At the graduation ceremony, I exposed my husband’s affair with a female student in front of everyone. Unable to bear the humiliation, she threw herself from the eighteenth floor to prove her innocence. I became the one they blamed for her death. The guilt broke me — severe depression. I climbed to the rooftop more times than I could count, ready to pay with my life. Every single time, it was Liam who pulled me back — arms locked around me, voice low and steady against my ear. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll stay with you. Always.” Even as the world turned against me, he stood in front of me and took the blows. “Ava is my wife. Whatever she carries, I carry too.” Slowly, I began to wonder if I’d been wrong about the two of them from the start. Then Stella’s letter arrived. I shattered completely. [Ava, I’m sorry. Liam and I lied to you.] [We staged the whole thing — provoked you into a scene, then faked my death to disappear. Ten months later, I gave birth to his child.] [We had to protect the baby. We had to protect my reputation. You were the only option. I’m sorry it had to be you.] That night, my hands shook as I reached for the sleeping pills. I was crying as I forced them down my throat, handful after handful. Liam jolted awake. He lunged across the bed and pried my jaw open, fingers digging deep. “Spit it out — Ava, spit it out right now!” The pills came up in a mess of saliva. He held me so tight I couldn’t breathe, his tears hitting the back of my hand one after another. “Don’t leave me. Please.” I said nothing. My eyes dropped to his neck. There was a mark there — vivid, unmistakable. He followed my gaze and went pale. His hand flew up to cover it, yanking his collar higher. By morning, I stood in front of the mirror. The person looking back at me was hollowed out — skin and bone, dull eyes, hair tangled like weeds. For over six months I’d been folded into the dark corners of this apartment, not living so much as enduring. Outside the door, reporters waited with their cameras like hunters at a blind. “Stella was young and brilliant. You’re weak and pathetic — can’t even have children. What else do you have besides jealousy?” “You drove a rising star to her death with your dirty tricks. You’re a monster.” “Professor Harmon must have the worst luck alive, ending up with someone like you.” Even taking out the trash earned me eggs and gravel from god knows where, hurled with gleeful hatred. Only Liam never wavered. He fed me my medication without complaint. He taught himself to cook, badly at first. He held my hand through every nightmare, all night long. I had believed he was my salvation. My cure. Now the cold words from Stella’s letter crashed back into me. [Don’t blame Liam, Ava. He’s been suffering too — I’m the only one who brings him any comfort.] [Just hold on a little longer. Once the dust settles, I’ll tell everyone the truth. That you never pushed me.] I put on a mask and a cap and quietly followed Liam to a hidden apartment on the outskirts of Chicago. The sunlight hit my eyes like a slap — I’d forgotten what it felt like. The door eased open. He slipped inside with the easy familiarity of someone returning home, his face soft in a way I hadn’t seen in months. But I still saw her. Stella Knox, holding a baby almost a year old, laughing like she owned the world. Everything in the letter was true. My legs nearly gave out. I pressed my palm flat against the wall, my other hand balling into a fist. Before I turned eighteen, my body was whole. Then I went looking for Liam — he’d been taken. I found him, but a rusted blade caught me across the lower abdomen during the struggle. We had no money. All we could afford was the cheapest antibiotics from a back-alley clinic. I crouched on that filthy bathroom floor and tried to hold myself together while everything fell apart inside me. By the time a real doctor found me, I was already delirious with pain. When I came to, I was told the damage was permanent. My uterus — destroyed beyond repair. I would never carry a child. Liam held me and wept until he couldn’t speak. “It’s my fault. I’m so sorry, Ava. I will fix this. I swear I will fix this.” He meant it. He went into medicine because of me, pushed himself until he became the youngest professor his department had ever seen. He swore he would find a way. But then, at the top of his field, he met Stella — another prodigy in medicine. He told me he was away at a conference. He was gone for ten months. And when he came back, she had his child. He had let me rot under the weight of a lie while building a life with someone else. A laugh tore out of me — low, broken, unhinged. My whole body shook with it. Tears and snot streaked down my face. I must have looked insane. It was dark by the time I turned and walked home. Liam still hadn’t come out. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and went straight to his study. I found the experimental vials in the back of the cabinet. For nearly a decade, Liam had claimed he was researching a therapy to restore my reproductive system. Every trial had failed. Every subject who took it died of cardiac arrest. I uncapped one without hesitating and swallowed it.

The glass vial slipped from my fingers and shattered on the floor. A searing heat tore through my throat. I felt none of it. I stepped over the broken glass in bare feet and walked out into the pouring rain. I don’t know how I ended up outside Stella’s building, but I did. My phone buzzed. I lit up the screen. [Ava, I’m working late tonight. Remember to take your meds.] But Liam’s car was parked right in front of me. I didn’t reply. I stood in the rain until almost dawn, barely conscious. The door finally opened. The two of them were tangled together like they couldn’t stand to separate. Stella pressed her lips to his temple. “I don’t want you to go. Can’t you stay a little longer?” Liam held her close, his voice gentle in a way that turned my stomach. “I’ll be back in a few days. I promise.” Something in me broke. I ran at them. Before I could get within reach, I was shoved hard to the ground. Liam looked down and saw me. His pupils contracted. “Ava — how did you—” I was shaking so badly I could barely point. “She’s supposed to be dead.” He went rigid. Then his expression tightened. “Is that what you wanted? To actually watch her die? This is where she’s been staying with the baby. Stop making a scene — we’ll talk at home.” He reached for my arm. Stella dropped to her knees behind him, eyes red. “Liam, I’m the one who told her the truth. I couldn’t stand watching you suffer because of me. This is all my fault. I don’t need any claim on you. Riley can take a different name — or I’ll go back up to the eighteenth floor right now if that’s what it takes—” Liam’s face drained. He turned and caught her, holding her like she was made of glass. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that.” Then he looked back at me, and something in him went cold. “Ava. Are you done?” “I’ve spent six months walking on eggshells for you because of your depression. I’ve barely seen Stella at all. And you still can’t let it go.” The pain in my chest had nothing to do with the vial. I scrambled up and lunged forward. “You don’t have a heart — neither of you do!” He shoved me back down, harder this time. “At least I have a heart to give. You were so obsessed at eighteen that you got yourself gutted in an alley. You’re broken, Ava. You’ve always been broken.” He saw my face go white. Something flickered behind his eyes. His mouth opened. But what came out was: “How dare you call us heartless. I just wanted a child. What did I do wrong?” “Stop using your depression as a weapon. Stop threatening to die every time you don’t get your way. Stella will clear your name.” ‘You’re getting a child out of this — Riley will be yours to raise. You’re still my wife. What more do you want?” Tears fell from my face and hit the wet pavement. I turned and ran. That’s when Liam finally looked down. My feet were bare and shredded. A trail of blood marked every step I’d taken. He caught up and grabbed me, steadying me whether I wanted it or not, ignoring Stella calling his name behind us. I watched the muscles in his jaw tighten. “Whatever else happens, we’re getting those feet cleaned up.” The car was silent the whole way. At a red light, he took my hand. His voice dropped. “Ten years, Ava. You are the one I love. I know I broke your trust and I know that’s not a small thing. But in a few months, Riley will come live with us. I’ll cut things off with Stella completely. We can start over.” Riley. His child with her. I stared at my lap and said nothing. His phone rang. Stella’s voice, breathless and scared. “Liam, the baby won’t stop crying. She’s burning up. I don’t know what to do—” He hit the brakes so hard my head cracked against the window. He turned to look at me, and his tone left no room for argument. “You’re not far from home. Get yourself inside. And don’t breathe a word about Stella being alive to anyone.” I met his eyes. “And if I do?” His patience ran out in an instant. His voice went flat. “Don’t forget. Your mother is still in the hospital.”

I laughed — a hollow, gutted sound — and stepped out of the car. I’d almost forgotten. After Stella’s faked death, her father had shown up at our door with a canister of acid. My mother pushed me out of the way. It took him instead. She’d been in the hospital ever since. In the rearview mirror, Liam caught one last glimpse of my silhouette — gaunt, soaked through — and felt something snag in his chest. Then Riley’s crying pulled him back, and he drove away. I watched the taillights dissolve into the rain. Something ran into my eye. Hot. Then the sting hit. I pressed my fingers to my face. They came back red. Before I could process it, the compound in the vial detonated through my bloodstream. The world tilted. Then it went sideways entirely. I hit the ground and dragged myself to the nearest wall, fingers scrabbling at the wet concrete. My heart felt like it was being wrung apart. It was a long time before Liam called. His Porsche split the rain and lurched to a stop in front of me. He pulled me up, and when he saw my forehead — still bleeding — his expression shifted. “We need to get that cleaned. I’m taking you in.” He drove fast. The hospital was lit and white and loud. Once my wounds were dressed, he led me by the hand down a corridor and stopped outside a set of surgical doors. He held out a consent form. I stared at it. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. His voice came out rough. “Stella went into acute kidney failure. Riley can’t lose her right now. We can’t wait.” “Riley is going to call you Mom someday. You owe Stella this. One kidney isn’t a death sentence — think of it as making things right.” So this was why he’d come back for me. I didn’t move. He frowned. “The dressing already cost us time. If something happens to Stella, your mother’s treatment—” I cut him off quietly. “Fine.” “But you cover every cent of my mother’s ongoing care. All of it. Up front.” I turned and pushed through the surgical doors before he could respond. He stood watching my narrow frame disappear inside a gown three sizes too large. Something twisted in his stomach. From the adjacent table, Stella coughed — weak, deliberate. He was at her side in an instant, hand over hers. “You’re going to be fine. I promise.” The anesthesia needle went into my arm. That’s when I heard the surgeon hesitate. “Mr. Mercer — her vitals are very poor. There are signs of cardiac distress. Forcing a donation right now could trigger acute shock. Honestly, Stella’s condition isn’t yet critical enough to—” Liam laughed, short and sharp. “Did Ava put you up to this? Her health has always been fine. I’m a doctor — don’t tell me about cardiac distress. Your job is to make sure Stella comes out of this intact. Everything else is secondary.” The dull, grinding pull of extraction began. He crossed to my side only once, leaning in close. “Almost done, Ava. Just a little longer.” I didn’t have the strength to form an answer. When consciousness finally left me, the last things I heard were the flat scream of the cardiac monitor, shoes running on linoleum, and Liam’s voice — sudden, frantic, stripped of everything controlled. Three days later, I opened my eyes. Two nurses were murmuring just outside the curtain. “That woman in the next bay is so lucky — her husband is there every night. Changes her dressings himself, sleeps in the chair.” “And he’s gorgeous on top of everything. Some people really do have it all.” “Then there’s this one. Lost a kidney, nearly died, and not a single visitor.” I pressed my nails into my palm until it hurt. The door opened. Liam walked in carrying a thermos. “You’re awake. How do you feel? Is anything hurting?” He ladled soup and lifted the spoon to my mouth with practiced ease. I turned my head away. His hand stalled. Irritation surfaced behind his eyes. He set the bowl down on the nightstand with a crack. “What is your problem? I went through all this trouble and you can’t even—” “I lied to you once. Once. And I was trying to give you a family — something you could never give yourself. Can you not be reasonable about this for five minutes?” I thought about what the nurses had said. “I heard you’ve been making Stella bone broth every day. Your choice of cut, her choice of what she’s in the mood for.” I looked at him steadily. “The fat’s already congealed on top. This is what’s left over. I don’t eat other people’s leftovers, Liam.” His face went rigid. He opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. What came out was: “You’re being completely irrational.” “I’ll come back tomorrow.” The door slammed hard enough to rattle the frame. Tomorrow didn’t come. Neither did the day after, or the one after that. My body grew weaker by the hour. Then a call came in. When I heard what they said, the world went silent. I threw off the blankets and ran — down the corridor, through the double doors at the end, into the room I never wanted to see. My mother was lying there. Cold. Still. Her fingers still curled around a letter she hadn’t finished writing.

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I am the vicious Duchess everyone whispers about. Arthur brought back a blood slave from the border named Lilith. She’s been lavished with his affection. Yet tonight, she suddenly collapsed. Arthur cradled her corpse as his claws pressed against my throat. “You poisoned Lilith! I’ll make your entire bloodline pay!” Suddenly, I heard her demon whispering to Lilith. [Demon: Perfect. The fool thinks you’re dead.] [Demon: The Draught wears off in two hours. Teleport out from the crypts. Return with a new face and replace that bitch as his true Duchess.] Oh? Fake death? Planning to return and humiliate me? I wiped the blood from my neck and threw myself onto her “corpse” with a sob. “Poor girl! She died from a blood curse! Her soul will mutate! Seal her in the Obsidian Coffin! Pour mercury down her throat! Perform the rites and release her soul!” The whispers panicked: [Demon: What?! This bitch is actually purifying you?!] …… The guards approached with a bucket of steaming mercury. Arthur’s wings exploded from his back. His blade flashed. The guard screamed, his arm severed. Mercury splashed across the floor, burning it black. “No one touches Lilith!” He stood before her corpse, sword dripping blood. I stepped forward to meet his gaze. “My lord Duke, this is ancestral law! Blood curse victims carry the heaviest corruption.” “Without mercury sealing and the Obsidian Coffin, she’ll rise as a ghoul on the seventh night and slaughter this entire castle!” I pointed at the ancestral portraits lining the walls. “Would you disgrace a thousand years of House Crimson for a blood slave?” Arthur’s knuckles whitened on his sword. “Chloe Nightshade, spare me your superstitions! You just want to desecrate her!” I smiled coldly. Desecrate? No. Obliterate. More whispers: [Demon: Stay calm. Your consciousness is waking early.] [Demon: Half an hourglass more. I’ll activate the teleportation circle.] [Demon: She won’t really pour mercury. The Duke will stop her.] Half an hourglass? Dream on. I drew the Blood Covenant Token and raised it high. “The Elder Council’s Supreme Decree! The blood slave Lilith entered this House through binding ritual. Her life and death are subject to our laws!” “Crypt Keepers! The coffin! Drive the stakes in!” Eighteen hooded priests stepped forward with ash-wood stakes covered in runes. Arthur froze at “Elder Council’s Supreme Decree.” In that heartbeat, the priests lifted her into the black obsidian coffin. “Close the lid!” CRASH! “Drive the stakes!” “CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!” Ash-wood stakes pierced through the coffin. Wood splintered. Flesh tore. The whispers screamed: [Demon: The stakes pierced your shoulders!] [Demon: Don’t move yet! The potion is still active!] [Demon: Where is that fool Duke?!] I smiled. Pierced? Perfect. Arthur lunged forward. “STOP!” I blocked his way. “If you open this coffin, you defy the Elder Council! You’d sacrifice House Crimson’s thousand-year legacy for this whore!” “Kill me first. Step over my corpse!” His claws pressed my throat. Blood trickled down. “Chloe Nightshade, if her body is harmed, your entire bloodline dies!” I didn’t flinch. “Continue! Pour the molten lead! Seal it!” Guards poured liquefied lead along the seams. Sizzzzz… Sealed completely. Then, from inside, a faint groan. “Mmph…” Arthur’s face changed. He spun around. “What was that?! Lilith isn’t dead?!”

The sound echoed through the hall. Arthur’s sword clattered down. He threw himself at the coffin, pounding the lid. “Lilith! Is that you?!” Whispers flooded in: [Demon: Stay calm! You’re still a fledgling. Your body hasn’t fully transformed yet. You still need air!] [Demon: Cratch the lid! Make him hear you before you suffocate!] [Demon: The lead is blocking my magic!] I glanced at the musicians. “Play! Send her to eternal rest!” “BLAAARE!” Trumpets drowned out everything. Arthur roared at me. “STOP! I heard her voice! She’s alive!” He clawed at the lead seams. His fingers began to smoke. I wrapped my arms around his waist. “You’ve gone mad! That’s a ghoul turning! If you open it, it’ll drain your blood!” “GET OFF!” He shoved me back hard. I held on, screaming to the nobles. “Bear witness! The Duke is bewitched! He wants to unleash a ghoul!” “If it harms you, I accept death!” The guests went pale at the pounding inside. “Madness! The dead can’t return! It’s transforming!” “Arthur! Cremate it now!” “Suppress it before it breaks free!” Opinion turned against him. Arthur’s eyes blazed. He channeled power into his palm and struck the lid. “CRASH!” A crack appeared in the lead seal. The scratching became violent pounding. Time for my killing move. “The corpse is turning! It will claim our souls! Dead Man’s Blood! Suppress the ghoul now!” Buckets of rotting blood were brought forward. “Pour!” SPLASH! The foul blood flooded the coffin, seeping through the crack. Whispers shrieked: [Demon: It burns! ] [Demon: Damn this bitch! I’m invoking emergency power! Burning part of your lifespan to fuel a strength curse! You need to break out NOW before you suffocate!] The pounding became frantic. Arthur stared at the blood-drenched coffin, lips trembling. He spun and kicked my stomach. “WHAM!” I flew back, hit the pillar, spat blood. He grabbed my collar, lifting me. “Chloe Nightshade, you’re dead!” I swallowed blood and smiled. “My lord… I’m saving you… This abomination will destroy House Crimson…” “Noble. Righteous.” His grip tightened on my throat. My vision darkened. “Since you love purging evil, meet the Devil first!”

Choking, vision fading, I clawed his wrist. “Burn… it…” I forced the words out to the guards. “Light the pyre! Cremate it!” Torches hit the oil-soaked kindling. WHOOSH! Flames consumed the coffin. Whispers screamed: [Demon: The obsidian’s heating up! Your skin is blistering!] [Demon:I’m channeling my power into you!Let the power EXPLODE and shatter this coffin from the inside!] My heart seized. “BOOOOM!” The lid blasted skyward, smashed through the altar. Through black smoke, a blood-soaked figure sat upright in the shattered coffin. Dead Man’s Blood covered her face. Fingernails ripped off. Two bloody holes in her shoulders from the stakes. “AHHH! THE CORPSE MOVED!” “GHOUL!” Nobles screamed and fled. Arthur stumbled back from the shockwave. Lilith sat in the ruins, glaring at me with hatred. Then instantly shifted to tears, reaching for Arthur. “My lord Duke… save me… Lady Chloe tried to burn me alive… it hurts…” Hoarse voice. Arthur froze, then charged into the flames. “Lilith! I’m here!” He shielded her, his back burning. Carried the blood-soaked woman out. Whispers turned gleeful: [Demon: Perfect. Now play the helpless victim.] [Demon: Make him so enraged that he’ll slaughter that bitch and her entire bloodline for you.She’s finished.] Arthur set her down gently. Lilith trembled in his arms, pointing at me weakly. “My lord… Lady Chloe called me an abomination… poured Dead Man’s Blood on me… drove stakes through my shoulders…” “I only fainted from shock. Why torture me…” Arthur looked at her, then at me. His eyes held murder. “SEIZE HER!” His servants surrounded me where I lay wounded. Arthur handed Lilith to the healers, picked up his sword, walked toward me. “Chloe Nightshade, you witch! Lilith was in a death-like state from the blood curse, yet you tortured her and tried to burn her alive!” “Today, I’ll tear you apart!” I clutched my bleeding stomach, pulled myself upright against the pillar. “The healers examined her! No blood flow!” “You’re so bewitched you can’t recognize True Death?!” Lilith reclined weakly as healers tended her. A cold smirk played on her mouth, voice still fragile. “Lady Chloe… I know you resent me for taking the Duke’s affection…” “But my late father left me maps of the Empire’s magical defenses…” “Is House Nightshade killing me for those maps?” One sentence. Domestic dispute became political treason. Arthur stopped. Murder intensified in his eyes. “So that’s it… Clever House Nightshade. Cunning Chloe Nightshade!”

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When he came to, Grandfather told him we shared no blood—and ordered him to marry me. Lucian wasn’t having it. He said an arranged marriage would kill any chance at real love. So he got blackout drunk and stumbled onto the train tracks. Saving him cost me both my legs. He still showed up to our wedding—red-eyed, jaw locked, hating every second of it. And on our wedding night, he threw me into an underground club. They tied me to a bed. He sat in the corner and watched. Smoking. Smiling. Like he was at a goddamn show. After more nights than I could count, I got hold of a lighter and set the curtains on fire. The whole place went up. He burned with me. Then I opened my eyes. And I was back—back on the night someone drugged him. Fine, my stepfather. This time you can have your great love. I won’t be the one paying for it. …… A hand clamped around my waist, hard enough to bruise. My eyes flew open and met Lucian Ashford’s bloodshot stare. There was raw hunger churning in those eyes—dark, unhinged, barely leashed. I jerked my head sideways, scanning the room. No leather restraints. No bed bolted to the floor. No stench of bleach and other people’s sweat clinging to the walls. Just my apartment. Just him. His grip tightened. “Strip. Now.” He was too close. The heat of him bled straight through my dress, and his breath rasped against my throat. My vision blurred. And just like that, I wasn’t here anymore. I was back under those men—too many of them, foul mouths on my neck, fingers tearing my clothes off in pieces. I shoved the memory down and bit into Lucian’s arm hard enough to taste blood. “Get the hell off me!” The pain snapped him out of it. His eyes dropped to my torn collar, and something flickered there—something I couldn’t name—before disgust wiped it clean. “Elara Ashford, you’re disgusting.” His voice came out flat and lethal. “Don’t flatter yourself. Spreading your legs won’t make me love you.” Something twisted in my chest, sharp and deep. I remembered the way I’d died. And for one ugly second, all I wanted was a knife from the kitchen, to end him right there. But I couldn’t. Grandfather loved him. And I wasn’t going to burn for this man twice. I swallowed the bile crawling up my throat. “Where’s your girlfriend? I’ll go get her.” Lucian went still. “How do you know I have a girlfriend?” “Is this really the time?” He stared at me for two long seconds, eyes sharp with suspicion. Then he rattled off an address. “Thirty minutes. Get her here.” I didn’t waste another word. I floored it the whole way and made it back with her in twenty. In the car, Serena Cross had been a different person—sharp-tongued, smug, daring me to say a single word about her and Lucian. The moment she stepped out of the car, all of that vanished. Her legs were shaking. Her eyes went red on cue, her voice trembling at exactly the right pitch. “Lucian—I don’t know what I did to upset her. She drove so fast the whole way. I was terrified.” The shock on her face when she saw Lucian’s flushed skin was a masterclass. Not a beat too much, not a beat too little. “Lucian, are you okay? You don’t look well. Let me take you to the hospital—” He pulled her inside before she could finish. I stood there as the door slammed shut in my face. And let myself remember everything. Serena had been my classmate—on a hardship scholarship, couldn’t afford a hot meal most days. I used to lie about ordering too much food just so she’d eat with me. When she said she spent the holidays alone, I brought her home with me. We had a butler. Mrs. Clark cooked for us. But Serena got up at dawn every morning to help in the kitchen, asking everyone’s preferences and making dinner herself. I thought I’d found a friend for life. Until the necklace Lucian gave me went missing. I tore the house apart looking for it, and found it shattered on the kitchen floor. Only Serena knew where I kept it. And only she knew what it meant to me—because she was the only person I’d ever told about the way I felt for him. When I confronted her, she dropped to her knees outside the front gate in thin clothes, trembling, swearing it was an accident, saying she had nowhere else to go. I had her things thrown out anyway. She rose and limped toward the gate—and ran straight into Lucian. He saw her shaking, barely able to stand, and his pity won. I was furious. But more than that, I was terrified. Terrified he’d find out how I felt about him. Terrified he’d pull away forever. So I let her play me. I just never thought they’d end up in bed. She made sure I knew. Photo after photo. Every detail. When I told Lucian what she’d done, he didn’t believe a word. “People like you—bought and traded like cattle—wouldn’t know real love if it hit you.” The fight got ugly. He moved out the same week. The only reason I’d ended up at his apartment tonight was because Grandfather asked me to drop off documents. But the look Serena gave me before she walked through his door— I understood now. She’d planned all of it. A girl from nothing. Scheming her way into a wealthy family. Drugging him was the most direct route. In my last life, I’d ruined her plan. This time, I was going to stand back and watch my stepfather walk straight into it. I stared at the closed door for a long moment. Then, slowly, my lips curved.

I left the documents on the entry table and walked away. After my parents died, I grew up in Grandfather’s house. Most of my memories were of the estate—and of Lucian. He was the one who helped me with my homework. Taught me how to carry myself. He tore up the love letters boys slipped into my bag and warned me not to fall for any of them. When I got my first period, he was eighteen. His ears went red as he bought pads for me at the drugstore. Watching the sunset catch on the flush of his face, I learned what it meant for a heart to race. Later, that racing turned into something else. And he drifted further and further away. It was past midnight when I got home. The living room light was still on. Grandfather was half-asleep on the couch. He let out a long breath when he saw me. “Another few minutes and I would have called the police.” I buried my face in his arms. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. Grandfather had always loved me most. In my last life, Lucian pushed him down the stairs because of me. After Grandfather lost the use of his legs, Lucian dumped him in the cheapest nursing home he could find. Left him there to rot. He sent me to a place just like it. “I lost my phone,” I said quietly. “I’ll get a new one tomorrow.” It took a long while to coax him back to his room. When I finally reached mine, everything looked unfamiliar—but safe. So this was how easy it was to stop loving someone. The next morning, I came downstairs to find Lucian and Serena sitting in the dining room. Grandfather sat across from them, his face dark as a storm. On the table was my favorite—seafood porridge. Serena beamed at me. “Elara, did you sleep well last night?” I noticed the red marks on her neck right away. “Fine.” She didn’t touch her food. “Serena, why aren’t you eating?” Lucian’s voice was so gentle it almost made me drop my spoon. She gave him a weak smile. “I’m allergic. It’s okay—I’ll grab something at the dining hall once we get to campus.” Lucian’s expression darkened. He told Mrs. Clark to make her something else. Grandfather slammed his chopsticks down. “Allergic? A farm girl?” Lucian’s jaw locked. “Father, everything here is what Elara likes—” “She’s my granddaughter. She eats whatever the hell she wants.” Serena scrambled to smooth it over. “Lucian, really, I can eat it. Don’t upset your father over me.” The meal ended cold. The moment Grandfather left the table, Lucian blocked my way. “Keep your mouth shut. I don’t want him knowing what happened last night. And—” He tossed my phone at me. “Try something like this again, and I’ll make sure the whole family knows what you really are.” So he thought I was the one who’d drugged him. No wonder he’d hated me so deeply in my last life. Throwing me into that club hadn’t been enough. He’d had his men feed me pills every day—asleep or awake, I was never lucid. I’d stripped off my own clothes in front of strangers. Begged them. Lost every last shred of shame. The pain ripped through my chest so hard I doubled over and crouched on the floor. My head felt like it had been split open with a hammer. “Lucian Ashford—whether you believe me or not, I had nothing to do with last night.” He just stared at me, eyes cold. “You were the only one who came to my apartment yesterday. If not you, then who?” “Unless you’re going to tell me you don’t have feelings for me?” Being humiliated like that in front of Serena—my face went up in flames. I lifted my chin. “You’re not that important to me anymore. Lucian Ashford—I feel sick for ever being attracted to you.” His face went rigid. “What did you say?” I pointed at the door and told them both to get out. “The person I cared about was the Lucian Ashford from years ago. Kind. Decent. Knew right from wrong.” I met his eyes. “Not you.” I walked past him without looking back.

I thought that was the end of it. Let him have his love story. I’d wash my hands of Lucian for good. Two or three days later, the rumors started at school. “Did you hear? Elara Ashford’s in love with her own stepfather. That’s basically incest.” “I heard she tried to drug him too. Didn’t work. He kicked her out. The Ashfords must be mortified.” “I never liked her anyway. That holier-than-thou look on her face. Take away the Ashford name, and what’s left?” I walked up behind them. “I have top grades. And a shelf full of competition trophies.” They spun around. That was when I recognized them—Serena’s roommates. I didn’t bother softening my voice. “I recorded everything you just said. Expect a letter from my lawyer. You’re right about one thing—I have the Ashford family behind me. What do you have? Your lying mouths? Or just your shamelessness?” “We’re not lying. Go check the forum. There’s a video.” I opened the site. Someone had posted security footage from outside Lucian’s apartment. You could see him through the open door, his face flushed. But the clip ended the second he shoved me out. Everything after—Serena’s arrival—had been cut. It was obvious who’d done it. Before I could find Serena, Lucian found me. He was waiting outside my classroom, his face like thunder. Mindful of the Ashford name, he didn’t go off in public. He steered me to his car instead. He threw his phone into my lap. “Delete the post. I’ll handle the rest of the gossip.” So he thought I was the one who’d posted it. I stared at him. “You’re wrong. Serena—” He cut me off. “Don’t bother lying. I traced the IP. It came from your laptop. The account was registered with your number. You own a unit in that building. Pulling the security footage would have been easy for you.” His eyes went colder. “Should I keep going?” Every excuse I could have offered was already walled off before I opened my mouth. Even knowing he felt nothing for me, being accused like this still cut. This man had taken up my entire youth. I used my phone number to recover the forum password right in front of him. Deleted the post. He let out a cold scoff, ready to say something— Then watched as I opened my messages and deleted his contact. Looking back, the chat had mostly been me, talking to myself. Lucian, the ribs at the dining hall today were good. But not as good as yours. Lucian, Grandfather wants us home for dinner. Says he wants to introduce me to someone. What do I do? His replies had been almost identical every time. Ya. I wiped him off my phone. His number. His photos. Every last trace of him. As he watched me do it, the composure drained from his face. “Elara Ashford. What do you think you’re doing?” My voice came out flat. “You think I’m annoying. You think being associated with me is humiliating. So let’s just stop all contact.” His hand shot out, catching my arm as I reached for the door handle. “Elara Ashford—I told you to delete the post. I never said I wanted to cut ties.” “Behave. Stay out of Serena’s way. And we can go back to normal.” I almost laughed. “I make things difficult for her?” Lucian frowned. “Of course. You had her kicked out of the student clubs. You reported her for cheating so she’d lose her scholarship. You’ve been making her life miserable.” “But I can fix all of that. I won’t hold it against you.” I pried his fingers off my wrist, one by one. “Father—you’ve misunderstood.” He hadn’t heard me call him that—so solemnly, so deliberately—in a long time. It stopped him cold. “It’s me who doesn’t want anything to do with you anymore.” I opened the car door. “Not at all.” The door clicked shut between us. Through the window, I watched the color drain from his face.

When I got home, I told Grandfather I’d accept the arranged marriage he had suggested before. But he didn’t look as pleased as I expected. “My girl,” he said carefully, “tell me the truth. Why the sudden change of heart?” My pulse quickened, but I kept my voice even. “I used to think I was still young. But a classmate just had a baby. I’m twenty-five. If I get engaged now, we can date for two years—and I’ll still be young enough to give you a great-grandchild before my best years are gone.” I knew exactly what he wanted to hear. My answer raised no suspicion. The next day, I met the man who controlled the Wesson Group—Caspian Wesson. They called him The Cold Man in Northgate City. Cold likes ice. Unapproachable. Never linked to a single woman. The moment I saw him, I froze. In my last life, after Lucian locked me in that club, someone had burst through the flames the night I set the place on fire. The man leading the rescue was Caspian. He’d run through the burning building without hesitation, dragging out everyone who’d been trapped like me. When he reached out his hand, I’d pushed it away. “I’m tired,” I’d said. “I don’t want to keep going.” He let me go. But the look in his eyes wasn’t cold at all. It was full of sorrow. A man that good—getting close to him was the easiest thing in the world. For the next two weeks, whenever I didn’t have class, he came to pick me up. Dinners. Movies. Shopping. Walking through the city. Every plan he made hit me in exactly the right spot. So perfectly matched to my taste it was almost suspicious. I started to wonder if he was secretly a player. How else would he know so many ways to win a woman over? Until I caught a glimpse of his browser history. Best places for a first date. Romantic movies for couples. What do women in their twenties like. I burst out laughing. His face went red. He wouldn’t meet my eyes. A long moment passed before he spoke, resigned. “Stop laughing. I just… I don’t know how to act around you.” I still couldn’t stop. “You can ask me next time.” “Can I?” “Of course. What if the internet recommends something I don’t even like? Aren’t you worried I’d be upset?” The resignation on his face faded into something serious. “Whatever you want, sweetheart.” No one had ever called me sweetheart before. Not in this life. Not in the last. One month was enough. I knew he was the man I wanted to marry. It wasn’t a grand, sweeping love. But he answered every message I sent. He made me feel like I mattered. I asked him once—he was so busy. Why did he always reply to me instantly? “Nothing in my life comes before you. Nothing.” I admitted I was confused. Why did he care about me? Where did his feelings even come from? “Sweetheart. Give it time. Don’t shut me out. Let’s give each other a chance.” I said yes. The next day, I formally brought Caspian home.

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On the day of my wedding to the Lycan prince, his childhood sweetheart, Rue, his wet nurse’s daughter, killed herself with her own claw. Kane knocked over the blood covenant cup. He was silent for a long moment. Then: “Give the wet nurse some gold coins for her retirement. Bury Rue properly.” Then he went back to completing the blood covenant ritual with me, as if nothing had happened. Five years later. The night before Kane’s coronation as Lycan King. The elders examined me and declared I was barren. Would never bear children. He had his warriors drag me to the stone quarry behind the royal grounds. Made me pave a road of atonement. Said I could never return to court. That night, he pointed at Rue’s grave marker and said, “She was carrying my pup when she died. If your Stormfang tribe weren’t so powerful, why would I have married you? Rue would still be alive, and so would my child.” “You don’t deserve to have offspring. Spend the rest of your life moving stones. Atone for Rue and her pup.” Within a year, my father and brother were framed for colluding with vampires. The entire Stormfang tribe was slaughtered. I coughed up blood and died. Then I opened my eyes. I was back. The day I was marrying into the royal court. Outside, the wolves were howling at the moon. The sound of Alpha Kane kicking the wedding carriage axle snapped me fully awake. I was reborn. I clenched my fists. My heart pounded. If the Moon Goddess was giving me a second chance, I wasn’t going to waste it. The Stormfang tribe wouldn’t die in vain. I would live this time. And I would make Kane pay for every drop of blood he spilled in my past life. Kane led me into the ritual circle. Wolf-bone beads hung lightly over my face. Freya, my handmaiden, steadied my arm. As she leaned in, I whispered a few quick words. Freya’s eyes flickered. She slipped away without a sound. She was a warrior raised by the Stormfang tribe. She’d been by my side since childhood. A handmaiden in name, a bodyguard in truth. I trusted her completely. The wedding between Alpha Kane and the daughter of Stormfang, every chieftain in the northern territories had come with their mates.  It was the biggest union the North had seen in years. The daughter of Stormfang was about to become the Luna of the royal court. The ritual circle was alive with noise. The elder chanted: “In the name of the Moon Goddess, bind by blood.” Then a young servant from Rue’s room came running in, stumbling over herself. “Alpha! Rue tried to kill herself!”

Tears streaming down her face, she dropped to her knees, forehead hitting the ground. “Rue grew up with the Alpha. Please, Alpha, save her. Kane’s hand, the one intertwined with mine, went slack. Dropped away. “Why would she do something so stupid?” he muttered. “I told her I’d give her a title after the wedding.” He caught himself mid-sentence and shut his mouth. He turned to run. Nearly tripped on the ritual circle steps. Remembered, it was his wedding day. Every chieftain in the North was watching. If he left now, by tomorrow his father’s desk would be buried in letters demanding his head. So he stopped. Looked at me. “Liora, I need to check on Rue. I’ll come back and finish the blood covenant. The wedding’s set, what’s the hurry?” I widened my eyes, made my voice small and pitiful. “Alpha, this is a matter of life and death. Why don’t I come with you? A Luna should handle household affairs, after all.” Kane looked relieved. “Yes, yes, of course.” So the Alpha and his bride-to-be left the ritual circle halfway through the ceremony to visit a wet nurse’s daughter. The crowd whispered behind us. They couldn’t believe it. Inside the wooden house, Rue was wearing a Moonlight Gown. The kind a bride was supposed to wear for the blood covenant.  She’d dyed cheap burlap white herself. The stitches were crooked.  Her half-shifted claws were pressed against her own throat. Her fingertips had already broken skin. Blood trickled down her neck, dripping onto the white dress. She saw Kane walk in. Burst into tears. Threw herself at him. “Alpha, I didn’t mean to, I just want to be with you.” “I know I’m lowborn. I can never be your Luna. But I wanted, just once, to wear a Moonlight Gown and complete the blood covenant with you.” “You know I’ve wanted to be your mate since we were children.” Kane pulled her close. His face was twisted with pain. “Why are you so stupid? I told you I’d give you a title after the Luna moved in.” “Why would you do this? If anything happened to you, how could I go on? Are you trying to rip my heart out?” Rue took his hand. Placed it gently over her stomach. “Alpha, the healer came a few days ago. I’m carrying your pup. Two months. I didn’t want my child to be born lowborn. To be mocked and called bastard. That’s why I…” Kane’s face lit up. “Really? You’re carrying my pup?”

Rue threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, Alpha. We’re having a child.” They held each other. Everyone else just stared. “No way. The Alpha knocked up a wet nurse’s daughter?” “On his wedding day? And she chose today to make a scene?” “Look at them. This is bad.” “Liora must be devastated. She’s the future Luna. This is a slap in Stormfang’s face.” I let my face go pale. Let the betrothal wolf fang slip from my fingers. It hit the ground with a clatter. I staggered back into my old nurse’s arms. “Alpha Kane,” I said, my voice trembling. “I thought she was just a servant. Now you’re telling me she’s pregnant with your pup?” Kane looked at me, uncomfortable. “Liora, she’s my wet nurse’s daughter. We grew up together. She’s the woman I love.” I cut him off. “So you’re in love. You’ve been meeting in secret. And now there’s a child.” Question after question. He didn’t answer any of them. Rue scrambled off the bed. Dropped to the floor in a full submission kneel, forehead to the ground, hands spread wide, throat bared. “Luna, it’s not the Alpha’s fault. It’s mine. I couldn’t control myself. I wanted to give the Alpha a pup. He drank too much that night, he thought I was you…” Slap. My palm connected with her cheek. “How dare you,” I said coldly. “I’m the legitimate daughter of Stormfang. I was raised with discipline. I will not be slandered.” “I met the Alpha two times before the engagement. Always with elders present. Never alone. So don’t drag my name through the mud just to make yourself look less disgusting.” Rue sobbed. Shook her head. “It’s my fault, Luna. Forgive me.” Then she half-shifted and dragged her own claws down her face. Three gashes from forehead to cheekbone. Blood poured down her cheeks. Kane grabbed her arms. “Stop.” He looked at me. His voice was sharp with blame. “This isn’t Rue’s fault. She wasn’t born powerful. You were. That’s the only difference.” “Without your father’s wolves, would I want you as Luna?” “Rue tried to kill herself today because of you. She’s carrying my pup.” “Now you’re married in. Rue is my consort. I won’t leave her or my child without a title.” I laughed at him. I laughed at him. Luna? The Lycan King himself had approved this match. If it weren’t for this engagement, Kane wouldn’t even be sitting in the Alpha’s seat. I lifted my chin. “The Luna position was granted by the Lycan King himself. How you’ve behaved today, on our wedding day, insults not only Stormfang but also the King.” “If you loved Rue, why not call off the engagement? You wanted my family’s army and your lover. Did you think I’d refuse you a consort?” Then I turned to Rue. “And you. You’ve known about the pregnancy. You waited until wedding day to make a scene. Are you really not doing this on purpose?”

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I used to be Boston’s star detective, but I was wrongfully imprisoned for eight years. Furious victim families stabbed me eight times, demanding I pay with my life. My parents disowned me. I lost everything and I suffered through hell in prison. When I got out, I disappeared to a remote fishing town on the Maine coast. I thought life would finally be peaceful, but my ex-wife Serena’s arrival shattered that. She was now Boston’s most celebrated prosecutor, building her name on one high-profile conviction after another. Rain pounded against my shack as neighbors crowded outside, whispering: “Serena stayed single for eight years waiting for him, and Gideon still won’t see her? Ungrateful bastard.” I watched her stand there, soaking in their admiration. Almost laughed. Eight years ago, the person who framed me to save her lover’s career was Serena herself. …… My door stayed locked. Outside, the neighbors felt sorry for Serena. She looked calm, like she’d rehearsed the whole performance. The noise kept getting louder. Finally my boss Tom cracked. He stumbled out of the shack, practically bowing to her: “Ms. Vance, please, we’re just fishermen here. We don’t want trouble.” “This town’s too small for someone like you. If you don’t leave soon with all these people, none of us will have work tomorrow.” He turned and yelled at my door: “Gideon! The DA drove all this way. Get out here!” “Leave him alone. Don’t push him.” The moment I heard that voice, my hands froze on the net. The nylon cord cut into my fingers, drawing blood I barely felt. Eight years and that voice still got under my skin. I knew she wouldn’t leave until she got what she came for. Tom had been good to me. He didn’t deserve this circus. I let out a long breath, stood up, and opened the door. The reporters hit me like a wall. Microphones shoved in my face, cameras flashing, voices overlapping: “How does it feel going from decorated detective to fisherman?” “DA Vance stayed faithful for eight years. Why won’t you see her? Still angry she turned you in?” “Your former rookie’s been chasing her. Any comment on that?” They kept pushing closer. A microphone clipped my jaw. The questions got sharper, meaner. I looked past them and locked eyes with Serena. She was watching me with this cold, calculating expression. My whole body went stiff. I opened my mouth to speak. Nothing came out. The reporters smelled blood. They pressed harder, one asshole nearly shoving me off the porch. That’s when Serena moved. She cut through the crowd and positioned herself between me and the cameras. Her voice came out quiet but razor-sharp: “That’s enough. This is between him and me. It’s private.” She turned to face the cameras with a sad smile. “These men work hard for their living. Let them do their jobs. Everyone, please leave.” The reporters grumbled but backed off. I turned to go back inside. “Gideon.” I forced myself to look at her. Made my voice steady. “What do you need, DA Vance?” She flinched at the formal title. Good. “These years… have you been okay?” The question was obscene coming from her mouth. I wanted to laugh. Instead she stepped closer and reached out. I jerked backward. My heel caught the edge of a bait bucket. Crash. I went down hard, flat on my back. My bleeding hand smashed into the gravel. “Gideon!” She rushed forward, genuine concern flashing across her face: “Are you hurt? Let me help—” “Don’t.” I scrambled back on my hands and knees, used the wall to pull myself up. Blood smeared the wood. “I’m fine.” Tom was staring at me like I’d lost my mind. “DA Vance, if there’s nothing else, I need to go. Early start tomorrow.” Her eyes went soft. Wounded. She reached for my arm: “Gideon, why are we doing this? We don’t have to be so cold to each other.” “You don’t know what these years have been like for me. I—” “Mommy!” A kid came running and crashed into Serena’s arms. Eight, maybe nine years old. Then I saw him. Captain Liam Jenkins, my former rookie, walking up with my parents on his arm. He took Serena’s hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Serena, sweetheart, you should’ve told me you were coming up here.” He smiled warmly at my parents. “Mom and Dad were worried sick when they found out you drove all this way alone.” Then he turned to me. That smile sharpened. “No offense, Mentor. Kid really missed his mom. Plus she’s pregnant again, so we gotta be extra careful. You understand.” My eyes dropped to her flat stomach. If he said she was pregnant… I thought about what the reporters said. Eight years of devoted waiting. What a sick joke. Before I could process it, my parents went for my throat: “Gideon Hale. You’ve got some nerve still breathing.” My father’s voice could strip paint. “You destroyed this family’s reputation. Made us a laughingstock.” My mother jumped in, tears in her eyes but venom in her voice: “Three years ago your father had a stroke. If Liam hadn’t been checking on us regularly, hadn’t rushed him to the ER, he’d be dead right now. Dead, Gideon.” I looked at them. Really looked. Their hair had gone gray. Deep lines carved into their faces. They’d aged so much. All those years I couldn’t be there for them, couldn’t take care of them, it ate at me every day. But watching them look at Serena and Liam like they were the real family, like I was just some embarrassing mistake they’d made… that hurt worse than any shank I’d taken in prison. If they only knew. If they knew Serena and Liam were the ones who framed me, who destroyed an innocent man to cover their own crimes… What would they think then? My father looked at me with nothing but disgust. My mother’s voice dripped pure contempt: “We disowned you eight years ago. As far as we’re concerned, you’re not our son anymore.” She turned to Serena, her voice going soft: “Serena, honey, you don’t owe us anything. This person isn’t worth your time. You and Liam, you’re our family now.” Tom was watching this whole scene unfold. I saw the way he looked at me shift. My hands were shaking. I shoved them deep in my pockets. Serena sighed, all patience and understanding: “Mom, Dad, don’t be too hard on him. People have been talking about you both for years because of what happened. I get why you’re angry.” She gently coaxed them toward the car. But before she left, she turned back to me one last time: “What happened back then… I know I owe you for that. If you ever need anything, you can call me.” Her voice was so sincere I almost believed it myself.

I nodded. Didn’t speak. Serena saw I didn’t refuse. She left satisfied. I knew the truth. I’d avoid them forever if I could. Did she expect me to beg for scraps? After they left, Tom patted my shoulder. His eyes said everything. I knew. Things had changed. Next morning proved it. Tom assigned me the oldest boat. The worst jobs. “Gideon, it’s not that I don’t want to help,” Tom looked uncomfortable. “After yesterday, and you being fresh out of prison… nobody wants to work with you. You’ll have to work alone.” I nodded. Grabbed the nets and headed for that piece of shit boat. Serena had destroyed my peace. Now she was taking everything else. A week straight, I worked myself to death for nothing. Did the hardest jobs for the lowest pay. Then Tom found me and handed me an envelope. “This month’s wages. You should try somewhere else.” He wouldn’t look at me. “This was Serena’s idea, wasn’t it?” My voice was rough. But I already knew. Tom sighed. “DA Vance said it’s for your own good.” For my own good. Those words crushed me. I stood there holding that envelope. My fingers went numb. I didn’t argue. I packed my stuff and left that town. Three days of hitting walls. Then my phone rang. Serena. “Gideon, I’ve arranged a clerical position for you at the DA’s office. Someone will pick you up. You start in three days.” “DA Vance.” I cut her off. “Keep it. I don’t want your charity.” “Just leave me alone.” “Leave you alone?” Her voice stayed calm. “I’m trying to help. You don’t need to treat me like the enemy.” “I remember when you were Boston’s best. I’m giving you a chance to—” “Were. Past tense.” I laughed. Bitter. “Don’t forget who made me into this.” Silence. Then her voice came back colder. “I know you hate me. But you’re destroying yourself and I won’t allow it.” That command in her tone. “If you don’t want clerical, fine. Be a consultant for Liam. He just made Deputy Chief. He needs help. You’re his mentor.” My stomach turned. “No thanks.” “You don’t have a choice, Gideon.” Her voice went soft. Deadly. “You take this job, or Mom and Dad lose the house. At their age, they’ll end up on the street” My blood ran cold. She always knew where to cut.

Serena moved fast. Two days later, her people picked me up and brought me to Boston. Set me up in a shithole apartment. Three days in, someone knocked and told me to follow them. Wouldn’t say where. I walked into an ambush. The door opened onto a press conference. Camera flashes blinded me. Captain Liam sat at the microphone on stage, a red-and-white banner stretched behind him. “Thank you for coming.” His voice was smooth. “We’re here to demonstrate the Boston PD’s commitment to second chances.” He turned to me. Perfect mix of regret and pity in his eyes. “This is Detective Gideon Hale. My mentor. He made mistakes. Serious ones. But he’s paid his debt.” Cameras clicked. “We believe in redemption. People can change. They deserve a second chance.” His voice dropped, more measured now. “The BPD is bringing Detective Hale back as a criminal investigation consultant. He’ll be working with us again.” The reporters went crazy. I sat in that metal chair feeling naked. Stripped of everything. Then Liam stood up. He walked over in front of everyone. Every camera. Every reporter. He pulled out an envelope. Held it out with both hands. “Mentor.” His voice carried through the mic. “This is from me. A welcome-home gift.” A show of charity. Of mercy. I saw the satisfaction flash in his eyes. My stomach flipped. The reporters ate it up. A thousand pictures of Liam’s generosity. I’d become a prop. A symbol of their noble souls. That night, every outlet in Boston ran the story. Headlines everywhere: “BPD Offers Second Chance to Disgraced Detective” “Captain Jenkins Welcomes Fallen Mentor” “DA Vance Stands By Convicted Ex-Husband” I laughed. Bitter. They’d crucified me again, and this time the whole city watched. My parents started visiting. Every time, they looked at Liam like he was a saint. At Serena like she was an angel. “Serena, you work too hard. Taking care of this worthless thing.” My mother’s voice dripped gratitude. “Gideon, look at Liam. If you had half his character, we could die happy.” My father jumped in: “That boy saved my life while you rotted in prison where you belonged.” My mom grabbed Serena’s hand: “You’re pregnant. Don’t stress yourself. If Gideon causes trouble, tell me. I’ll straighten him out.” I watched them. My heart had gone numb. Then one night, Liam came for dinner with my parents. Casual. Friendly. Halfway through, he dropped it: “Oh, Mentor, we picked up some criminals last week. The ringleader has a connection to your old case. The serial murders. He’s one of the victims’ brothers.” My parents froze. “He’s been making threats. About getting even.” “What?” My father’s face went red. He slammed his hand down on the table hard. “This is all your fault! His brother died because of you! Of course he wants revenge. He has every right to want you dead!” My mother started crying. Not for me. “Liam, Serena, please. I know he deserves whatever happens, but we can’t have this affecting you. You’re having a baby!” Liam patted her hand. “Don’t worry, Mom. Serena and I won’t let anything happen. We’ve already talked to these men.” The way he said “talked.” The way his eyes cut to me. Every alarm bell in my head started screaming. What the hell were they planning?

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The Guardian Clan’s Alpha Lord was choosing a mate for his heir — and he did it the old way. Two vials of essence were placed on the ceremonial stone table. One was clear and cool as moonlight, crisp, clean, carrying the faint trace of winter herbs. The other was warm and honeyed, thick with sweetness that clung to the air like nectar. I stood behind the woven partition with my half-sister, watching through the latticed screen as Kael Dawnfang hesitated. His nostrils flared. His jaw tightened. Then, after a long, agonizing moment, he reached out and lifted the moonlit vial. My half-sister, Flora, let out a soft, triumphant laugh beside my ear. “Sister,” she whispered, “you’ve lost. Kael chose me.” Kael had known all along. He knew I was the one who had distilled the cool, silver essence — the moonlit vial was mine. Flora’s was the honeyed one. And yet he hadn’t chosen it. “If I don’t choose Flora,” Kael murmured quietly to himself, just loud enough for me to catch through the partition, “she’ll reach the age of the Moon Decree. She’ll be force-bonded to whoever the Lunar Tribunal assigns. She’s lowborn — half-blooded. Who in the high clans would ever be paired with her?” “Once she passes the decree deadline, I’ll dissolve the promise and come for you properly.” But he had forgotten. I was Flora’s elder sister. I was older than her. If I had no bond-promise in place, in three days’ time, I would be sent to the Crown Wolf’s palace — to serve as the mate of the Wolf Prince, who lay dying of the Moon Sickness. To be his anchor. His cure. His sacrifice. … I watched Kael’s fingers trail across the edge of the honeyed vial before lifting the moonlit one. Something inside me went quiet — the way a fire goes quiet when there is nothing left to burn. Flora pressed close to my ear, victorious and shameless. “Sister, the heir chose me.” “Don’t be sad, Sister. He must only pity me. His heart has always belonged to you.” At the front of the hall, my father — Alpha Lord Wren Silverstone, head of the Guardian Clan — watched Kael’s choice with a face that went pale as ash. He turned to look at me. He had been so certain this was settled. How had it gone wrong? The hall was full of clan nobility who had all understood why today’s gathering had been called: the Guardian Clan’s firstborn daughter was choosing her mate. Now they surged forward to offer congratulations, voices bright with false warmth. “Alpha Lord Silverstone, what a blessing — Heir Dawnfang is a fine choice indeed!” “The Dawnfang Heir with the Guardian Clan’s pure-blooded daughter — a perfect bond!” My father’s expression hardened. He looked at Kael directly. “You have chosen Flora — the half-blooded daughter of my household. Are you certain of this, Heir Dawnfang?” The gazes around me shifted. Pity replaced admiration. Everyone had assumed Kael had chosen me. No one had expected him to choose Flora. “Lyra Silverstone — how pitiful. Her own half-sister stole her bond-match.” “Surely not. She has waited for the heir so long. If her promise falls through, won’t she fall under the Moon Decree?” Kael crossed the room toward Flora, took her hand, and stepped forward. “Alpha Lord Silverstone,” he said, his voice warm and steady. “I am drawn to Flora. I wish to bond with her as my mate.” The whispers swarmed around me like insects. Flora was immediately surrounded by a flock of highborn girls offering congratulations. She was the future mate of a Clan Heir — of course they would fawn over her now. Kael slipped away from the crowd and found me in the corner. His voice dropped low, coaxing, like he was soothing something he had already broken. “All right, Lyra. Don’t be angry. It’s just a performance. A delay.” “Flora was crying all last night. If I don’t choose her, she’ll be swept up by the Decree. She’s low-ranked — who would the Tribunal pair her with? Someone unworthy.” “Trust me. Once she’s past the Decree window, I’ll find a way to dissolve the bond with her and bring you into my home properly. I swear it.” I tightened my fist at my side. I looked at him steadily. “Heir Dawnfang,” I said, very quietly. “I am Flora’s elder sister. Did you think, even once — if our bond-promise falls through today, I will reach the Decree before Flora does. I am older.” “Are you not concerned that I will be force-bonded?” Kael blinked. He had forgotten entirely. I was the elder. I would trigger the Moon Decree before Flora. Flora drifted over then, her lashes low, her voice a trembling thread. “Sister, please don’t be angry with the heir. Flora was just so frightened. I only wanted him to help me this once.” “You’re pure-blooded. You’ll never understand how invisible a half-blood feels. No high clan would ever look at me. I have lived my whole life in your shadow, Sister.” “You’ve always been the jewel of Ashfen — and you have the Moonguard Clan behind you through our grandfather. You shine in everything. How could the Decree ever touch you?” “Father and Grandfather will find a way around it for you. You’ll be fine.” “Please, Sister. Give me the heir. Just this once. Let him help me.”

Flora’s words made the ache in Kael’s expression deepen. He drew Flora against his side protectively and looked at me over her head. “Lyra,” he said. “Flora has asked you herself. Is that not enough?” “She’s right — you’re pure-blooded, and you’re the granddaughter of the Moonguard Alpha. You won’t be taken by the Decree. Your father and grandfather will arrange something. Wait half a year. Once Flora is past her deadline, I’ll come for you and bond with you properly.” “It’s only a little time. Can you really not wait?” My eyes stung. The truth was — I couldn’t. It didn’t matter that my father was the Guardian Clan’s Alpha Lord. It didn’t matter that my grandfather led the Moonguard. The Moon Decree was issued by the Great Wolf King himself. Who dared defy it? My father and grandfather might be powerful. But no power was greater than the Crown. And then there was the divine mandate that sat in our clan’s sacred chamber — the one I had been trying not to think about. If I reached my eighteenth moon-year without a bond-promise secured, I would be sent to the Crown Wolf’s palace as the mate of the Wolf Prince. The Prince was gravely ill — consumed by the Moon Sickness, a curse that devoured its host from the inside out. Going to the palace would be no honor. It would be a slow walk toward becoming a widow before I had truly been a wife. When the mandate had first arrived at our gates, I had not been afraid. Because I had known Kael would bond with me. I had never imagined this. I kept my expression still, my voice soft as I looked at Kael. I let the smallest crack show in my eyes. “Will you truly not reconsider? You’ve chosen Flora — and every promise we made to each other means nothing now?” Kael smiled — gentle, certain of himself. “It means everything. I told you. Half a year. Once Flora is past this, we’ll formalize our bond-promise again. The mate of the Dawnfang Heir will only ever be you, Lyra.” I closed my eyes. It was done. Whatever had lived in my chest — it was gone now. Flora tucked herself against Kael’s arm and looked up at the lunar silver ornament pinned in my hair, her eyes soft with deliberate longing. “Sister, the Heir said he’ll come to present bonding gifts in three days. Could you lend me that moonsilver ornament? The one you’re wearing?” “You know I don’t have anything grand enough to mark the occasion properly. If I look unworthy, it reflects on the whole Silverstone household.” “And we wouldn’t want anyone saying Sister couldn’t be gracious to her half-sister, would we?” That ornament had been left to me by my mother. It was part of my bonding inheritance. Flora knew exactly what it was. She was asking anyway. I had no patience left for pretending. “Flora,” I said evenly. “I cannot give you this piece. I will ask Father to send to the Moonstone Vault to have something new chosen for you.” Flora’s eyes reddened. “But this one matches my ceremony gown so perfectly. I’d only borrow it for the day — I’d return it after. Is that truly not allowed?” “Sister, I know you’re unhappy that the heir chose me. But I really do love this piece. Won’t you let me?” Kael’s expression shifted toward displeasure as he looked at me. “Lyra, you’re being small-hearted. It’s an ornament. If she likes it, give it to her. I’ll have the Moonstone Vault send you two pieces as a replacement.” Three days from now was the day they would formalize their bond. Three days from now was also the day I would be leaving for the Crown Wolf’s palace. That ornament was coming with me. My mother had made me promise she would see it on me at my bonding ceremony. I would not let anyone take that. “Flora,” I said quietly, “if you know something doesn’t belong to you, you should not want it.” Kael’s brow furrowed and his voice sharpened. “Enough, Lyra. Choosing Flora was my decision. Blame me if you must. Why are you making this about the sisters?” I stepped back. My voice went cold and clear. “Heir Dawnfang — since you have chosen Flora, you are now my sister’s future mate. Please conduct yourself accordingly. You should not be speaking to your mate’s elder sister in that tone.” “If you want to shower her with gifts from the Moonstone Vault, that is entirely your affair. But as for my possessions — Flora, hear me clearly — not a single one of them is yours to touch.”

Flora’s tears slid down her cheeks. “Sister, I only love that ornament because Mother always said she hoped I would wear red and silver at my bonding ceremony.” “I only wanted to honor her wishes. I’m just a half-blood. I don’t dare dream of much. Is even this small thing not allowed?” Kael caught my wrist as I turned to leave. His grip was hard — hard enough to bruise. “Lyra.” His voice was low and taut. “Name a price for the moonsilver ornament. I’ll buy it from you outright.” Before I could pull away, his other hand reached up and unpinned the ornament from my hair. I hadn’t moved fast enough. My hair tumbled loose over my shoulders. For a highborn pure-blood daughter, to have her hair unbound before a crowd was one of the deepest humiliations a woman could suffer. It was an exposure — an unmaking. Kael knew this. He did it anyway. He passed the ornament to Flora. “Stop crying. I’ll pay your sister for it. Consider it a bonding gift from me.” The fury that rose in me was clean and absolute. I struck him across the face. The crack of it rang through the room. Five marks bloomed red against his cheek. “Flora,” I said sharply, reaching out. “Give it back.” Flora stumbled backward. The ornament slipped from her fingers and hit the stone floor. Then, deliberately — so deliberately — she stepped on it. “Oh no,” she breathed. “It broke.” The moonsilver shattered into fragments beneath her heel. The chain snapped. The carefully wrought links scattered across the floor like fallen stars. She pressed her hand over her mouth. “Sister, if you didn’t want to give it, you only had to say. I would have handed it back. You didn’t have to grab — I didn’t mean to drop it, I was startled—” “Please don’t be angry. I’ll give you all my moon-allowance to buy a new one. All right?” I lowered myself to the floor. I stopped thinking about my hair, about how I looked, about anything except gathering every piece. One by one I picked them up, my hands steady even as my eyes burned. Tears fell on the backs of my hands and did not stop. Kael crouched beside me, reaching to help, his voice awkward. “It’s only an ornament, Lyra. Don’t make this uglier than it has to be.” “Stop crying. I’ll replace it — five pieces, ten if you want.” I shoved him away. I did not let him touch a single fragment. I folded them all into my handkerchief and held it tight. I looked up at him, and my voice was flat. “Kael Dawnfang. You could not afford to replace this.” Flora opened her mouth again. I turned and struck her across the face before she could speak. “Flora.” My voice did not shake. “You knew this was the bonding inheritance my mother left me. She asked me, at the end, to wear it at my ceremony. You knew. And you destroyed it deliberately.” “Remember this. I will not forgive you. I will collect what is owed.” Kael stared at me. “What — Lyra — this was your mother’s inheritance? Why didn’t you say?” I looked at him the way you look at something you once valued and no longer do. “Saying anything further to someone like you makes me sick.” “Heir Dawnfang. You have made your choice. Live with it well. From this day, you are a stranger to me. Do not call me Lyra again. We are nothing to each other.” That night, I stood in the clan’s sacred chamber before the royal mandate. My father stood beside me, his eyes wet. “Father,” I said quietly. “I am willing to go to the Crown Wolf’s palace.” He shook his head, his voice rough. “The Prince is gravely ill, Lyra. Going to him — it’s not a bonding. It’s a sacrifice. Please, if you are unwilling, let your grandfather find a young warrior in the Moonguard for you. Anything would be better than this.” I shook my head. “The mandate stands. Had it been Kael Dawnfang, there might have been room to maneuver — the Queen knows our clans once had an informal promise. Anyone else would be defying the Crown.”

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I caught my ex Alpha cheating, so I texted the Lycan King I REJECTED: “Still want ME?” His reply came in 0.2 seconds: “On my knees in 5 minutes. Keep the door unlocked, baby.” I thought I was the one crawling back… Until the most powerful Lycan on earth kicked my apartment door off its hinges, eyes glowing gold. … “I, Evelyn Blackwood, reject you, Blake Drake, as my mate.” The pain of the bond snapping hit me like a freight train, but the betrayal cut deeper. I never thought my fiancé would screw my best friend. At eighteen, I awakened as a Healer, a rarity. At the Pairing Ball, my wolf sparked with Blake’s. I became the girl every Alpha wanted, the future Luna of the pack. Our binding ceremony was only a month away. He was in New York for the Global Pack Summit. I flew in to surprise him, but the surprise was on me. When I pushed open the hotel suite door, my keycard hit the floor. He was balls-deep in my so-called bestie. “Does Evelyn make you feel this good?” Vanessa moaned, her back arched. “Honey, she’s a dead fish in bed,” Blake gasped. “I close my eyes and imagine your face every time I touch her. Once the ceremony is over and I take over the company, I’ll have her power. That’s all I need her for.” I pulled out my phone, hit record, and walked in. “I got it all on video,” I said, my voice cold as ice. “The engagement is off. I reject you.” I headed straight to a dive bar, drowning the pain in whiskey. Just as a group of creeps started closing in, a suffocating pressure filled the room. An Alpha’s command. “You have three seconds to get lost.” “Or you die.” A man stepped out of the shadows. 6’7″, black shirt, and piercing violet-gold eyes that made my soul shiver. “You smell like…” He leaned down, his breath hot against my ear. “My mate.”

The rest was a blur of heat, sweat, and primal rhythm. It lasted all night. In the chaos, he kept growling “mate,” even though I knew I’d lost my chance at a bond. My wolf, usually proud, was whimpering in submission. I’d never felt her like this. But there was no time to think. I was lost in the electricity of his touch. I woke up before dawn in a penthouse overlooking the most expensive district in the city. My body was sore, covered in marks. The other side of the King-size bed was empty, but I could hear the shower running. I panicked. I threw on his oversized dress shirt, grabbed my heels, and bolted. I caught a cab, my heart hammering against my ribs. Behind me, at the floor-to-ceiling window, the man stood shirtless, a massive tattoo covering his chest. He watched my taxi pull away, a towel wrapped low on his hips. He picked up his phone. “Watch her every move,” he commanded. “If she sheds a single tear, I’ll have your heads.”

“Why do you smell like another Alpha?” I’d just stepped into the dining room when Blake glared at me from the head of the table. I ignored him and sat down for dinner. Suddenly, the butler hurried in. “Miss, there are packages for you.” A fleet of uniformed guards began carrying boxes into the hall. Limited edition couture, high-end jewelry, designer bags. And a folder, shares of a Blackwood subsidiary being transferred to my name. There was a handwritten card. “The night was exquisite. In three days, I’m bringing you home.” My one-night stand was clearly a player. I rubbed my face, speechless. Blake gripped his wine glass so hard I thought it would shatter. “Are you going to explain this?” he spat through gritted teeth. I looked him in the eye. “I already sent that video to every member of the board’s inbox.” “You bitch!”

He should have thought about the consequences before he crawled into Vanessa’s bed. “Not yet,” I said smoothly, tilting my head. “It’s on a timer. If I don’t stop it, it goes public.” “I want all the company shares.” “You’re in no position to negotiate, Evelyn.” “Sign the papers… or I burn it all down.” “Including her.” I didn’t actually expect him to sign; I just wanted to rip the mask off his face. I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist, yanking me into his chest. He leaned down, his voice a low hiss. “Think about the pack’s future, Evelyn.” “The future?” I laughed in his face. “I’ve been running this pack for three years while you were busy running into other women’s bedrooms.” He flinched. Just then, a sweet, high-pitched voice echoed from the hall. “Evelyn’s back?” Blake dropped my arm. I stumbled back, dusting off my sleeve with disgust. Vanessa walked in, glowing. “You look great. The trip must have been… refreshing.” “Someone clearly wasn’t satisfied,” I smirked. “Did Blake forget his pills?” Vanessa turned pale, swaying until she collapsed into Blake’s arms. “Honey… when are you going to tell her?” Blake hesitated, then mumbled, “Vanessa… she’s carrying my pup.” … That night, lying in bed, I almost laughed at the irony. My two closest people had been playing me for three years. I was alone. Then, my phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. -Miss you.- I was about to block it when another popped up. -Did you like the gifts? I’m still dreaming about that night.- It was him.

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My husband, Preston finally agreed to spend Christmas with my family. I was so happy that I booked the red-eye flight that same night. But by midnight at the airport, his seat was still empty. My phone buzzed two minutes before takeoff. Babe, I’m so sorry. The investors flew in unannounced — emergency board meeting. I’ll make it up to your parents next year, I swear. I wasn’t even mad. Seven years of marriage had trained me out of that. I texted back a quick okay and decided to swing by his parents’ place in Pinecreek instead. Christmas Eve dinner with the in-laws. He’d appreciate it. Six hours later, I was standing on the front porch of the Hayes house in Montana, arms full of gift bags — a humidor of Cubans for his dad, a bottle of Macallan 25 for the cousins, a cashmere wrap for his mom. The whole back of my car was packed with it. I was about to ring the bell when I heard his father laughing inside. Come on, sweetheart, sit down, sit down. Let me get you another glass. A woman’s voice answered, light and pleased. Dad, you’re spoiling me. The shopping bags hit the porch with a hard thud. The door cracked open. A woman stuck her head out — late twenties, silk robe, hair loose, holding a glass of red wine like she owned the place. Can I help you Her tone was already a slap. She looked me up and down, then sneered. Christmas Eve and you’re skulking around someone’s porch What, you here to steal the packages off the steps I knew her face. It took me a second, but I placed it. Seven years ago, when Preston was hiring his first round of staff, this girl had walked into the interview. He wanted to pass — said her résumé was thin. I told him she had hustle. I’d been the one who told him to give her the job. Preston’s father called from inside. Honey, who is it Quit messing with the porch pirates and come finish your wine. One sec, Dad! Just chasing some trash off the lawn. She turned back to me, smiling now. Sweet as poison. I opened my mouth. Couldn’t get a word out. Honey. He’d called her honey. She stepped forward when I didn’t answer, irritation flashing across her face. I asked you a question. Do you have any idea whose house this is She straightened her shoulders. The smirk turned into something uglier — proud, contemptuous. My husband is Preston Hayes. CEO of Hayes Tech. So unless you want me calling the sheriff, get the hell off this porch. I’d been bracing for it the whole walk up the steps. Hearing it out loud still hit like ice water down my spine. I had to force the words past my throat. You said Preston Hayes is your husband. Are you deaf I lifted my chin and stared her down. That’s funny. Because I’m Vivienne Hayes. Married to Preston seven years ago. License filed in California, signed in front of a judge. She laughed in my face. Sweetie, the whole town knows the Hayes daughter-in-law. That’s me. Serena Croft. Has been for years. So whatever scam you think you’re running, pick another house. Her voice carried. The neighbors were already drifting out onto their porches, Christmas lights blinking behind them. Who’s that woman yelling on the Hayes porch That ain’t Serena, is it Where’s Serena Serena’s right there, that’s the wife. They come every Christmas, real sweet couple. Some homeless girl trying to scam the rich folks, you ask me. Christmas brings the crazies out. Each word landed cold. Seven Christmases. Seven excuses. The investors flew in. The Series B is closing. The team needs me. I’d believed every one of them. I’d felt sorry for him. I’d quietly wired a hundred million of my own money into Hayes Tech under shell investors so he wouldn’t drown — ninety percent of that company’s revenue traced back to patents I wrote in our basement. He’d been bringing this woman home every Christmas. To my in-laws. Pretending to be her husband. Serena tilted her head, savoring it. Listen carefully, you broke little nobody. One phone call to Hayes Tech and I can ruin your entire life. Don’t test me. Ruin my life. Seven years I’d buried my last name. Seven years I’d turned down my father’s company to write code in a basement so this man could chase his dream. I built Hayes Tech into the biggest name in the Valley, and this woman was standing on my front porch threatening me with it. I didn’t think. I swung. My fist caught her square in the mouth. Bone crunched. She went backwards into the door frame with a scream, blood pouring down her chin onto the white silk. She’s hitting me! Somebody help! That’s the Hayes girl! She’s beating up Serena! Three or four men came stumbling off the neighboring porches, beers still in their hands, faces red. Get the crazy bitch off her! They were on me in seconds. I got an elbow into someone’s ribs before two of them pinned my arms and a third drove me down onto the frozen porch boards. The cold burned through my coat. Serena wiped the blood off her chin and looked around. Her eyes locked on a snow shovel propped against the railing. She picked it up. You stupid bitch. You actually thought you could come at me She raised it over her head. The front door banged open behind her. Preston stepped out onto the porch. He saw me on the ground, the blood, the shovel — and the color drained out of his face all at once. Vivienne. What the hell are you doing here

The shovel froze mid-swing. Preston’s parents stumbled out behind him, faces flushed from wine. His mother squinted at me through the porch light, confused. Preston, who is this Why is there a woman bleeding on my porch His father’s voice was harder. Some lunatic showing up Christmas Eve to start a fight. Get her off my property. I laughed. It came out hoarse. Three years of Christmas cards. Three years of holiday baskets I shipped you from California. And you’re going to stand there and pretend you don’t know my face Something shifted in his mother’s expression. She caught it fast and went hard. I have never seen you before in my life. Don’t you dare try to attach yourself to this family. His father jumped in, pointing at me for the neighbors to see. Our son has one wife. That’s Serena. Standing right there. Everyone in this town has known her for years. You hear that The man kneeling on my back leaned in close. His breath smelled like Coors. Even the family don’t know you, sweetheart. Have some shame. Preston wouldn’t look at me. He stared at the porch boards. Vivienne. Just — go. We can talk about this later. Later I twisted under the man’s grip. He pressed harder. I lifted my head until I could lock eyes with my husband. Right now. In front of all of them. Say it out loud. Am I or am I not your wife Preston’s mouth opened. Nothing came out. His eyes kept skating away from mine. The neighbors had gone quiet. Even the men holding me down had stopped grinning. A little voice cut through the porch. Bad lady! Don’t hurt my mommy and daddy! A boy ran out from behind Preston’s legs. Maybe five years old. Light brown hair, big eyes. He flew straight into Serena’s arms, then turned around and threw his little body in front of her, arms spread wide. You’re a bad lady. Go away. Don’t touch my mommy and daddy! Mommy and daddy. I stared at him. Then I turned my neck slowly, because the cold had locked it up, and looked at Preston. He bent down. Pulled the kid into his chest. Buried his face in the boy’s hair. It’s okay, buddy. Daddy’s right here. Daddy’s right here. Preston had told me three years into the marriage that he couldn’t have kids. We’d cried about it together. The boy in his arms had his jawline. I started laughing. It came out wrong, somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and I couldn’t stop. The neighbors were whispering now. Louder. Wait — is the husband actually cheating She came all this way Poor thing if it’s true. Serena’s a sweetheart. They got the boy and everything. Preston always seemed so put-together. Goes to show. His mother’s face went purple. She lunged forward and jabbed a finger at my face. You shut your mouth! My son is not that kind of man, you hear me Her chest was heaving. She turned to the neighbors, voice climbing. Look at her! Showing up in some beat-up Volvo, dressed like a bag lady. My son runs a tech company in California. You really think he’d touch trash like this His father piled on. Some homewrecker tramp who saw a rich man and got ideas. Our daughter-in-law is Serena. Her father’s a major business contact of Preston’s. Money. Class. Everything this one isn’t. They tore me apart in front of fifty neighbors and propped Serena up on a pedestal in the same breath. But one piece snagged in my head. Her father’s a major business contact. Every supplier and partner Hayes Tech had ever signed with traced back to a Vance Global subsidiary. I’d vetted every one personally. There was no Croft on any of those boards. I didn’t have time to think about it. Preston had snapped. He shoved the boy back into his mother’s arms, stepped to the edge of the porch, and pointed down at me. Vivienne, enough. How many times do I have to say this We were over years ago. I have a wife. I have a son. You need to stop showing up at my life like some psycho. Do you hear yourself Do you have any self-respect Serena’s jaw dropped. Then it clicked. She tore across the porch and slapped me across the face so hard my ear rang. The crack of it echoed off the houses across the street. She leaned down, finger in my face, voice shaking with righteous fury. You’re her You’re the crazy ex he’s been telling me about for years The one who won’t leave him alone Preston barely even mentions you because it upsets him so much, and you have the nerve to drag yourself out here on Christmas Eve She pulled back and kicked me in the stomach. Everything inside me lit up. Something tore. I tasted copper, then spat blood onto the porch boards. I dragged my head up. Used everything I had left to wrench an arm free. Preston. If she’s really your wife, show me the marriage certificate. Right now.

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At the auction, my fianc└ bid 8.88 million on an emerald ring. It was a keepsake from my grandmother, and just as I was about to take it, he tossed the ring to a student from a poor family whom I had been sponsoring. “I had no choice. She wanted to smash it just to hear the sound, and she forced me to come clean, demanding I choose between you two.” “Guess who I chose?” My head was spinning; I didn’t dare to guess. All I could hear was my own trembling voice demanding, “Why? Our wedding is in just one week.” He casually played with the underprivileged student’s hand. “Vivian, because I’ve already made my choice.” “I plan to replace you with her as the bride. She’s fresh, young, and wild！and she’s very open in bed.” A wave of utter absurdity washed over me, leaving me cold to the bone. The next second, Mary walked up to me, threw the ring on the ground, and crushed it. “Sis, you’re going to be without a husband now~” “And this ring！listen to how beautiful the sound of it shattering is.” The ring, shattered into pieces, was the spitting image of our relationship. I suddenly laughed. If he’s switching brides, then I’ll switch grooms. I picked up the microphone and announced, “We have a last-minute addition to today’s auction: I, Vivian, am publicly auctioning off my marriage. The highest bidder wins!” ´´ As soon as the words left my mouth, the previously silent venue erupted in waves of mocking laughter. [Auctioning off her marriage? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Who’d have thought Vivian, who looks so innocent, would have such an open mind!] [Young Master Lucas, after seven years, you’ve probably worn this woman out. Auctioning off her marriage！who’d dare marry her?] In the auction hall, the men exchanged knowing glances and hurled taunts´ My fingertips grew cold, but I still forced myself to remain calm. Lucas pulled away from Mary’s lips and looked at me, bursting into laughter. “Is this how you’re trying to force me to come back?” “Fine!” He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and raised the bidding paddle beside him. “I’ll bid one yuan!” “Hahahahaha´” His words sparked even louder laughter and mockery. [Young Master Lucas, we knew your fianc└e was cheap, but we never imagined she’d be this cheap!] [One dollar, hahahahaha! Even the street dancers outside the White Horse Club charge 200 dollars a go!] A young playboy in the back row whistled, his tone both flippant and malicious. [Young Master Lucas, how exactly did you ruin her, that she’s now worth nothing more than a penny?] Lucas curled his lips slightly and raised an eyebrow. “Her? She came to me when she was 18. Even back then, she was already a used-up woman.” The entire room erupted in an uproar once more! My hands trembled as I stared at Lucas in disbelief. That was a pain I’d never voiced to anyone, yet now he was using it as a joke, publicly humiliating me. Tears slid down the corners of my eyes. Lucas ignored my distress and continued, “Are you guys going to bid or not? Don’t let her actually end up back in my hands.” The men looked at me with amusement. “I’ll bid two!” “I’ll bid three!” “I’ll bid five!” ´´ I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palms, using that pain to keep myself going. “Brother Lucas, since Sister is auctioning off her marriage, we should at least let everyone know if she’s worth it.” “I propose that Sister come up on stage first to introduce herself and talk about her good points?” Mary pushed me onto the stage and handed me the microphone. The sea of people below！some looking down on me, others mocking！stared at me as if I were a clown. “If Sister won’t say it, then I’ll say it for her.” She gave a sly smile and snatched the microphone. “Sister Vivian is very soft in bed´!” The crowd below burst into laughter. “And she’s very sensitive, too!” “Brother Lucas, am I right?” She turned playfully to look at Lucas. Lucas ruffled her hair and smiled affectionately. “Go on! Vivian has more than just these virtues.” “But she has a sex addiction！she’s hard to satisfy. Does that count?” Someone in the crowd immediately chimed in: “No problem. I guarantee she won’t be able to get out of bed.” “Brother Lucas, I’m done. It’s your turn!” Mary ran playfully into Lucas’s arms and planted a kiss on his lips. My heart shattered into countless pieces, bit by bit. Lucas took the microphone. “No amount of words can compare to seeing it with your own eyes.” Mary interrupted Lucas, jumping up excitedly: “I agree! Why don’t we showcase Vivian’s figure in full on the big screen? How about that?” “Brother Lucas, don’t you have a lot of private photos of Vivian on your phone?” “Alright, I’ll do as you say!” Cheers erupted throughout the venue.

“That’s a great idea. If you want me to bid high, fine！but at least let me see her figure first.” A sleazy man rubbed his hands together, drooling. “Clothed photos won’t do！I can’t get a good look. I want uncensored, high-definition shots!” Lucas stood up and handed a portable hard drive to the host. “There are over ten thousand of her private photos in there. I guarantee that after you see them, you’ll definitely want to marry her.” I lunged forward to stop him, but he shoved me to the ground. “Aren’t you trying to sell yourself off as soon as possible? I’m doing you a favor here！don’t be ungrateful!” The next second, the revealing private photos Lucas had coaxed me into taking suddenly appeared on the big screen. “High-definition, uncensored photos！3,000 dollars. Bidding starts now!” The entire venue erupted. “That’s hot! I’ll up the bid！5,000!” “I’ll go 50,000!” The shouts of bidding and mockery ringing in my ears threatened to swallow me whole. As more explicit photos were revealed, the lewd comments grew louder. “Wow, that pose is hot. Young Master Lucas sure knows how to treat a girl.” “Don’t be jealous！if you buy her, you can have her too!” Lucas suddenly grabbed my chin in a fit of rage, his eyes swirling with an unreadable emotion, and demanded harshly, “Selling yourself for such a high price！shouldn’t you thank me for that, hmm?” Tears welled up in my eyes. My body trembling, I slapped him hard across the face. “Lucas, you’re shameless!” He touched the cheek I’d struck and smiled. “Is that what you call shameless? The real shamelessness is yet to come!” No sooner had the words left his mouth than a high-definition, uncensored video blasted across the giant screen, shaking the entire venue. But it stopped abruptly after just five seconds! “Her technique is passable, but her moans are what really make it worth it!” Lucas looked at the crowd with a smirk. “Want to see the full video? Starting bid: 100,000!” Countless vulgar remarks were hurled at me. “Who knew Vivian was so wild in bed? It’s fine for a fling, but if you marry her, won’t your head be a veritable green meadow?” “Exactly, exactly. I’m out!” Someone rubbed their hands together eagerly: “You guys can back out if you want, but I’m in for sure. I’ll bid 150,000!” “I’ll bid 200,000!” “300,000!” Countless bidders raised their hands in a frenzy. Fighting back the lump in my throat, I tried to appeal to the host: “Publicly broadcasting and auctioning off this kind of video is illegal.” Lucas pinched my cheek and sneered, “In all of Oakville, I, Lucas, am the law!” “Keep your eyes peeled, everyone！the best is yet to come!” Immediately afterward, countless videos of Lucas and me making love were played one after another. “That body is fucking hot. I’ve seen countless videos, but I’ve never seen such scorching positions. I’ll bid 500,000!” “I’ll bid 800,000. Not for anything else, but just because I love the look in her dazed eyes.” “1 million!” “1.3 million!” I bit down hard on my lower lip, my teeth sinking into the soft flesh. I wanted to run, but my wrists were clamped so tight I couldn’t move. “Lucas, do you really have to be this ruthless?” All my strength had been drained from me, and I asked him with a cold expression. “Ruthless? Weren’t you the one who humiliated yourself by auctioning off your own marriage? I’m just showing you mercy by giving you a hand!” The filthy words choked the air, leaving me gasping for breath. I tried to run, but Mary grabbed me by the arm.

“Sis, don’t go! You haven’t sold yourself yet. Let me give you a hand!” With a sharp “ripping” sound, Mary slashed my skirt with a sharp object. I hurriedly reached out to cover myself, but Lucas grabbed my hands tightly. The sound of tearing fabric exploded in my ears. Before I could even react, I was already standing under the spotlight. The stares around me pierced my skin like needles. All my dignity and composure shattered completely in that moment. Lucas dragged me toward the stands. “What the eye sees is limited. I propose that anyone who wants to marry her come up here and measure her measurements themselves.” He held up the tape measure in his hand. “No, let me go!” I struggled to resist, but he held my hands tightly in a vice-like grip. Humiliation surged through every fiber of my being, and tears streamed down my face. “Lucas, why are you doing this to me!” “Why?” He clamped his hand over my chin and whispered, “Everyone knows you’re my woman. How dare you publicly auction off your marriage? You’re the one who slapped me in the face first.” My throat went dry. But clearly, he was the one who betrayed me first. Lucas saw the hurt in my eyes, yet chose to ignore it. “Who’s first?” The crowd erupted once more. “Damn, Young Master Lucas, you’re serious. You’re just like my own brother! I’ll go! I’ll go!” A potbellied fat man from the crowd rushed forward and groped me from head to toe. “Get lost!” I tried to crouch down to hide myself, but Lucas yanked me back up. “Holy shit! Such a tender, supple figure！you’re a real stunner! Young Master Lucas, you’ve really been living the high life.” “I’ll bid 3 million. Don’t anyone try to outbid me!” “5 million!” The bidding drew even more people. Men surged forward, countless lecherous hands roaming over my body. “That body’s worth 10 million!” “She’s got a great body, but I’m worried about down there´” Someone muttered, immediately sparking even more mockery. “That’s only because she’s been played with so much by Mr. Lucas!” “It’s not just that. She once bore a child for Young Master Lucas, but the child didn’t live long！it died before it was even a month old!” Mary shrieked, deliberately speaking loudly for everyone to hear, then immediately covered her mouth: “Brother Lucas, I’m sorry! You told me not to say that, and I forgot!” The blood in my veins froze instantly. That child was a hurdle I’d never been able to get past. I’d even suffered from severe depression because of it. It was Lucas who stayed by my side every step of the way, guiding me and pulling me out of that quagmire bit by bit, promising that neither of us would ever mention it again. Yet he went and told Mary about it. Rage surged through me, and with all my strength, I kicked Mary to the ground. But I was met with a resounding slap from Lucas. I clutched my cheek and wept uncontrollably: “You said that dead child was our shared secret！why? Why did you tell someone else?!!” He snorted, yanked Mary into his arms, and said, “Mary isn’t just anyone！she’s my fianc└e. Naturally, she should know about my past!” Mary raised an eyebrow at me triumphantly. Then she pressed herself against Lucas, her voice syrupy: “Brother Lucas, this is such a spectacular show. I want more people to see it.” “Tell me, what do you want to do?” Lucas looked utterly doting. “I’ll do whatever you say.” “I want to go live!”

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“A wolf-less RUNT has no place in the Alpha bloodline.” I was my elite family’s greatest shame. A weak, forgotten reject, tossed into the freezing border woods and left to be torn apart by Rogues. But when their claws pierced my flesh, the pain didn’t kill me. BLINDING LIGHTNING erupted from my veins, and the terrifying monster that had been sleeping inside my blood finally awake. “They have no idea. They just awakened the last pureblood STORM QUEEN…” …… “Evelyn Drake. Your time is up.” The High Priest’s voice was as cold as the black stones surrounding the altar. Tonight was my 18th birthday — my Awakening. For an Alpha’s daughter, this was a coronation. For me, it was a trial. I took a breath, my bare feet stinging against the jagged rock. Below me, my parents—the Alphas of the Storm Pack—watched with predatory greed. For eighteen years, they’d pushed me harder than any warrior, molding me into a weapon for this exact moment. One minute passed. Two. My bones didn’t snap; no fur sprouted from my skin. “Evelyn Drake,” the Priest announced, his voice echoing in the dead silence. “Failed. No wolf found.” The crowd erupted into a chorus of disgusted sneers. “So much for the ‘Chosen Genius’ prophecy.” “What a waste of resources.” “A literal parasite.” Then, my cousin Acacia stepped up. She had shifted earlier that evening into a rare, ethereal White Wolf. She slithered toward my fiancé, Blake, leaning into his chest. “Poor Evelyn,” she purred loud enough for everyone to hear. “A woman without a wolf doesn’t even have the right to mate. You’re just… human trash now.” I looked at Blake. He was the Storm Pack’s strongest warrior. My childhood protector. My supposed mate. He didn’t say a word. He simply shifted his gaze away, as if looking at me was an insult to his status. As I walked away, head high while my world crumbled, the Priest’s eyes burned into my back. “Strange,” he whispered. “Unless… something far more terrifying is suppressing her.”

“Move your trash to the servant’s cellar. Now.” The moment I stepped through the front door, my mother hurled a tattered black trash bag at my feet. It contained the few clothes I owned. “Acacia needs your suite for her post-Awakening recovery,” my father added, eyes glued to a tactical map. He didn’t even look up. “Since you’ve failed to shift, the Pack will no longer provide your refined meat or private trainers. Tomorrow, you report to the kitchens for scullery duty.” “I am your daughter,” I spat, my fingernails drawing blood from my own palms. “You are a failed investment,” he snapped, finally looking at me with pure vitriol. “We believed the prophecy was about you. Now we know it was Acacia all along.” I turned to leave, but stopped at the threshold as their voices dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “Did we choose wrong?” my mother hissed. “The scent she had when we brought her home… it was so primal. How did she turn out to be a dud?” The blood drained from my face. Brought me home? I wasn’t their daughter.

I found Blake at the training grounds. The sun caught the gold in his hair, making him look every bit the “War God” the pack worshiped. “Evelyn, we need to sever the bond,” he said before I could speak. His voice was laced with a pity. “Acacia needs a strong Alpha to stabilize her new shift. You… you should find a nice human Omega to settle down with.” “Is it because she’s stronger?” I asked, staring directly into those eyes. “Or have you just been waiting for an excuse to crawl into her bed?” A flash of guilt, then anger, crossed his face. “Stop being so pathetic, Evelyn. It’s for the future of the Pack. Just be the bigger person for once to step aside.” “Step aside?” I let out a dry, jagged laugh. “I’ve bled for this pack for eighteen years, Blake. You’re not choosing the Pack. You’re choosing the shiny new toy.” Acacia appeared then, draping her arms around his neck. “Darling, don’t waste your breath on the wolf-less. We have an engagement ring to pick out.” As they walked away, the cold void in my chest didn’t break. It ignited. A flicker of something dark and ancient pulsed in my veins, answering the betrayal with a silent, deadly promise.

The Royal Academy list was posted. My name was missing. For centuries, the elite were sent to the capital to train under the Lycan King himself. It was the only way to escape the brutal politics of local packs. “You blocked my application,” I stated, finding Acacia in the main hall, preening in her new silk robes. “I simply filled the slot with someone worthy,” she smirked, tapping a scroll against my chest. “But the Pack is generous. We’ve assigned you a ‘glorious’ mission instead: The North Border Patrol.” The North Border. A 90% mortality rate. It was a dumping ground for the unwanted, infested with Rogues and shadows that even the King’s guards feared. “A maid on the front lines?” I gripped the scroll so hard it creaked. “You’re sending me there to die.” “I’m sending you to be useful,” she laughed. “Carry the warriors’ bags. Try not to scream too loud when the Rogues find you.” “Fine.” For eighteen years, I was the first on the training field and the last to leave. If they thought wolf-less made me easy prey, they were about to learn that a cornered girl with nothing to lose is far more dangerous than any beast.

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