Claimed by the scarred Alpha

SÉVERINE

The world narrowed to a single point of understanding. Étienne had thrown himself through a third-story window for her.

For Margaux.

My vision blurred. Tears came hot and fast, spilling down my cheeks before I could stop them. I pressed my palms against my eyes hard enough that stars burst behind my lids, but it didn’t help. Nothing helped. The image was already burned into my brain—his body launching through glass without hesitation, without even slowing down to consider the fall.

For her. For her?

My chest heaved with breaths that wouldn’t satisfy my lungs. The bond we shared was nothing but an empty, quiet shell compared to the real deal that he had with her. Empty in a way that made my ribs feel like they were collapsing inward. He’d severed whatever thin connection we’d built between ourselves when he’d jumped. He had chosen her over me without even thinking about it.

Céline’s footsteps echoed across the study floor. I heard her move toward the shattered window. Heard the crunch of glass under her shoes. Then silence stretched too long while she looked down at whatever remained of the man I’d convinced myself loved me.

"What the fuck?"

Her voice cut through the ringing in my ears. I dropped my hands from my face and turned to find her staring at me. Her expression twisted between shock and something else I couldn’t quite name.

"Why did he do that?"

The question should have been simple to answer. But my throat closed around the words. My tongue felt thick and useless in my mouth.

"I think..." I swallowed hard. "I think he could tell she was in danger."

Céline’s brow furrowed. "Who?"

The confusion was genuine. She truly didn’t understand what I was saying. And maybe that made sense. Maybe normal people who did not plot this exact situation would not immediately jump to supernatural explanations when someone did something reckless. Maybe they assumed bravery or stupidity first, rather than divine intervention.

But I’d watched the security footage. I’d seen how fast he’d moved the first time. How he’d known the exact moment Margaux needed help despite walls and distance and every logical barrier that should have prevented that knowledge.

And I had made this happen, too.

It was also at that moment that understanding dawned across Céline’s face like sunrise breaking over a dark horizon. Her eyes went wide. Her mouth fell open slightly before she caught herself.

"Goddess." The word came out breathless. "Would that not mean they are... That they were mates?"

The confirmation hit me like a physical blow. Hearing someone else say it out loud made it real in a way my familiar’s accusation and my own suspicions hadn’t. My hands curled into fists at my sides. My nails bit into my palms hard enough to draw blood that I couldn’t feel through the numbness spreading through my body.

"I should go."

I moved toward the door before the tears could start again. Before Céline could see how completely this revelation was destroying me from the inside out.

That was when her hand closed around my wrist. She pulled me back with surprising strength for someone so slight.

"If that is the case," she said quietly, "she needs to be handled."

A laugh bubbled up from my chest. The sound came out harsh and broken. Unhinged in a way that would have embarrassed me if I’d had any capacity left for shame.

"I trust him." The words tasted like ash on my tongue. "I know this is just for his revenge. Nothing would ever happen."

The lie sat between us. Pathetic and transparent. I didn’t believe it. Céline didn’t believe it. Even my familiar probably wouldn’t believe it if he were here in human form to call me out on my delusions.

"You cannot be serious. He did not mention this mate bond to any of us. Why wouldn’t he do that?"

"Because he knew this is exactly how we would react, perhaps."

"Rightfully so. I do not know if you know this... But... before Étienne donned my late brother’s life..." Céline’s grip tightened on my wrist. "I have seen firsthand how destructive the mate bond can be."

She pulled me closer. Her other hand came up to grip my shoulder. Her fingers pressed into my muscle hard enough to anchor me to this moment instead of letting me spiral into the panic clawing up my throat.

"If you think there is anything rational about it, then you are dead wrong, my friend."

Her eyes held mine, unblinking and serious in a way that made my stomach turn.

"It will burn all to the ground to make sure that it exists." Her voice dropped lower. "It is cancer if you ask me. And now he is flying through windows... Soon... soon it will be more than that."

I knew she was right. I’d studied mate bonds while I prayed that the goddess bless our chosen bond with what it needed. I knew from the old texts that I had read that they had the capacity to override logic, loyalty, and every other consideration. How they made people betray families, abandon duties, and throw away carefully constructed lives for the chance to be near their other half.

"The girl genuinely needs to go." Céline released my wrist but kept her hand on my shoulder. "If Étienne wants his revenge, which is what we want for him... for him to heal, you have to convince him to reject her. Or do what this is meant to end at."

She paused. The silence stretched heavy with implication.

"Kill her."

The words landed with terrible finality.

"I am not threatened by any stupid bond." My voice came out stronger than I felt. "I know Étienne."

"Your souls are not kissing right now." Céline’s expression shifted into something almost pitiful. "No matter how well you know him, she will know him better."

We stared at each other. The tension between us felt alive. Breathing. A third presence in the room that fed on my fear and her certainty and the horrible truth neither of us wanted to speak aloud.

Tears threatened to fall again. I blinked hard against them. But Céline was right. She was absolutely right. The mate bond would erase everything I’d built with Étienne over the years. It would rewrite our history and make our connection meaningless in the face of divine pairing.

The study door burst open.

Laurent rushed inside with eyes wild and breathing hard like he’d run the entire way here. His gaze swept the room and landed on the shattered window. Then he saw the blood on the remaining shards still embedded in the frame.

"What happened?" He crossed to the window in three long strides and then looked down at the gardens below. His hands gripped the frame hard enough that his knuckles went white against his dark skin.

"Étienne jumped," Céline said simply. "We believe it is to help his new bride."

Laurent’s eyes went wider. "Goddess... She was in the garden. I told her..."

He did not even finish his sentence before he eventually spun away from the window and headed back toward the door. His movements were urgent. Panicked in a way I’d never seen from him before. The Beta who always maintained perfect composure was also coming undone at the thought of Margaux in danger.

What spell had she put them in? Also... wait.

Céline moved faster. She caught him before he could reach the hallway. Her hand closed around his forearm.

"Do you think that is smart?"

While she was talking with Laurent... the truth clicked for me right there. So I scoffed. The sound came out loud and bitter in the quiet room. Both of them turned to look at me.

"Of course... You knew."

Laurent’s expression shifted. Guilt flickered across his features before he could mask it. "Knew what?"

"That they were mates."

He swallowed. The movement was visible even from across the room. His silence was answer enough.

"Unbelievable."

I pushed past both of them and headed for the door. My shoulder knocked against Laurent’s with more force than necessary. The impact sent him stumbling slightly, but I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back. I just kept walking while rage burned through the numbness that had been holding me together.

The hallway stretched before me. Empty and cold despite the morning sunlight streaming through the windows that lined one wall. My footsteps echoed against marble floors. Each one sounded like an accusation.

I slammed the door behind me hard enough that the sound reverberated down the corridor. The violence of it felt good. Satisfying in a way that nothing else had since I’d watched Étienne launch himself toward his supposed enemy.

A soft insect buzzing filled my ear. So quiet I almost missed it beneath the blood rushing through my head.

My familiar’s voice came through in a whisper that only I could hear. "The job is done. Do you have your confirmation?"

"Yes." The word came out sharp. "Yes, I do."

"But now that we have shown our hand, we need someone to take the fall."

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