Profound Devotion

Chapter 34

August 3rd
Monaia

I was drawn out of my daydream by a voice shouting through the crowd. My brother, joined by men I didn't recognize as well as a familiar smiling face, was ushering Cassius over to join them. I was reluctant to let our time together end, but knew I had no choice but to pull away and return to reality.

Cass let his smile fall to his usual straight stare, but before he left me alone, he raised my hand to his lips and planted a lingering kiss to the back. "I will be close by if you need me."

My eyes followed him as he reverted back to the tall, towering warrior he was known as to the visitors and weaved through the crowd, disappearing from view.

Now, as I stood alone in the sea of wolves, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Everyone was already preoccupied; Jamie being fed by her mate as she nuzzled into his side and wiggled her bare toes in the grass to savor the feeling of not wearing her dreaded heels. Syrene had found her group of friends shortly after being escorted in by our mothers, her own enjoyment clear as she laughed loudly and wrapped an arm around Kyra.

Raian found a she-wolf to dance with, showing off his own skills by spinning her the way his brother had with me and dipping her in one fluid motion. She let out a yelp, clearly impressed as he professionally guided her across the floor while making sure she was able to keep up.

I let out a sigh and lifted my floor-length skirt, kicking off my own shoes and enjoying the way it felt to return to my normal height. The row of empty chairs on the sideline was calling my name, and the thought of relaxing in one for the rest of night was enticing.

The hairs on my arms stood on end the closer I became to the tree line, and I could feel a looming presence before the person made themselves known. By the anger burning in the piercing black eyes that watched me from the tree line, it became clear to me that Jackson was close by and not happy with my actions the past few days. I wasn't acting like I had a mate because, as far as I was concerned, I didn't.

"What?" I snapped, letting go of my dress and glaring in his direction. I was sick of him lurking in the distance, hiding behind my nightmares or the presence of his wolf instead of facing me like a real man. "If you have something you would like to say, then say it." I'd run out of patience for him long ago.

Jackson's laugh was murderous and sent a chill down my spine. His teeth were still stretched into fangs, and his wolf had clearly never relinquished his control. As he stalked forward, staring me down like his prey, I wished I would have just kept my mouth shut and looked the other way.

"Now, mate, I expected more from you." His movements were slow and agonizing, his black eyes searching me for some kind of weakness. "Disappointed is not enough to describe what I am now feeling."

My nose scrunched the closer he became. "This is ridiculous. We are no longer mates." My fists clenched at my sides, and I gritted my teeth together to stop myself from saying something stupid. "If you don't remember, you rejected me. You are the one that forced us apart."

None of my words seemed to do any good as he tilted his head and leaned forward, his face dangerously close to mine.

I scowled with disgust as he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of my scent. It seemed to calm him only slightly before enraging him more as his muscles tensed and his shoulders started to hunch. "You are mine, whether you like it or not. I don't care what you do or where you go, but you will not prance around with another male like you have no other half. I still exist, and I will always be a part of you."

His words disgusted me because, realistically, he was right. It didn't matter what I did to try and get him to go away; our bond would always be there. He rejected me, but that didn't tear it apart completely.

At least not yet.

I held my head high and forced his eyes to lock onto mine. "You're right. We are still connected." He smirked cockily, but I soon forced it from his lips as I opened my own. "I accept your rejection, Jackson, and relinquish my claim as your Luna and mate."

He sucked in a sharp breath and stumbled backward, his hand gripping at his chest as pain spread through his body. As he struggled to regain some stability the way I had after his rejection, I felt an immense weight lift from my shoulders. The last tether holding us together unraveled, leaving him as nothing but a visiting Alpha and a thorn in my side I just had to pull free.

All the sorrow and agony I had been feeling for months was gone, and I felt reborn as a newfound energy replaced it—an energy I thought I'd never have again. My wolf stirred in my mind, even more present and spirited now that we were relieved of the poisonous bond that was thrashing in the staggering Alpha.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He snarled, lunging forward and latching his extended claws around my bicep before I had a chance to react. I winced as they dug into my skin and drew more blood that was now staining my dress.

This was it. My vision was about to come true, and I only egged him on instead of keeping my distance like I swore to do.

I struggled against his hold as he all but dragged me behind him, my fingers prying against his to try and free me. Nothing worked, and an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach as he brought us back to the cliff's edge. The water below us appeared calm, but the waterfall crashed against the surface and disturbed the current that was racing fiercely underneath.

My airway became constricted as he dropped my arm and forced his hand onto my throat, lifting me up off the ground. My skirt swayed beneath me, the only sound around us that wasn't masked out by the muffled music in the distance.

"You have disrespected me for the last time." His face grew uncomfortably close, and I could feel his breath fan my skin as he spat his words.

Another set of footsteps stumbled nearby, a familiar male laughing as he guided his dance partner toward the chairs to get some time alone. Raian's jacket was gone, and his dress shirt was untucked, giving off a much more relaxed appearance.

His smile brightened momentarily once he noticed us, but it was quickly replaced with fear as his eyes trailed over Jackson's arm and up to his hand that was now holding me over the edge of the cliff.

"Naia?" His voice rang through the silence, and he jumped out of the chair to rush over to us.

My stomach fluttered as his grip loosened, letting me fall out of his hold and plummet down toward the water. A frightened scream escaped me while I flailed my arms, desperate to grab onto anything to save myself. My hands gripped a ledge that was protruding from the side of the cliff, its own hold on the surface crumbling and not likely to last long.

My heart was pounding in my chest, and my hands were clammy as I struggled to hold on for my life on the thin surface. The water below would sweep me away as soon as I break the surface, so the chance of me surviving was slim.

"Naia!" Raian's frantic voice called from overhead. I managed to look up, kicking at the cliff to find some footing to stabilize myself with no luck. "Ho-hold on. I'll get you up."

I cried out in terror as the ledge let out a loud crack, beginning to crumble under my weight. "Raian, it won't hold!"  I could feel my tears build up and stream over my cheeks. I was terrified, and my inability to swim was yet another thing that was coming back to haunt me.

"I-I know." He stretched his arm out to me, but there was a good two feet of distance between us. "Hold on, I—go get help! Hurry!" He shouted over his shoulder, sending his date back into the party. "Just hold on, I—"

Another crack echoed from the ledge, and the surface slowly started to tilt and make it harder for me to grip. I let out another cry, my arms aching as they supported most of my weight. "Raian, I'm scared."

I lifted my eyes up to find him with a matching, terrified expression. A part of me knew I was out of time, and one way or another I was going to end up in the water. "Just hold on a little l-longer. Help is on the way." His words sounded convincing, and I wanted to let myself have hope, but as thunderous footsteps shook the earth, the ledge let out one final crack and separated completely from the rest of the cliff.

My screams were muffled as my breath was sucked from my lungs. The air around me whipped and slashed against my bare skin, and I was able to make out Raian's terrorized screams before I was completely engulfed in the icy water that had quickly washed me away.