Betrayed By My Mate Saved By His Rival

For our seventh anniversary, my mate, Alpha Ethan, sent my daughter and me to the Moon Goddess Altar. He told me it was a surprise—to give our daughter her dream of watching a meteor shower from the highest peak in the territory. But Ethan never came. The protective runes at my feet sputtered, then died. The ground beneath us began to crumble. My daughter screamed, her small body sliding toward the abyss. I lunged, grabbing her hand just before she went over the edge. I screamed his name through our mind-link. Ninety-nine times, he refused to answer. On my hundredth cry, the link didn't just open—it was ripped wide. It wasn’t his voice that answered. It was his senses, flooding mine. I saw it all. Him. Another she-wolf. And him, buried deep inside of her. "I knew you loved me, Ethan," her sickly-sweet voice purred. "You even sacrificed Marcus, just to save our Leo from the soul-sickness. I'll do anything for you." Ethan’s voice was velvet and ice. "Stop. If Sera hadn't betrayed me, you never would have had the chance to carry my heir. Once I get rid of her other pup—Jullian's bastard—we can be perfect again." My world shattered. My son... Rogues. I'd always believed rogues had stolen him. But it was his own father. He sacrificed him for a lie. With my last ounce of strength, I called Julian. "I'm breaking my bond with Ethan," I snarled into the new link. "Make me your Luna. In return, I will help you burn his pack to the ground." Chapter 1 The Moon Festival. Our seventh anniversary. My mate, Alpha Ethan, promised me a surprise. He sent his Beta to escort me and our daughter to the Moon Goddess Altar, perched on the highest cliff of our territory. I thought he was finally giving our daughter, Lydia, her biggest wish—to see a meteor shower from the place closest to the Goddess herself. I was a fool. I never imagined he was sending our daughter to die. Just minutes ago, I was carrying my daughter up the steep stone steps, following the Beta. The height made my head spin, but a smile was plastered on my face. I thought Ethan and I would soon be watching the stars together. "Mommy, when is Daddy coming?" Lydia whispered, her arms tight around my neck. "Soon, baby. Very soon." The moment our feet hit the platform, the protective runes etched into the stone flared once, a brilliant silver. Then, they went dark. The altar shook violently. Lydia was thrown from my arms, sliding toward the cliff's edge. "HELP!" I screamed in terror. I glanced back for help, but the guards had already pulled back to a safe distance, their faces impassive. No one moved. Below, the river churned like a hungry beast. My wolf was screaming. Howling in terror. I desperately reached for Ethan through our mind link. We were fated mates. Nothing was supposed to sever that connection. I screamed for him. Again. And again. Ninety-nine times, my calls were met with a wall of silence. On the hundredth, the link didn't just open. It was torn apart. But I didn't hear his voice. I saw through his eyes. Felt what he felt. The touch of another woman’s skin. The cloying, sweet scent of her perfume. Her breathless moans. It all flooded through the bond that should have been ours alone. He was so lost in his pleasure, he forgot to block me. "Ethan, when will you make me your Luna? I gave you a true heir. A pure-blood." "Know your place, Lilith," his voice was a low growl. "The Luna title belongs to Seraphina. Always. As for you... you gave me a son. I suppose I can reward you for that." "But she betrayed you! She gave you a bastard!" Lilith shrieked. "Yes, she's tainted." A cold chuckle echoed down the bond. "But I already sacrificed Marcus for Leo's sake. Tonight, I'm getting rid of the other one. Once Jullian's bastard is gone, she'll be my clean, pure Sera again." Sacrifice? The word pierced my heart. My son, Marcus. He went missing when he was three. I always believed he was taken by rogues. I never thought he was murdered by his own father. He thought killing my pup was his idea of a "fresh start"? With me? He didn't just kill my son. He was trying to kill my daughter, too. And it was all because of a ridiculous misunderstanding he never even confronted me about. He thought I cheated on him with Jullian?! I remember when his pack was on its knees. Their mines had collapsed. Their so-called allies scattered like rats from a sinking ship. It was I who went to Julian, calling on the old friendship we’d forged at the Academy. His price was simple: I had to help him fulfill a single wish he’d held since we were students. When I told Ethan, he didn’t utter a single word of doubt. He just pulled me against his chest, wrapping me in his scent, a powerful Alpha calm that chased away all my fears. “I trust you,” he had rumbled, his voice a promise against my skin. “We are fated mates. You would never betray me. And I will never betray you.” And now? After all that, he dares to look at my pup—our pup—and see another man’s pups? Seven years of love. My unwavering loyalty. It was all worth nothing to him. "Mommy!" Lydia's desperate shriek pulled me back. She was dangling off the edge of the platform, my hand the only thing keeping her from falling. Through the link, their grunts and laughter continued, a filthy soundtrack to my agony. I didn't cut the connection. I let it slice me apart. When my daughter screamed again, my tears had run dry. I closed the link to Ethan. The pain was like ripping out my own soul. Gasping, I used my last bit of strength to make another call. "I am severing my bond with Ethan," I choked out, my voice raw and broken. "I will be your Luna. In return, I want you to destroy him. All of him. Right now, my daughter and I are trapped on the Moon Goddess Altar..." The other end was silent for three heartbeats. Then, a deep, steady voice answered. "I am seven days away. But my elite warriors will be at that altar in three minutes. Don't let go." Chapter 2 I burst into the penthouse, clutching a trembling Lydia. Julian's warriors had rescued us and vanished without a trace. But I knew this was just the beginning. "Sweetheart, Mommy's taking you on an adventure," I whispered, forcing a smile I didn't feel. "We'll go somewhere far, far away, and see a real meteor shower." "Is Daddy not coming?" The word "Daddy" was a knife in my chest. "Daddy's... busy," I said, unable to meet her innocent eyes. "We're going to leave first. Now, go pack your favorite toys." I ran into the bedroom, grabbing our passports and all the cash I had. My fingers were shaking, but I moved fast. I had to get out before he came back. I couldn't let my daughter be his next sacrifice. Just as I zipped the bags, I heard footsteps outside the door. My blood ran cold. Ethan was back. "Sera! Lydia! Are you okay?" He burst through the door, his face a perfect mask of frantic concern. But I could smell her on him. The cloying, cheap scent of Lilith's perfume. "We're fine. Someone saved us." "Thank the Goddess." He moved to hug me. "Sera, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." I took a step back. The smell was too strong. It made me sick. "What's wrong?" He frowned. "Are you avoiding me?" "No, just... still shaken," I managed a weak smile. "Baby, it's my fault." He reached out to touch my face. "It's our anniversary, I should have been with you. But there was an urgent pack emergency..." He was still lying. Just moments ago, that hand was touching another woman. "I understand," I said through gritted teeth. "My Luna. Always so understanding," he murmured, leaning in to kiss me. I flinched away. His smile faltered. "I promise, this will never..." Suddenly, his face tightened. A mind-link. Lilith's voice, laced with pain, echoed in my head. She hadn't even bothered to block me. "Ethan... it hurts... Your mate bond... it's rejecting me!" Lilith’s voice was filled with panic. "It's like... Luna's power, coming through you, burning my soul! It's her! Seraphina knows! She's using your bond to punish me!" Ethan’s eyes snapped to mine, a flicker of something new in them. "Seraphina," his voice dropped, turning hard as steel. "What did you do to her?" "I didn't do anything." I fought to keep my voice steady. "Don't you lie to me!" he snarled, unleashing his Alpha command. The force of it slammed into me, a physical blow. The air thickened, and every breath was agony. My knees buckled, and I fell to the floor. "I didn't..." "Liar!" he snarled. The crushing weight of his Alpha power slammed down on me. The air grew thick. Every breath was like inhaling shards of glass. My knees buckled, and I was forced to the ground. "I didn't..." He grabbed my arm, his eyes dangerously dark. "How dare you use our bond to hurt someone else? You've already tainted it once, Seraphina! What more do you want to do?" Just then, our daughter ran out of her room. "Mommy, when are we leaving?" she asked innocently. "Didn't we say we were going on a trip?" The air froze. Ethan's gaze flickered to the suitcase behind me. "A trip?" he sneered, his eyes flicking to the suitcase behind me. "Running to Julian?" Ethan didn’t roar. He didn't explode. He just went still. A terrifying, predatory calm. He even calmly adjusted his cuffs before walking slowly toward us. "Oh, Sera. You never learn." He crouched, his cold fingers tracing my cheek. His eyes held a sick, obsessive light. "Why are you trying to run away with his stain? Once she's gone, we can finally be together. The way we were always meant to be." "She's your daughter!" I cried out. "Shh—" His long finger pressed against my lips. "Don't lie for Julian's whelp. It drives me mad with jealousy. Be a good girl. Watch me get rid of it, and then we'll go home." He snatched Lydia with one hand, not like a father holding his pup, but like a man tossing out the trash. His eyes held no hatred. Only the chilling, flat relief of a problem being solved. "This filth doesn't deserve to stand between us." The mother wolf inside me let out a desperate roar. "Daddy, don't scare Mommy..." Lydia cried, reaching for him with her small hands. But Ethan shoved her away. "Don't touch me!" he roared. "You're not my daughter!" My daughter hit the floor. Something inside me snapped. I launched myself at him, all claws and teeth. But he was an Alpha. He was faster. One hand shot out, pinning me to the wall by my neck. The other snatched Lydia up like a rag doll. "Since you want to take this bastard with you so badly, I'll grant your wish!" His smile was cruel and twisted. "Let her go!" I struggled. "Do whatever you want to me!" "To you?" He dragged us toward the door. "Every time I look at her, I'm reminded of how you let another man touch you. I've tolerated this long enough, Sera. Now, you're going to watch me dispose of a traitor's pup. And you... you will stay by my side. Forever." "Daddy, please..." Lydia’s sobs were heart-wrenching. "I'm scared..." Ethan didn't even look at her. He dragged us into the car, ignoring our daughter's desperate cries. Chapter 3 The car tore through the night. I held my sobbing daughter in a death grip. "Ethan, where are you taking us?" I asked. He didn't answer, just gripped the steering wheel, his eyes dark. Ten minutes later, the car skidded to a halt at the sacrificial grounds. Ice flooded my veins. "Get out," he ordered coldly. "No!" I refused. "We're not getting out!" "GET OUT!" His roar shook the entire car. His Alpha command left me no choice. I stumbled out, clutching Lydia. The crumbling ruin of the Moon Goddess Altar loomed at the edge of the cliff, a skeleton under the moonlight. "Ethan, please, don't do this..." I begged. But he had already pulled Lydia from my arms. "No! Daddy, no!" she struggled, her little fists beating against his chest. "Quiet!" He walked up the stone steps, his face a mask of stone. I scrambled after him. "Ethan! She's your daughter!" "My daughter?" He stopped and looked back at me, his eyes dripping with sarcasm. "Are you sure?" He set her down on the broken edge of the platform, right where the runes had died. "Daddy..." Lydia reached for him, trembling. "I'm scared..." He paused, then shoved a file into my chest. "Open your eyes, Sera," he sneered. "Stop lying for Julian's pup." He set Lydia down on the cliff's edge. He calmly adjusted his cuffs. "Now, answer me. Did you attack Lilith? Was it jealousy? Or were you protecting his bastard?" "I didn't attack Lilith!" I screamed. "I swear I didn't!" "Liar." He kicked one of the altar's support beams. The entire platform shook violently. Lydia screamed as she slid closer to the edge. "No!" I tried to run forward, but his guards grabbed me. "I'll ask you one more time," Ethan’s voice was pure ice. "Did you hurt her?" "No! I really didn't!" I sobbed. "Ethan, we're fated mates! How can you not believe me?" "Fated mates?" he sneered. "Does a fated mate betray me? Sleep with another man? Give birth to another man's bastard?" He kicked the beam again, harder this time. "Ten seconds," he began to count down. "Ten... nine... eight..." "STOP!" I shrieked, dropping to my knees. "I'll talk! It was me! I did it!" I lied. I lied to save my daughter's life. "I knew it." He smiled, satisfied, but the countdown didn't stop. "Seven... six... Seven..." "I already admitted it!" I shrieked. "Let her go!" "Admitting it changes nothing," he said, his smile a cruel slash in the darkness. "Now, tell me why." "Because... because I was jealous..." I choked out the humiliating words. "Jealous of what?" "Jealous that you love her..." "Four... three... two..." "Please!" I crawled towards him, grabbing his pant leg. "I'll take it back! I'll undo it right now!" "Too late," he kicked me away. "Besides, there's something else I want to know now." His gaze turned lethal. "Are you trying so hard to save her because she's really my daughter?" I froze. "Or..." he leaned in, his voice a venomous whisper, "...are you this desperate to save Julian's little bastard?" "She IS your daughter!" I screamed hysterically. "Ethan! She's yours!" "Mine?" He laughed, a harsh, broken sound that echoed in the night. He pointed a shaking finger at Lydia. "Then explain her eyes! Explain this!" He waved the paternity test in my face. "It says she doesn't carry a single drop of my Alpha blood!" "That's because..." I tried to explain, but the words wouldn't come. Because I didn't know why. But I knew, I swore on my soul, I had never betrayed him. "See?" Ethan sneered. "You can't even come up with a decent lie. That proves it. She's Julian's spawn!" "No!" I cried. "She's your daughter!" "One!" he finished the countdown. Then he kicked the altar with all his might. "NO!" I shrieked in despair. Ethan raised a hand, signaling the guards to restrain me. "Drag her back," he ordered, his voice utterly devoid of emotion. "She cares so much for Julian's whelp. Let's give her a front-row seat." The guards grabbed my arms. I fought like a wild animal. "Ethan! She's your daughter!" I wailed. "Even if you don't love me anymore, she's innocent!" "No, Sera. You're my fated mate. Of course I love you." He glanced back, his expression almost tender. But his eyes were chips of ice. "But a traitor's pup is never innocent." I threw my pride, my dignity as a Luna, into the dirt at his feet. It wasn't enough. He wouldn't even look at me. "Ethan, please... believe me," I choked out, the words drowned by sobs. "I never... I never betrayed you." But he had already turned his back on me. Chapter 4 "Mommy..." My daughter's weak voice drifted from the altar. She couldn't hold on much longer. "Lydia! Hold on!" I screamed. Ethan stood by the edge, looking down at me. "Still putting on a show?" he sneered. A wave of his Alpha power slammed into the crumbling altar, shaking it to its core. The stone platform lurched. Lydia shrieked as she slipped further. "DON'T!" I struggled, but the guards held me fast. "You're insane... " I trembled. "You care this much for a bastard?" The storm in his eyes darkened. His hand clamped onto the back of my neck, forcing me to look up at the edge of the cliff. "You'd throw away your pride for his pup?" The storm in his eyes darkened. "Seraphina, your love is mine. Your life is mine. Your very pain is mine to command." Just then, his Beta rushed over. "Alpha!" the Beta gasped. "It's Lilith! Her mind is breaking! The healers say the shock could kill the baby... your heir!" Ethan's eyes turned to ice. "You'd hurt my only pure-blooded heir for Julian's bastard?" "I didn't..." "That's not fair, Sera," he said, his voice laced with a twisted, pitying tone. "An eye for an eye. You hurt my heir. I take his." "No! Lydia is innocent!" But he ignored me and kicked. CRACK. The support pillar snapped. The entire altar tilted and began to fall toward the cliff. "Daddy..." My daughter looked at him, her small hand reaching. Her voice was a whisper. "Save me..." But Ethan turned his back, refusing to look. "MOMMY!" Her scream tore through the night. And then... silence. I watched her tiny body fall through the air and vanish into the darkness. "NO!" I broke free from the guards and ran for the cliff. I would follow her. I would die with her. "Seraphina!" Ethan grabbed me and threw me to the ground. "Let me go!" I kicked and clawed at him. "Let me go! I have to find my daughter!" "You want to die?" he snarled, his fingers digging into my throat. "I forbid it. Your life is not yours to take." I stared back at him, my eyes burning with hate. "Kill me. Just kill me!" "If you love that bastard so much," he hissed, "then you can live a lifetime of agony remembering this lesson." He leaned close, his voice a venomous whisper in my ear. "Watch, Sera. This is the price for your betrayal. And when you are done screaming, I will forgive you." He held me while my daughter fell, a sickening, possessive embrace. "There," he whispered against my hair, his tone one of deep satisfaction. "Now your world is empty. Now there is only room for me." I lay on the ground, my world falling apart. He killed my son. He pushed my daughter off a cliff. What reason did I have left to live? Blood trickled from the back of my head. My vision blurred. Before the darkness claimed me, I forced my eyes open one last time, searching the churning black water below. Lydia... Mommy is so, so sorry... Chapter 5 "Lydia?" The name was a raw, desperate whisper, the first sound to tear from my throat as I pried my eyes open. The white light of the pack infirmary was blinding. "You're awake!" Ethan stood up, his voice laced with concern. He looked like he'd been watching over me for a long time. "My daughter," I pushed myself up. "Is she alive?" "Don't say her name," he growled, his face hardening. "Whether she lives or dies... depends entirely on you." My heart pounded. "What does that mean?" "My men pulled her from the river," Ethan said, standing up. "But she's badly injured." "Let me see her!" I tried to get out of bed. "No." He pushed me back down. "First, you have to answer for what you did." "What did I do?" He leaned in close, his eyes dark. "Your jealousy almost cost me my only true heir. Lilith is in critical condition. She needs a Luna's vitality to stabilize her." I stared at him, stunned. "You want me to..." "Yes," he said without hesitation. "You will heal her. You will give her your life force." "That could kill me!" I gasped. "It won't kill you," he purred, a low, cruel sound. "It will just leave you... empty. Besides, you owe me this pain. It’s only fair. Otherwise, Lydia's life…" A threat. A naked threat. "Ethan, are you even human?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Human?" He sneered. "The bond makes us more than human, Sera. And so does betrayal. Did you ever once think of my pain when you were with him?" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I knew nothing I said would matter now. He had made up his mind. "I'll do it." "Good." He nodded, satisfied. "We'll begin immediately." Twenty minutes later, I was in an ancient ritual chamber. Silver runes were carved into the floor, and moonlight streamed onto a Moonstone in the center. Lilith was already lying on one side of the altar, pale and weak. "Begin," Ethan ordered the pack healer. The healer forced my hand onto the freezing Moonstone. Across from me, Lilith took my other hand, and even in her weakened state, I saw the triumphant smirk on her lips. The ritual began. I could feel my life force being ripped from me, flowing through the stone and into Lilith's body. My vision blurred. A deep, chilling cold spread through my bones. Across from me, Lilith’s cheeks began to flush with color. Her scent grew stronger. He didn't spare Lilith a single glance. His eyes were locked on me. A twisted fascination burned in their depths as he stared at my pale face. He gently wiped the sweat from my brow. "Does it hurt, my love?" he whispered, his voice a venomous caress. "Good. Remember this pain. The next time you think of betraying me, you will remember exactly how this feels." "Enough..." I begged weakly. "Just a little longer," he whispered, kissing my cold hand. His tone was cruel, yet he sounded like he was comforting a lover. "If you can't handle a little pain, how can you be my Luna? How can you deserve my mercy for that bastard?" After another ten minutes, I was on the verge of collapse. "Stop," the doctor finally said. "Any longer and the Luna's life will be in danger." The ritual ended. I slumped into a chair, too weak to even speak. "Thank you, Seraphina," Lilith said with a fake smile. "I know you didn't mean to hurt me." Didn't mean to? She was still acting. I ignored her and looked at Ethan. "I... need to see my daughter..." Ethan walked over and lifted me into his arms as if I were a piece of precious porcelain. He leaned in and whispered in my ear. "See? You do still love me. You're willing to do anything for me." His voice was filled with smug satisfaction. He laid me down on the bed, tucking the sheets around me as if I were a fragile doll. "You disappointed me today, my Luna," he whispered. "You still care more about that bastard than you do about me." "You don't get to see her. Not until you learn that your world begins and ends with me." Chapter 6 I was pushed into Lilith’s room. She was propped up in bed, her face glowing with health. She looked nothing like the dying woman from the ritual. "Seraphina, thank you for saving me." She smiled gently, but her eyes glinted with triumph. "You're welcome," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "Can I see my daughter now?" "Daughter?" Lilith tilted her head, feigning confusion. "Which daughter are you talking about?" A cold dread filled me. "Lydia." "Oh, that poor thing," Lilith sighed, her eyes wide with fake pity. "You don't know? She's dead." My world stopped spinning. "What?" "How could a pup survive a fall like that?" she mused, picking at a loose thread on her blanket. "They didn't even find all the pieces." "No..." I shook my head. "Ethan said she was rescued..." "He lied to you, to make you cooperate," Lilith’s smile was vicious. "Her remains were given back to the Moon Goddess, as per the old rituals." "No..." I trembled. "It can't be..." "It's poetic, isn't it?" she gloated, her voice dripping venom. "One son sacrificed for mine, the other smashed on the rocks below. My, my... Ethan must truly hate you." Something inside me snapped. Pure, unadulterated rage. My vision turned gold. A murderous snarl ripped from my throat, and my nails sharpened into claws. The mother wolf inside me was howling for blood. I lunged, my hands closing around her neck. "You bitch! Give me back my pup!" "Help... help me..." Lilith choked, clawing at my hands. Just as I was about to snap her neck, a pair of strong arms wrapped around me from behind, pinning me. "Sera, you've lost control." Ethan's voice was in my ear, not angry, just a cold statement of fact. He easily broke my hold, trapping me in his arms. I couldn't move. "Let go of me! I'm going to kill her!" "You're acting like a wild animal," he said, his brow furrowed in disappointment. "Humiliating yourself for a dead bastard?" "That was my daughter!" "That was your stain. And now it's gone." He held my struggling arms with one hand and took a syringe from a nearby tray with the other. "Be a good girl. Go to sleep." The needle slid into my neck. Silver. A cold fire shot through my veins, silencing my wolf, stealing my strength. "When you wake up," he murmured, "you'll find the world is so much quieter without your little burden." "No..." I tried to fight, but I was too weak. My vision blurred. "Ethan..." I looked at him one last time. "You will regret this..." The drug took hold, and I went limp in his arms. Before the darkness took me, I heard him speak to a shaken Lilith. His voice was ice. "Get out. I don't want her to see your face when she wakes." Then, darkness. When I woke up again, it was the next morning. Ethan was sitting by the bed, elegantly wiping his fingers with a handkerchief, as if he'd just disposed of something dirty. "You're awake." "Lydia..." I asked weakly. "Where is she..." "I gave you a chance, Sera." He put the handkerchief down and looked at me calmly. "I let you save Lilith to prove that I was the only one in your world. But you were still thinking about that whelp." He stood and walked to the window, his back to me. "So, I took care of her for you," he said casually. "The funeral was last night. It was quiet. Dignified." I felt a hand crush my heart. "Why..." I sobbed. "You promised me..." "I only promised you could see her if you behaved." He turned and walked back to me. There wasn't a trace of guilt in his eyes, only pity. "You gave up that chance yourself. Now, Sera, there's nothing that can keep us apart. Aren't you happy?" His logic was terrifyingly twisted. "If you hadn't slept with Julian, I never would have doubted her." "So this is all my fault?" I laughed, a broken, miserable sound. "Of course," he said without hesitation. Just then, the door burst open. Lilith stormed in, her face a mask of righteous fury. Before I could even process it, her hand cracked across my face. Chapter 7 "You poisonous bitch!" The slap sent my head spinning. Lilith was sobbing, clinging to Ethan's arm. "What did you do to Leo?" she cried. "He suddenly got a high fever last night, he's been having seizures!" Leo? Her son? "I didn't do anything..." I said weakly. "Liar!" she shrieked, pointing at me. "Who else would use a mental attack on a pup?" Ethan looked at me, a storm gathering in his eyes. "Seraphina!" He yanked me up. "How could you attack my pup, yet fight to the death for Jullian's?" "I didn't!" I shook my head frantically. "Leo is only four!" Lilith cried harder. "He's innocent!" Innocent? "You want a confession?" A wild, broken smile twisted my lips. I met his furious gaze, feeling nothing but a chilling calm. "Fine. I did it." "You!" Lilith’s eyes went wide with shock. "I curse him," I whispered, my smile terrifying and real. "I curse your precious heir to die just as my daughter did. A life for a life. An heir for an heir." "Sera, I thought Lydia's death would teach you a lesson." He walked up to me and lifted my chin. "But you've disappointed me. If you won't learn to be an obedient Luna," he said, his voice dangerously soft, "then you can go to the silver cells and reflect." The silver cells. My blood ran cold. They were underground vaults made of solid silver, kept at thirty degrees below zero. "Ethan..." For the first time, I was afraid. "Ethan, isn't that too harsh?" Lilith pretended to object. "I just want her to lift the curse." "Scared now?" Ethan ignored her, looking down at me. "Too late." The guards dragged me downstairs. The silver cells were three floors down. The moment the door opened, a wave of frigid air hit me. "In!" They shoved me inside and slammed the door shut. The biting cold was instant. The pure silver walls sizzled where they touched my skin. Every breath was fire and ice, a lungful of silver that choked my healing. I huddled in a corner, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. For three hours, I thought I was going to die there. But then the door opened. Ethan walked in alone, holding a heavy coat. I was huddled in the corner, shaking. He walked over, crouched down, and wrapped the coat around me, but he made no move to lead me out. "Cold?" he whispered, his warm breath ghosting over my skin. "This is nothing. The ice in this room is nothing compared to the ice you put in my soul, Sera." "I didn't... poison him..." my teeth chattered. "Shh—" he pressed a finger to my lips. "The truth doesn't matter," he whispered. "What matters is that you understand. Your life is mine. Your death is mine. Your honor, your pain... it is all mine to command." I was about to break. To shatter. Then, a voice echoed in my mind. Not Ethan's. Julian's. [Seraphina. Listen to me. Your daughter is safe.] Hope—a dangerous, treacherous thing—slammed into me, so powerful it knocked the breath from my lungs. [What?] [My warriors intercepted her fall. Lydia is alive. She's with me, and she's waiting for you.] Tears streamed down my face. My daughter was alive! "Well?" Ethan asked coldly. "Have you made up your mind?" I looked up at him, the fear gone, replaced by a chilling emptiness. "Ethan," I said, my voice terrifyingly calm. "I want to sever the bond." Chapter 8 "Fine." Ethan's answer stunned me. "You agree?" I looked at him, trying to read his impossibly deep eyes. "If you're so desperate to sever it," he said with a shrug, "then fine. I'll grant your wish." He stood, but didn't lead me out. Instead, he snapped his fingers. A moment later, the pack elder scurried in, trembling, a document already in his hands. It seemed Ethan had planned this all along. "Don't look at me like that, Sera." Ethan took the document from the elder. He scanned it slowly, his tone matter-of-fact. "Leo is the only pure-blood heir of the Blackwood pack. He needs a legitimate title to inherit." So that was it. To pave the way for his bastard son. To make room for Lilith. "So this is just for your heir," I sneered. "Of course." He closed the document and walked to me, cupping my face. "But know this, Sera. This is temporary." He leaned in, his eyes burning with that sick possession. "Once Leo's position is secure, you will return to my side. You can abdicate as Luna. You can give up the title. But you will never stop being mine." Such arrogant charity. What did he think I was? A piece of furniture he could move around and summon back at will? I lowered my eyes, feigning submission. "I understand," I whispered. "To atone for my sins... I'll play my part." Ethan narrowed his eyes, studying me, trying to gauge how real my obedience was. "I'll go quietly. I will disappear until the day you summon me back," I continued, my voice trembling just enough. "Not just the penthouse." Ethan's hand suddenly clamped onto the back of my head, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Starting today, you will move to the estate on the edge of the city. It's quiet there. A good place for you to reflect. Sera, even without the mate bond, I can find you anywhere in the world." "I know." I met his gaze. "I won't run." "Good." Ethan handed me the pen. I took a deep breath and signed my name. Next was the severing ritual. The elder chanted the ancient words. Ethan and I pressed our palms together as a silver knife sliced them open. Our blood mixed, followed by a searing pain deep in my soul. It felt like a part of my soul was being torn out. Ripped from my very being. "Ugh..." I gasped, my face pale and covered in cold sweat. My wolf howled, threatening to burst free. Ethan let out a muffled grunt, a vein throbbing in his temple. But he didn't pull back. Instead, he laced his fingers through mine, gripping my hand tightly. In that moment of shared agony, as our bond shattered, his eyes burned with more possession than ever before. "Do you feel that, Sera?" he gasped, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "This agony... it's proof we were one. The bond may be broken, but the scar it leaves on your soul? That's mine. A permanent brand to remind you who you belong to." The ritual ended. I felt empty, a part of me gone where the bond used to be. But I also felt light. It was the taste of freedom. "Go." Ethan released my bloody hand and elegantly wiped his own with a handkerchief, his cold arrogance returning. "Go back to the penthouse and pack your things. I want you at the estate by tonight." "Yes, Alpha." I turned and walked out of the silver cell on unsteady feet, leaving that suffocating building behind. Back in the penthouse, I took one last look at the gilded cage I once called home. Seven years of our bonding was a lifetime of lies. It was all a sick joke. I took out my phone and dialed Julian's number. "I'm ready." "Good. I'll pick you up after the pack assembly tomorrow." "Don't wait," I said with a cold smile. "Come tonight." "Why the rush?" "Because I'm not running," I said, a slow, cold smile spreading across my face. "I'm making a statement. A parting gift, if you will." I hung up and walked to the storage closet. I found what I was looking for: cans of gasoline. Time to light a fire. The living room, where I used to wait for him to come home. The bedroom, where we slept in the same bed as strangers. The study, where I helped him strategize for his pack. Every corner held a memory, and every memory made me sick. I drenched them all in gasoline, burying them for good. I struck a single match. The tiny flame flickered, a promise of destruction in the darkness. "Goodbye, Ethan," I whispered to the house, to the ghost of the woman I used to be. I let the match fall. Fire roared to life, a hungry beast consuming everything in its path. The penthouse, the symbol of our bond, was turning to ash. I didn't stay to watch. I didn't need to. I turned my back on the roaring inferno, the funeral pyre for the pathetic, loyal wife I once was. I didn't look back. I just walked into the darkness, and toward my revenge.