My Mate Chose Her Over Our Pup

I was four months pregnant with the Alpha’s heir when my best friend, Ariana, slammed into me. She called it an “accident.” I lost the pup. My brother, Liam, tried to expose her to the pack elders. But he was framed for treason, stripped of his Beta title, and thrown in the pack dungeons. I ran to my mate, Alpha Byron, begging for help. He held me close and swore he'd save Liam. The next day, I found Liam in the dungeons, chained in silver, barely alive. Heartbroken, I went to Byron again, searching for a way to prove Liam's innocence. That's when I overheard him talking to his right-hand man. “Alpha, if the Luna finds out you let them frame Liam… she will hate you.” Byron’s voice was laced with exhaustion and suppressed pain. “I know what she’s like. This was the only way to make her forgive Ariana at the Blood Moon ceremony. Ariana saved my life. I won’t let this destroy her.” He paused, his voice completely cold. “As for Sandra… I’ll more than make it up to her. She will never know the truth. Ever. Right now, she just needs… to obey.” The mate I trusted with my life… He threw my family to the wolves. All to protect the woman who killed our child. My heart shattered. Shaking with a fury I’d never known, I called the one person I hadn't spoken to in seven years. My father, Alpha Caden. [Father, I'll accept the strategic alliance. The marriage you wanted. But I have one condition. I need your help… to burn the Blackwood Pack to the ground.] Chapter 1 I was framed and lost my pup. But my mate, Alpha Byron, protected the killer, Ariana. He was even willing to harm my own mother and brother for her. "Sandra has to forgive Ariana publicly." Byron's voice cut through the wall from the next room. I pressed myself against the wall, holding my breath. "Alpha, but she just lost the pup—" “That’s exactly why we have to shut this down. Now,” he cut his Beta off. “I can’t lose anyone else.” “The only way this ends peacefully is if Sandra forgives Ariana in public. If she refuses, cut off her mother’s supply of Moonpetal." My heart stopped. Ever since my mating ceremony, my mother had been struck by a mysterious blood curse. Moonpetal was the only thing keeping her sane. Without it, the curse would shatter her mind within three days. “Alpha, that’s cruel!” Pain strained Byron’s voice. “I know it’s cruel, but she has to learn to put the pack first. I’m protecting her from more pain! After the ceremony, I’ll apologize to her myself and double the supply of Moon Orchids. For now, she just needs to calm down.” I clenched my jaw, my nails digging into my palms so hard I tasted blood. Protection? He was hurting my family, protecting the one who killed my pup, and he dared to say it was for me? The conversation continued, but I couldn't hear it anymore. I turned and walked to the balcony, my trembling hand pulling an encrypted communicator from my pocket. Seven years. The first time I’d called him in seven years. It rang three times before he answered. "Sandra?" My father’s voice was shocked. "Child, what's wrong?" "Father." My voice was raw and broken. "I'll take the marriage." Silence. Then, a long, heavy sigh. "I know I have no right—" "I have a condition," I cut him off. "I want you to destroy the Blackwood Pack. Utterly." "Sandra—" "They killed my child. They imprisoned Liam. They're using my mother against me." Each word was ripped from my chest. "And my mate, my fated Alpha, is the one behind it all." "Damn those pack wars," my father swore. "If it weren't for them, I never would have hurt you and your mother. I never would have let you go." "The past doesn't matter," I said, staring into the night sky. "What matters is the Blood Moon ceremony. In seven days." "What are you planning?" "I'm going to make them pay. In front of every pack." I closed my eyes, the memory of a perfect night washing over me. The Summer Solstice, three years ago. The full moon painted the world silver. I was in a white dress, attending the ceremony as an adult for the first time. Then I saw him. Byron. He stood under the moonlight, his golden eyes like burning suns. The moment our eyes met, the world went silent. The mate bond snapped into place between us. That sacred, irresistible pull made me believe he was a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. "You're mine," he'd said then, his voice a lover's whisper. "Tonight, and for all of eternity." I believed him. God, I actually believed him. "Sandra?" My father's voice pulled me back. "Seven days," I said. "Give me seven days to set the stage. On the night of the Blood Moon, I need your warriors at the border." "What do you need me to do?" "Rescue Liam. Then watch me end this myself." "My daughter." I could hear the pride and the pain in his voice. "Are you sure about this? Once a mate bond is severed completely—" "He's the one who defiled it first," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "Now it's my turn." "Fine. I'll get everything ready." I ended the call and put the communicator away. The night wind felt cool against my face, a small moment of relief. Footsteps sounded behind me. I froze. "Sandra?" Byron's voice. Shit. When did he get back? What did he hear? I turned slowly. His golden eyes—the ones I used to get lost in—were fixed on me. I saw the familiar warmth in his gaze, but it was tainted by a flicker of guilt. "You just lost our pup," he said softly. "What are you doing out here so late?" Chapter 2 I forced my expression to crumble, to look weak and helpless. "I was thinking about Liam." My voice trembled, just enough. "He's still in that dungeon, and I can't do anything." Byron's suspicion eased. He walked toward me, that familiar, "loving" look on his handsome face. "Pup, I know this is hard." He reached out to touch my cheek. "But you have to trust me. I'm working on it." Working on it? Working on a way for my brother to die in that cell? I didn't pull away from his touch, even though his fingers on my skin made my stomach churn. "Byron, tell me the truth." I looked up at him, my eyes full of faked desperation. "Was it really an accident? Did Ariana really just lose control?" His eyes flickered. It was tiny, but I saw it. "Of course it was an accident." His hand slid to the back of my neck, his voice softening. "Sandra, you can't let your grief cloud your judgment. Ariana is your best friend. Why would she ever deliberately—" "Then why are the elders protecting her?" I cut him off. "Why won't they investigate?" Byron sighed, his face a mask of pained responsibility. "Because her family's backing is too strong. Her grandfather is the Northern Alpha King." He pulled me into his arms. "If I make a move against her now, the entire Northern Alliance will turn on us. The Blackwood Pack will be isolated. We could face a war." Such a perfect lie. Such a convincing performance. If I didn't know the truth, I might have actually fallen for it. "So you want me to forgive her?" My voice shook, hiding my rage. "Forgive the woman who killed our child?" "Pup—" "She killed your heir!" I shoved him away, my voice rising. "That was our pup, Byron! Your heir! Your own flesh and blood!" His face went white. His golden eyes shattered with pain. "You think I don't feel this?" His voice was raw. He seized my hand, fingers digging into my skin until I winced. "That was my blood! My heir! Every part of me wants to tear her to shreds! But my duty... I'm the Alpha. I can't." The raw emotion cracked his composure, but he forced it back, locking it away. The mask of the grieving Alpha fell back into place. "The pack comes first. Always," he stated. "And sometimes... that means we sacrifice." Sacrifices. He said it so easily. "Sacrifice what?" I stared at him. "Our child? My brother's freedom? My dignity as your Luna?" "For the future of the pack," he said, his voice laced with an Alpha's command. "Sandra, you are my mate. I need you on my side." On his side. Like I had been for the last three years. Trusting him, supporting him, giving him everything. And for what? "And if I refuse?" I asked. "If I insist on getting justice for our child?" Byron’s expression grew heavy. He let go of my hands and walked to the window. "Then your mother's situation could become... difficult," he said, his back still to me. "Moonpetal shipments have been unreliable lately. It would be a shame if they stopped completely." My blood ran cold. He actually said it. He was threatening me with my mother's life. "You're threatening me," I growled, my voice low. "I'm protecting you," he said, turning back to me, that same false sympathy on his face. "Protecting all of us. At the Blood Moon ceremony, just forgive Ariana publicly, and everything will go back to normal. We can start over. We can even have another pup." Another pup. So he'd have another hostage to control me with? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them again, my face was a mask of defeat. "Fine," I said. "I'll forgive her at the ceremony." The tension finally drained from Byron’s shoulders. He closed his eyes, weary, a breath escaping him in a rush of pure relief. "Good... okay... Sandra. Thank you for understanding." He strode toward me, his arms reaching out to pull me into an embrace. "I know this is hell for you," he said, his voice low and strained. "Trust me, when this is over, I'll make it right. I'll make up for—" "But I have a condition." I stepped back, avoiding his embrace. He frowned. "What condition?" I slowly ran a hand over my flat stomach, where our child once grew. The little life that never got to see the world. "I need seven days," I said, my voice like steel. "I'm going to hold a mourning ceremony for our child. A proper one." Chapter 3 Byron knocked on my door early the next morning. "Ready?" he asked, his face a mask of tired tenderness. "I think you need to see Liam for yourself. So you can understand the position I'm in." I nodded and followed him to the dungeons. The Blackwood dungeons were built in the deepest part of the territory, the thick stone walls covered in ancient runes that suppressed a wolf's power. The air was thick with the reek of silver and despair. "He's in the deepest cell," Byron said. "For the charge of treason." Treason. What a joke. We walked past rows of iron bars, past the rogues and criminals locked inside. Their eyes followed us with fear and hatred. Finally, we stopped at the last cell. And I saw him. Liam. My brother. He was shackled to the wall with silver-etched chains, his hands pulled high above his head. The silver had burned deep wounds into his skin, crusted with dark, dried blood. A werewolf's healing ability was useless against it. "Liam?" I gripped the iron bars, my voice trembling. He slowly lifted his head. His eyes, once bright as stars, were now dull and lifeless, the light of his wolf gone. "Sandra?" His voice was a barely audible rasp. "You came." I wanted to reach for him, but the bars were in the way. "Look at your brother now," a guard sneered from behind us. "Once a Beta, now he's less than an omega." Before I could even turn to snap at the guard, Byron moved. A wave of pure Alpha rage slammed into the room. In a blur of motion, he spun, his hand clamping around the guard’s throat. He slammed him against the stone wall with a sickening thud. "You," Byron’s voice was a low, dangerous growl, like something straight from hell. "Whose name are you dragging through the dirt with that filthy mouth?" The guard went white, clawing desperately at Byron's hand. "She is your Luna," Byron snarled, golden fire blazing in his eyes. The sheer weight of his Alpha aura sucked the air right out of the dungeon. "If I ever hear you disrespect her again, I will rip your tongue out myself." He released his grip. The guard collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing violently. Byron straightened his collar, as if the brutal outburst had never happened. He turned and pulled me back into his arms. "I'm so sorry, baby. You shouldn't have to hear that filth." He pressed my head against his chest. His voice was thick with suppressed pain. "I know you're hurting. I am too. But look... the evidence is overwhelming. The Elders have spoken. Even as Alpha, I can't just break pack law." I stared at him, unblinking. This "law" he spoke of... wasn't it just another cage he'd built? This "evidence"... hadn't he forged it with his own hands? "Sandra." Liam’s voice was weak. "Don't fight him for me. It's not worth it." "Liam—" "I know." He looked at me, a flicker of clarity in his dull eyes. "It's too late for words now." "See?" Byron murmured from behind me. "Even he admits it. Sandra, we have to be rational. If you keep fighting this... more people will get hurt." More people. He meant my mother. "So you're just going to let him die here?" I spun around to face Byron. "You're going to watch my only brother rot away from silver poisoning?" Byron opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly, his eyes glazed over. It was the look of a mind-link. His brow furrowed instantly. Seconds later, he snapped back to reality, his face etched with undeniable exhaustion. "I'm sorry. My Beta just linked me. There's an emergency in the pack," he said, already turning away. "I have to handle it. Now." An emergency. What kind of emergency was more important than this? "Byron." I called out. He stopped and looked back. His eyes still held a flicker of annoyance that didn't belong to me. "What is it?" I looked at him. The man I once believed was my fated mate. "Nothing," I said flatly. "Go." He gave me a long, complicated look, as if he wanted to say more. But in the end, he just turned and strode out of the dungeon. I stood frozen, listening to his footsteps fade away. He seemed to have forgotten something crucial. I could feel the other end of his mind-link. I knew exactly where he was going. He was going to see Ariana. Chapter 4 By the time I got back to our rooms, rage and humiliation were burning through my veins. No more waiting. No more watching him play his twisted games. I was going to confront him. Rip away that perfect mask once and for all. An hour later, Byron returned. He walked through the door carrying a thick, chaotic scent. It was a mess of Ariana’s sharp floral perfume, his own cedarwood scent, and a faint, unsettling undertone of blood and herbs. His face was etched with exhaustion, his shirt cuffs wrinkled and messy. He saw me and froze for a second, then tried to force a smile. "Sandra? You're still up?" I stood in the center of the living room, arms crossed, cold as a block of ice. "Where were you?" "Handling a... difficult situation." He walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a whiskey, his hand not quite steady. "A difficult situation?" I sneered, stalking toward him. "Or was it just another one of Ariana's 'emergencies' that only you could handle?" His hand froze mid-air. His back was to me, but I saw his shoulders go rigid. "Sandra, don't." "Don't what?" I circled around to face him, staring into his tired, golden eyes. "I saw you take her mind-link in the dungeon. I saw the frustration on your face. And now you come back reeking of her chaos. Byron, what the hell are our pup and I to you?" "It's not—" he started, his voice a raw rasp, but he cut himself off. As if the words were stuck in his throat, choking him. "It's not what?" I pressed, closing in. Desperation and rage made me reckless. "You smell like her! It's the kind of scent that only clings when emotions run high, when you're holding someone close! Tell me, are you tired of me? Was I just a tool to secure your position from the very beginning?" "Enough!" He slammed the glass down, whiskey sloshing over the rim. His eyes were filled with pain. "It's not what you think!" "Then what is it?" I screamed. "Explain it! Tell me why you sacrificed my brother and our unborn pup for her! Why does the entire pack have to bend to her every whim? What kind of hold does she have on you?" "I can't tell you!" he roared, like a caged animal. "You're better off not knowing!" "That same damn excuse!" I completely lost it. "'It's for your own good!' 'It's for the pack!' You always have a noble reason, don't you? Byron, I am done with your secrets and your lies!" That was the moment I snapped. My inner wolf surged, a tidal wave of fury and grief. Power exploded from me, uncontrolled. The glasses in the room began to hum and vibrate. The lights flickered wildly. Byron’s expression shifted from pain to pure alarm. "Sandra, calm down!" He grabbed my shoulders. "Get control of your power! It's going to tear you apart!" I could feel my sanity slipping, swallowed by the raging wolf inside me. I wanted to destroy everything. Destroy him. Destroy this world of lies. "Let go of me!" I struggled, my nails digging bloody lines into his arms. "I can't!" He stared at my eyes, which were beginning to glow red with uncontrolled power. A look of utter desperation and heartbreak crossed his face. "Your mind is about to shatter! Sandra, please, stop!" But I couldn't hear him over the roaring in my ears, the sound of my own heart breaking. "I'm sorry..." His trembling voice was a whisper from far away. "I'm so sorry. I can't let you destroy yourself..." Then I felt it. A gentle but unstoppable force, flowing into me through our mate bond. No. He wouldn't— "What are you doing?" I stared at him in horror. Tears were streaming down his face. "I'm saving you," he choked out, his voice thick with an agony I couldn't understand. "Through our sacred bond, I, Alpha Byron... temporarily... seal your wolf." "No!" I shrieked. "You can't! That's blasphemy!" But it was too late. The power began to drain out of me, like water from a cracked dam. It felt like a hole was being ripped open in my very soul, everything precious pouring out. My wolf, my soulmate since birth, let out a final, desperate howl. And then, silence. I collapsed to the floor, gasping. My senses were dulling, fading away. My sharp hearing, my keen sense of smell, my night vision—all gone. The worst part... my wolf was gone. Completely vanished. He knelt beside me, his own breathing ragged. His voice was a strained, painful whisper. "Sandra... are you... calm now?" I tried to speak, but my voice was gone. I tried to stand, but my legs were useless. He took a deep breath, his face hardening into a mask of cold resolve. "This ends now, Sandra. Until you learn to control yourself, I'm holding onto your power. It's for your own protection. And for the protection of everyone else." I looked up into his eyes, those golden eyes I used to adore. All I could see now was cold, hard control. My wolf, the other half of my soul, was silent for the first time in my life. And in that terrible silence, all that was left was a cold, burning hatred. Chapter 5 After Byron left, I was alone on the floor. Weak. Hopeless. Humiliated. The evidence of our three years together surrounded me. Our photos on the wall, the jewelry he gave me on the table, the books we read together on the shelf. All of it mocked my stupidity. I struggled to my feet, using all my strength to get to the wall. "Go to hell." I grabbed a vase and hurled it at our first photo together. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room. My rage took over. It was a blur of shattering glass and splintering wood. I tore the room apart, reducing every symbol of his lies to wreckage. The jewelry box, the expensive decorations—all of it, garbage. "Die!" I screamed. "All of it, just die!" I shattered his necklaces under my heel, ripped his letters to confetti, and stomped on every beautiful memory until it was nothing but dust. I kept going until I had no strength left to stand. I collapsed among the wreckage, gasping for air. Without my wolf, I was weaker than a human. Two hours later, Byron stood in the doorway again, his eyes taking in the wreckage. "Sandra," his voice was thick with pain. "Why would you do this to our memories?" I pushed myself up from the floor, my gaze like ice. "Memories?" I laughed, a bitter, broken sound. "What memories? The ones where you lied to my face?" He walked toward me, each step filled with an Alpha's grace. "I did this to protect you," he said, his voice low. "To stop you from doing something reckless. Look at the state you're in—" "Protect me?" I cut him off. "By ripping my wolf from me?" But the words died in my throat. A familiar scent hit me. Even with my senses dulled, I could still smell it. The scent of Ariana was wrapped around him, clinging to him like a second skin. My eyes slowly drifted down to his chest. Peeking out from his shirt pocket was the smooth, silver edge of something I knew all too well. The Moonstone. It had been passed down through my family for generations, a relic meant to soothe the powerful wolf within a Luna. My mother gave it to me on my coming-of-age ceremony, telling me only my fated mate could ever hold it for me. The day we mated, I gave it to Byron for safekeeping. It was supposed to be mine. And now, my stone was drenched in Ariana’s overwhelming scent. He had just... he had used it to soothe another female. "You were with her," my voice was a low, arctic wind. Byron’s hand instinctively flew to his pocket, a dead giveaway. "I don't know what you're talking about." "The Moonstone," I pointed, my voice trembling with a rage so deep it burned. "You took my Moonstone... and you used it on her. When I needed it most—after losing our pup, after you stole my power—you gave it to the monster who killed our child!" The color drained from his face. His eyes were a chaotic storm of unexplainable pain and conflict. "Sandra, it wasn't like that, I was just—" "Just what?" I snapped. "Decided I wasn't worthy of it anymore? That because I stopped being your obedient little Luna, you could just give my birthright to your new favorite?" "No!" he snarled, his eyes bloodshot. But he offered no other explanation. I laughed. The sound was sharp and manic. "You know what?" I said slowly, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "I finally get it. You're not an Alpha. You're a coward who has to break his mate to feel secure." A dangerous light flared in his eyes. "What did you say?" "I said you're a coward," I repeated, each word a poisoned dart. "A pathetic creature who can't handle a strong female. So you had to strip away my power to make me as weak as you are." "Shut up." "A real Alpha doesn't need to crush his mate," I went on. "But you're not a real Alpha. You're just a monster wearing an Alpha's—" His eyes glazed over. Another mind-link. Ariana again. A few seconds later, he was back, his face a mask of pure exhaustion. He clenched his fists, a flicker of alarm crossing his face as if something terrible was happening on the other end. "Enough," he said, turning for the door. "I don't have time for this nonsense." "Run," I called after him. "Run back to your little lover. Take my things with you and go soothe your wounded pride." His steps faltered. His shoulders shook with the impact of my words. "Sandra, if you keep this up, you're going to destroy what little we have left," his voice was a tired, raw scrape. "What we have left?" I shrieked, the sound weak but full of venom. "The only thing I regret is ever loving a monster like you!" Byron’s entire body went rigid, as if an invisible blade had just run him through. Then he walked out of the room without a backward glance. I watched him go, the hatred inside me burning hotter than ever. I had to get out. I had to find my father's men. I dragged my weak body toward the door, but the second I stepped outside, several figures jumped out of the shadows. Rogues. Their eyes glowed with bloodlust. "Byron!" I screamed in desperation. "Byron!" But the night was silent. He was gone, as if he had never been there at all. Chapter 6 Cold silver chains bit into my wrists. I woke up tied to a metal chair in an abandoned warehouse. Crumbling concrete walls and rusted machinery surrounded me. My head was splitting. "She's awake," a rough voice said. I looked up to see three rogues circling me. Their eyes glowed with a wild light, their faces twisted into sadistic grins. "Finally awake, little princess," one of them said, walking toward me. "We've been waiting for you." "What do you want?" My voice was a weak rasp. "It's not what we want," another rogue grinned. "It's what your Alpha wants." Alpha? "Byron?" "That's the one." The first rogue pulled a communicator from his pocket. "He said you weren't behaving. That you needed a little... lesson." The communicator crackled to life. "She's here, Alpha. Secure." Byron's voice was a tired rasp on the other end. "Just watch her. Leave her alone for three days. Let her calm down. I'll pick her up after." The connection went dead. The rogue grinned, a slow, ugly stretch of his lips. "Did you catch that? Your Alpha wants you to 'calm down.' We have plenty of ways to help with that." My heart stopped beating. It was really his voice. My mate. The man I once loved. He had actually handed me over to these animals. "I'll be back with Ariana in three days," he continued. "When I return, I expect to find a much more obedient Luna." The call ended. The rogues looked at me, their eyes filled with malice. "You hear that, little princess?" one of them said. "Your Alpha gave us three days. We're going to have so much fun." "He is not my Alpha," I hissed. "Isn't he?" the rogue laughed. "Then why do you still carry his mark? Why is your wolf completely suppressed by him?" I had no answer. Because he was right. "Don't worry," another rogue said, coming closer. "By the time we're done with you, maybe you'll be ready to love him again." Just then, the warehouse door swung open. A familiar figure walked in. Ariana. She wore an elegant black dress, a triumphant smile on her face. "Well, well, look what we have here," she purred, crouching in front of me. "I came to admire my handiwork. To see the 'perfect' Sandra brought so low." "What are you doing here?" I snarled. "I came to admire my masterpiece," she said, crouching in front of me. "To see what the 'perfect' Sandra looks like now." "You killer," I stared into her eyes. "Are you happy now that our child is dead?" "Child?" Ariana laughed. "You mean that little accident? Honestly, I should thank the Moon Goddess for letting me 'lose control' at just the right moment." She reached out and stroked my cheek. "You know, Byron never wanted that pup. He told me that if you produced an heir, it would be much harder for him to get rid of you." Every word was another silver knife in my heart. "So you planned it all." "Of course." Ariana stood up and began to pace around me. "But that was just the beginning. Do you want to know how your mother got her curse?" My blood froze. "It wasn't hereditary," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "It was 'Soul-Ember Dust,' a little something I bought from an exiled shaman." "What?" "It's a clever poison," she said, a mad light in her eyes. "It doesn't touch the body. It goes straight for the soul, severing the connection to her wolf and shredding the mind. It leaves her trapped on the edge of sanity, forever." I tried to lunge, but the silver chains held me fast. "You're insane!" "Insane?" Ariana laughed. "No, I'm just making sure you'll never be a threat to my position. Your mother, your brother, your child, and now you." She leaned in close, her voice a poisonous hiss. "And Byron? He knew about all of it. He even helped me cover my tracks." Endless, mental torture. My mother wasn't sick. She was living in a hell this woman had designed. And Byron knew everything. Something inside me snapped. Primal hatred erased everything else. I was a cornered animal, throwing every ounce of my strength against the silver chains. The metal tore deep gashes into my skin, blood pouring down my arms. I didn't care. I just wanted to tear this venomous woman apart. With a guttural roar, I lunged, sinking my teeth into the soft flesh of her throat. Chapter 7 My teeth tore through the skin of Ariana's throat. The taste of blood exploded in my mouth. "Ahhh!" she screamed, stumbling back, clutching the bleeding wound. "You lunatic! You bit me!" Blood gushed between her fingers, staining her elegant black dress. "Kill her!" she shrieked at the rogues. "Teach this bitch a lesson!" The first lash hit my back. The silver-laced whip tore through fabric and flesh, the poison searing my veins like fire. Without my wolf's healing, the pain was a fire burning through my nerves. "This is what you get for biting me!" Ariana howled, still clutching her throat. The second lash. The third. Each one landed precisely on my back, my arms, my legs. The silver kept the wounds from healing, blood weeping from the torn flesh. "Is that enough?" one of the rogues asked. "No!" Ariana's eyes burned with a mad fire. "Break her leg! I want her to know what happens when you defy me!" "Wait, Miss Ariana, the Alpha said not to—" "I said break her leg!" Ariana screamed. "Byron won't blame me for what happens to this trash!" The rogue hesitated for a second, then raised an iron bar. "No!" The sickening crack of bone echoed in the warehouse. Agony exploded behind my eyes, threatening to drag me into darkness. I could feel the jagged edges of the bone tearing through my muscle. But with no wolf to heal me, all I could do was endure the blinding pain. "That's still not enough," Ariana said, walking up to me and looking down. "I want you to remember this moment. Remember the consequences of defying me." She turned to the rogues. "Lock her up. No food, no water for three days. Let her think about what she's done." Darkness swallowed me. Three days. For three whole days, I was left in that cold warehouse. No food. No water. Just endless pain and the torment of silver poisoning. The agony in my broken leg made sleep impossible. The whip wounds on my back festered, the smell of rot filling the air. By the fourth day, consciousness was a distant shore I couldn't reach. By the fifth, hallucinations were my only companions. On the morning of the sixth day, the door finally creaked open. "Time's up," a rogue said coldly. "The Alpha wants us to drop you off." They tossed me out like a piece of trash at the edge of the Blackwood territory. I lay on the cold, damp earth, gasping for air. Every breath was a fresh wave of agony. A communicator buzzed inside my torn clothes. An emergency call from my mother's sanctuary. "Miss Sandra!" the caregiver's voice was frantic. "They cut off the Moonpetal three days ago!" Moonpetal. Three days ago. The day I was taken. "What?" I forced the words out. "How could—" "We've contacted every supplier we know. They've all been given the same order from on high: the Blackwood Pack is cut off." Orders from a higher power. Only one person had that kind of authority. Byron. I forced myself to dial my father's number. "Sandra? My God, your voice—" "Father," I said weakly. "Send men to move my mother. Right now." "What happened?" "Byron cut off the Moonpetal. She doesn't have much time." "I'll send them immediately. Where are you?" "On my way," I said, struggling to my feet, my broken leg screaming in protest. "Give me two hours." I dragged my broken body to the sanctuary. My mother lay on the bed, her face pale as a sheet. Her eyes were open but unfocused. She was already half-gone. "She's been like this since last night," the caregiver whispered. "The damage to her spiritual link is accelerating. Without the Moonpetal to calm her, the curse is getting stronger." I took my mother's cold hand. "How long do we have?" The caregiver hesitated, then answered with a tremor in her voice. "It was Alpha Byron," the caregiver whispered, her voice trembling. "He personally ordered the shipments stopped seven days ago. He timed it. He knew that without Moonpetal, her mind would shatter within three days..." Seven days ago. The day after I lost my child. He had planned it all. The death of my child was just the beginning. My mother's pain was his weapon. My brother's imprisonment was his leverage. And I was just a pawn in his game. My father's men arrived quickly and moved my mother to safety. I left the sanctuary, dragging my battered body back to the place I once called home. In the living room, I sat at the table and wrote out a document with a trembling hand. A Mate Bond Severance Agreement. Two copies, with clear terms and a binding curse. Just as I finished the last word, I heard footsteps behind me. "Sandra?" Byron's voice. "What are you writing?" Chapter 8 I didn't turn around. I didn't even grant him a single glance. "Our ending," I said, my voice completely flat. His footsteps got closer. And then he saw me. The moment his eyes landed on my injuries, all the color drained from his face. He rushed toward me, reaching for my leg, but his hand trembled violently in mid-air. "Your leg... your injuries... Who?! Who did this?! I told them to protect you!" His voice was a raw, strangled sound, a mix of pure fury and agony. A wildfire ignited in his golden eyes. I watched him, my own eyes cold and empty. What a brilliant performance. The perfect picture of a devastated mate, finding out too late. He probably thought he could fool me. But he didn't know. I'd heard the order from his own lips. The one that threw me into hell. Playing the part of the devoted mate now? It just made me sick. "You don't know?" I asked, my voice calm. "Know what?" he roared, losing every ounce of his Alpha composure. "Who hurt you? Tell me! I swear I'll make them pay—" "You did," I cut him off. "You hurt me." Byron froze, his face a mask of confusion and disbelief. "Me? Sandra, what are you talking about? How could I..." "Three days ago, you handed me over to those rogues." My voice was a dead, emotionless thing, like I was reciting facts about a stranger. "You told them to 'watch' me." "I told them to keep you safe! To stop you from doing something stupid!" He shook his head in agony, and a terrible realization seemed to dawn on him. His face turned to stone, his features contorting with a rage born of betrayal. "It was Ariana..." "The marks from the silver whip." I ignored his excuse, gesturing to my back. "The broken leg. Three days with no food, no water." I forced myself to stand, pain shooting through my shattered bone. "And everything Ariana told me herself. About our pup. About my mother's curse. And about how you knew. How you were in on it from the start." Every word was a hammer blow, striking him over and over. He just stood there, stunned into silence. Any excuse he had died in his throat. He looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Sandra, I was wrong... I was so wrong... But please, just give me one more chance. Tomorrow... after the ceremony, it will all be over. I'll fix everything. I'll heal you, I'll get Liam out. We can start over. Please?" Start over. As if none of this had ever happened. I sat back down and pushed the papers across the table toward him. "Sign this." Byron frowned, picking up the document. When he read the words—Mate Bond Dissolution Agreement—a violent tremor ran through his body, as if a silver knife had just been plunged into his chest. The blood drained from his handsome face. He looked up, his eyes shattered and begging. "No... Sandra, you can't," his voice was a raw, broken whisper. "We're mates... a gift from the Goddess... You can't just give up on us." "You gave up first," I said calmly. "Sign it. It's my only condition for playing my part in your ceremony." "It's just a piece of paper!" he snarled, his voice thick with pain as he waved the agreement. "It can't change our bond! Nothing can!" "Then sign it and prove how confident you are," I said, my voice like ice. "If it's so meaningless, what are you afraid of?" My words shattered his last defense. Afraid. Yes, he was afraid. Byron stared at me for a long moment, the light in his eyes dying out, leaving nothing but ash. "Fine," he bit out, the word torn from his throat. "If... if this makes you feel better... if this is what you want... I'll sign." He pulled a pen from his jacket, but his hand was shaking so badly he fumbled with the cap. He didn't even read the terms. His eyes were locked on the signature line. He signed his name, every letter looking like it was carved from his own flesh. "Happy now?" He pushed the agreement back to me, his movements stiff, his voice hollow and dead. "Can you prepare for the ceremony now?" Just then, his communicator buzzed. He flinched as if startled from a nightmare and answered it quickly. "What? Now? Fine, I'm on my way." He ended the call and gave me one last, deep look, his expression impossible to read. "The ceremony is at eight tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting for you, Sandra." Then he strode out of the room, his back carrying a new kind of weight. The weight of defeat. I waited until his footsteps were completely gone before I moved. First, I made three copies of the agreement. I left one on the table and put two in my suitcase. Then, I started packing. Not much. Just a few changes of clothes and some important documents. And the silver necklace my mother gave me, the only memento I couldn't bear to throw away. Twenty minutes later, a black car pulled up to the back door of the house. My father's men. I dragged my suitcase out the door, taking one last look at the place I once called home. Three years of mating. Three years of trust. Three years of love. All of it was a lie. "Ma'am, we should go," the driver said softly. I nodded and got into the car. The engine started, and the car pulled away from the Blackwood territory. Sitting in the back seat, I closed my eyes. I reached for the toxic, frayed thread of our bond... and with one final act of will, I severed it myself. For the first time in three years, I was truly free. The cold, sharp freedom of revenge. At the Blood Moon ceremony tomorrow, Byron and Ariana were about to receive the first of many "gifts" I had prepared for them.