Chapter 4

Kaelan's brow furrowed deeper. He remembered that bloody night.

"Marcus accused me in front of the entire Elder Council, saying I was jealous of the favor Kaelan showed my sister, so I hired Rogues to hurt her.

"Elara even claimed to have found a blood-stained dagger in my room.

"But what truly broke my heart was that Kaelan didn't believe me. He looked at me as if I were a stranger, his eyes cold and distant, filled with a chilling disappointment."

Kaelan unconsciously clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

"He gave me no chance to explain. He shoved me away. 'Selene,' he snarled, 'are you so jealous that I chose her to be my Luna? How could your wolf become so twisted? You disgust me.'

"I denied it desperately. Anyone else could misunderstand me, but Kaelan... he had been the only one who believed in me.

"But he didn't listen. He used his Alpha's command to force me to the ground.

"He ordered his guards to throw me into the silver dungeons.

"The silver seared my skin, suppressing my wolf entirely. Even my ability to heal was gone.

"My wolf howled within me, the pain so intense it felt like we were being torn apart.

"Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and collapsed in a pool of my own blood.

"The warmth spreading between my thighs wasn't the burn of silver poison. It was life itself, slowly draining away.

"The tearing in my womb told me everything. Our first pup… was gone.

"It was the first life we had created after our bonding. I hadn't even had the chance to tell Kaelan the wonderful news before I was locked in this silver cage.

"The silver poison seeped into my body, slowly killing the child inside me.

"I felt our little one growing weaker each day, and I could do nothing."

At these words, Kaelan slumped to the ground, his hands clutching his head as he muttered, "We had a child… we had a child…"

My voice continued.

"I was such a fool. I left the blood, hoping he would see it and ask what was wrong, his voice thick with concern. I imagined myself playing hurt, refusing him, making him beg.

"But I had already lost his affection.

"He forcibly drained my life force to heal her. His steps were so light, just as they had been on the day he came to take me back to his territory, full of pride and spirit.

"In that moment, I felt our mate bond tear. The agony nearly made me faint.

"But the pain in my heart was worse."

"But, Kaelan, you fool of an Alpha.

"I had already discovered my sister's secret. I just never had the chance to tell you."

At this, Marcus and Elara exchanged a nervous glance.

I went on.

"She would often sneak out late at night to meet with a masked witch. I saw them exchange something with my own eyes.

"I was going to expose her, but…"

A bitter laugh echoed from the recording.

"I remembered our childhood.

"Before I turned seven, whenever I was cast out for being a jinx, she was the one who would sneak food to me so I could survive the cold nights.

"Even though she had changed, becoming cruel and vicious, I couldn't forget the image of her shielding me when we were young.

"I thought it was sisterly love.

"So I promised to keep her secret, even naively hoping we could reconcile and be a loving family again."

My voice, filled with that innocent hope, brought tears to Rhea's eyes. "Mother, you were too kind."

Yes, while Lilith was meticulously plotting to drive Kaelan and me apart, I was still foolishly dreaming of family bonds.

The recording continued.

"But my sister used my kindness against me.

"She told Kaelan she wanted to perform an ancient purification ritual to wash away my 'jinx' curse, to make me a mate worthy of the Alpha King again.

"He believed her.

"On the night of the ritual, I was brought to the altar of the Moon Goddess. The witch chanted ancient spells while my sister prayed piously beside me.

"I thought it was a real purification ritual. I thought I could finally be free of my fate as a jinx.

"But the moment the ritual ended, I felt an unprecedented emptiness.

"The mate bond between Kaelan and me… was gone. Utterly and completely."

Kaelan's head snapped up. He seemed to remember the moment the bond broke, the feeling of a pain worse than death.

He clutched his chest, trying to suppress the agony pulsing through his veins.

"At the same time, Kaelan suddenly felt a powerful mate connection to my sister," my voice continued, now filled with an unspeakable despair.

"The feeling was so strong, he believed it without a doubt.

"His gaze shifted from confusion to disgust, and then from disgust to pure, unadulterated fury."

"'So that's how it is,'" Kaelan's cold voice from the past echoed in the recording. "'You really did bewitch me with your curse. Now that the purification is complete, I'm finally clear-headed.'

"'Lilith is my true mate.'"

"That night, he publicly declared our mate bond a lie, a curse, and held a formal mating ceremony with my sister.

"He thanked the Moon Goddess that a twist of fate had led him to mark Lilith, his true mate.

"As for me, the Alpha King I loved so dearly personally clasped a collar made from a witch's charm around my neck.

"He said it was to suppress the evil power within me, to prevent me from bewitching anyone else.

"From that moment on, my wolf was completely sealed. I became something lower than an Omega."

The recording paused for a few seconds. "And that was when my nightmare began."

Kaelan spun on Lilith, his voice a furious snarl. "What secret? What did you and that witch do?"

Lilith's face was ashen, but she forced a calm facade. "My Alpha, she's trying to drive a wedge between us. How could I ever harm my own sister?"

"I was only trying to help her break the curse…"

But the panic in her eyes betrayed her.

The flames of suspicion ignited in Kaelan's eyes. "Continue! I want to hear all of it!"

He once again poured his power into the pendant, and the silver light grew even more blinding.

No one noticed that the blood sigil at Rhea's feet was nearly complete.