Chapter 1

After I lost the baby, I gave up everything my mate, Alpha Rhydian, hated.

I stopped using our bond to sense where he was.

I could sleep soundly even when he didn't come back to our bedroom all night.

I didn't even tell him when a rogue's silver blade sliced my arm during a border skirmish.

The pack doctor told me to notify my family. I just answered calmly, "I don't have a family."

The doctor recognized me. "You're the Luna. Alpha Rhydian is at headquarters. Should I inform him?"

I shook my head gently. "No, don't."

But half an hour later, Rhydian came anyway.

His tall frame cast a shadow over me, his voice ice-cold. "You're hurt. Why didn't you call me through the mind link?"

I lowered my eyes. "It's just a scratch. No need to bother the Alpha."

A low growl rumbled in his chest. The air crackled with his fury.

He was about to speak when a guard whispered outside the door, "The Alpha cares so much for Isla. She just pricked her finger on a rose thorn, and he gave her the pack's most precious moonlight herb."

I saw his jaw clench. His gray-blue eyes shot to me, searching for the jealous rage I always used to show.

I gave him nothing. Not even a blink. I just leaned back against the cheap hospital pillows and closed my eyes.

But Rhydian's composure finally shattered.

...

The silence in the Alpha's truck was suffocating. He finally broke it, his voice low. "Don't listen to them. I was just doing my duty as Alpha. Isla is an Omega of our pack. Of course I have to help her when she's hurt."

"Mm," I hummed, and said nothing more.

I could feel his stare burning into me.

Suddenly, Rhydian exploded. The air grew heavy, thick with his Alpha power, choking the small space of the truck. "You don't believe me? Are you still throwing a tantrum over losing the pup? Calista… I'm back with you now. What more do you want?"

My fingers trembled slightly. I stared out the window at the passing night, refusing to look at him.

"I believe you," I said softly. "I just didn't think it was a big deal, so I didn't want to disturb you. Let's just go home."

That same robotic, empty reply.

His knuckles went white on the steering wheel. He slammed on the brakes.

The screech of tires tore through the quiet of the estate, startling pack members walking by after the evening feast.

My head snapped up. A slender figure stood shivering under a lone streetlamp.

She had her arms wrapped around herself, the tip of her nose red, looking fragile and pitiful.

The moment the moonlight hit her face, the air in the truck froze.

"Isla… What is she doing here?"

I felt Rhydian's muscles tense, heard his barely audible intake of breath.

Before, seeing Isla would have made me lose control.

I would have screamed, demanding to know why he was always there when she needed him. Fought over why she so easily captured his attention.

Tears, hysterics, the tearing pain of our mate bond.

Now, I just glanced at her and looked away.

"If you need to patrol the territory, I'll walk back myself."

I pushed the door open. A blast of frigid midnight air rushed in. Before he could answer, I was already walking away.

"Calista!"

He caught up, grabbing my wrist. His grip was so tight it made me wince.

"I cut things off with her!" he snarled, his voice filled with a desperate anger. "Why won't you believe me?"

I looked into his eyes.

The same gray-blue eyes that once burned only for me.

Now they were filled with anger, confusion, and something I knew all too well—guilt.

"I believe you," I nodded, my voice still as calm as water. "She's just an Omega. Life is hard for her in the pack. It's normal to show some concern, even for an ordinary pack member. I understand."

Rhydian stared at my face. It was blank. This wasn't her pouting.

Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

My possessiveness used to be suffocating. If I smelled even a hint of another woman on him, I'd interrogate him until dawn.

Now, I was being exactly what he wanted: quiet, understanding, and reasonable.

I watched the confusion war with guilt in his eyes. He looked like a man drowning, and I was the storm he couldn't escape.

"Goodnight, Rhydian."

I pulled my hand free and turned away.

I heard his footsteps follow, then stop.

I knew he had made his choice. The same one he always made.

At the corner of the estate, I stopped and looked back.

Rhydian’s tall, imposing figure stood beside the truck.

He was taking off his own tailored suit jacket and gently draping it over Isla's shoulders.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with grateful tears.

I snapped my head away, trying to burn the image from my mind.

I could be calm on the surface. But my wolf was howling in grief.

How could she not?

I blinked back the burn in my eyes and hurried away.

A moment later, my phone buzzed.

The caller ID read: Jaxon - Alpha of the Ashenstone Pack.

I answered.

"Calista, everything is confirmed regarding your parents' voting rights in the Alpha Council and your territorial inheritance."

Jaxon's voice was steady and strong, filled with a warmth I hadn't felt in a long time.

"When can you come to finalize the transfer?"

I stared at the two figures embracing in the distance.

Rhydian's hand was stroking Isla's hair. Just like he used to do to me.

"Ten days," I said, my voice as dead as still water. "After the council approves my petition to sever the mate bond."

"Are you sure?" Jaxon asked, concern in his voice. "Once the ritual starts, there's no turning back."

I took one last look at the two of them.

Then I turned and walked toward the villa.

As the estate lights blurred past my window, I answered calmly, "My love for him died with our baby. Now, I just want to get the hell out of here."