Kai POV
I wanted to die.
That was the only thought that kept running through my mind as I stood in the arena, surrounded by celebrating pack members who had no idea that their Alpha was barely holding himself together. My heart palpitated with every beat, each thump against my ribcage sending fresh waves of pain through my entire body.
The pack doctor had examined me this evening after I'd finally stopped struggling against the warriors who'd held me down. His diagnosis had been grim but expected: it would take days, maybe even months, for the pain to subside. I wasn't just grieving for myself – I was grieving for my wolf, Hud, who howled constantly in the back of my mind, and for Lily, my ex-mate, whose pain I could still somehow feel echoing through the severed bond.
Ex-mate. The words tasted like ash in my mouth.
