting her walk out when she was clearly falling apart.

"Listen carefully," I said, my tone low and sharp.

"Extend the search beyond the palace walls," I ordered. "Check the woods, the riverbank, the northern ridge, everywhere she could go. And take the scent hounds with you. If anyone finds even a trace of her, you come to me directly. No delays."

"Yes, Alpha!" they both chorused.