Rowan's descent into madness was swift, chaotic, and devastating. It started with loud, frantic denials, his voice echoing through the council chamber, punctuated by the sound of parchment tearing apart. He thrashed around, shoving anyone who tried to approach, desperation clawing at his throat. Faces blurred into a whirlpool of concern and confusion, but all he could focus on was the emptiness where my presence should have been.

Caden had no choice but to step in. He approached carefully, speaking in low, soothing tones, but Rowan was beyond reason. With a sudden surge of adrenaline, he overpowered Caden, forcing him back. But it was all in vain, Rowan collapsed, unconscious and spent, leaving behind the wreckage of his shattered mind.

When Rowan came to in the pack infirmary, the cold sterility of the room wrapped around him, mingling with the haunting remnants of his last moments of clarity. The sedatives in his system dulled his physical strength, but his thoughts were still a storm, wild and turbulent. He reached for Caden's hand from the bed, his voice hoarse as he blurted, "Where's my mate? Why hasn't she brought me any food?"

Caden shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to answer that gut-wrenching question. "Your mate? She… uh… must be busy with pack duties."

A faint smile touched Rowan's lips, but it lacked warmth. "Busy? She's always nearby. She'll be here soon. I'll send her a message to hurry up."

Before Caden could stop him, Rowan grabbed his phone, a fragile thread of hope knitting itself together in his mind. He noticed a voice message from several days ago and, without thinking, pressed play. The muffled cries from that fateful night filled the room, echoing like a death sentence.

Rowan's smile vanished, and the light in his eyes faded as reality slammed into him like a freight train. "No… she… I… how could…"

Caden rushed to snatch the phone from Rowan's trembling hands, desperate to shield him from the truth. But Rowan sat there, frozen, eyes wide as though he had just stared into the abyss. Tears began to stream down his face, the dam of his emotions finally breaking.

"Just let me die," he choked out, his voice raw and broken. He struggled against the restraints, like a wild animal cornered by its own guilt. "I killed my mate… I killed my Luna. She loved me more than life itself, and I pushed her away."

He broke into sobs, each word heavier than the last. "And our pups… we had so much. I'm not even a wolf anymore. I'm worse than a rogue. I'm nothing."

Memories flooded his mind, laughter shared in quiet moments, gentle touches under the stars, the way I looked at him with love that had never been tainted by the darkness consuming him now.

I stood by his side, silent and unseen, watching as despair crushed him. The weight of his sorrow pressed against me, a bitter reminder of the love I once had for him. Any affection had vanished the night he abandoned me, replaced by an emptiness that echoed through my very soul. Now, I felt hollow, a ghost of the love that once filled my heart.

Rowan's eyes flickered toward Caden, his voice barely a whisper, "You can't keep me here. I need to go to her… I have to make things right."

Desperation gleamed in his eyes, a flicker of determination buried beneath the rubble of his guilt. But deep down, I couldn't help but feel a faint, bitter smile tug at my lips. Oh, my dear mate, I thought, your apologies mean nothing now. The weight of his inaction hung in the air, taunting him.

Caden looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and concern, knowing there was nothing he could say to undo the damage Rowan had done to himself. "Rowan, you need to rest. You can't just, "

"No! I can't rest!" Rowan's voice rose, raw and jagged, slicing through the sterile silence. "I've failed her! I failed to protect her, to love her the way she deserved. I was supposed to be her Alpha, her mate! What kind of monster am I?"

Each word cut through the room like a knife, and I could feel the suffocating weight of his despair. I wanted to reach out, to comfort him, but there was no solace left to offer. The betrayal had stained our bond, leaving nothing but the ashes of what once was.

As he sobbed, memories swirled around him, shadows of laughter and warmth now twisted into echoes of regret. The nights we spent dreaming of a future, the plans we had made, all of it lay in ruins at his feet. My absence was a chasm, one he had dug himself, and realizing that loss broke him further.

In that moment, I understood his torment. Even though I was gone, I was forever entwined with his fate. His suffering was mine, just as mine had been his. The pain in his heart mirrored the emptiness in my soul, a cruel irony that left both of us trapped in a nightmare of our own making.