Chapter 1: The Anniversary Slaughter

The scent of rosemary and roasted lamb filled the kitchen, a sharp contrast to the biting winter wind rattling the windowpanes of the Blackwood Pack House. Phineas wiped a bead of sweat from his brow with the back of a flour-dusted hand. Three years. Three years of balancing ledgers, turning the pack’s debt into a surplus, and making sure every pup had a coat for the winter.

Today was different. Today, the permanent ache in his chest felt lighter.

He touched the small, handwritten note in his pocket—the lab results from the pack doctor. Positive. An Omega of his rank, a "bottom-tier" male with a sluggish wolf, shouldn't have been able to conceive. It was a miracle. A gift for Arthur. A way to finally seal the cracks in their marriage.

"He’s going to love it, Phin," Clement said, leaning against the doorframe. His younger brother was tossing a silver coin, catching it with a rhythmic clink. "The Alpha King deserves a feast after the border raids."

Phineas smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "He’s been distant, Clem. This... this changes everything. A pup. A real heir."

"Yeah," Clement muttered, his eyes glued to the spinning coin. "Everything changes today."

The heavy oak doors of the Great Hall groaned open. It wasn't the steady, rhythmic step of a returning husband. It was the thunder of a war party.

Phineas smoothed his apron, heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He stepped into the hall, the pregnancy results burning a hole in his pocket. "Arthur? You’re early. I have the lamb almost—"

The words died.

Arthur stood at the head of the long table, his golden Alpha aura suffocating the air in the room. But he wasn't alone. Beside him stood a man draped in silk and arrogance—Leopold. The "Lost Prince" of the North. The man Arthur had mourned for a decade.

The pack council sat in the shadows, their faces like stone.

"Arthur?" Phineas’s voice cracked. He moved forward, reaching for his mate’s hand.

Arthur stepped back. The rejection was physical, a cold slap of air. He tossed a heavy manila envelope onto the table. It slid across the polished wood, stopping inches from Phineas’s shaking hands.

"Sign them," Arthur said. His voice had no warmth. No memory of the nights spent in Phineas’s bed.

Phineas stared at the bold header: PETITION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MATED UNION.

"I don't understand." Phineas looked from the papers to Leopold, who was wearing a smug, feline grin. "It’s our anniversary, Arthur. I... I have news. Life-changing news."

"Leopold is back," Arthur interrupted, his jaw tight. "The rumors of his death were an error. He is my fated mate. You? You were a placeholder, Phineas. A steward for my house and a warm body for my bed while I grieved. You’ve been a useful tool for the pack’s finances, but you were never the Queen."

The "useful tool" felt the floor tilt. He looked at the council—the elders he had served, the men whose medical bills he had paid by skimming his own personal allowance. They looked away.

"Arthur, please," Phineas whispered, his hand instinctively fluttering toward his stomach. "We have a life here. I’ve given everything to this pack. To you."

"And you’ll be compensated for your time," Leopold chimed in, his voice like honey poured over glass. "Arthur has been very generous. A small cottage in the neutral zone. It’s more than a low-rank Omega could ever hope for."

Phineas ignored him, his eyes locked on Arthur’s frozen gaze. "You loved me. You said—"

"I said what I needed to say to keep the pack stable," Arthur snapped. "The farce is over. Leopold is the rightful Luna. Sign the papers and leave with what dignity you have left."

Phineas turned to the doorway, desperate for a single ally. "Clement? Tell him. Tell him how hard we’ve worked. Clem, help me."

Clement stepped into the light. He didn't move to Phineas’s side. He walked straight to Arthur and Leopold. Leopold reached out and dropped a heavy velvet pouch into Clement’s hand. The clink of gold was deafening in the silent hall.

"Sorry, Phin," Clement said, not looking at him. "The pack needs a strong Luna. Someone with a real pedigree. You’re just... you."

The betrayal was a jagged blade twisted into Phineas’s gut. His own blood. The brother he had raised, the one he had gone hungry for so Clement could have extra rations. Sold for a bag of coin.

The room began to spin. The scent of the rosemary lamb from the kitchen now smelled like rotting meat.

"I won't sign," Phineas whispered, his voice gaining a frantic edge. "I can't. Arthur, I’m—"

"I, Arthur Blackwood, Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack," Arthur’s voice boomed, vibrating in Phineas’s very marrow, "hereby reject you, Phineas Vale, as my mate and Luna. I sever the bond. I cast you out."

The air vanished.

It wasn't just a physical pain; it was the sensation of his soul being ripped in half. Phineas collapsed to his knees, his forehead hitting the cold stone. A scream built in his throat—a raw, primal sound of a wolf losing its half—but he bit his lip. He bit it until the copper taste of blood filled his mouth, until the skin broke and the pain in his face rivaled the agony in his chest.

He wouldn't give them the satisfaction. He wouldn't scream for the man who had just murdered his spirit.

Under the cover of his hunched body, he pressed his palm flat against his belly. I’ve got you, he thought, the words a silent sob. I’ve got you, little one. We’re alone now.

Shadows flickered as Arthur walked toward him. The expensive leather of the Alpha’s boots stopped inches from Phineas’s face.

Arthur leaned down, his scent of cedar and ozone—once his sanctuary, now his poison—filling Phineas’s senses.

"Don't make this difficult, Phineas," Arthur whispered, low enough so only a wolf could hear. "The guards have been instructed. If you’re still on my lands when the sun hits the tree line, they won't be gentle. They’ll drag you to the border by your hair."

Arthur turned on his heel, sweeping Leopold into his arms as if Phineas were nothing more than a stain on the rug.

"Clear this mess away," Leopold ordered the servants, gesturing to the anniversary feast. "The smell of cheap cooking makes me nauseous."

Phineas stayed on the floor, his blood dripping onto the divorce papers, staring at the empty doorway where his life used to be.