Chapter 2

The manor was plunged into the dead of night, cloaked in a suffocating silence.

The only sound was my own heart hammering against my ribs.

Barefoot, I moved silently down the hall to Caden’s study.

The door was locked.

That wasn't a problem.

As his Luna, I knew every secret of this manor.

The spare key was hidden behind the painting at the end of the hall.

The click of the key in the lock was deafening in the silence.

The study smelled of him—cedarwood, mixed with the scent of old books and parchment.

I had one goal: find the "token" Marcus spoke of.

Caden was a careful man.

He would never leave something important out in the open.

I went to his desk first.

Files were stacked neatly, all of them about pack territory and finances.

The bottom drawer was locked.

I slid a bobby pin from my hair.

My fingers, nimble from years of practice, made short work of the lock. A faint click broke the silence.

Inside was a single black velvet box.

My heart leaped into my throat.

I opened it, my hands shaking.

A cold wave of disappointment crashed over me. Empty.

But then I noticed it. The bottom lining looked like it had been pried up before.

I carefully lifted it with my nail. A hidden compartment.

Two things lay inside.

The first was a report in a manila envelope, sealed with the High Council's wax insignia.

I recognized that seal.

It was the original report from the investigation into the Dawn Moon Pack massacre three years ago.

The air left my lungs.

Caden told me it had been destroyed in an accident.

The second item stole the very breath from my lungs and turned my blood to ice.

It was a necklace.

A crescent moon pendant, unique to the Dawn Moon Pack, forged from our ancestral moonsilver.

My mother’s initials were engraved on it.

I remembered it. My mother wore it until the day she was killed.

And now, the chain of the once-sacred necklace was caked with dried, dark-red blood.

Tangled in the clasp was a single, long strand of silver-white hair.

It wasn't my mother's.

I would recognize that shade of silver-white anywhere. Lyra’s.

“It has her scent on it, Marcus. Lyra’s scent.”

Caden's words exploded in my head.

So this was it. The token he'd hidden for three years.

The proof of my pack's slaughter.

All the strength drained out of me.

I collapsed onto the rug, clamping a hand over my mouth to stifle a sob.

Silent tears streamed down my face, splashing onto the necklace in my hand.

Cold metal. Dried blood. A truth that shattered my world.

He knew.

He knew all along.

He hadn't just known. He had kept it. The murder weapon. Stained with my mother's blood. Hidden in the heart of our home.

Every day, he sat here. He handled pack business. He played the part of a loving mate.

And all the while, he was guarding this monstrous, bloody secret.

I picked up the report, my hands trembling as I broke the wax seal.

The contents were worse than I could have ever imagined.

The report detailed the crime scene. Multiple pieces of evidence pointed directly to Lyra.

The testimony of a rogue wolf. Her energy signature found at the scene.

But the last page… it was a direct order, handwritten by Caden. It commanded the investigator to destroy all key evidence "for the sake of pack stability and our alliance" and to redirect the investigation toward rival packs.

A lie.

It was all a lie.

Our bond. Our life. Three years of peace.

It was all a lie, built on a foundation of my family’s blood and my mate’s deceit.

There was no time for grief.

Clutching my moonstone, I burned the images into my mind—the necklace, the blood, every damning word of the report. An imprint that could never be erased.

Then I put everything back exactly as I had found it. As if I'd never been there.

Back in our bedroom, Caden was still sound asleep.

I lay down beside him, my body as cold as stone.

In his sleep, he instinctively pulled me into his arms. His warm breath ghosted across my neck.

“Lyra…” he murmured in his sleep.

I closed my eyes. This time, there was no storm inside me.

Only ice-cold hatred.

I remembered my coming-of-age ceremony, when my mother secretly took me to our clan’s sacred grounds.

Her expression was solemn as she told me that a final, secret rite was passed down through the Silvermoon bloodline.

The Rite of Farewell.

She said I could perform it if I ever faced an inescapable betrayal, a hopeless situation with nowhere left to turn.

To sacrifice my own existence in exchange for complete disappearance and absolute freedom.

Paired with it was an ‘Amulet of Annihilation,’ capable of erasing every trace of my presence.

“My child,” my mother had said, stroking my face, “I hope you never have to use this. But if that day ever comes, remember: this is our final dignity, something no one can ever take from us.”

Mother, perhaps you were right.

That day has truly come.

I didn't hesitate. I reached out with my mind, across miles of darkness, to the one person who could help me. The nomadic shaman who owed my family a life debt.

“Adrian,” I called out with my mind, speaking his ancient name.

A few seconds later, a raspy voice echoed in my head.

“Selena? Why are you calling so late? What's happened?”

“I need two things,” I sent, my voice a shard of ice in the telepathic link. “A bond-severing ritual. And an Amulet of Oblivion.”

A beat of silence. Then, his voice, heavy with dread. “Selena, the pain of severing a bond… it can kill you. And the Amulet… it doesn’t just hide you. It erases you. From memory, from history, from the world itself.”

“I’m sure.”

“How long will it take?”

“A week.”

“That’s too long. I need it in three days.”

“The price will be steep,” he warned. “Three days. The old shrine.”

The connection broke.

I curled up beside Caden, forcing my body to stay still.

Three days.

I just have to survive for three more days.

The next morning, Caden sat on the edge of the bed, frowning at the Moonstone necklace around my neck.

"Why is your necklace so dim?"

The stone, which should have had a soft, silver glow, was as dull as a river rock.

"My power's probably just a little unstable," I said, rubbing my temples and faking exhaustion. "I couldn't sleep again last night."

"Is it the Elder's Council meeting?" He cupped my face, his eyes full of concern. "Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Protect me.

The irony was a bitter pill.

"Let me recharge it for you."

Before I could answer, he pressed his palm to the Moonstone.

A powerful surge of Alpha energy flowed into the stone, and its silver light slowly returned.

"Better?"

"Much better. Thank you."

He nodded, satisfied, then took my hand, his expression lighting up.

"I have good news. The First Snow Festival has been moved up to this weekend. And I have a surprise for you."

The First Snow Festival was one of the Black Stone pack's most important celebrations. The whole pack gathered to celebrate.

"What kind of surprise?" I forced myself to sound interested.

"You'll see," he winked, then leaned in to kiss me. "I promise you'll love it."

The more he acted like a doting mate, the sicker I felt.

How could he switch between two women so effortlessly?

"I'm heading to the office to deal with some paperwork," he said, straightening his suit. "What are your plans for today?"

"I was thinking of going to the archives to look up some records on Dawn Moon artifacts."

It wasn't a complete lie. I needed an excuse to get to his office.

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, I can handle it."

He nodded, giving me one last look before leaving the bedroom.

I waited ten minutes, making sure he was gone, then got ready.

An hour later, I was on the top floor of the Black Stone Group's headquarters.

Caden's office was at the end of the hall.

Clutching a forged research request, I took a deep breath and raised my hand to knock.

But a familiar voice from inside stopped me.