Chapter 4

That bracelet. My mother had put it on my wrist herself as she lay dying.

She told me it symbolized the eternal bond between us.

It was the last warm memory I had of her in this world.

A flash of shame and anger crossed Liam's face. "Elara…"

Dahlia had already lowered her head, tears in her eyes, pathetically reaching to take the bracelet off.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was the former Luna's. I'll give it back right now."

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

Liam's heart ached for her instantly. "Dahlia, don't take it off! I gave it to you!" Then he turned to me, his voice cold. "It's just a bracelet, Elara. Dahlia liked it, so I gave it to her. I can buy you a dozen that are better."

My soul felt like it was being flayed. My voice trembled. "It was Mom's gift to me, Liam. You don't have the right to make that decision for her."

"Besides," I spat, "I would rather see it destroyed than have it touch the filthy skin of a lowborn Omega with no past!"

Liam’s face flushed with anger. "Elara! Stop being so malicious toward Dahlia."

He shielded her, looking at me with cold eyes.

"Elara, it's just a thing."

"Dahlia likes it, so I gave it to her. I'll find you something better."

"A thing?" I repeated the word, feeling my world crumble.

It was the last piece of my mother's love. He had watched her put it on my wrist with his own eyes!

How could he? How could he call it "a thing"?

My words had pushed Kael over the edge.

He violently grabbed Dahlia’s wrist, ripped the bracelet off, and threw it hard at my feet.

CRACK!

The silver chain snapped. The wolf fangs scattered across the cold marble like broken teeth.

"It’s just a damned bracelet!" he snarled, looking at me with pure disgust. "If you care about it so much, then take it back!"

He pulled the still-crying Dahlia with him. "Let's go. I'll buy you a hundred more, all of them better than this."

I collapsed to the floor, my hands trembling as I tried to gather the broken threads and scattered fangs.

The beautiful weaving was destroyed by his brutal act.

My mother's love, our bond—trampled under his feet.

"Elara, you are such a disappointment."

Liam looked down on me, his eyes full of reproach.

"You're spoiled, petty, and you attack innocent people."

He took a deep breath, his voice growing even colder.

"Since you want the truth so badly, I'll give it to you. I was the one who gave your proposal to Dahlia."

My world shattered.

"Why?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Because Dahlia needed this award to secure her place in the pack," Liam said, his voice cold. "She has nothing, Elara. She needed to prove her worth. You have everything. What's one award to you?"

I looked at the man before me, a chill seeping into my bones.

This was the brother who had sworn to protect me.

Now, he had betrayed me to win the favor of an outsider.

He reached down to pull me up. "Get up, Elara. Apologize to Dahlia."

I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me."

I clutched the broken bracelet to my chest, stood up, and walked past them toward the stairs without another word.

"Elara!" Liam called after me. "Where are you going?"

I didn't look back.

There was nothing left to say.

Back in my room, I locked the door and collapsed onto the bed.

My phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.

"Miss Elara, this is the steward of the Far Mountain Sanctuary."

An old voice spoke from the other end.

"The elders have decided to accept your internship application. However, this is a closed program."

"Once you confirm, you will have no contact with the outside world for one year."

"You have one night to consider and say your goodbyes."

I gripped the phone, my voice firm. "I accept."

"Very good. Someone will come for you at dawn."

The call ended. I pulled out my suitcase and packed in silence.

This house held my entire life. Now, it only held the chill of betrayal.

But before I left, I had to say goodbye.

I walked downstairs. The three of them were in the great hall.

Kael and Liam were comforting a tearful Dahlia. The cozy scene shattered the moment they saw me. The air turned to ice.

I opened my mouth to tell them I was leaving, but Liam cut me off.

"Good timing. We need to talk to you," he said. "Dahlia's not feeling stable. We don't want her living alone. So, we've decided she's moving in."

He paused, his eyes sweeping over me as if I were a piece of furniture.

"Your room is the large suite next to the master bedroom. It's the safest. You can move your things to the spare room on the third floor."

My heart ached until it was numb, but my face remained a blank mask.

So this was it. Even my last space in this home... Dahlia was taking that too?

I lifted my head, my voice low. "Don't bother. I can move out."

A flicker of panic crossed Kael's face. He took a step forward. "Elara, we don't mean that. You don't have to…"

His words were cut short by Liam's roar.

My brother. My own blood. He stared at me as if I were his mortal enemy.

"Fine!" he snarled. "If you hate this family so much, then get the hell out!"

That one sentence shattered the last piece of my heart.

I didn't give them another glance.

I turned, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of the house I had called home for twenty years.

When my car left the city limits, I pulled over in a deserted stretch of wilderness.

The moon was hidden by dark clouds, plunging the world into blackness.

I cut my fingertip and, using my blood as a conduit, drew an ancient rune on my forehead.

I began the forbidden ritual. The one that would sever my pack bond for good.

“Moon Goddess,” I whispered, my voice cracking, “I, Elara Moonstone, renounce my name and sever my bloodline. From this day forward, let us be strangers, separated by mountains and seas.”

The moment the ritual was complete, a pain so sharp it felt like my soul was being torn in two shot through me. My vision went black, and I nearly fainted.

But what followed was a free, empty silence I had never known before.

Miles away, as Kael and Liam were lulling Dahlia to sleep, a sharp, hollowing pain stabbed through both their hearts at the exact same time.

The bond—that familiar thread connecting them to Elara, the one that hummed beneath their skin no matter the distance—

It snapped.

And then there was only silence.