Not physical—this came from the deepest core of my soul. Every cell shrieked. Every inch of skin burned. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass.
When a mate bond was severed by rejection, the rejected party suffered catastrophic backlash.
And I was suffering now.
"No..." I crumpled on the ground, voice barely audible. "No... please..."
But Kayden only stood there. I couldn't read a single emotion on his face.
"Layla Gray." Elder Drake's voice drifted from somewhere distant. "Given the conclusive evidence, on behalf of the Elder Council, I hereby place you under arrest for the murder of Finn Blackwood. Pending formal trial, you will be confined to the dungeons..."
"Murderer!"
"Hybrids can't be trusted!"
"She tried to seduce Mr. Kayden—shameless!"
Insults rained down from all sides, each more vicious than the last, but I'd stopped hearing them.
I knelt there, Kayden's words playing on endless repeat in my mind.
"A mistake."
"Could never be."
"I reject."
The soul-deep pain came in relentless waves. I was drowning, drowning in endless agony.
The bouquet I'd crafted with such care was trampled to pulp. The engagement I'd awaited with such hope became a cruel farce. The man I loved had cast me into the abyss with his own hands. These ten years felt like an elaborate joke. I'd never known him at all.
And that jacket.
Kayden would never know how much that day had meant to me. He'd probably forgotten entirely. I'd loved him. Even before we became fated mates, I'd loved him with helpless devotion.
And now, I would carry this secret...
"Take her." Elder Drake's impatient voice cut through my thoughts.
Two guards gripped my arms from either side.
I had no strength left to resist. I let them drag me past the pointing crowd, past the hateful stares.
We passed Kayden.
Instinctively, I turned for one last glimpse of the man I'd loved for ten years.
He stood rigid, profile sharp, hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides. Those fists were wound so tight the veins stood out beneath his skin.
What was he restraining?
His revulsion? His loathing?
After all, even he believed I'd murdered his brother.
The guards hauled me from the preparation room, across theSacred Ground. Moonlight spilled across my path, illuminating torn silk, tangled hair, and endless tears.
I lifted my face to the full moon.
