Chapter 5

Isabelle’s POV

One hour passed, then another, then another.

Jace didn’t move for a long time.

By the time the sky outside turned completely dark, an Omega finally walked in. “Alpha, will you be joining everyone for dinner?”

Jace slowly stood. His face was terrifyingly cold.

He didn’t answer her. Instead, he turned and walked in the opposite direction.

The mate bond immediately dragged me after him.

He went straight into our bedroom.

Everything inside was exactly where I had left it before I was taken to the Fortress.

Jace walked to my side of the bed and pulled open the drawer. Inside sat a small glass box.

He opened it.

There were several things inside.

The first was a ring.

I had once mentioned that in the human world, married couples wore wedding rings.

So Jace had given me one too on our first anniversary.

Jace picked up the ring.

For one second, his fingers hesitated. Then he threw it hard against the floor.

The diamond didn’t break.

So he lifted his boot and stomped down on it.

Once. Then again. As if he were crushing something disgusting.

When he finally stepped away, the band was bent beyond repair, and the diamond had come loose.

I stared at it, thinking I should feel something. Sadness. Anger. Anything.

But I felt nothing.

Next, Jace picked up a small charm. A witch had given it to us shortly after our mating ceremony, blessing our bond.

“You will find each other again, even in your next life,” she had told us.

Jace snapped it in half. The sound was so small. Almost nothing.

Then he reached for the last thing in the box. My family’s moonstone pendant.

My mother had given it to me the day I moved in with Jace.

“If you ever miss home, whisper into the pendant,” she had said, smiling. “Mommy will come find you.”

“No.” For the first time, I rushed toward Jace. “Jace, don’t.”

I reached for his hand. My fingers passed straight through him. “Don’t you dare!”

He slammed the pendant against the floor.

The moonstone shattered.

My chest tightened.

Finally, I felt something. A thin, terrible thread of grief.

But it wasn’t because of Jace. It was because, at that moment, I finally understood.

I would never see Mommy or Father again.

I would never go home.

When Jace finished destroying everything, he pulled out his phone.

Then he sent me one final message.

“You wanted to stay away so badly? Fine. Don’t ever come back.”

…

Another two weeks passed.

Jace stopped asking whether I had called.

Instead, he threw all his attention into the mating ceremony with Selene.

I watched our pack house change almost overnight.

Red roses filled the halls. Silver ribbons hung from the balconies. The main meeting hall was cleared for the ceremony.

Sometimes, I caught Jace staring into empty space, looking almost lost.

And every time that happened, Selene would move closer and whisper,

“Don’t worry. Isabelle will come back once she’s had time to think. We’re family. Everything you’re doing for me is only because we’re family.”

Jace would smile and pull her tighter. “If only she were half as considerate as you. She’d save me so much trouble.”

…

The entire pack gathered for the ceremony.

Selene stood beside Jace while the elders offered their blessings.

She reached for his hand. They smiled at each other.

Rowan stood beside Jace, looking almost more excited than either of them.

One of the elders stepped forward. “Alpha Jace, before the Silver Moon Pack, do you accept Selene as your chosen Luna?”

Jace hesitated. “This won’t affect the bond I have with Isabelle, right?”

The elder smiled. “No, Alpha. This is only ceremonial. Unless you reject your bond with Luna Isabelle in her presence, you cannot form a true mate bond with another wolf.”

Jace visibly relaxed.

Selene leaned happily against his chest. “Thank you for giving me the ceremony I always dreamed of.”

Her smile turned weak. “I may never get the chance to meet my own fated mate and have something like this. At least now, if I die, I won’t have to regret missing it.”

Jace didn’t answer. His eyes drifted toward the doors again.

Selene noticed. Her fingers tightened around his. “Jace?”

He finally looked back at her.

The elder waited. “Alpha Jace, do you accept?”

Jace opened his mouth. “I—”

Before the words could leave him, the doors flew open.

Adam, the former Pack Healer, walked inside with two guards at his side. He stopped in the middle of the aisle and dropped to one knee.

“Alpha, we cannot delay this any longer.”

Jace immediately frowned. “Stand up, Adam. You don’t need to kneel before me.”

His expression sharpened. “What is it?”

Adam had once been the most respected healer in the Silver Moon Pack. He had served under Jace’s father when he was Alpha.

Even after retiring, his words still carried weight.

Adam slowly stood. “We need you and Alpha Rowan to come to the pack morgue.”

Jace’s frown deepened. “I already told Isabelle to stop this ridiculous act. Now you’re playing along with her too?”

Adam took a slow breath. “Alpha, I personally examined the bodies with your current Healer.”

The entire hall went quiet.

Adam looked directly at Jace. “There is no act.”

His voice was steady. “The two dead she-wolves are Luna Isabelle and Luna Lena.”

No one moved.

For one second, Jace looked like he had seen a ghost.