Avenging Luna
Chapter 51: Not Mate

Chapter 51: Not Mate

Drake’s POV:

It had been two weeks.

Two weeks of unbearable silence. Two weeks since my mate, Leila, had fallen unconscious. Two weeks since I had watched her crumple in my arms, the mate bond slipping away like sand through my fingers. And two weeks since Raphael had disappeared without a trace.

My wolf snarled inside me, restless and furious. Lucas had told me that when he arrived in my room, Raphael was already gone. It didn’t make sense. The damage I had inflicted on him—the broken bones, the torn flesh—should have kept him down for at least a day, even with his Alpha blood. He was my father’s younger brother, an Alpha-born wolf like me, so I’d estimated half a day to heal, maybe three hours before he could even begin to move.

But he hadn’t been there.

That left only one possibility.

There was a traitor in my pack. Someone had helped him escape.

The thought made my blood boil, my fists clenching at my sides. I’d trusted my pack, believed in their loyalty. Now, one of them had betrayed me, helped that bastard get away after what he had tried to do to my mate.

My mate.

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair, the weight of it all pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket. The stress of hunting a traitor, searching for Raphael, and watching over Leila was too much. I had spent every waking moment at her side, pleading with her to wake up, to give me some sign she was still there.

But nothing. Just an empty, hollow silence where our bond used to be.

I had never been more terrified in my life. The healer’s words echoed in my mind, haunting me: *The bond is severed.*

Severed.

I couldn’t feel her. Not through the mate bond. Not the warmth, the emotions, the connection that had always tied us together. It was gone, like a door slammed shut between us, locking her away from me.

The fear gnawed at me, relentless and cruel. What if she woke up and confirmed my worst nightmare? What if she looked at me and felt nothing? What if she wasn’t mine anymore?

I couldn’t lose her. Not like this. Not after everything.

I stood by her bedside, watching her as she lay there, so still and fragile. Her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, her face pale but serene, as if she were simply sleeping. But it wasn’t sleep. It was something far worse.

I reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead, my fingers trembling. "Leila," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Please... come back to me."

The silence in the room was deafening, the only sound the steady rhythm of her breathing. My heart ached, torn between the agony of losing her and the hope that she might still be in there somewhere, fighting to come back to me.

But every day that passed, that hope grew smaller, dimmer. And the fear grew louder.

What if she woke up and didn’t remember me? What if she couldn’t forgive me for what she’d seen—the monster I’d become in that moment of rage?

I could still see the look on her face as I tore into Raphael, as I let the darkness inside me take control. She had fainted before I could do more, but the damage was done. She had seen what I truly was—the beast I kept hidden from her, the part of me that flourished in violence and bloodlust.

I’d wanted to protect her, to shield her from that side of me, but I had failed. And now, I was paying the price.

My heart clenched, guilt wrapping around me like a vice. I should’ve been there for her, protected her from Raphael’s attack. Instead, I let my rage blind me, let the monster inside take over. And now, she might never wake up.

I sank into the chair beside her bed, burying my face in my hands. Every part of me ached, the exhaustion of two weeks of sleepless nights weighing heavily on my body and soul. I couldn’t lose her. I couldn’t.

But the longer she stayed like this, the more real that possibility became.

I had searched the entire territory for Raphael, scouring every inch of the land, but there was no trace of him. The traitor—whoever they were—had covered their tracks well. But I wouldn’t stop until I found them. I would make them pay for what they’d done.

But none of it mattered if Leila didn’t wake up.

A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I didn’t bother looking up, already knowing who it was.

"Alpha," Lucas said quietly. "I’ve organized another search party for Raphael. We’ll be covering the northern border tonight."

I nodded, my gaze still fixed on Leila. "Find him," I growled. "I don’t care how long it takes. I want him alive."

There was a pause, and I could feel Lucas hesitate before he spoke again. "And the traitor, Alpha? Any leads?"

"No," I snapped, my voice harsher than I intended. "But we’ll find them. And when we do..." My fists clenched. I didn’t need to finish the sentence. Lucas knew exactly what I meant.

"Understood." He lingered for a moment before retreating, leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

I leaned back in my chair, the weight of the world pressing down on my shoulders. My pack was fractured, my mate was lost, and I was barely holding on.

The bond was severed, but that didn’t mean I’d stop fighting. I would bring her back, no matter what it took. I would find Raphael, tear him apart piece by piece, and make sure that whoever had helped him would suffer a fate worse than death.

But as I sat there, staring at Leila’s pale face, I couldn’t shake the gnawing fear that no matter how hard I fought, no matter how much I searched, it might already be too late.

What if I was too late?

I clenched my jaw, trying to shove the fear back down. I couldn’t afford to think like that. Not now. I had to be strong, had to believe that she would wake up, that our bond could be restored. I had to believe that she was still mine.

But the silence in the room was deafening, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do.

I was Alpha. I was supposed to be strong, to lead, to protect. But right now, all I could do was sit by her bedside and wait. And the waiting was killing me.

As I leaned forward, resting my forehead against her hand, I closed my eyes and whispered, "Please, Leila... please come back to me."

And as the silence stretched on, I felt the darkness close in around me once more.

I sat there, my forehead still pressed against her hand, my thoughts swirling in a storm of fear and regret. The bond was gone, shattered into a thousand pieces I couldn’t pick up, and every day that passed felt like an eternity. I was losing hope—until I felt her fingers twitch.

My head snapped up, my heart pounding as I looked at her. Leila’s breathing had changed, her chest rising and falling more steadily now. Then, with a soft flutter, her eyelids slowly began to open.

"Leila?" I whispered, barely daring to hope.

Her eyes opened fully, and for a split second, I saw the familiar sky-blue I’d come to love. Relief surged through me—until I noticed something else. A deep red ring circled the irises, flickering like a warning, dark and menacing.

I froze. My heart skipped a beat, dread sinking like a stone in my chest. This wasn’t right.

This wasn’t my Leila.

"Leila?" I asked again, my voice trembling as her gaze fixed on me, cold and unrecognizable.

The bond was still gone.

I took a step back, a chill crawling down my spine. Whoever—or whatever—had just opened those eyes wasn’t my mate.

This wasn’t my Leila.

And in that moment, I realized I wasn’t just losing her. I might have already lost her.