RHYNA'S POV
I woke up screaming.
Pain ripped through my chest like claws tearing from the inside. My fingers dug into the sheets as I gasped for air, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst. The room spun, shadows blurring together as heat rushed through my veins.
"No... no..." I whispered, shaking.
The pain wasn't like a wound or sickness. It was deeper and sharper. As if something inside me was being pulled, stretched, punished.
I pressed my hand over my chest, right where the bond burned. It felt hot.
"Stop," I whispered to no one. "Please... stop."
Slowly, the pain eased, leaving me weak and drenched in sweat. My breaths came in short, broken gasps. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, afraid to move.
This was his doing. It had to be.
Ever since I told Conan I would not be his Luna, things had changed. At first, it was only discomfort, restlessness, headaches, and a strange heaviness in my chest. But now... now it felt like my body was turning against me.
He was punishing me.
The door creaked open, and a young maid stepped in, carrying a tray of food. She froze when she saw me.
"You're awake," she said softly. "I....should I call the healer?"
"I'm fine," I lied quickly, pushing myself up. My hands trembled as I wrapped the blanket tighter around my body. "Just leave the food.".
She hesitated, her eyes filled with concern. "You don't look fine."
"I said leave it," I snapped.
She flinched, then nodded and placed the tray on the table before leaving quietly.
The door shut behind her with a soft click, locking me in once more.
Prisoner.
That's what I wanted, wasn't it?
I stared at the food but had no appetite. My stomach twisted, not with hunger, but with something else something heavy and sharp.
Suddenly, a wave of emotion crashed into me. Anger, which was raw and violent.
My breath hitched as my hands curled into fists. The room felt too small, the air too thick. My heart raced, not with fear, but fury, burning, choking rage that didn't feel like mine.
I staggered to my feet, gripping the wall as another sensation followed.
Exhaustion.
Bone-deep weariness settled over me, dragging my body down like chains. My knees buckled, and I slid to the floor, panting.
"What is happening to me?" I whispered.
Then I suddenly realized, this wasn't my anger nor my exhaustion.
It was his, Conan's.
I pressed my forehead against the cold stone wall, breathing hard. I could feel him, his emotions, his state of mind, like echoes inside my chest.
I hated it, I hated that I was tied to him this way. That even locked away, even refusing him, he could still reach me without touching me at all.
"Get out of my head," I whispered angrily. "You don't own me."
The bond pulsed in response, sharp and painful, as if mocking my words.
Hours passed, maybe more. Time blurred inside these walls. Eventually, soft voices drifted in from the hallway outside my door.
I stiffened.
"He's getting worse," one voice whispered.
"He won't rest," another replied. "The Alpha hasn't slept properly in days."
"Healers say it's the bond."
I held my breath.
"She refuses him," the first voice continued. "Rejecting a fated mate... it's dangerous."
Dangerous?
"It harms both sides," the second healer said quietly. "The Luna suffers, but the Alpha suffers more. His wolf is unstable."
My heart clenched painfully.
"He won't force her," the first voice said. "But this can't go on."
Their footsteps faded, leaving me frozen in place.
I felt sick.
So this wasn't punishment. Conan wasn't hurting me out of anger.
The bond was.
And worse... I was hurting him too.
But I hadn't known the cost.
"I didn't ask for this," I whispered, tears burning my eyes. "I didn't choose you."
And yet... neither had he.
And then with no one to pour out my anger on, I turned to the Moon Goddess. At fate. At a bond that didn't care about choice or fear or war.
How dare fate decide my life for me?
How dare it punish us both for refusing?
I wiped my tears roughly and forced myself to stand. My legs shook, but I stayed upright.
"No," I said aloud, my voice trembling but firm. "I won't break."
