Chapter 02

Alexander paced the floor of the pack infirmary like a caged wolf.

With every pained groan from Oliver, his fists clenched tighter.

"Alpha." His Beta, Marcus, appeared in the doorway, his voice strained.

Alexander spun on him. "What is it?"

Marcus clutched a file in his hand. "We… we’ve found Mia."

Vivian rushed over from Oliver’s bedside, her eyes shining with manic hope. "Where is she? Did you bring her back?"

My spirit drifted forward. Are they finally about to learn the truth?

"About Mia… this news may be difficult to hear..."

"Spit it out!" Alexander roared, kicking a nearby chair across the room. "Are you trying to help them hide?"

Marcus shook his head, pulling a single document from the file. "Mia… is dead."

He took a shaky breath. "She died three years ago. The very night you left for New Zealand with Oliver."

The infirmary plunged into a stunned silence.

Then, Vivian let out a heart-wrenching scream. "Dead? Then what about my Oliver?"

Alexander’s fury erupted. “Nonsense! Mia can’t be dead—I would have sensed it! She’s just hiding with Valentina!”

"Alpha, this is the death certificate, signed by the pack physician." Marcus offered the document with a trembling hand. "Mia died from wolf spirit failure due to excessive life essence extraction."

"Towards the end, she had no werewolf life essence left, making her no different from a human. That's why she couldn't send a death signal to you..."

Alexander stared at the certificate for a long, silent moment before ripping it to shreds.

"It's all that woman's fault!" he bellowed, his eyes blazing red.

"If she hadn't been so selfish, if she'd just made Mia cooperate, our daughter wouldn't be dead! It was Valentina who killed her! She would rather see her own child die than stop defying me!"

I floated in the air, watching him twist the truth until all the blame rested on my shoulders. A bottomless, hollow sorrow welled up inside me.

Oh, Alexander. You look so pathetic, drowning in your own lies.

That night, three years ago, as you were boarding your private jet with Oliver, I was chained in a damp, dark basement.

Vivian's five rogues circled me. One of them was slowly, meticulously, carving the Luna tattoo from the back of my neck with a silver knife.

"Heard the Luna loves her little pup," the lead rogue sneered, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. "Too bad. Can't even save herself, let alone her daughter."

My arms, already broken, were bound with silver chains that seared my flesh. The agony was so blinding I could barely stay conscious.

But I still fought, clawing at the edges of our shattered mate bond.

"Save… save Mia…" I screamed with the last of my strength into the bond.

But the only answer was an endless silence. He had his lover in his arms, why would he ever bother with me?

By the time I finally broke free and dragged my mangled body to the infirmary, it was too late.

Mia lay on the cold operating table, her small body still and lifeless.

Her life essence had been drained to nothing, leaving her like a withered flower.

"Mama..." she had whispered with her final breath, her eyes finding mine. "It hurts…"

Then, she closed them forever.

And now, Alexander dares to say it was my fault?

"Summon all the Elders," Alexander commanded, his voice glacial. "Prepare for a trial."

A crazed light shone in his eyes. "I will judge Valentina for the crime of defying the mate bond, in the sight of the Moon Goddess. She got her own daughter killed and then dared to disappear for three years. I will make her pay."