Chapter 1

"Luna, the surgery to remove the Alpha’s mark is excruciating. It’s equivalent to being skinned alive. Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?"

I looked into the mirror at the black wolf totem on my collarbone—a symbol of an Alpha’s possessiveness—and nodded. "I’m sure."

The black-market healer tried to persuade me one last time. "But this is the Silver Moon Pack’s highest Alpha mark. Countless she-wolves dream of bearing this claim. If you wash it off, you’ll lose all your privileges within the territory. You’ll be treated as a packless Rogue."

"I want to be a Rogue."

I lay down on the cold operating table. "Please, just get on with it."

"Very well. Once the procedure is done, I’ll inject you with a high-grade Alpha Scent Masker—it will completely cloak your natural scent for a week. The Alpha won’t suspect a thing."

"That’s enough time."

"Now, please sign the pre-op consent form. Your new identity is... Aurora, is that correct?"

"Yes."

Before coming here, I’d already gotten a new ID at the pack’s administrative hall and changed my name to Aurora.

Aurora. The Northern Lights.

Light that can only be seen in the bitter cold—freezing, but free.

That was the ending I had written for myself.

"Once the surgery was done, I stepped out of here—and was immediately confronted by the commercial empire belonging to Ethan’s pack."

On a massive naked-eye 3D screen, a loop of Ethan’s deep, affectionate confession was playing. It wasn’t just an interview; it was a vow renewal press conference that had shaken the entire werewolf world.

On the screen, the man looked imposing, radiating powerful Alpha pheromones. Behind him stood an incredibly luxurious estate.

"Alpha Ethan, I heard this 'Moonlight Manor' is worth a hundred million dollars. Is this your fifth-anniversary gift to your Luna?"

Ethan looked at the camera, his eyes so doting they could melt a glacier. "It’s more than that. I know she loves Moonflowers, so I had thirty thousand of them airlifted from the Elven Forest to fill the entire estate."

The camera panned to a sea of flowers glowing with a ghostly blue light. It was breathtaking.

"As long as Ivy likes it, I’d pluck the stars from the sky with the Moon Goddess's blessing, let alone build her a manor."

The square was filled with the gasps of lower-ranked wolves.

"Praise the Moon Goddess, the Alpha is so romantic!"

"A manor full of Moonflowers? They are literally mates goals!"

"Ivy must have saved the entire werewolf race in her past life to deserve this."

I stood in the crowd, staring at that holy sea of flowers on the big screen, fighting the urge to vomit.

Saved the werewolf race?

No. I had just been blinded by wolfsbane.

Ethan and I were Fated Mates. Ten years of love. I thought we were the perfect match ordained by the Moon Goddess.

Until two months ago.

My phone received an encrypted video.

The background of the video was the very "Moonlight Manor" that every female in the pack envied.

The Moonflowers were in full bloom. And amidst the petals, two naked bodies were entangled.

The she-wolf was Daisy, an orphaned Omega Ethan had sponsored after she lost her pack. She had just come of age this year.

In the video, Daisy was kneeling in the damp soil, wearing the high-custom silk robe I wore as the Head Luna Priestess. The hem was torn to shreds, snagged on the sharp thorns of the flowers.

"Ethan... these magical thorns are hurting my knees... my healing ability isn't working..."

Ethan’s voice was filled with a beast-like growl, his pupils glowing the distinct red of a rutting Alpha. He pressed down hard on her waist. "If it hurts, scream. I love hearing you act like a slut."

"But... these are Luna’s sacred flowers..."

"Why bring her up? She’s like a dead fish in bed. She’s nowhere near as wet as you are, getting turned on in a place like this."

In that moment, the pristine Moonflowers looked like a trash heap crawling with maggots.

The hickeys on her body, the filthy moans—every detail felt like a thousand cuts to my heart.

I withdrew my gaze and turned into an unassuming underground exchange in the black market.

I pulled a black obsidian box from my bag. Inside lay a priceless platinum wedding ring, set with an incredibly rare blood diamond.

It was the ring Ethan had placed on my finger while kneeling on one knee during our Mating Ceremony.

"Dead pawn. I’m selling it," I told the shop owner.

The owner sniffed the aura on the ring, his wolf ears instantly perking up. "This... isn't this the 'Heart of the Wolf King' from the Alpha family? Are you sure? This is a symbol of absolute power."

"Sell it." My voice was cold as ice. "Donate all the proceeds to the stray animal shelter. Sign it under the name..."

I paused. "Compensation for a dog."

"I..." The owner didn't dare ask questions. He tucked his tail between his legs and quickly wrote up the receipt.

I walked out with an empty box.

At a roadside magical contract shop, I printed out a Mate Bond Severance Agreement.

Emblazoned with silver runes that glowed faintly like moonlight, the document bore a crucial clause: it only activates if one’s wolf mate commits an act of betrayal—treachery of the heart, breach of the sacred bond, or abandonment of their shared pack oath.

Once triggered by such treachery, the wronged party may purchase this enchanted contract to sever the primal, unbreakable link between mates by force, stripping away the shared emotions, scent recognition, and even the physical pain that binds their souls.

I folded it neatly, the crisp paper rustling softly against the runes, and placed it inside the exquisite gift box that had once held the blood diamond ring—once a symbol of eternal bond, now a vessel for its undoing.

Then, meticulously, I tied it with a beautiful bow.