My phone buzzed incessantly on the bedside table. Message after message rolled in. I glanced down and saw my screen filled with photos and videos—Alpha Xavier and his mistress,Camille Hurlbutt, wrapped in each other’s arms. While I was still in the operating room, fighting for my life, Alpha Xavier was throwing Camille a lavish birthday party at a five-star hotel. Her body was covered in love bites, and she didn’t even bother to hide them. In another video, she wore nothing but a barely-there nightgown, leaning against Xavier’s chest with a smug grin as if said, I’ve won. My wolf roared furiously in my mind. I forced her to calm down, but she refused. “How could our mate be such a disgrace?” she snarled, her voice echoing through my head. “He’s a serial cheater—he should be suffer!” “This might be my punishment for being too greedy,” I let out a bitter laugh and murmured. The door to my hospital room creaked open, and Alpha Duncan, Xavier’s grandfather, entered with a forced optimism expression. Alpha Duncan, unaware of the full extent of his grandson’s cruelty, still held on to a sliver of hope. He placed a stack of documents in front of me—ownership papers granting me shares in the Blue Moon Pack House. “Emma,” Duncan began, his tone heavy with desperation, “Xavier is not a bad man at heart. You are fated mates—you’ve loved him for so many years. Can’t you give him one more chance?” His weathered face softened as he added, “As long as I’m here, no one can take your place as the Luna of Blue Moon Pack.” I didn’t respond. Instead, I pulled out my phone and played the latest video Camille had just sent me. The sounds of their intimacy immediately filled the hospital room. “Alpha Xavier, aren’t you worried about leaving Luna Emma on the street like that? She’s carrying your pup, you know,” Camille cooed, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. Xavier’s lips grazed her neck as he chuckled. “Why would I? You’re the only one I love. Even if she gives birth to my pup, she could never compare to you.” The ruthless betrayal drained the color from Alpha Duncan’s face. His body trembled, veins bulging as he clenched his fists. After what felt like an eternity, he exhaled a long, weary sigh. “We have wronged you,” he admitted, his voice thick with regret. “I will arrange for the Werewolf Council to handle your divorce immediately. In seven days, you’ll be free.” His tone softened as he continued, “As for your mother and the pup’s burial arrangements…” The door opened again, and a nurse entered, cradling a small, lifeless bundle in her arms. My heart clenched painfully at the sight. My pup. My tiny, precious baby who had never even taken a breath. I turned my head away, forcing myself to breathe evenly as tears burned behind my eyes. “Bury the child in the Blue Moon Pack’s Alpha cemetery,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “As for my mother’s ashes… I’ll take them with me.”

Alpha Duncan nodded, his face weighed down by regret. “I was wrong to tie you so closely to the Blue Moon Pack. Go, Emma. See the world beyond our borders. You deserve more than this.” With that, he bent down, cradling the lifeless pup in his arms as if it were made of fragile glass, and left the room. The moment the door clicked shut, the dam inside me broke. Hot, relentless tears streamed down my face, and years of resentment, regret, and heartbreak tumbled out like an avalanche. Alpha Xavier’s marriage to me had been arranged by his grandfather.He needed someone strong enough to rein in his unruly grandson. I needed someone with deep enough pockets to cover my mother’s medical bills. It seemed like a fair exchange at the time. I still remember the first time I stepped into Alpha Duncan’s estate. The scent hit me like a freight train—rich chocolate and cool mint, wrapping around me in a way that made my knees weak. The moment I laid eyes on Alpha Xavier, My wolf had practically howled in my head. “Mate! It’s him!” I quit my job that same week, packed my bags, and walked straight into the role of Luna Emma Greenwood. At first, I thought I’d never get a chance to love my fated mate. But the Moon Goddess blessed me. Over time, I learned more about the Xavier… he was so much more than the cold, distant Alpha people whispered about. Behind his icy exterior was a man broken by his past. His parents had been killed in a rogue attack on his fifth birthday. He’d been just a pup, helpless as he watched the massacre unfold. That scene became the nightmare that haunted his nights, the reason he would wake up screaming, calling for his mother and father. As we spent time together, our two broken souls seemed to resonate with each other. I fell in love with him. I wanted to heal his heart. I wanted to build a happy family with him. So, I poured myself into becoming the perfect Luna. I learned recipes to recreate his mother’s cooking, the warmest memory of his childhood. I dug through family photos to rebuild the little cabin he loved as a pup. I even mastered every trick in bed I could find, hoping that maybe—just maybe—he’d stay in my bed. For a while, I believed we could have a happy future. Then came the first betrayal. Our first wedding anniversary. I’d spent the whole day preparing—candlelit dinner, his favorite roast, everything meticulously planned down to the last detail. He didn’t even bother coming home. Instead, I found him at a five-star hotel. With my best friend. Like a lunatic, I stormed into the hotel, pounding on their door until he finally opened it. I was shaking, crying, screaming for answers. He didn’t flinch. Instead, he shoved the contract I’d signed with Alpha Duncan in my face. “Emma Greenwood,” he sneered, “don’t act so pitiful. You’re nothing but a gold-digging mutt. Did you honestly think that being my Luna meant you could control me?” His words were acid, each one burning as it hit. “You’re just a dog my grandfather bought. What right do you have to question me? Cause a scene, and I’ll pull your mother’s treatment funding in a heartbeat.” I stood there, stunned, the weight of his betrayal suffocating me. And that was just the beginning. Over time, Xavier grew more brazen. When he tired of my friends, he turned his attention to the female staff at the packhouse. I was trapped—caught between my mother’s medical bills and a mate who was determined to grind my soul into dust. One day, lost in thought, I missed a step on the stairs and tumbled down. That’s when I discovered I was pregnant. Alpha Duncan was the first to know. He almost begging. “Emma, please. Keep the pup. Maybe this baby will change Xavier’s heart. If he doesn’t… I swear, I won’t make you stay any longer.” Even Overwhelmed by everything,But I was still greedy enough to crave my fated mate’s love. I agreed. I gave it everything I had. I fought harder than I ever thought possible. For my pup. For my marriage. For a sliver of hope. But in the end, I lost it all—my mother, my child, my marriage, and any shred of dignity I’d tried to hold onto.

I wiped away my tears and gazed at the gray sky outside the window. Perhaps the only solace was that Alpha Xavier and I were finally free. Perhaps our mate bond was a mistake from the very beginning—just a cruel joke played by the Moon Goddess. Just as I was lost in thought, my phone rang. It was him-Alpha Xavier. “Emma,” his voice spat venom. “Did you go crying to Grandpa again? You ruined my night with Camille! I’m warning you—if you pull this stunt again, I’ll freeze your credit cards!” I used to crumble at his threats, begging and apologizing, desperately trying to smooth over the cracks in our broken bond. But today? Today, I didn’t have the energy. “Do whatever you want.”I merely responded with an indifferent tone. There was a brief silence on the other end—clearly, he hadn’t expected that. But he recovered quickly, his sneer practically oozing through the phone. “I heard you gave birth at the hospital. Having a pup really gave you confidence, huh? But don’t forget—I’m the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack. As long as you’re part of this pack, I can make your life a living hell.” I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to steady myself. He didn’t need to remind me. I already knew exactly how far he was willing to go. The first time I caught him in bed with another woman, I naively sought justice from his grandfather. All I received in return was his twisted revenge. That same night, Xavier dragged me out onto the freezing balcony and forced me to kneel. My mother’s medical bills were dangled over my head as he ordered me to slap myself repeatedly. The memory burned as vividly as if it had happened yesterday. My wolf, whimpered at the recollection. She had wanted to lunge at him, but I’d held her back. We couldn’t afford to lose control. That night, as I shivered in agony from my mate’s betrayal, their moans echoed through the house. I trembled until I passed out. By morning, my face was swollen, my body frostbitten. I was taken to the hospital. From that day on, whatever love I had left for him disappeared into the snow. After that, no matter how cruel he became, I pretended not to see it. I endured every humiliation, every insult. I forced myself to play the role of the perfect Luna of the Blue Moon Pack. But now, my mother was gone. So was my pup. And this marriage? It wasn’t just dead—it was buried six feet under and rotting. I hung up the phone without another word. Then, I stood up and contacted a friend at the funeral home to arrange the cremation. When I returned to my hospital room, Alpha Xavier was standing at the door. “Emma,” he drawled, his arms crossed and a smirk plastered on his face. “No more playing the victim?” I stepped past him without a word, but he wasn’t done. “Running around so soon after giving birth?” He leaned against the doorframe, his tone mocking. “You must be in great health. Guess you don’t need any time to rest or recover.” He stepped closer, his voice dripping with malice. “I’ve decided to move Camille into the villa. She’s young, delicate, and doesn’t know how to do chores. You’ll resign from your duties as Luna of the packhouse and come home to be our maid instead.” Leaning in, he flashed a cruel smile. “Seeing you in pain is the greatest aphrodisiac.” He stared at me, expecting to see anguish, devastation. But there was nothing. I met his gaze with an expression so blank it could have been carved from stone. When he realized there was nothing left of me to break, the amusement vanished from his face. He turned to the nurse. “The pup—where is it? Boy or girl? Bring it here. I want to see my child.”

I sighed and my arms leaned against the hospital bed for support. “Grandfather took the child away.” Alpha Xavier looked like he wanted to say something, but his phone rang. The moment he picked up, his face twisted in rage. “WHAT?!” He bellowed, the volume loud enough to rattle the water glass on my nightstand. Without warning, he spun toward me, his eyes blazing with fury. “What did you do to Camille?” he roared. “If anything happens to her, I swear you’ll regret it!” The slap came out of nowhere, the force sending me reeling into the cold metal of the bed’s railing. Pain shot through my body, already fragile from giving birth, and the impact left me gasping. The nurse rushed forward, her hands trembling as she helped steady me. “Alpha Xavier! She just gave birth! Do you want to kill her?” But Xavier didn’t care. His focus was solely on Camille’s voice still squawking through the phone. With one last withering look in my direction, he stormed out, leaving me to crumple back onto the bed. The nurse stayed by my side, her warm hands clasping mine. Her eyes glistened with sympathy, but I couldn’t muster a single tear. The emptiness in my chest stretched so wide, I wondered if it had swallowed my soul. Eight years of this. Eight years of love twisted into something unrecognizable. After an examination, the doctor ordered me to rest. It was then that I finally understood why Xavier had lost his temper. The child had died. Grandfather, devastated, used his influence to exile Camille from Blue Moon Pack in a fit of vengeful grief. Desperate, she had assumed I was behind it. Sobbing, she ran to Xavier, exaggerating and fanning the flames of his fury—leading to the slap. But it didn’t end there. Xavier stripped me of my Luna title during the next pack meeting, proclaiming Camille as the new “acting Luna.” As if that wasn’t enough, he launched a twelve-day public love campaign to “To honor their love.” Alpha Xavier plastered across every screen in the pack lands, grinning like a lovesick fool while presenting Camille with jewelry, flowers, and cringe-worthy poems. During an interview, Camille smiled sweetly, flaunting her new diamond ring. “I don’t consider myself a mistress. If a woman can’t hold onto her husband’s heart, she has no one to blame but herself.” She stroked the ring with her fingers, her voice laced with mockery. “Besides, Luna Emma married for money. But me? I love Alpha Xavier with all my heart.” The internet exploded. Her fans showered her with praise, while others condemned her shamelessness. Some even flooded my account with insults, demanding that I step aside for her. I stared at my phone, but what I felt wasn’t anger—it was… irony. After all these years, Xavier’s tactics for wooing women hadn’t changed a bit. Thinking back, he had done the same for me. When he learned that I had grown up poor and had never celebrated a birthday, For my twentieth birthday, he showered me with twenty extravagant gifts—everything from a gold necklace to a villa overlooking the Blue Moon Pack. “Emma,” he had said, holding my hand beneath the starry sky, “I lost my parents when I was young. But from now on, I’ll treat your mother as my own. Together, we’ll build the happiest family.” I had melted in the warmth of his gaze. I had foolishly believed I had finally found the one I could spend my life with. After all, we were fated mates. Our bond was supposed to be unbreakable. But love has an expiration date. The moment the novelty wore off, he turned to someone else. I still remember the night he abandoned me in the mountains during what was supposed to be our date. He claimed “urgent pack business” and left me to hike back alone. Hours later, I discovered he’d gone to deliver flowers to his latest mistress. That night, I shifted into my wolf form, thinking it would ease the trek. Instead, I tore my paws on jagged rocks until they bled, limping home in the dark. The scars on my legs serve as a permanent reminder of how low I stooped for his affection. Looking back, I should have known. A selfish, sentimental man like him was never meant to love just one woman. Our marriage had never been anything more than an excuse for his infidelity.

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Before the wedding, Alpha Kendrick stood before me, his jaw tight, his eyes shadowed with a storm of hesitation and hope. “Can you give me a month?” he asked, his voice low, almost pleading. “A month for what?” I shot back, my tone sharper than I intended, though my heart already braced for the answer. He exhaled deeply, ignoring the edge in my voice. “A month to try rekindling my relationship with Elena Manwaring. She’s my fated mate, and… this might be the Moon Goddess’s blessing.” Ah, fated mate. I should’ve guessed. Kendrick and I were never fated mates. I was his convenient choice, never his destined one. “So, if it doesn’t work out, then what? Another month?” I tilted my head, forcing a faint smile that practically screamed, Go ahead. Rip my heart out. “If it doesn’t work,” he said, his gaze steady, “I’ll come back to you. I’ll marry you and leave her behind—forever.” “Forever,” I echoed, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. Zara, my wolf, growled faintly in the back of my mind. Let me claw him. Just once. But I didn’t argue. Instead, I gave him the faintest of smiles and replied, “Go ahead. Give it a try. Life’s too short for regrets, right?” Relief washed over his face, so palpable it made my chest tighten. That night, he drove off, lighter and freer than I’d seen him in years. And me? I quietly packed my belongings. I called home. “Mom,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me, “the wedding’s off. I’m coming home to help with the Moon Eclipse Pack.” My mother didn’t even feign surprise. If anything, she sounded downright gleeful. “Finally! Your father and I always said that man wasn’t reliable. Ten years, and he still couldn’t commit!” she scoffed. “Honestly, sweetheart, we thought you’d lost your mind.” I let her rant, offering a few hums here and there. “Perfect timing,” she added. “The pack just allied with the Blue Moon Pack, and they’re looking for an experienced wolf trainer. I’ll set everything up.” “Sure,” I murmured, cutting the conversation short. The thought of diving into training rogue wolves or mentoring pups sounded perfect—anything to keep my mind occupied. I glanced around my apartment, taking in the scattered wedding souvenirs. Personalized candles. Silk napkins embroidered with our initials. Zara huffed again. Ten years with that jerk. Ten years of being second choice. You should’ve let me bite him. I said nothing, just stared at the remnants of a dream I had built and lost. It hadn’t always been like this. Once, I believed in Kendrick. I stood by him when his pack struggled, when he had nothing to offer but empty promises. I turned down my rightful place as Alpha of the Moon Eclipse Pack to stay by his side. I had a choice. I could’ve gone home, inherited my pack, and become Alpha. Instead, I chose him. Without hesitation. His Red River Pack was small, insignificant, a speck along the Mississippi River. Nothing compared to my family’s power. But I didn’t care. I just wanted him. I imagined a life together—building something from the ground up, proving that love was stronger than destiny. So, I waited. While my friends built their lives—marrying, having kids, moving on—I stayed. I turned down every opportunity my parents offered and let year after year slip by, waiting for him to finally say, “Let’s get married.” Reunions were the worst. “So, when’s the wedding?” someone would always ask, followed by laughter. My friends covered for me, claiming I just wasn’t ready for the “grave of marriage.” I played along, smiling and pretending it didn’t sting. But deep down, I wanted it more than anything. To be Luna in more than just name. To be his partner. His future. But the truth was, Kendrick wasn’t waiting for the right time. He was waiting for her. The Return of Elena Manwaring Three months ago, Elena came back. I ignored the signs because Kendrick proposed to me. Suddenly, he threw himself into wedding plans. He helped pick out the dress, sat through endless food tastings, and obsessively debated wedding favors. He was attentive. Patient. Always there. And I let myself believe it was real. That he had finally chosen me. That illusion shattered one late night. I woke to the faint glow of light beneath his study door. Curiosity—or perhaps something more desperate—led me down the hall. Quietly, I peeked inside. He wasn’t working. No spreadsheets, no maps. No Alpha duties. In his hands were Elena’s things: a scarf, a journal, and a trinket box she’d left behind. He held them like treasures, his fingers brushing the scarf’s fabric with an unbearable tenderness. The look on his face—a mix of longing and love—made my stomach twist. It was the kind of look you give someone who owns your heart. Someone you’ve never let go. I froze in the doorway, torn between stepping inside and walking away. He didn’t see me—too absorbed in the memories those objects carried. And in that moment, I saw everything. The way his shoulders slumped under an invisible weight. The quiet sigh that slipped past his lips. This wasn’t just nostalgia. It was longing. This was about Elena. Her ghost—or at least the memory of her—hung heavy in the air. Whether Kendrick and I got married or not didn’t depend on love or destiny. It depended on her. On whether she decided to take him back. And me? I was just a placeholder. A stand-in. The second choice. They say the things we can’t have in our youth haunt us forever. If a missed opportunity or a forgotten dream can ache like that, how much worse must it be for someone who once meant everything? I stepped back into the shadows before he could notice me and returned to our bedroom. The bed felt too big. Too cold. I lay there staring at the ceiling, trying to convince myself I didn’t care. But the tightness in my chest told a different story. The days leading up to the wedding blurred into chaos. Flowers. Seating arrangements. The Luna ceremony rehearsal. I threw myself into every detail, hoping the frenzy would drown out my doubts. I told myself it was fine. That Kendrick’s occasional distracted glances and absentminded smiles didn’t mean anything. That his late nights in his study were just wedding stress. Then, one afternoon, we received a shipment of wedding souvenirs—delicate, hand-painted glass favors engraved with our initials. I picked up one of the boxes and frowned. The packaging was careless, the wrappings half-done. One of the glass favors tumbled out, landing in my palm. It was beautiful, no doubt. But as I stared at the etched initials—K&E—my breath caught in my throat. K&E. Not Kendrick and Me. Kendrick and Elena. My fingers tightened around the fragile glass as the truth crashed over me. This wasn’t an accident. It was a sign. And in that moment, the delicate favor shattered between my fingers, sharp edges cutting into my palm. But I barely felt the pain. Because the real wound was deeper. It had been there all along.

By the time I decided to request a return for the souvenirs, the merchant’s stubbornness had worn me down. After what felt like hours of fruitless arguing, I gave up. The souvenirs were coming home with me—packed or not. It was nearly 3 AM by the time I finally sat down to finish wrapping them. My muscles ached, my eyelids were heavy, and exhaustion tugged at me like a relentless tide. Still, I pushed through. Alpha Kendrick wasn’t back yet. He’d gone to another pack for an event, and his flight had landed hours ago. Just as I reached for my phone to check on him, the front door unlocked with a soft click. He walked in carrying a bouquet of fresh flowers and a box of gifts, his presence warm but strangely heavy. He greeted me as he always did, with a soft kiss on the cheek. “Felicia,” he began, his voice gentle but tinged with something somber. “Thank you for staying with me all these years.” My heart tightened. I knew where this was going. When Kendrick graduated, he had a wild, impossible dream. He didn’t want to follow the Red River Pack’s traditional path. Instead, he wanted to forge his own. No one believed in him—not his family, not his friends. Except me. I defied my parents, sold the shops and houses under my name, and handed over every penny of my dowry to help him build his dream. I gave up everything for him, believing he was worth it. Time proved me right. Kendrick transformed the Red River Pack into a powerhouse, admired across the Mississippi River territory. Young, successful, and driven—he became everything he’d ever wanted to be. But now, standing before me with that bouquet, he looked like a man ready to sever ties. “I’m moving out,” he said, his tone calm yet resolute. “I don’t want to carry regrets. You wouldn’t want me to still think about someone else after we’re married, would you? If I don’t succeed, I’ll let her go completely. I’ll dedicate myself to you for the rest of my life.” His eyes were red, his voice thick with emotion. It should have moved me. It should have made me feel closer to him. Instead, all I felt was the hollow ache in my chest. How could I say no? I had always known where I stood in Kendrick’s heart—second place, behind Elena. On my eighteenth birthday, when I shifted for the first time, I begged the Moon Goddess for a miracle. I prayed Kendrick would be my destined mate. But fate had other plans. The Moon Goddess chose Elena Manwaring for him—a picture-perfect beauty adored by everyone. At the mate ceremony, they were the golden couple, basking in admiration, while I endured the searing pain of rejection alone. Then, Elena left. And I saw my chance. I pursued Kendrick relentlessly, ignoring the whispers and judgment. I believed love could be earned through effort alone. From the start, he had been honest. “I still love Elena,” he’d told me. “If that bothers you, you shouldn’t be with me.” I thought I could wait. I thought time would fix everything. But now, as he stood before me, asking for my permission to chase after her, I realized how naive I’d been. “Okay,” I said quietly, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside. “Go.” Kendrick studied my face for a moment before smiling. “Thank you for understanding me,” he said. Then, without hesitation, he turned away, packing his things with an eagerness that made my heart crack. Minutes later, he drove off into the night, leaving behind only the faint scent of his cologne and the echoes of my own foolishness. I glanced at the wedding souvenirs scattered across the floor—once a symbol of hope, now a cruel joke. What a waste. They’d never be sent out. My eyes fell on the bouquet he’d brought. Among the petals, I noticed a small card tucked away. Curiosity prickled, and I hesitated before flipping it over. Elena, long time no see. I hope you’re doing well. The name hit me like a punch to the gut. So, he’d bought two bouquets—one for me and one for her. And in his rush, he’d grabbed the wrong one. How fitting. Without a second thought, I tossed the bouquet into the trash. Later that night, my phone buzzed with a message from my mother. The flight is booked for a week from now. You’ve been with the Red River Pack for so many years—use this time to say goodbye. I stared at the screen for a long moment before typing a single word. Okay. While Kendrick chased his past, I spent my days letting go of mine. I had dinner with friends, revisited familiar places, and wandered the packlands that had once felt like home. Every evening, his calls came in like clockwork. “Felicia, what are you up to? I miss you.” “Nothing much,” I replied, my voice steady. “Just packing up at home.”

I told him the truth. Alpha Kendrick didn’t push for more, though he continued calling, updating me on where he was and what he was doing. He mentioned, almost hesitantly, how nervous he felt about seeing Elena after all these years. It was odd—this routine we’d fallen into. Over time, we’d grown accustomed to sharing everything. Whenever he traveled for work, it was second nature to exchange “I miss you” and recount the trivialities of our days. Even now, as he prepared to reunite with her, he still called me, as though nothing had changed. Habit, I realized, is a cruel master. I let the silence stretch between us for a while. “Are you upset? Why aren’t you saying anything?” he asked, his tone edged with concern. “No,” I replied softly, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “I wish you the best.” How I managed to say it, I’ll never know. He went quiet, the silence thick and heavy, before finally speaking in a low voice. “I’ll come back as soon as I can. No matter what happens, I love you.” For a fleeting moment, I wanted to believe him—maybe I even did. But belief wouldn’t change anything now. This time, I was ready to let go. Three days later, Alpha Kendrick returned. I hadn’t expected him back so soon, but what truly stopped me cold was the sight of who stood beside him. Elena. I remembered our first meeting vividly. Back then, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. Elena was the kind of woman who shattered expectations with reckless ease—a little wild, magnetic in ways that demanded attention. She was stunningly beautiful, radiating confidence and an undeniable charm. The air between us now hung heavy, burdened with years of unspoken history. Her natural charisma was something I could never replicate. Where she embodied freedom, I was a product of discipline and carefully cultivated propriety. She still carried that untamed elegance. A tattoo curled along the curve of her neck, her sunglasses perched casually atop her head, loose curls spilling over her shoulders. “Felicia, long time no see,” she said, her voice familiar but softened by weariness. This wasn’t the same Elena I remembered. She politely asked if she could come in, and though I was too stunned to speak, I stepped aside. As she passed, her arm brushed against a decorative bear wearing a wedding bow tie. The little figure toppled to the floor. Without hesitation, she crouched, retrieved it, and handed it back with a faint, almost apologetic smile. “I forgot to congratulate you,” she said. “I wish you and Alpha Kendrick a happy wedding.” Her words were polite, even kind, but they carried an undercurrent I couldn’t quite place. I nodded, unsure how to respond. Elena’s gaze drifted around the living room, taking in the sparse furnishings. The house felt hollow—most of my belongings had already been sent to the Blue Moon Pack’s territory. What remained were things that belonged to Alpha Kendrick or shared mementos I couldn’t bring myself to sort through. Alpha Kendrick noticed too. His brow furrowed as he glanced around. “Felicia,” he said, confusion coloring his tone, “why does the house feel so empty?” “I’ve just been organizing and clearing out a few things,” I said casually, brushing off his concern with a vague excuse. Elena sat down and removed her sunglasses, revealing deep bruises around her eyes and faint scars etched across her face. In that moment, I understood why she seemed different. The unshakable confidence she once radiated was gone, dulled by hardship and loss. “As you can see,” Elena said softly, her voice steady despite everything, “I’m not doing well.” She told me how her life hadn’t unfolded the way she’d imagined. The rogue king she once called her true love had never planned to marry her. “To him, I was just a passing distraction,” she admitted, bitterness lacing her words. Trapped in the Rogue Lair, she had spiraled into depression, unable to return to the life she once knew. “It wasn’t until I reached out to Alpha Kendrick that things started to change,” she said quietly. “Thanks to his help over the years, I never lost myself completely.” Beside me, Alpha Kendrick tensed. His unease rolled off him in waves. It wasn’t just about her confession. It was the confirmation that they had never truly lost contact. Elena didn’t stop. Her voice remained soft, steady—almost gentle. “Alpha Kendrick spends a month with me every year. Always at the end of the year. Without him, I wouldn’t have made it through.” The words landed like a punch to the gut. Suddenly, everything clicked. His so-called “wolf pack business trips.” The vague excuses every December. The expansion efforts, the alliances he claimed to be securing. None of it had been real. He hadn’t been tending to the pack. He had been with her. Elena glanced at me, gauging my reaction before continuing. “When Alpha Kendrick started growing his pack’s business, I heard you sold your dowry to give him the startup capital. Even from afar, I admired your loyalty.” I said nothing. The weight of her words pressed down like a lead shroud. Loyalty. That’s what I had given him. Unwavering. Absolute. And in return? “I was in trouble at the time too,” Elena admitted, her voice quieter now. “My life was… falling apart. So, Alpha Kendrick sent me $200,000 to help.” The number rang in my ears. $200,000. Suddenly, I remembered the missing funds from the Red River Pack’s accounts. The ones brushed off as a bookkeeping error. It hadn’t been an oversight. It hadn’t been a mistake. It was a secret. A carefully concealed piece of Alpha Kendrick’s life with Elena—one I was never meant to uncover.

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Today was supposed to be my mating day. The day Tristan Veyne would mark me as his Luna, in front of the whole Ashveil Pack. We’d trained together since we were pups. Everyone said we were the perfect match. Future Alpha and Luna. Balanced. Predictable. Safe. I smoothed down the front of my cloak for the hundredth time and glanced toward the entrance again. Still no one. Not a single soul had shown up—not my parents, not my brother Rafe, not even Tristan. Just me, standing alone in the silence. I pulled out my phone and checked for the fifth time. No new messages. My thumb hovered over Tristan’s name before I called again. It rang twice, then went to voicemail. I stared at the screen, unsure whether to laugh or throw it against the stone wall. Then the pack announcement flashed across it: [WELCOME HOME SERA THORNHART] A video auto-played. There they were—my family. All of them. Gathered at the arrival gates of the northern ridge, where the skycrafts landed. My father beamed, my mother teared up, and Rafe had lifted Sera into a spinning hug. Even Tristan was there, standing just behind her. Sera’s golden hair glinted under the lantern lights. Her arm curled tightly around Tristan’s like she belonged there. She always did. My chest burned. A moment later, my phone buzzed again. This time it was Tristan. “Stop being dramatic, Kiera,” he said, his voice dry, like I’d called to complain about the weather. “We’ll do the ceremony later. Sera just got back from Alpha training at Wolfsbane Academy —” The line cut. I stared at the screen, my claws itching to come out. Around me, the ceremonial hall remained silent, filled only with the soft rustle of moonflower petals falling to the floor. I looked down at the cloak I’d spent hours sewing silver threads into. It pooled around me now like shed fur, like something I didn’t deserve to wear. I slipped it off and left it there. The Ashveil Pack buzzed with noise when I returned. Someone had roasted meat on the back grill. Sera’s perfume floated through the halls—rose and sweetleaf, strong enough to push every other scent away. Laughter echoed from the main room. A celebration, loud and thoughtless. No one noticed when I slipped inside through the kitchen door. I went straight to my room, sat on the edge of my bed, and stared at the list I’d written in my journal. A simple list. Every time I’d been forgotten. Overlooked. Passed over. I added another entry at the bottom: Mating ceremony—no one came. A knock slammed against the door. It creaked open, and Rafe stepped inside like he owned the place, his boots heavy on the floor. “There you are.” He looked me over, taking in the fur cloak now folded by my desk and the half-written letter to the Council. “Sera wants your meatloaf. Make it spicy—she says she missed the way you cook it.” I stared at him, hands resting on my lap. “You missed my mating ceremony.” Rafe blinked, then shrugged like it didn’t matter. “It’s just a ritual. You and Tristan can do it next moon, or the one after. Sera’s back, Kiera. We haven’t seen her in a year.” He picked up my journal from the desk, flipped through it without asking. “You still writing this stuff down?” His eyes landed on the fresh page. At the top in bold letters: FINAL WARNING. He snorted. “What’s that supposed to mean? You gonna run away? To be a rogue?” He tossed the journal back onto the bed. “Just make the meatloaf, Kiera.” I stood slowly and walked past him toward the kitchen. My hands stung as I pulled out the meat from the cold box. The new soap they’d brought back for me to use—Sera’s favorite brand—had left red blotches on my skin. Rafe leaned against the wall behind me, watching too closely. “Why are you so quiet?” he asked. “Planning to poison her or something?” Before I could answer, her voice rang out from the main room. “Rafeee! The chestnuts!” He rolled his eyes and muttered, “Coming,” before turning and leaving without a second glance. I washed my hands under cold water, watching the red fade into pale pink. My eyes drifted to the counter. There sat the ceremonial cake I’d ordered. Still untouched. The bonding rings lay beside it, sealed in their velvet box. I didn’t cry. I just stood there for a long time, staring at all the things that were supposed to matter. My wolf had been quiet all day, but now her voice was sharp in my head. Veyla, my wolf, growled low in my chest. “They’ve made their choice,” she said. “So will we.” I looked toward the window. Beyond it, the dark trees of the northern woods swayed gently in the night wind. Sera was back. She had everything. And me? I was done waiting.

I set the meatloaf down on the long oak dining table, the scent wafting through the air like a forgotten promise. Laughter echoed from the living room. Father, usually buried in Alpha Council meetings and Ashveil Pack’s logistics, sat comfortably, listening intently as Sera gushed about her time at Wolfsbane Academy. “We practiced under the pack elder Greyfang,” she said, eyes shining. “He said I had the instincts of a born Alpha—strong enough to lead any pack.” Mother clutched Sera’s hand, eyes shimmering with emotion. “My sweet girl. You’ve lost weight, haven’t you? You need more rest—too much time in training will weaken your wolf and dull your senses.” Rafe sat beside them, still dutifully peeling chestnuts like some Beta servant. I stood quietly at the threshold between the kitchen and living room—watching, never invited. That room was warm, bright, full of voices and attention. This room—mine—was quiet, dim. Forgotten. Sera’s voice rose with performative sweetness. “Kiera, why are you just standing there? Still mad at me for ruining your ceremony?” The conversation screeched to a halt. Three pairs of eyes turned toward me like I was a problem that had just come back. Father’s brow furrowed. “Kiera, come here. Don’t sulk.” Mother gave me that impatient look—the one that always followed whenever Sera cried. “You’re the one who picked that unfortunate date. Sera had just landed, we were all exhausted from the airport run. You know that, don’t you?” Then came the dagger. “If you’re going to be petty with your sister, then you’re no daughter of mine.” Sera gasped, wide-eyed and full of faux concern. “Mom, don’t be so harsh. Kiera will feel hurt…” But her smirk said otherwise. She knew my ceremony date. I told her a week in advance. She even replied: “Can’t wait! Got a surprise planned for you.” Surprise, indeed. Since we were pups, Sera had always managed to turn every situation into a test—one where the pack had to choose. They always picked her. Even my mate chose her. I should’ve felt something—anger, betrayal, sadness. But there was only… stillness. “I’m not angry.” Those three words sliced through the tension like claws through bark. Everyone stared. Father blinked. Mother narrowed her eyes. Sera tilted her head with a mock-confused pout. They had expected a tantrum, not serenity. Which meant… they knew what they did would hurt me. They just didn’t care enough to stop. Father exhaled and forced a smile. “Good. That’s good. We’re a pack. We don’t hold grudges.” “Of course,” I said, nodding with perfect obedience. It was the same voice I used to speak to the Elder wolves during full moon rituals. The relief in their eyes was instant. They turned their attention back to Sera. Dinner began. The maid had added several dishes besides my meatloaf—crab legs, lemon garlic scallops, all Sera’s favorites. “You’re too thin,” Father murmured, piling food onto her plate. “Eat more. You’ll need your strength before the orchestral trial,” Mother added, dabbing her eyes again. Rafe chimed in with a grin. “Don’t worry. If any of those city wolves give you trouble, I’ll rip their throats out.” Sera laughed, her silver hair gleaming in the light. “No need. I’ve got this.” They all chuckled. I ate in silence, the warmth of the meatloaf doing little to thaw the cold within me. Then, for the first time that evening, Mother glanced at me. She hesitated. Picked up a spoonful of meatloaf and placed it on my plate. “Try it. Don’t think we don’t care about you just because we fuss over Sera. I care about you too.” The words felt… rehearsed. Like a line from a script she’d used too often. I looked down at the food, then slowly set my utensils down. “No. I’m full.” Her expression shifted—first startled, then irritated. “What’s wrong with you lately?” She started to say more, but Sera suddenly clutched her throat, eyes wide. “Mom… I… I can’t breathe—” Her voice cracked, breath rasping. She staggered backward, knocking over her chair. Panic erupted instantly. “Sera!” Mother screamed. “What’s happening?!” Father stood so fast the table shook. Rafe was already at her side, sniffing her neck and face for signs of poison, his Beta instincts flaring. “Her scent’s spiking—something’s wrong!” My heart thudded in my chest, not from fear, but from the quiet, twisted irony of it all. In the chaos, no one noticed me standing completely still—just watching. Veyla’s voice stirred faintly in my mind. “She’s not choking, Kiera. She’s shifting. Something inside her is waking.”

Sera’s rash bloomed across her skin like a warning from the moon goddess. “Is this… an allergic reaction?” Father barked, nostrils flaring as he hovered over her convulsing form. “Why would this happen now?” Mother’s gaze snapped to me like a dagger drawn under moonlight. In the next heartbeat, her palm collided with my cheek, sending me sprawling across the tiled floor. “Kiera! What did you put in the food? Have you forgotten your sister’s triggers?!” My head rang. The room swam. I could feel Veyla stir within me, a low growl rising in the depths of my chest. But I shoved her back, swallowing the heat clawing at my throat. Rafe stepped forward, eyes flashing in disbelief. “You were so quiet… so obedient. And now this? You meant to harm Sera.” “How did I end up with a sister like you?” he added, his voice heavy with disappointment. “Enough!” Father slammed his fist on the table, the sound reverberating like thunder. “Get her to the healer now!” The room cleared in a blur—my parents and Rafe carrying Sera out, frantic and breathless, like she was the moon’s own fragile vessel. I was left alone, face throbbing, heart hollow. It wasn’t me. I whispered the words aloud, but they echoed off the silence like lies. They wouldn’t believe me. They never did. Not after everything. I felt something wet and hot on my palm. The maid had returned, her eyes wide as she caught sight of my hands. “Lady Kiera… your hands… they’re—swollen.” I looked down. Red lines bloomed across my skin like fire veins. “I’m fine,” I lied, brushing past her. In my room, I reached for an old leather-bound notebook. As I opened its worn cover, the scent of old ink and pine dust rose—memories not even the wolf in me wanted to recall. That winter, prey was scarce. Rogues pushed at our borders, and the Council demanded more from Father than he could give. When resources thinned, when space and safety grew tight, someone had to be sent away. I volunteered. The obedient daughter. The easy one to forget. The outpost clung to the cliffs beyond the pack’s borders—a place carved for old warriors and outcasts. No pack song reached that far. Only wind and silence. There I learned everything. They visited once a year for Solstice rites. Each time, they stayed less. Brought more gifts for Sera. Spoke less of me. When I finally returned, the Ashveil Pack had grown stronger—courts and galleries echoing with pride. My new quarters? A forgotten supply room near the rear exit. No windows. No warmth. Just a reminder: I wasn’t part of the vision they built. I packed my things into a worn duffel. The wedding leave I had once requested felt laughable now. I was reaching for the phone, ready to send a message to my superior at outpost—requesting return to the outpost. Tristan. My mate. Or at least, the one fate had paired me with. The one who should have stood by me. “What did you do to Sera?” he demanded, skipping any pretense of concern. “She’s in the healer’s hall. You poisoned her?” “It was an allergic reaction,” I said simply. “Don’t lie to me. You’ve always been jealous. How could you hurt your own blood like that?” His words were fire, burning through any remaining illusion I had. “Yes. I hurt her. I’ll apologize when she recovers. Are we done?” He fell silent for a second, stunned by my calm. We’d argued about Sera before—dozens of times. He used to flirt with her under the pretense of concern. Ordered her favorite foods during our dinners. Ignored my needs, my wants. “She’s your sister,” he always said, like that made everything acceptable. To my family, I was always the overreacting one. The unstable one. When Sera went to the Alpha training, I felt peace for the first time. Even Veyla had been calmer. Now, the storm had returned. “If anything happens to Sera again,” Tristan warned, his voice cold, “there will be no mating ceremony.” Then the line went dead. I pictured him rushing into the healer’s den, brushing hair from Sera’s face, playing the hero to the girl he truly wanted. My claws threatened to unsheathe. Instead, I smirked, hung up, and called my mentor back in the outpost . Later that night, the front door creaked open. Mother and Father returned, exhaustion painted across their faces. Rafe followed, his head low. My duffel sat by the door. I was ready to leave. From upstairs, I heard them speaking in hushed tones—until the silence cracked open with betrayal. “If only Tristan’s family had better standing,” Mother sighed. “He’s so good to Sera…” “Sera likes him,” Father added. “Had I known, I never would’ve paired him with Kiera.” “Still,” Mother continued, “Tristan and Kiera are more suited. Let Sera chase her dreams. He can still take care of her, even as Kiera’s mate.” The words sank like stones in my gut. Even now, they planned to keep Sera close to my mate. To my mate. I descended the stairs, my presence sudden, cutting off their whispers. Mother flinched as she saw me. “Kiera… you—You’re still here?” I said nothing. Just grabbed my bag and walked into the night—into the cold air and the arms of the moon. Veyla stirred again. We were never one of them, Kiera. But we are not alone. I tilted my face skyward, letting the night wind carry my scent far from that house. From the pack that never truly saw me. From the mate who never chose me. Let them keep their false bonds. I would forge my own.

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I arrived at the Moonfang Medical Station a bit early for my prenatal checkup.Alpha Vincent said he had patrol duty at the border and couldn’t come with me.I didn’t question it.He was an Alpha,and he had responsibilities. But just as I walked past the exam room hallway,I heard his voice. “Look here—this is the clawbone forming already.So sharp.” He was smiling.That warm,deep voice—he only used it when he was genuinely happy. “You’re sure that’s a claw?It looks kind of soft…”a soft voice replied. Omega Rosa. I took a slow step forward.The door wasn’t fully shut. Inside,Alpha Vincent was standing next to the glowing prenatal image panel.One of his arms was around Omega Rosa’s waist,his other hand pointing gently at the screen.She leaned into him like they were mated. “She’ll probably develop Alpha traits,”Alpha Vincent said with a small chuckle. “She?”Omega Rosa blinked up at him. “Just a guess.”His voice was so gentle it made my chest tighten. “Isabella Silver?”a nurse called from the hallway.“Your exam room is ready.” Alpha Vincent froze.He turned his head slowly,his eyes landing on me. I stood still. “Bella?”he whispered,shocked. “You said you had patrol duty,”I said softly. “I—Omega Rosa messaged me last night.She wasn’t feeling well.I was nearby.I thought I’d…check on her.” “Didn’t you say stress is bad for pregnant Omegas?”I asked.“Yet you came here instead of with me.” He didn’t respond. Omega Rosa stepped forward quickly.“It’s my fault,Isabella.I begged him.He wanted to go with you,I swear.” I forced a small smile.“You don’t have to apologize.I understand how it is for…us Omegas.” “Bella.”Alpha Vincent stepped closer and gently took my hand.“I didn’t forget your checkup.I just…handled it wrong.” “Did you forget who the father of my child is?”My voice trembled slightly. He didn’t answer immediately. “Is it yours?”I asked again. “I…I agreed to say it is,”he said quietly.“Just to protect her.” “Protect her?”I stared at him.“What about protecting me?Or our child?” “Her family would exile her.If they find out she’s carrying without a mate,she’ll be cast out.I couldn’t let that happen.” I pulled my hand away.“And so you just…claimed her child?” “It’s temporary.Once she gives birth,I’ll make everything right.” “You also said I was your one and only Luna.Does that mean anything anymore?” Alpha Vincent reached out again,pulling me into his arms. “Don’t be like this,”he whispered.“You’ll stress the baby.” His chest was still warm.Still familiar.But his scent…wasn’t the same. “She means nothing to me,”he added quickly.“I swear.I just couldn’t leave her like that.” I didn’t respond. “Let me stay with you for your checkup,”he said.“Please.” I nodded. — Alpha Vincent held my hand the entire time.He smiled at the healer,asked questions about the pup’s development,and even helped me down from the exam bed.Just like before.Like nothing had changed. On the way back to the den,he drove quietly.Then,out of nowhere,“Let’s have dinner together tonight.I asked the kitchen to make your favorite—braised shadow rabbit.” I gave a vague nod. But his communication stone lit up. Omega Rosa. He hesitated,then answered.“Omega Rosa?” “My chest’s tight.My heartbeat’s too fast…”she said,her voice trembling slightly. He looked at me. “Go,”I said. He frowned.“You sure?” “She needs you.” He reached over,gently kissed the back of my hand.“I’ll come back later.” I got out of the car.Walked toward the den. He stayed there,watching me. Just as I reached the door,I turned slightly. “Do you…think I’m in the way now?”I asked softly. He didn’t answer.

The broth was still warm when I lifted the lid.Alpha Vincent said he would join me for dinner later. He even told the kitchen exactly how I liked it—mild,with no heavy herbs.That was his way:attentive,careful.At least,he still tried to be. I sat quietly,waiting. A soft knock came. “Isabella.It’s me.” I opened the door.Alpha Vincent stood there,dressed in a fresh robe,his dark hair still damp.He had just washed up. “Am I late?”he asked,stepping in. “No,”I said.“The soup’s still hot.” He walked over to the table,glanced at the pot.“Did they add the right herbs?” I nodded.“Exactly what you asked for.” He sat down and ladled a bowl for me.“Here.Let me feed you.” “I can manage,”I said quietly. He insisted,lifting a spoon to my lips.“You deserve to be taken care of.” I took a sip.It was just right.But the scent that lingered on him wasn’t mine.I recognized it—Omega Rosa. “You were with her?”I asked. He stilled.“She wasn’t feeling well.I gave her a calming tonic.” “She must’ve been close.Her scent’s still on you.” He said nothing. “You’re still so gentle,”I said,forcing a small smile.“Makes it hard to be angry.” “Don’t say that.”He took my hand.“You’re the one I chose.You’re still my Luna.” “Does Omega Rosa know that?” His silence was answer enough. “I didn’t want to upset her,”he finally said.“Her pregnancy is unstable.Stress isn’t good for her or the pup.” “So you hide me to keep her calm,”I said softly.“And tell me to understand.” “I just want everything to be peaceful.Once her child is born,we’ll go back to how things were.” “But I’m still pregnant too,Vincent.”I looked at him.“I’m not a placeholder,waiting for my turn.” He looked conflicted.Then,suddenly,he stood up.“Let’s go out.I made a reservation at that old place we used to love.” “You don’t have to—” “She’s resting now,”he cut in.“Just us,for once.” I nodded. The restaurant was lit the same as always.As we stepped out of the car,a familiar voice called out. “Vincent!You really brought her?” Omega Rosa. She stood near the entrance,wrapped in a soft cloak,a smile playing on her lips. “I’ve been craving raw game meat all day.” I felt my stomach turn. Alpha Vincent looked surprised.“Omega Rosa?Why are you here?” “I saw your location stone light up.I figured…why not join?”She walked over,linking her arm through his like it was natural. I turned my face away. “Did you order the raw venison slices?”I asked. “Mhm.You used to like them too,didn’t you?” “I can’t stomach raw scents right now.” Alpha Vincent turned to me.“We can order something else.” “There’s barely anything here that isn’t raw.” “We could leave—” “She’s hungry,”I said flatly.“Let her eat.I’ll go back.” Alpha Vincent looked conflicted.“I’ll take you first,then come back.” Omega Rosa tugged his sleeve,voice trembling.“Vincent,my chest still feels tight.Don’t leave yet.” He hesitated.“Should I send a guard with you?” I nodded.“That’s fine.” I turned and walked away.He didn’t follow. I arrived at the den alone.I didn’t change out of my robes.I just sat near the window,watching the pale moon rise over the cliffs. I had thought I could endure it.But the truth was…it wasn’t just that he went to her.It was that he still acted the same with me.Still warm.Still sweet.Still able to look me in the eye and lie. The next morning,I was finishing breakfast when a servant came rushing in. “My lady—Omega Rosa has arrived with her things.She says she’s moving in.” I froze. “Who gave her permission?” “She said…Alpha Alpha Vincent did.” I walked to the main hall. There she was,directing the maids,moving boxes into what used to be my room.Our room. “Omega Rosa,”I said,voice steady.“You seem confused.” She turned to me,all innocent smiles.“Oh,didn’t Alpha Vincent tell you?I had a nightmare last night.The baby was crying.He thought I’d be safer here,near the healers.” “He told you to stay in my bed?” “He said your back’s been sore.The south-facing room is better for you now.” I said nothing. Later,a maid handed me a key. “Alpha Vincent prepared a quieter chamber for you,closer to the breeze.” I stood there,clutching the key,while Omega Rosa laughed in the other room. Vincent,you’re still so kind. So considerate. Just not to me anymore.

I sat on the edge of the bed in the breeze-room,hugging the old cloak Alpha Vincent gave me when we first mated.It still carried a faint trace of his scent—but now,it was mixed with someone else’s. A knock came at the door. “Alpha wants you in the main hall,”the servant said. I stood slowly.“Why?” “He said…something about reassigning quarters.” I followed him to the hall. Omega Rosa sat on the couch,wearing my old shawl like it was hers.Alpha Vincent stood behind her,calm as always. “You’re here,”he said gently.“Good.” “What’s going on?”I asked softly. “There was a visit from the elder council,”he said.“They claimed the living arrangements here violate the latest guidelines.They suggest separating all expecting Omegas to avoid stress and interference.” I looked at him,then at Omega Rosa. She smiled sweetly as she rubbed her belly.“I don’t mind,of course.I was just worried I might disturb Isabella’s rest.” “I’m fine,”I murmured.“As long as you’re comfortable.” Alpha Vincent nodded.“You’ll stay in the breeze-room for now.It’s well-ventilated and close to the herbal wing.” I hesitated.“What about my things in the main room?” “I’ve had them stored in the north wing.If you need anything,just tell a servant.” “I understand.” Omega Rosa stood up and took my hand.“Isabella,I’m really sorry.I hope you don’t think I’m trying to take your place.That’s not what this is.” I gave her a weak smile.“Of course not.” She leaned in and whispered,“Vincent’s just…too good sometimes.It’s hard not to depend on him.” I gently pulled my hand back.“You should sit.You need your strength.” She turned to Alpha Vincent and said sweetly,“See?She’s so kind.” Alpha Vincent looked at me.“If you need anything,I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.This is only temporary.” I nodded.“I know.” That night,I returned to the breeze-room. Everything was arranged perfectly.But it felt like I was walking into someone else’s space,not mine. Above,I could hear voices—soft laughter,a familiar chuckle. Omega Rosa was laughing.Alpha Vincent was responding. I sat near the window,holding my knees close to my chest.I didn’t sleep. A few days later,I ran into Omega Rosa in the corridor. She was basking in the sunlight,cheeks glowing. “You look well,”I said politely. “You too,”she said,scanning me up and down.“Though…you seem a bit thinner?Alpha Vincent said you haven’t been eating much.” “My appetite’s been weak.” “Well,you’re carrying an Alpha’s child.Can’t afford to go weak now.” There was something sharp in her tone,hidden behind a smile. “Thank you for the reminder,”I said quietly. She stepped closer and whispered,“About the bed—I didn’t want to take it.Alpha Vincent said you agreed.” I stiffened,but managed a smile.“As long as you rest well.” “You’re really generous,”she said.“If I were you,I’d have snapped by now.” I said nothing,only murmured,“I’ll be going.” That night,Alpha Vincent came. He brought a box of my favorite sweet fruit cakes. “I remember you always craved these after full moons,”he said,opening the lid. I took a bite.“Still good.” “You’ve been so quiet lately,”he said.“Is it because she’s here?” I shook my head.“No.I just haven’t been sleeping well.” “Did I make you uncomfortable?” “No,”I whispered.“You’ve done everything right.” He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.“I haven’t changed,Isabella.” I nodded. “When this is all over,”he said gently,“everything will go back to normal.” I looked at him,then asked,“Will our child…still have a name?” He froze. “You said once her child is born,you’d give ours recognition.You haven’t forgotten,right?” “I won’t let you be forgotten.” “Good.” The next morning,a servant told me Omega Rosa was holding a small gathering—a celebration for her stable pregnancy. I stood on the balcony and watched from above. She wore the ceremonial cloak I once wore. Alpha Vincent stood beside her,hand on her arm,smiling. They looked perfect. I turned away and shut the window. This house no longer felt like mine.

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It was past midnight outside the bar when I got the Uber request from my ex-wife. When she climbed into the front seat and saw my face, her jaw dropped. “Ethan.” Her voice cracked. “Ethan Cole — you’re out. Why didn’t you come find me?” But Vivian had barely finished speaking before the drunk man beside her hauled her into his arms and pressed his mouth against hers. She fumbled to steady him, and that was when I recognized him. Derek Walsh. My best friend. The man who had accused me of sexual assault and put me behind bars. I tugged my cap lower and opened the rear door on autopilot. “Sir, let’s get you in. Please leave a five-star review when we’re done.” Vivian’s control shattered. She slapped the keys out of my hand, tears already streaming, and grabbed my shoulder with both hands. “Ethan, come home with me right now. Do you have any idea how much Mom, Dad, and I have missed you all these years?” I quietly pulled her hand off me and turned to pick up the keys from the ground. My prosthetic knocked against the bumper. Vivian stared at my leg. The tears came harder. I couldn’t understand what she was crying about. After all, she was the one who had believed I assaulted her best friend — and as a lawyer, she had personally handed me over to the police. ——— “Ethan, what happened to your leg?” Vivian’s question broke through Derek’s drunken haze. He squinted at me, a sneer curling his lips. “Well, well. If it isn’t brother Ethan.” “When did you get out? You should’ve told me, I would’ve come to pick you up.” Derek leaned against Vivian’s shoulder, eyes bleary with liquor. Vivian wiped her face and shot him a reproachful look. “Derek, you’re drunk. Stop talking nonsense.” Derek just shrugged, then hooked his arm around Vivian’s waist and pulled her against him. “What nonsense? Ethan did wrong, went in, and I was praying every single day he’d turn himself around.” He swung a kick at my fold-up walking cane. Vivian gasped and reflexively steadied Derek before he could topple over. “Derek, you’re drunk — stop moving around.” The tenderness in her voice was identical to how she used to speak to me. Once Derek was settled, she looked back at my prosthetic. “Your leg… Ethan, what did you go through in there?” Her eyes were red-rimmed. I ignored her and bent to pick up the cane from the ground. “Excuse me. Could you move?” The movement was clumsy, and a gust of wind lifted my trouser leg, exposing the cheap metal brace. Vivian pressed a hand over her mouth, tears falling freely. “Ethan, please. Come back with me. We need to talk — we need to clear everything up…” She reached for me. I stepped aside. “Ms. Grant, are we still doing this ride? If not, I’ll cancel it.” I held up my phone, businesslike, and looked at her. Derek let out a short, contemptuous laugh and yanked Vivian into his chest. “Vivian, why are you wasting your breath on this rapist?” “He couldn’t even keep his hands off your best friend Sophie. He got what he deserved.” “If you ask me, losing a leg is getting off easy.” Derek spat the words reeking of alcohol, every one of them driving straight into my chest. Five years ago, this man — my closest friend — had gotten me blackout drunk and left me in a hotel room. By the time I woke up, Sophie had run out in tears, her clothes in disarray. And Vivian had walked in with the police right behind her. She hadn’t let me say a single word. She slapped me right there in the doorway. What made it truly absurd was that she — the sharpest attorney in the city — had personally served as Sophie’s legal representative and put me away. I pulled myself back to the present and looked at Vivian. She was still pressed against Derek’s side. She frowned, but she didn’t push him away. “Derek, enough.” A soft reprimand. Then she turned to me. “Ethan. Let’s just do the ride.” “You need the money.” I didn’t say anything. She wasn’t wrong — I was broke. I adjusted the seat out of habit. By the time I finished, Vivian had already helped Derek into the back. The car was silent the entire way. Only Derek mumbled now and then. “Vivian… my head hurts… can you rub it…” Vivian murmured back to him, coaxing and gentle. I stared at the road ahead, expression blank, keeping the accelerator perfectly steady. Half an hour later, I pulled up in front of a gated luxury villa community. It used to be Vivian’s and my home. “Here we are. One hundred and eighty dollars.” I held out the receipt toward the back seat. Vivian handed me two hundred. “The twenty’s a tip.” I took it without a word. Derek pulled out a wad of hundred-dollar bills and flung them at my face. “Thank your lucky stars. Someone like you still getting paid — consider this charity. Buy yourself a decent prosthetic.” “Stop dragging that leg around in public like you’re begging for sympathy.” He smirked, then steered Vivian out of the car. Vivian stood there staring at the money scattered across the ground, her brow creased. “Ethan, don’t take it personally. Derek’s just like that when he’s had too much.” “Take the money. Tomorrow, come by the firm. I’ll find you something proper to do.” I stepped out and collected only my $180. “I’m not worth much, Ms. Grant. But I’m not worth Derek Walsh’s dirty money either.” “Don’t forget to leave that five-star review.” Derek lunged forward to swing at me, but Vivian caught his arm. And I started the engine, drove the car back to the rental company before dawn, and let the dark swallow me whole.

December in Houston. The wind cut like a blade. Where the prosthetic met my residual limb, blood had already soaked through. I gritted my teeth and made it back to my rented room. When I undid the harness, the stump beneath was raw and mangled. In the first weeks after my conviction, Derek had come to see me in the visitation room — grinning like he’d won the lottery. “Ethan, you have no idea how good Vivian is in bed.” “Don’t worry about a thing in there. Your wife, your house, your firm — I’ll take real good care of all of it.” I had thrown myself against the glass partition screaming until my throat tore. That same night, three inmates dragged me into a blind spot with no cameras. They used an iron rod. They broke my leg, inch by inch. “Somebody paid good money for this.” I spent six months flat on my back. The infection spread. In the end, amputation was the only option. I had hated, back then. But five years in prison had hollowed that hate into something closer to despair. The next morning I was woken by urgent knocking. I thought it was the landlord again about the rent. It was Vivian. “Ethan, I made lasagna. With the crispy pancetta you always loved.” She let herself in. “Don’t let Derek’s words get to you. That’s just his way.” “I came today to talk about your future.” I leaned against the doorframe, watching her coldly. “What future does an Uber driver have?” “Ms. Grant, you should head back. Don’t want to get that designer outfit dirty.” Vivian turned around and sighed. “Ethan, stop being stubborn. If you go to Sophie and apologize — sincerely — I’ll bring you back to the firm.” “You can’t practice law, obviously. But there’s a cleaning position. Five thousand a month. Enough to get by.” She raised her chin slightly, waiting for my gratitude. A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. “Vivian. You want me to apologize to the woman who fabricated the entire thing?” The color drained from Vivian’s face. “Ethan! You still refuse to take responsibility?” “If I hadn’t argued for leniency — out of respect for our marriage — do you think you’d have gotten only five years?” She stepped toward me, reaching to drag me toward the door. I shoved her hand away. “Vivian. Did you ever actually read the case files carefully?” “Why did the security camera in that hotel corridor go down at the exact right moment?” “And what exactly was in the drink I had that night?” My questions made her hesitate. Then her impatience flared. “Enough, Ethan! Are you seriously suggesting Derek and Sophie conspired to frame you?” “I came here to help you. Don’t throw it back in my face.” I pointed at the door. My voice was flat. “I don’t need your help. Get out.” Vivian’s eyes went wide, as if she couldn’t believe I was speaking to her this way. “You are completely unreasonable! Do you think you’re still the hotshot lawyer you used to be?” “You’re a convict, Ethan. A cripple.” She slammed the door behind her. That afternoon, just as I was about to log back in to take rides, I got a notification from the platform. My Uber account had been permanently deactivated following a customer complaint. The stated reason: disabled pervert driver attempted to assault female passenger. I didn’t even need to think about who was behind it. Derek. He couldn’t even wait a day.

I hadn’t even locked my door before the landlord arrived with two large men blocking the entrance. “Ethan Cole, someone offered ten times the rent. Get your stuff and get out. Now.” Before I could process it, I was standing on the sidewalk. My belongings were thrown out after me. It had started raining. A downpour. The prosthetic throbbed in the cold water. A Maybach rolled up and drenched me in a wave of muddy runoff. “Look at that. The great attorney, brought this low.” Derek exhaled a lazy ring of smoke. “You really are an embarrassment, Ethan.” Vivian jumped out and held an umbrella over my head. “Ethan, stop fighting it. One apology. That’s all.” “I’ll give you a job. I’ll sort out your housing. Why do you keep driving yourself into a corner like this?” I pressed my palm to the wet ground and forced myself upright. “I don’t need any of it. So could you two please get the hell away from me?” Vivian flinched. “Ethan. When you went to prison, Derek was the only one who was there for me. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have made it through.” “I’m trying to help you. Why do you have to act like a wounded animal?” “Even if you don’t want my help — at least think about your parents. They’ve been looking for you.” As if on cue, two figures came running from the far end of the street. My parents. No umbrella. Rushing straight toward me. But the first thing they did when they reached me was each raise a hand and slap me across the face. “How dare you show yourself out here! You are no son of ours!” “Derek is our son now — you rapist. You should have rotted in that cell.” All this time, I hadn’t dared visit them. I was afraid the rumors had reached them, afraid they were being hurt by the talk. I hadn’t imagined they’d already adopted Derek as their own. Derek hurried over and guided my parents toward the car. “Mom, Dad — Ethan still hasn’t come to terms with what he did. He won’t even apologize to the victim.” “Let’s not worry about him. With me and Vivian running the firm, you two can retire in peace.” My parents looked at me with withering contempt. “Ethan. If Derek hadn’t been managing the firm all these years, our life’s work would’ve been gone.” “If you still won’t take responsibility, then you’re on your own from here.” The Maybach pulled away. I walked alone into the dark. Even my own parents didn’t believe me. What a failure I’d made of being alive. But to survive, I made my way to a construction site and asked for labor work. The foreman took one look at my prosthetic and shook his head. “No. We don’t take injured workers. Liability.” I grabbed his arm. “I’m strong. Half wages. Just feed me.” The foreman was about to shove me off when a cleaning woman nearby suddenly let out a sharp sound. “You… are you Mr. Cole?” I froze. I studied the woman. She grabbed my arm and pulled me around the corner, glancing left and right first. “Mr. Cole, I’m so sorry. Five years ago, Derek paid me a hundred thousand dollars to break the camera.” “But I secretly made a recording. The conversation between him and Sophie — where they planned the whole setup — it’s all there.” “My conscience wouldn’t let me destroy it. Please don’t tell anyone it came from me.” That night, I held the voice recorder in my hands. The tears came without warning. So that was how it was. Five years behind bars. A missing leg. A life in pieces. And now, finally — the truth.

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I never thought my life would unfold like this—so violently,so catastrophically. The news hit me like a punch to the gut,cold and unforgiving. My mate—my Alpha,the one I chose—was rushed to the Pack Doctor’s clinic,nearly choking to death on his own lust.Suffocating.Dying.All because of a reckless coupling that went horribly wrong. I raced to the Pack Clinic,my heart hammering,but what greeted me wasn’t the sterile scent of antiseptic.No,it was something far worse—the lingering scent of another woman.Her scent,tangled with his,soaked into the air like acid. My Alpha,the one who promised me forever,was there with her.His Beta lover.Unconscious.Naked.The betrayal wasn’t just there in the air—it was right beside him,her body pressed up against his like they had just shared something they’d both thrown me away for. I felt nothing but rage.But it was the kind of rage that burned so cold it felt like a void inside of me.A deep,aching emptiness.The betrayal wasn’t what I expected—it was so much worse. The Pack Doctor,his face grim with discomfort,barely met my eyes as he spoke,each word laced with unease. “The patient…he was using a toy.It got stuck inside him.We’re working on removing it.This is all we can do for now.” His eyes flickered nervously,clearly avoiding mine,as if he could somehow escape the storm I could feel brewing inside of me. I stood there,the words hanging in the air like a suffocating fog,choking me. Then came the question—the one that was always asked when a packmate’s loyalty was called into question: “What’s your relationship to the patient?” I turned my face away,unable to let them see the fire inside me.“Just a packmate,”I whispered,the words feeling like poison on my tongue. Once,I would’ve torn this place apart—screamed,demanded answers.But now?Now I was hollow.Empty.Just a shell of who I used to be. I signed the papers with a steady hand,not sparing another glance at the two tangled in their disgusting display of affection.They deserved each other.But I would have no part in it. I stormed out into the cold night,the bite of the air sharp and cleansing.My phone buzzed in my hand.I didn’t need to look to know who it was. I dialed my father’s number. “I accept the arranged bonding,”I said,my voice calm,unwavering.“In three days,I will take my new mate.” As soon as I ended the call,my phone buzzed again.Alpha Lorcan’s name flashed on the screen.I answered,my heart still cold,still seething. “Galadriel,my car got towed.Handle it when you get back and drive it home.”His voice was smooth,too smooth,like velvet over steel.The voice that used to make my heart race. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes,I would’ve never believed this was the same man—the one who once swore I was his only mate. Then I heard it.A soft groan in the background. “Mm…” My fingers tightened around the phone,my grip almost painful.Before I could react,Lorcan’s voice rushed in,trying to cover up the sound. “I kicked the leg of the chair,”he said,his words too casual,too dismissive. The audacity. He didn’t even know that I had just left the clinic where he was.That I had seen everything. I didn’t answer him.Only two words left my mouth:“Got it.” The plan had been simple.I was supposed to be away on a pack mission,away from everything.If I hadn’t decided to come back early,to surprise him…I would’ve never caught him in the act. But the worst part?The car—the car I had given him,the one I trusted him with—was now a symbol of his betrayal.I had to collect it.I couldn’t let him take that piece of me. When I reached the car,the smell hit me first.It was sickening.Rot.Heat. The sight?Worse. A crumpled men’s dress shirt lay across the driver’s seat,discarded like it was nothing.Nearby,pieces of torn lace—clearly feminine—were strewn on the floor,a testament to their indiscretions.But the worst was the backseat. Dark,sticky stains still clung to the upholstery.Evidence of their twisted passion,illuminated by the dim streetlights. My stomach turned,nausea rising fast.I slammed the door shut like it could erase the image burned into my mind.But it was too late.My body rejected it all at once,and I bent over,vomiting violently onto the cold pavement. A warm hand landed on my back,steady,comforting. I tensed.The touch was light,yet it sent an electric shiver up my spine.Slowly,I turned to see who it was. Standing there,watching me with unreadable eyes,was the Pack Doctor—Beta Aurelian.No longer in his white coat,he wore a simple black shirt that clung to his broad shoulders,his sharp eyes framed by gold-rimmed glasses.He had known me since I was a child,and now,he was the last person I ever expected to find in this moment. “Beta Aurelian…why did you follow me?”My voice came out softer than I intended,the shock of the moment sinking in. “I was worried about you,”he said,his tone calm and distant,as it always had been.Detached.Professional.The way he kept himself separate from the pack. A pause lingered before he asked,his voice quieter,questioning,“You agreed to the arranged bonding?” I nodded,too numb to say anything else.The decision was made.There was no turning back. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips,rare and unsettling.“Good.In three days,I’ll be waiting for you at the bonding ceremony.” I nodded,my energy drained. He offered to drive me home,but I refused.Instead,I called a driver to take me back,the car that now represented betrayal left behind to be cleaned,scrubbed of every trace of him.I would sell it.I never wanted to see it again. As I rode through the pack territory,moonlight casting long shadows,I thought back on the last seven years.Seven years with Alpha Lorcan,and now it felt like nothing more than a lie. I remembered the way he used to look at me—like I was the only person who mattered.His eyes full of love.He had called me pure.Innocent.The sweetest she-wolf. Now?I was just another scar on his heart.Another shattered promise.

After Alpha Lorcan claimed me as his Mate,he showered me with endless praise,whispering sweet words that I was the perfect woman—virtuous,dignified,the ideal Luna.He made me believe I was the one he’d always wanted,the one he’d been destined for.But now,those words feel like a cruel joke,a hollow promise whispered by a wolf that never truly cared—just a faint echo carried away on the wind. Seven years.We had spent seven years together,yet the moments of true connection between us were scarce,fleeting like wisps of smoke.I wonder now if he ever truly desired someone like me.Was I nothing more than the proper choice,the duty?Or was it Marigold—his Beta sister-in-law,wild and untamed,with a free spirit that could never be caged—that he truly craved? I returned home to find our shared space—a place once full of love and laughter—now suffocating.It felt like a gilded cage.I couldn’t stay another moment.Without a second thought,I grabbed a suitcase and began hastily packing,my hands shaking with fury and desperation.The home I had carefully decorated with love felt foreign now.A battlefield of lies,betrayal,and the broken promises of an Alpha who never saw me. As I rummaged through the shelves in the study,my fingers brushed something cold,metallic.A laptop—one I didn’t recognize,hidden beneath a pile of old documents,buried like a dirty secret. I hesitated only for a moment.The beast of curiosity in me was awakened,its claws digging into my chest.I powered it on,only to be met with a password screen. First,I tried my birthday.It didn’t work. Then,a dark thought crept into my mind.I typed in Marigold’s birthday. The screen clicked open. A chill raced down my spine as the desktop loaded.Inside the hard drive,hidden away like poison in a dark corner,were folders—so many folders.I opened the first one without hesitation. Photos.Videos.Explicit images.Dozens of them. Alpha Lorcan and Marigold. My heart stopped.My stomach twisted,but I couldn’t look away as the vile images flashed on the screen—twisted scenes of them together,every depravity laid bare.Marigold,dressed in nothing but a teasing grin,bound in knots,exposed,violated.It sickened me to my core. They’d done it everywhere—his office,my home,the bed we had once shared,the dining table where we had once eaten together.Even here,in this very study,his mark had been left.I was suffocating,drowning in the images of my betrayal. Fury burned through me.I had to act.Without a moment’s hesitation,I connected a portable hard drive and began copying every file.I wasn’t just a scorned Luna—I was a woman wronged,collecting the evidence of his treachery like a predator preparing to strike. Just as I finished,I heard the front door creak open.Alpha Lorcan was home. He had returned late,probably rushing from the Pack’s medical facility,panicked that I would discover the truth—the truth he had tried so hard to keep buried. I snapped into action,shoving the laptop back into its hiding place,closing my suitcase as if I had been nothing more than tidying up.But my body screamed with rage. He entered the study,his sharp gaze sweeping over the mess I had made,a glint of suspicion flickering in his eyes.“Why are you tidying up all of a sudden?”he asked,his voice cold,his wolf instincts already on alert. “The place was filthy.I’m cleaning.”My voice was flat,emotionless—a well-placed mask.Inside,I was a storm ready to break free. Alpha Lorcan chuckled,stepping closer with that fake tenderness he always had,his eyes narrowing as if to soften the moment.“You must be tired from your trip.Let’s leave it for tomorrow.I’ll call a cleaning service.” He reached out,pulling me into his arms,but I shoved him away with a force I didn’t even know I had.The rejection was brutal,sending him stumbling back. “Go take a shower,”I said,my voice sharp like a whip.“You stink of hospital sweat.” He just laughed,oblivious to the rage brewing inside me,his wolfish grin never leaving his face.“Alright,alright,I’ll go shower.” Before disappearing into the bathroom,he casually mentioned,“We should stop cleaning.We’re getting bonded soon anyway.Let’s renovate this place,or maybe even buy a new house.” His words used to make my heart flutter,the idea of our future together filling me with warmth.But now,all I felt was ice. I didn’t respond.I couldn’t. Mistaking my silence for exhaustion,he urged me to rest before vanishing into the bathroom.I gave a half-hearted reply and retreated to my room. Lying in bed,I stared at the ceiling,trapped in my thoughts.The images from the laptop haunted me like a specter,choking me,making it impossible to breathe.I couldn’t sleep. Moments later,the mattress dipped beside me. Alpha Lorcan had finished his shower and slipped under the covers,wrapping his arms around me,as if nothing had changed.His chest pressed against my back,one arm beneath my neck,as if to protect me. But I wasn’t his to protect anymore.I was no longer the innocent Luna who needed him.I was the betrayed woman,suffocating beneath the weight of his lies. I held my breath,the words clawing at my throat,desperate to escape. “Alpha Lorcan,let’s break u-” But before I could finish,his phone buzzed on the nightstand. With one arm still wrapped around me,he reached for it with the other.The screen lit up,and in the dim glow,I saw it—the images from the laptop.Marigold.Him.The same explicit photos. My heart thundered.The blood rushed in my ears,drowning out everything else.My fingers curled into fists,nails biting into my palms. Alpha Lorcan hastily set the phone down,a flush creeping up his neck as he tried to pretend nothing was wrong.But his body stiffened,his wolf instincts suddenly alert,as if sensing the shift in the air. He sat up abruptly,his eyes wild,as if a fuse had just been lit inside him. I had never seen him like this.But the truth was out now,and so was my revenge.

“Galadriel,there are Pack matters I must attend to.Go ahead and sleep.I’ll handle this.” Alpha Lorcan’s voice was clipped,sharp—commanding,almost as though he couldn’t wait to get away.No time for pleasantries.The door slammed shut behind him,and his boots echoed down the hallway,each step a reminder of the distance growing between us. I stayed frozen for a moment,my chest tight.When I finally moved,my fingers were shaking as I unlocked my phone,trembling so violently that I nearly dropped it.My breath caught in my throat as the surveillance feed flickered to life. Alpha Lorcan stood in the study,his arms wrapped around Marigold.She tilted her head back,her body pressed into his,as though they were one.His lips brushed against her neck,possessive,intimate,a sharp contrast to the cold detachment he’d shown me moments before. “What’s the rush,Luna?Aren’t you excited to help me with this?”His voice was low,dripping with power,like he was the sun and she was merely another planet in his orbit. “I need the medicine,Lorcan…but you know,I can’t reach it.”Marigold’s voice was a honeyed whisper,a challenge in every word.Her tone,sultry and unrestrained,made my blood run cold. Alpha Lorcan chuckled darkly.“I’ll take care of it for you,Marigold…”His voice wrapped around her like a rope,tethering her to him,a predator offering his protection to its prey. The image of them,so close,so intimate—just a wall away—sent a blade of pain through my heart.The bond I thought was unbreakable?It was nothing more than an illusion. I collapsed back onto the bed,my body trembling not from cold,but from the sheer weight of betrayal.I had believed in him.I had trusted him.And yet,here he was,tangled with the very woman I had fought to protect. Marigold.Alpha Lorcan’s Beta sister-in-law.A woman he had taken in after the death of his brother—a death that had altered everything.No one had expected the accident to happen,but the consequences had rippled through our lives.Marigold had come to him broken,alone,and Alpha Lorcan had taken her in,offering her everything she needed.The line between kindness and obsession had blurred—and I had failed to see it. Now,I could see it all too clearly.What I had once thought was his mercy had become something far darker.A sickening,twisted loyalty that tied him to Marigold in ways I had never imagined. “You still don’t know who excites me more,do you?”Marigold whispered,her lips brushing his ear as she taunted him.“Your Galadriel,or me?” I could hear Lorcan’s smirk even through the screen.“Forget about her.You’re the one who thrills me,Marigold.Don’t pretend otherwise.” Marigold’s eyes flicked toward the camera,her gaze icy and unrepentant.She knew.She knew I was watching.And she wanted me to see.Every word,every glance,every touch—they were meant to rip through me.To destroy me. Tears blurred my vision as I shut the app.It felt as though my soul had been cleaved in two.What was I even fighting for anymore? Alpha Lorcan and I were done. In two days,I would bond with another.A new wolf.Someone who wouldn’t turn his back on me the moment his past caught up with him. The thought should have been comforting.But it wasn’t. I forced myself out of bed,to wash the evidence of the nightmare off me,to start packing.My hands moved mechanically,my heart a void as I sorted through the remains of a life that had never been mine.Not really. Alpha Lorcan was already gone by the time I finished,oblivious to my departure,lost in his endless meetings and Pack duties.But as always,he had one last demand.A business banquet.His voice was casual,almost indifferent when he mentioned it. “You’ll come,won’t you?”he asked,as if his absence had meant nothing to me. When he mentioned the banquet would be held at my family’s hotel,I felt a surge of resolve.I had avoided it for too long.Distanced myself from my true Pack to protect his fragile ego.But now?Now,I was going back.The place where I truly belonged. A cold finality settled over me as I called a moving company.Nothing from Alpha Lorcan—no gifts,no tokens of his affection—would come with me.Every memory of him,every gesture,had been tainted by his betrayal. I arrived at the hotel’s top-floor suite,the shower a small act of defiance.I scrubbed away every trace of him,every trace of us. When he called again,I was already dressed,waiting in the lobby.The irony wasn’t lost on me.He would never know that everything had changed. Alpha Lorcan entered the lobby with his usual presence—demanding,cold,every inch the Alpha.His tailored suit was flawless,but it couldn’t conceal the truth anymore.The way the women ogled him,the way Marigold hovered just behind him—claiming him in plain view—it was all a game now.And I was done playing.

Marigold’s presence was magnetic,a delicate porcelain beauty whose every movement seemed to captivate the room.The luxurious red gown she wore clung to her like a second skin,accentuating every curve,and her skin gleamed under the chandelier lights—flawless and untouchable.Her eyes were sharp,calculating,as she turned to survey the men in the room,each one unable to tear their gaze away from her. But not Alpha Lorcan.The moment his eyes locked with mine,they softened,a flicker of something unspoken passing between us.He didn’t just look at me—he saw me.Without a second’s hesitation,he crossed the room,his strong,capable hand sliding around my waist,pulling me into his embrace with a possessiveness that felt like a claim.His touch used to be a comfort,a promise.But now,it was a reminder of how tangled our fates had become. He presented me to the room with a pride that seemed almost possessive,as though I were a rare treasure on display,an object to be admired,yet held at a distance.But Marigold,standing at the edge of it all,her expression tight,watched us with a barely concealed hatred,her smile a perfect mask for the fury behind her eyes. The banquet continued around us,laughter echoing,glasses clinking,yet there was a tension in the air,an unspoken promise of something more.And then,as though the world had shifted on its axis,my gaze collided with Marigold’s. Her smile was icy,lips twisted in a thin line,but her eyes—those eyes—burned with venom.It was a look that said everything,even before her lips parted. Then,as if to break the silence,Alpha Lorcan leaned back in his chair,exuding an effortless power that made the room fall still.He was preparing to speak,when suddenly—Marigold’s voice shattered the calm. “Lorcan,”she gasped,her voice high with panic,“the USB…it’s gone!” A wave of tension washed over the room.All eyes shifted from her to him,and in that instant,Alpha Lorcan’s demeanor darkened.His expression hardened,every inch of him radiating dangerous stillness.His sharp eyes locked onto Marigold,and his voice—low,filled with cold fury—cut through the room like a blade. “Are you serious?How could you be so careless?”His words echoed off the walls,and Marigold flinched,shrinking under the force of his anger. But then—something snapped inside her.Her eyes flickered with a plan,a sudden,sharp shift in her behavior.With trembling hands,she pointed directly at me. “It was her!”she shouted,her voice dripping with false desperation.“She touched my bag earlier—I saw her!” Her eyes welled with fake tears,and she took a step toward me,her face a picture of pleading innocence.“Galadriel,please…I know we don’t get along,but that USB is crucial to the Pack’s future.If you don’t return it,Alpha Lorcan’s whole future will be destroyed!Please,don’t ruin everything we’ve worked for!” The room fell silent,the air thick with suspicion.Every pair of eyes turned toward me,narrowing with doubt.I could feel their stares,hot and accusing,crawling under my skin.My heart hammered in my chest,and I took a deep breath,the pressure suffocating. “I didn’t take it!”I practically screamed,my voice sharp,desperation flooding my veins.“Stop twisting the truth!” But before I could protest further,Marigold lunged forward.Her hands clawed at my dress,frantic and wild,her fingers searching,desperate to find any evidence that might prove her lie. Fear surged through me like wildfire.This was no longer just about the USB.It was about everything—the lies,the betrayal,the shattered trust.And now,I had to fight to clear my name,to hold onto the truth. I turned to Alpha Lorcan,my eyes pleading with him to see beyond the chaos,to see me.To see the truth.But his face remained unreadable.His brow furrowed in frustration,the shift in his demeanor telling me everything I needed to know:He was losing patience. When he spoke,his voice was cold,like a glacier.“Galadriel,”he said,“if you took it,just hand it over.We don’t have time for these games.” A shiver ran down my spine.His words—his accusation—cut deeper than I could ever have imagined. Marigold’s search was fruitless,but Alpha Lorcan didn’t pause to question.He acted on impulse,his hands rough as he grabbed my arm,pulling me too forcefully toward him.The fabric of my Luna gown tore with a resounding rip,the sound of it ringing through the hall like a death knell. Gasps filled the air,and my world tilted on its axis.The once-proud gown,meant to symbolize my status,was now a ruined heap of shredded fabric.I froze,humiliated beyond belief.My hands shot to my chest,instinctively trying to cover what little I could of myself,but it was futile.Every eye in the room was on me,and I felt their judgment like a physical weight pressing against me. But then—something strange happened.A soft,metallic clink echoed across the hall,followed by the sound of the USB sliding across the smooth floor.It stopped dead center in the room,the tiny device gleaming in the harsh light. Silence. For a moment,the world stood still.The whispers began again,but this time,they were full of venom,laden with accusations and disbelief.It was like the entire room had turned against me in the blink of an eye. Alpha Lorcan’s eyes dropped to the USB,and I saw the shift in his expression.The anger,the confusion—it all crystallized into something darker.Something colder.His voice,when it came,was a blade being drawn,each word coated with fury. “Galadriel,”he said,his tone low,unyielding.“I never thought you were capable of this.I trusted you.This is how you repay me?” His words hit me like a physical blow.The man I had trusted,the man I had loved—he was looking at me like I was a stranger.Like I was the enemy. And in that moment,I realized:Nothing would ever be the same again.

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Julian’s lungs rattled with the Silver Rot, each breath a death rattle echoing through the packhouse. Seraphina heard whispers that a Lupine Heart could cure anything, even the blood-blight eating him alive. She didn’t hesitate. She ordered her guards to slaughter the Silver Soul-Wolf that had been bound to me for a millennium. Carve out its heart while it still beat. A millennium of Primal Guardian Essence turned to ash in seconds. I threw myself over the dying wolf. Every slash of the silver blade tore through my own chest like they were cutting into my ribs. “You know what I am!” I gasped, blood soaking through my shirt. “When the Soul-Wolf dies, I die with it!” Seraphina sneered. She peeled back the silver fur with her own hands, blood coating her fingers like war paint. “Only the Matriarch believes your lies about being some ancient guardian,” she hissed. “You think I’ll fall for this pathetic act?” Her eyes were cold, merciless. “It’s just a wolf. I’ll buy you another one if it means Julian gets to breathe.” My Primal Guardian Essence drained out in waves. My vision blurred as the bond shattered, and my eyes bled from silver to ash-gray. I stumbled toward the Matriarch’s chambers, clutching the jar that held what remained of my Soul-Wolf. “I’ve shielded your pack from disaster a hundred times.” My voice came out hollow, broken. “I’ve repaid the debt. My power is destroyed.” “Let me go.” — White smoke rose from the Soul-Wolf’s severed body like a departing spirit. The Pack Healer shook his head, his expression grave. “They struck the heart and spine in one blow. Whoever killed this wolf knew exactly what they were doing.” He met my eyes. “There’s no bringing it back.” I placed the bloody remnants into the jar. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. The Soul-Wolf was linked to me through ancient magic. I felt phantom pain slice through my lower back where the blade had severed its spine. My face burned like the skin was being flayed off in strips. The Matriarch steadied me as I swayed. “I warned her a thousand times that the wolf was your life force!” Fury made her voice shake. “And she dared to carve out its heart with her own hands, watching you collapse!” My legs went numb. I forced myself to walk. Seraphina knew about the Soul-Link. Of course she did. But she still brought down that blade, her eyes locked on mine as I screamed. She grabbed my neck and hissed in my ear, her breath hot against my skin. “You’re a good actor. This is how you fooled the Matriarch, isn’t it?” Her smile was cruel. “You really thought I’d fall for your Guardian bullshit?” She ordered her men to cut out the heart. I fell to my knees, screaming until my throat bled. She threw the wolf’s corpse at my feet like roadkill. “If you really had a millennium of power in that thing, it must be potent medicine.” Her eyes gleamed. “If it cures Julian’s blood-blight, I’ll get you a new wolf to keep up your charade.” The butler rushed in while I was drowning in pain. He shoved a cardboard box into my hands. Seraphina’s orders. Bring it immediately. I forced my shaking hands to open it. A hawk burst out, yellow eyes locked on the jar. The hawk dove. I threw myself over the jar as talons tore into my spine. I tried to summon my power, fingers forming the ancient signs. Nothing happened. My Primal Guardian Essence was gone. I could only curl my body around the jar, protecting what little remained. Everyone knows wolves fear hawks the way prey fears predators. Even in human form, the terror was bone-deep. Primal. The hawk pecked holes into my back until the Matriarch’s guards beat it to death with iron rods. I lay motionless on the clinic floor. Then I heard a heavy thud beside me. The Matriarch knelt before me, her head bowed in shame. “Ethan, I never imagined my granddaughter could commit such an atrocity against her own fated mate.” Her voice cracked. “You are this pack’s Sacred Guardian, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.” “I will find you a sacred place to restore your bloodline. Please, for the sake of your debt to my grandmother, forgive Seraphina this once.” I didn’t know how to respond. My mind was too fractured. A hundred years ago, the Matriarch’s grandmother found me dying in the mountains from a hawk attack. She brought me home, bandaged my wounds, nursed me back to health over long months. Out of gratitude, when I achieved my full ancestral power, I sought her out. I vowed to protect her bloodline for generations. Later, to save Seraphina from a death curse, I broke the Sacred Moon Vow. I took human form, trapping all my power inside the Soul-Wolf. But now Seraphina had destroyed the wolf herself. My power was gone. I looked at the Matriarch kneeling before me. My voice came out cold, hard. “I promised your grandmother I would shield her descendants from calamity. I’ve kept that vow for a century.” “But I’ve lost my Guardian powers. I’ve turned back a hundred disasters and sacrificed my immortality to save Seraphina when the Moon Goddess herself marked her for death.” “Consider your grandmother’s debt repaid in full. Let me leave this territory before what remains of me dies here.”

I limped home, the jar clutched to my chest. My legs barely held me. Before I reached the door, I heard moaning from inside. The sound made my stomach turn. “I heard ancient guardians have insane stamina from all that primal power.” Julian’s voice was lazy, satisfied. “Did Ethan keep you up all night with that freaky supernatural shit?” He laughed. “Now that I’ve eaten his Soul-Wolf’s heart, want to see if I’ve got his strength?” Seraphina’s arms wrapped around his neck. “He was never the one. You’re the only one who’s ever satisfied me.” I slammed the door open. The frame cracked. Seraphina didn’t even look at me. She stayed on Julian’s lap, lips locked, like I was invisible. Nothing. But Julian saw my eyes turning ash-gray in real-time, the silver light dying to nothing. He shoved Seraphina off, clutching his chest as he coughed violently. Blood speckled his lips. He pointed at me with a shaking finger. “Monster! Freak!” The more he yelled, the worse his coughing became. Seraphina rushed to pat his back. Then she whirled on me. Her hand cracked across my face hard enough to split my lip. “What trick did you just pull?” she screamed. “Are you trying to curse Julian to death?” Her heel ground into my foot with deliberate cruelty, pinning me in place. On the couch, Julian caught my eye and smirked. Still pretending to gasp for air. Then he pointed at the jar in my arms with greedy eyes. “Seraphina, my Luna, Ethan’s pet wolf’s heart worked so well for my Silver Rot.” He coughed between words. “I bet the meat would be even better medicine.” His smile was vicious. “How about some wolf stew to finish the cure?” Both of them turned their eyes to the jar. Predatory. Cold. I held it tighter against my chest. “Seraphina, you know I’m Soul-Linked to this wolf through my bloodline.” “If you turn it into stew, the boiling water will cook my organs while I’m still breathing.” She didn’t let me finish. She knocked the jar from my hands with one vicious swipe. It shattered on the floor. She ordered the butler to take the wolf’s remains to the kitchen immediately. The heat hit me within minutes. It felt like being thrown into a furnace. My insides cooking as the water boiled. I dug my nails into my thighs hard enough to draw blood, trying to fight through the pain. Diving into cold water didn’t help. Seraphina stormed in. She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head back. “Did you dye it on purpose? Planning to run to the Matriarch and get me in trouble?” She snarled in my face. “You always used your magic tricks to manipulate the old woman.” “You even claimed you traded your immortality to save my life! But Julian told me the truth.” Her grip tightened. “He’s the one who flew overseas to buy the real medicine. He fed it to me while you kept me locked in that room, refusing treatment, hoping I’d die!” She yanked me from the tub. Watched me writhe on the floor as the burning intensified. “You know this pack has a Sacred Guardian who grants the Alpha Female’s mate the Lunar Blessing of prosperity and long life.” Her eyes were full of contempt. “If I hadn’t believed your lies about saving me, I never would have accepted you as my mate!” “That blessing should have gone to Julian from the start. You need to step aside and let the right wolf claim what’s his!” I lifted my head. Forced a bitter smile through the agony. “He wants to steal the Moon Goddess’s blessing of longevity? That’s a fantasy.” He’d already destroyed the pack’s fate. There was no blessing left to steal. Hours later, they brought The Profane Feast to the table. A pot of stewed Soul-Wolf meat, its scent thick with ancient power and my own lifeblood. Julian devoured it like a starving animal, laughing as I collapsed against the wall, blood pouring from my nose and mouth. My organs were being cooked alive from the inside. Every bite he took was another layer of agony carved into my flesh. When he finished, he threw the empty bowl at my feet. “See? I’m cured! No more coughing fits!” He flexed his hands, grinning at Seraphina. “And I feel stronger than ever.” “Your precious Guardian was just a fraud all along.” Seraphina smiled at him with adoration. Then she turned to me with disgust. “The Matriarch is hosting a banquet tonight to celebrate Julian’s recovery.” Her voice was cold. “You’re banned from attending.” “I don’t want your cursed face ruining the celebration.” I crawled to my feet, using the wall for support. My vision was darkening at the edges. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t grant blessings to those who desecrate the Sacred Hunt.” My voice came out broken, weak. “You’ve destroyed my power. You’ve consumed what was never meant for mortal consumption.” “Now watch what happens when the Goddess withdraws her protection from this pack.” Julian laughed in my face. “Still threatening us with your make-believe curse?” “You’re pathetic. Get out of our sight.” I stumbled toward the door. Before I left, I looked back one last time. Seraphina was already in Julian’s arms again, kissing him like I’d never existed. Like she hadn’t just destroyed her fated mate and invited divine retribution upon the entire pack.

The Matriarch’s banquet hall glittered with expensive chandeliers and decorated tables laden with prime cuts of venison and roasted game. Pack members filled the space, celebrating Julian’s miraculous recovery from the blood-blight that should have killed him. Julian stood at the center of attention, soaking in the praise. Seraphina clung to his arm, her smile radiant. The Matriarch had banned me from the celebration. So I sat outside in the cold, my back against the stone wall of the packhouse. Listening to their laughter echo through the night. At midnight, the sky turned black. Storm clouds gathered from nowhere, blocking out the moon completely. The first bolt of silver lightning struck the packhouse roof. Then another. And another. The Silver Storm descended on the pack like divine judgment, each lightning bolt infused with lunar power that burned through flesh and stone alike. Inside the banquet hall, screams replaced laughter. Pack members ran for cover as the roof collapsed in sections, silver fire consuming everything it touched. The Matriarch rushed outside, her face pale with terror. She grabbed my shoulders. “Ethan, please! Whatever anger you hold, whatever curse you’ve called down on us—stop this!” “I’ll make Seraphina apologize! I’ll exile Julian myself if that’s what it takes!” I looked at her with hollow eyes. My hair had turned completely white in the hours since Seraphina destroyed my Soul-Wolf. “This isn’t my doing, Matriarch.” My voice was empty. “This is the Moon Goddess withdrawing her protection.” “Your pack’s ancestors desecrated the Sacred Hunt for profit a century ago. I was the only thing standing between your bloodline and divine retribution.” “Now that my power is gone, she’s collecting what you owe.” Another bolt of silver lightning struck, this time hitting Julian directly. He screamed as lunar fire seared through his chest. The Soul-Wolf’s heart he’d consumed began to burn inside him, cooking him from within. Seraphina ran to him, trying to shield him with her own body. The lightning threw her back, leaving scorch marks across her arms. “Ethan!” she screamed, her voice raw with panic. “Ethan, please make it stop!” “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for everything! Just make it stop!” I didn’t move. Didn’t respond. Julian collapsed to his knees, coughing up chunks of blackened flesh. The Silver Rot he thought he’d cured was returning with a vengeance, multiplied by the divine power now destroying him. The Soul-Wolf’s heart was rejecting his body, tearing him apart from the inside. “Ethan saved you once before, at the cost of his own immortality.” The Matriarch’s voice shook. “He broke the Sacred Moon Vow to give you human life.” “And you repaid him by destroying his Soul-Wolf with your own hands.” She grabbed Seraphina by the throat, rage overtaking grief. “You’ve damned this entire pack for your selfish cruelty!” Seraphina tore herself free, running toward me on her knees. Blood streamed down her face from cuts left by falling debris. “Ethan, I was wrong! I was so wrong!” Tears mixed with blood on her cheeks. “Please, I’ll do anything!” “Just save Julian! Save the pack!” I looked down at her without emotion. “The Moon Goddess doesn’t forgive those who betray their Sacred Guardians.” My voice was cold as winter frost. “This is her judgment, not mine.” “Pray for mercy if you want. But I’m done protecting you.” I walked away from the burning packhouse. Away from the screams and the smell of silver fire consuming everything I’d once protected. The Matriarch’s pleas followed me into the darkness. But I didn’t look back. My debt was paid in full. Whatever happened to them now was between them and the Goddess.

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Three years into my paralysis, Ethan came home from the border — and he didn’t come back alone. He’d brought a woman with him. I was mid-swing, hand raised to strike Ash again, when the words flickered across my vision like a broadcast only I could see. [Look at the villainess go. Still throwing tantrums from a wheelchair. Didn’t learn a thing.] [The General and his mate already bonded on the battlefield. Once he rejects her completely, she’s done.] [And her own son will watch without blinking as she’s driven out of the Pack House to rot in the Outcast Woods. Serves her right.] [Our girl Seraphine gets everything she deserves after this. She’ll make the perfect mate for the General~] My hand froze mid-air. I glanced at the father and son across the room — identical expressions of cold indifference, waiting for my next outburst. When I lowered my arm without striking, both of them frowned. I let out a dry, hollow laugh. “Ethan. You want to bring her into the pack. Fine. I consent.” Silence. Ethan lifted his head and looked at me, a flicker of something like disbelief in his eyes. I caught myself. A man like him — he’d never make someone he actually wanted settle for a lesser rank. I waved a hand. “If you want to name her your official mate, I don’t care. Whatever you need.” Ethan’s frown deepened. He was kneeling on the floor, spine perfectly straight, wearing the particular look of impatience he reserved only for me. “Lara. What are you playing at now?” “Is this another scheme to get the Council to strip my rank? Take my border commendations?” I opened my mouth — but Ash spoke first. Eight years old, crouched on the floor, the welts from my cane still visible across his back. His voice was flat, as though narrating someone else’s problem. “Mom. Are you finished?” “If so, I’ll take my leave. I have assignments to finish.” The feed scrolled past again. [See? Even her son can’t stand being in the same room with her for one more second. She earned that.] [She burned through every ounce of his love, one screaming fit at a time. What did she expect?] [She’s probably scheming to cry to the Alpha once Ethan accepts Seraphine. Save your breath — after three years of this, even the General is done with her.] I pressed my lips together. My brother was sick of me. I knew that. Ever since the fall three years ago — the ravine, the shattered spine, the wheelchair — my wolf had grown more and more volatile. And I’d grown with her. I hated that I couldn’t walk to the bathroom without help. I hated watching other women draw close to Ethan and being able to do nothing. I hated that raising a cane took everything I had left. So I snapped. I raged. I made sure everyone kept looking at me. I had forgotten that no one’s patience is infinite. Not my brother’s. Certainly not Ethan’s. And not Ash’s either. I looked at the boy in front of me — eight years old, spine straight, welts across his back, face utterly blank. I pushed my wheelchair forward. Tried to reach for him. Ash shifted back on his knees before I could touch him, putting distance between us. His knuckles were white where they pressed the floor. Then he rose, unhurried, and didn’t look at me once. “It seems you have nothing else. I’ll go find my tutor.” He turned and walked out. At the doorway, I caught a flash of pink fabric disappearing around the corner. The feed lit up again. [How long is the villainess going to keep hogging the General? Seraphine’s been standing outside this whole time!] [They shared a saddle on the whole ride back from the border. They already did anything they can do. And last night — they held each other for warmth.] [Our girl deserves everything~] My chest felt as though a fist had closed around it. That flash of pink — that was Seraphine. The woman Ethan had brought back from the border. She was a medic embedded with his unit. She’d saved his life three times. The third time, he had carried her out of the massacre with his own hands, and after that, he’d never looked at anyone else the same way. I drew a slow breath. I’d been too reckless, too long. My brother had grown tired of me. My legs were broken and I depended on everyone. The feed said my ending was the Outcast Woods. Even so, I raised my head and looked at Ethan. “She’s been waiting outside. Go to her.” Ethan’s expression stilled. He held my gaze for a long moment, said nothing, stood, and left. The door clicked shut. Through the wood, I heard Seraphine’s soft voice: “Are you alright, Ethan?” And his low reply: “Fine.” I looked down at my legs — useless, unfeeling — and found myself smiling. But tears hit the backs of my hands without warning.

Ethan had probably forgotten. Eight years ago, he had ridden through every street of the city, howling my name to anyone who would listen — telling the whole pack that Lara Wren was the only woman he would ever claim as his mate. Even the Alpha had heard about it. He had tracked down the rarest white wolf-pelt from the northern borderlands and had it rushed back by courier, all because I ran cold. For eight years after that, he had given me real, tangible love. So when I woke up at the bottom of that ravine, legs gone, and the pack doctor confirmed I would never walk again — I hadn’t cried. I had come apart entirely. I had believed Ethan would hold me through all of it, unconditionally. I was wrong. Love has limits. And enough of the wrong things can erode it. Family bonds. Mate bonds. Both. Three years of volatility had cost me not just Ethan but Ash — my son had slowly gone quiet inside my daily storms, until one day he simply stopped coming to me at all. He no longer told me about the funny things that happened at his lessons. He no longer trailed after me asking for the honey cakes I used to make. I tilted my head back. The tears came faster. An empty room. Just the sound of my own muffled crying. Lara, you really did this to yourself. You had something good and you ground it to nothing. I swallowed the ache, refused to let myself look back any further, and when the worst of it had passed, I wheeled myself to find Ash. I had brought medicine for his welts. I hadn’t even reached his door when I heard Seraphine’s voice inside. “Ash, sweetheart. Hold still — almost done.” I stopped. Through the gap in the door I could see Seraphine perched on the edge of the bed, carefully pressing salve into the marks on Ash’s back. The boy lay flat and still, not making a sound. They looked like a mother and child. The feed drifted past. [Seraphine is so gentle. This is what a real mother looks like.] [Ash must be so moved. When has the villainess ever once tended to his wounds? All she ever does is make new ones.] [Exactly. Does she even deserve to be called his mother?] My fingers tightened around the medicine jar. Behind me, footsteps. Ethan had appeared at my back, studying me with a furrowed brow. “What are you doing here?” He glanced at the jar in my hands, then at the scene through the door. His voice was flat. “You can’t move easily. Stop wandering.” I swallowed the sting and pushed through the door. “I came to dress Ash’s wounds.” Ash turned at the sound of my voice. Eight years old, and already his face had stopped carrying expressions around me. He looked at me and the corner of his mouth pulled into something thin and cutting. “Mother’s hands are too fine for this kind of work.” “Besides — I should thank you. You’re the one who gave me all these marks.” He turned over. His back was covered in crossing welts. I went still. I had struck him countless times over the years. Every time, he had said nothing — appeared the next morning as though nothing had happened. I had never understood, until now, how hard I had been hitting. The feed erupted. [Is she even human? He’s a child!] [Thank the moon for Seraphine. She was thinking about him even during the border campaign — brought him a carved toy horse. Worth ten of that woman.] I followed the feed’s gaze to the bedside table. A small wooden horse sat there, delicately carved — clearly not from anything sold in the city. Ash finished dressing, climbed down from the bed, and stepped in front of the horse — half-shielding it behind him — then looked up at me. “Do you need something else?” His eyes were cold. Ethan stood at his side, watching me with the same chill. It felt like a needle pressed between my ribs. I looked away and left. Back in my room, I dug through the chest at the foot of my bed until I found a small carved pendant at the very bottom. My brother Dominic had made it for me when I was five. I could still hear his voice, lifting me over his head, laughing. “Lara. I’ll always be here.” I closed my fist around it and felt a sudden, overwhelming need to see him. I sent a message through the pack channel asking for a visit. The reply took a long time. When it came back, the messenger wouldn’t meet my eyes. “The Alpha says… he has pack business today. He asks that you come another time.” A pause, then: “He also says — if you need anything from the house, to request it through the steward.” I gave a small, bitter smile. Understood. My brother was done with me too. Dusk came. I had dinner brought to my room, ate a few bites, and set it aside. Ethan didn’t come. In the early years after battle campaigns, he had always spent the first nights back in my room. Tonight I waited until long past midnight. He never appeared. The feed drifted past, lazy and merciless. [Don’t bother waiting. He’s in Seraphine’s room.] [It’s their honeymoon phase. Of course they’re together. Stop embarrassing yourself.] [He came home at all. Be grateful.] I blew out the candle and lay in the dark, staring at nothing. It’s fine. It’s normal. He loves Seraphine. It’s normal.

I woke to thunder. My body curled inward before I was fully conscious. I had been afraid of storms my whole life. As a child, Dominic had held me through them. After the mating, Ethan had. Tonight — The door opened. Ethan walked in fast, still dressed from the day, his expression tight with something urgent. He found me folded into the corner of the bed, crossed to me immediately, and sat. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” He drew me against his chest. My cheek pressed to him. I heard his heartbeat — quick, steady. I breathed him in and held on. I wanted to ask him to stay longer. But before I could speak, he pulled back. “You’re alright. Good.” “Seraphine needs me. I should check on her.” The feed lit up instantly. [Oh, she actually thought he came for her. Hilarious.] [He came out of duty. Nothing more. Whatever he felt for her is long gone.] [Did you see his eyes? Not a flicker of real tenderness.] [Back to our girl now. Bye.] The door closed. Thunder still rolling outside. I sat up slowly and watched the lightning cut through the window, one strike after another. I thought about what the feed had said my ending would be. Driven out of the Pack House. Left to rot in the Outcast Woods. I gripped the edge of my blanket. And felt, quite suddenly, a very clear want. The next morning, I asked my attendant to contact a neutral escort service — human couriers who operated outside pack territory. Not to move cargo. To move a person. My whole life I’d been confined — first in the Alpha’s compound where I grew up, then in the General’s Pack House. When I could still walk, I was never allowed far. Now that I couldn’t, I was allowed nowhere at all. But I wanted to go out. I wanted to see something wider than these four walls. Even if I died on the road. Better than rotting in here. The escort liaison had barely left when Ethan appeared. He spotted the business card on the table and frowned. “What do you need an escort service for?” I slipped the card into my lap, calm. “Nothing important. Sending something to Dominic’s.” Ethan looked at me once, didn’t press, and left. Same as always. I swallowed something bitter and went back to packing my things. That evening I sent another message to Dominic — I wanted him there for my birthday. Just once more, before I left. He declined before the message had even settled. “The Alpha has a full schedule. A birthday celebration happens every year. Skip it this once.” I had been talking myself through it from the moment I sent the message: it’s not practical, it’s fine to skip it. Then the formal announcement came through. An official pack decree: Seraphine, for distinguished service during the border campaign, was hereby granted the title of Pack-Honored and a celebration in her name. When I raised my head, Seraphine was framed in the doorway — pale rose dress, face like something in bloom. Ethan stood beside her. His eyes were soft in a way I hadn’t seen in years. The feed came alive. [Your own brother would rather throw a party for a stranger than see you. That’s how done with you he is.] [No Alpha’s protection, no General’s love, no family — you’re just a paralyzed woman with no place in this pack anymore.] [Look at the way he looks at her though~ so sweet~] My fists tightened until my fingers went white. He hadn’t been busy. He just didn’t want to see me. Ash stepped out from the inner courtyard and bowed to Seraphine, perfectly formal. “Congratulations, Seraphine.” He didn’t look at me once. I wheeled myself back to my room and sat looking at the emptiness. The attendants had begun moving things — not my things. Seraphine’s. She was being given rooms. Ethan was escorting her. The entire Pack House, and I was the only one left in it. No — not quite. There were the crutches propped against the wall. And my own shadow. I looked down at my legs, and found myself smiling. Fine. Quiet, at least. I pushed slowly back to my room and curled my fingers around the small carved pendant. Dominic didn’t want me. Ash didn’t want me. Ethan didn’t want me. That was alright. I still had myself.

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Three years after I died, nothing grew near the estate. The grass turned black. The trees twisted inward, skeletal and choking. Anyone who wandered too close collapsed within hours—fever dreams, screaming fits, unexplained wounds opening across their skin. The tabloids called it a plague. A curse. They called it me. The headlines screamed: “Dead Detective’s Vengeful Spirit Terrorizes Town—Former Fiancée Breaks Silence.” Serena had no choice. The board was watching. Her new luxury development—the crown jewel of her empire—sat less than two miles from my rotting estate. Investors were pulling out. The press was circling. So she did what she always did. She came to finish me off. — The black SUVs rolled up the gravel drive in a slow procession. Rain hammered the windshields. The manor loomed ahead— Serena stepped out first. Designer boots. Black trench coat. Her face was beautiful. Julian climbed out behind her. Golden-haired. Soft-eyed. The picture of wounded innocence. She pulled him close, shielding him from the wind. “Stay behind me,” she murmured. The Occultist emerged last. Dr. Miriam Ashford. Grey hair pulled tight. Wire-rimmed glasses. She carried an old leather case, buckles clicking as she moved. Serena surveyed the estate. “God. Even dead, my husband Ethan’s a nightmare.” Julian’s voice was small. Trembling. “Serena, are you sure we have to do this? He’s my brother. Maybe we should just—” “Your brother?” She turned, eyes cold. “Your brother was a liar and a cheat. He’s dead, Julian. And he’s still making my life hell.” She looked back at the house. “I should’ve buried him at sea. Let the sharks have him.” But she didn’t know. I was standing right next to her. My ghost. Invisible. Weightless. And my body? Rotting beneath her feet.

The manor swallowed us whole. Inside, the air was thick. Wrong. Even at noon, the light couldn’t penetrate. Shadows pooled in corners like oil. Julian was sweating. His hand clamped around Serena’s wrist. “Serena, please. I don’t feel good. Can we leave?” She shook him off. Irritation flashed across her face. Dr. Ashford moved slowly through the foyer, her equipment humming. EMF readers. Infrared scanners. Sigils drawn in chalk. She stopped in the center of the room. Her face went pale. “This place…” Her voice was barely a whisper. “The resentment here is catastrophic.” Serena crossed her arms. “Can you fix it or not?” “Maybe.” Dr. Ashford’s jaw tightened. “But first, we need the body.” “Then find it.” “It won’t be easy. Whoever did this… they knew what they were doing.” She pulled a small obsidian blade from her case. Black. Gleaming. “We’ll need this. It’s the only thing sharp enough to sever the tether.” Serena didn’t blink. “Then let’s dig.” — They found my grave behind the manor. Overgrown. Forgotten. The headstone had toppled. The inscription was illegible, covered in moss and cracks. Serena gestured to the workers. “There. Dig.” Julian looked sick. “Serena, this is—” “Shut up.” Her voice was ice. “You’ve been having nightmares for weeks. This ends today.” The workers broke ground. One meter down, they hit wood. The coffin was cheap. Rotting. The lid sagged inward, half-collapsed. Serena stepped closer. “Open it.” The workers pried it open. Silence. No body. Just medals. Dozens of them. Service commendations. Citations for bravery. Detective of the Year. All of them stained dark—rusted, crusted with something black. Blood. One of the workers picked one up. “What the hell…?” Dr. Ashford leaned in. Her face drained of color. “This is an array,” she breathed. “A ritual.” Serena’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of ritual?” “The worst kind.” Dr. Ashford pulled a compass from her bag. The needle spun wildly, then locked—pointing directly at the manor. “The body isn’t here. It’s inside.”

They entered the manor again. This time, the air felt alive. Watching. The compass went berserk the moment they crossed the threshold. The needle spun so fast it cracked. Dr. Ashford cursed. “We’re standing on top of it.” “Then where—” A crash. Serena whirled around. Julian had stumbled into a side table. A porcelain vase shattered on the floor. “Jesus, Julian—” “I’m sorry, I—” He froze. “Wait.” Among the shards, something small and leather-bound. A journal. Serena picked it up. Flipped through it. Blank pages. Nothing. She sneered. “Of course. Even his diary is useless.” She moved to tear it apart. Dr. Ashford snatched it from her hands. “Don’t.” “Excuse me—” “This isn’t blank.” Dr. Ashford’s voice was sharp. She began muttering under her breath—Latin, old Welsh, something ancient. The pages began to shimmer. Words bled through. Ink appearing like wounds opening. “It’s a death diary,” Dr. Ashford whispered. “Written by the deceased. Hidden by a curse.” Serena’s face twisted. “Read it.” Dr. Ashford opened to the first page.

Dr. Ashford read aloud. Her voice was flat. Clinical. “Today is my twentieth birthday. Serena came to the house to celebrate with me. I was so happy. But Julian was there. Always there. He kept cutting between us. Wouldn’t let me talk to her. Pressed himself against her side like a child. I tried not to be jealous. He’s my brother. He’d never hurt me. I remember the day they found him. Ten years lost. Ten years of Mom and Dad crying, searching, praying. I swore I’d protect him. But after he came home, everything changed. Mom and Dad stopped looking at me. It was like I didn’t exist. I burned my hand making them breakfast once. They didn’t even notice. Just threw the food away. But Julian? He brought them a cheap souvenir from a trip, and they carried it everywhere. Showed it to everyone. Bragged. It’s fine. He deserves it. He suffered. At least I still have Serena. She’ll never leave me.” — Dr. Ashford paused. Serena’s face was stone. Julian shifted uncomfortably. Dr. Ashford continued. “Julian got hurt doing one of his extreme sports stunts. Damaged his kidney. Mom and Dad asked me to donate mine. I said no. I was in the middle of my detective certification exams. The surgery would take months to recover from. I’d miss my shot. They begged. Guilted. Screamed. But it was Serena who strapped me to the operating table. Serena. I woke up with one kidney and no future.” Serena’s jaw clenched. “That’s a lie.” Dr. Ashford didn’t stop. “Thunder last night. The worst storm in years. Serena used to be terrified of storms. She’d curl up in my arms, shaking. But last night, she locked me in my room. And went to Julian’s. He called her. Said he was scared. She didn’t even look back.” “October third. I’ll never forget this date. A car hit me. I was bleeding. Broken leg. I begged them to call an ambulance. Serena refused. She said I was faking. Said I just wanted an excuse to see ‘that doctor.’ I don’t even know who she’s talking about. She locked me in a room. Alone. For a full day. By the time she let a medic in, the damage was permanent. I’ll never be a detective now. She said she loved my dream. My dedication. My desire to serve. But she clipped my wings herself.”

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Ten years with my fiancé Blake Carrington. I said, “Blake, I’m pregnant.” The documents in his hands hit the floor. His brow furrowed hard. “The company IPO is at the most critical stage. This is the worst possible time for a baby.” “It’s fine. Your career comes first.” I smiled softly. He didn’t catch my meaning. I was pregnant. But he wasn’t the father. —— The tenderness in his eyes had died long ago. All that remained was raw impatience. The look on his face—like I was some kind of baggage he couldn’t shake off. He saw I hadn’t moved. He must’ve realized he’d gone too far. He cleared his throat. His tone eased up. “Madison, think about it. Once the company goes public, we’ll have the life we always wanted. Listen to me. This baby is bad timing. And your body’s never been that strong anyway. Sometimes stress, or a little too much exertion… you know how it is. First trimester. Things happen.” I froze. I couldn’t believe what I’d just heard. I knew he was ruthless. I didn’t know he’d turned this cold. He thought I was carrying his own flesh and blood. And the words coming out of his mouth were about how the problem might just “take care of itself.” “Could you find time to go to the clinic with me?” He slammed the documents onto the desk. “Madison. I thought I made myself clear. I can’t get away right now. Handle this yourself. Don’t bother me with it.” He grabbed his phone and sent me a transfer. “For the medical bills.” I stared at the four-figure amount on my screen. A thousand dollars. Less than what he spent on one dish at the Michelin-starred restaurant he took Olivia to last week. That’s what I was worth to him. Me and this child. “Blake, what’s with the temper?” We were locked in stalemate when Olivia pushed the door open and walked right in. She stepped behind him. Her fingers found his shoulders. Kneaded softly. Neither of them acted like his fiancée was in the room. Oh, now she’s playing gentle? Two years ago when she called him out of my investor meeting, she didn’t have this face on. He’d been in a meeting that day. Got a call. Rushed out. I found out later. His university obsession, Olivia Violet, had returned from Europe. Of course he dropped everything to pick her up at the airport. At first I let it go. Until Olivia became VP of the company. I confronted Blake. What exactly were they? He just looked annoyed. “She’s an old friend.” I believed him. A week later, the two of them took a “business trip” to Napa Valley. Arms linked. Tasting rooms at a boutique winery. After that, I could count on one hand the nights he slept at home. At the office, they stopped pretending entirely. Arrived together. Left together. New hires assumed they were the couple. “Seems some people never grow out of stealing other women’s boyfriends.” My voice was ice. Olivia’s face collapsed. Her hand flew to her mouth like I’d slapped her. Tears pooled in her eyes. Exactly the right amount. Blake’s expression darkened. “That was out of line. This company wouldn’t be standing without Olivia. Everything you eat, everything you wear—it’s all paid for by this business. You could at least show some gratitude instead of attacking her.” Everything paid for by her? I was the one at Soho House. Swallowing stomach pain, drink after drink, pitching his incoherent valuation models to arrogant VCs. Convincing them his technology deserved investment. That night, I left the party in an ambulance. I lifted my head. Looked at him. “You know what, Blake? I just realized. You’re not the man I fell in love with. You’re just the man I built. And frankly, my creation is a piece of shit.” I knew there was nothing left to say. I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. Behind me, Blake was already comforting Olivia. “Ignore her. She grew up in foster care. She never learned how to act in a normal family.” Olivia wiped her tears. Brave. Forced a smile. Shook her head. “It’s fine. I understand. Madison probably just misunderstands me. I’ll try harder with her. She’s your fiancée. I don’t want to make things difficult for you.” Blake let out a long sigh. “You’re always so considerate.” I couldn’t stomach another second. I walked out.

In the car on the way home, I hesitated. Then I dialed my mother’s number. The international video call took three tries to connect. “Mom. It’s me.” Silence on the other end. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “Maddie? Is it really you? Do you have any idea how long it’s been since you called home? When I wouldn’t approve of you being with that penniless boy, you cut us off completely. Do you know how much that broke my heart?” When I’d announced our engagement, my parents hadn’t approved. They’d pulled his credit history. Found nearly two hundred thousand dollars in student loans and business debt he’d hidden. My father didn’t yell. He just slid a background report across the table. His tone left no room for argument. “Madison. Two hundred thousand in hidden debt. This man sees you as a ladder, not a partner. He’s using you.” I was blinded by love. I rejected their objections. Cut all ties. All these years, Blake still believed I was an orphan. No family. No roots. I’d stood beside him from nothing to everything. Helped him pay off every cent of that debt. He became the respected Mr. Carrington. And in his eyes, I became dead weight. Disposable. “Mom. I’m pregnant.” A crash on her end. Something had hit the floor. Silence stretched. My mother sighed. “You called. That means you’ve already made your decision. Book a flight home three days from now. We’ll handle this together.” I hung up. Leaned back in the taxi. Watched the Manhattan skyline slide past the window. That hard shell I’d built over a decade of surviving New York alone finally cracked open. I wasn’t fighting alone anymore. I needed you, Mom. Home. The apartment. Cold and empty. Same as always. Last time Blake came back? Two weeks ago? Maybe longer. A bitter smile crossed my face. I set my things down. Headed toward the bathroom. My phone buzzed. A message from a friend. “Girl, did you see Olivia’s story? The audacity. She tagged your man.” I opened her profile. The photo hit me like a fist. A hotel mirror selfie. Topless. A man’s arm wrapped tight around her waist. His face cropped out. If they were actually a couple, it’d just be bedroom fun. But that arm. Near the shoulder. A scar I knew better than my own reflection. Blake. Back when we were still in love, he didn’t have money. Our only entertainment was hiking. Free state parks. A rock slide on one trail. I was in the path. He shoved me out of the way. The rocks caught him instead. Left that scar. I’d sobbed. Swore in my heart I’d stay with him forever. Men’s hearts change fast. Tears blurred my vision. I read Olivia’s caption. “He said the scar was ugly. He’s getting a tattoo. My name. To cover it up.” I didn’t need answers anymore. That photo was every answer I needed. The man who once risked his life to save me was now wrapping that scarred arm around another woman. Naked. In a hotel room.

I was the first one at the office the next morning. Not out of passion for the job. I was there to finalize my exit. My steps didn’t hesitate as I walked into the building. One last thing to do. Make him sign me free. Final step of the exit process. CEO sign-off. That meant Blake. I paced outside his office. The door swung open. “Blame you. Last night was insane. My back’s still killing me.” Olivia’s voice. Laced with laughter. My whole body went rigid. I turned toward the sound. Blake was beaming. One hand on her lower back. Kneading gently. An expression of tenderness I’d never once received. The moment they saw me, panic flickered in their eyes. Olivia coughed. “Madison. It’s not what you think. We went to the gym together last night. I pulled my back.” Her words said one thing. The flush creeping up her face said another. I knew she was baiting me. I didn’t give her the reaction. I just handed the document to Blake. “Sign this.” Blake frowned at me. “Everything’s been approved already. What business is this?” He started flipping through the papers. My heart shot into my throat. The next second, Olivia snatched the document from his hands. “Oh, this? That ancient contract. The one that’s been bleeding us dry for months. Finally resolved. You know the one. Blake, just sign it. Before any new problems pop up.” I heard what she was saying. I was the “problem.” The troublesome vendor she’d spent half a year trying to cut loose. “That’s what this is. Good. I trust you to handle things.” Blake’s eyes brimmed with indulgence. He didn’t examine the papers further. Just scrawled his signature. The breath I’d been holding. Released. Silent. I was free. He caught my expression. Suspicion crept in. “This document’s that important? You look relieved.” I stared at the floor. “It is important.” He glanced at the papers again. But he trusted Olivia. He didn’t push. Olivia winced. Made a show of pressing her back. Blake looked at me. Testing. “Madison. Olivia’s really uncomfortable. You don’t mind if I help her with her back, do you? She’s got to meet clients for the company this afternoon.” “I don’t mind at all. You’re partners. You should take care of each other.” My smile was pure innocence. I’d gotten what I came for. Who cared what he did now? He’d braced himself for a fight. The same screaming match I’d always given him. My calm threw him off. “You… you mean that?” I nodded. Generous. “Of course. Like you said. Without Olivia on the front lines, I wouldn’t have this comfortable life. I should be thanking her.” Something in my words needled him. He couldn’t pinpoint it. He just stared. I swung my bag over my shoulder. “Take good care of Olivia. I’m heading home.” Maybe he realized he’d pushed too far. He cleared his throat. Reached for my arm. “I’ll come home for dinner tonight.” “No need. I’ve got plans with friends.” I smiled. Slid my hand free. Walked out under his stunned gaze.

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