Chapter 1

I clutched the scroll that could sever a mate bond so tightly its fragile edges nearly cut into my fingers.

Every coin I had saved, I had given to a black-market witch. She promised me a clean ending between me and my mate—one without the agony of soul-rending or blood rituals.

Five years. For five years, I had been Felix Frost's Luna in name, nothing more than a shadow in his life.

At pack meetings, Lunas from other packs treated me as if I were invisible, their laughter echoing in circles I could never enter.

My pack looked at me as though I carried a plague. Their gazes darted past me, cold and quick, never sparing even the most basic of greetings.

And Felix's parents were polite on the surface, but their eyes never hid the disappointment that clung to me like a curse. To them, my being an Omega was a stain on Felix's perfect record.

But today, all of it would end.

This scroll—the one that severs a mate bond—was the key I had carefully prepared to unlock my freedom.

When I returned to Felix's residence, the silence was suffocating. The Gamma warriors guarding the door didn't even blink as I walked past.

In his world, I had long ceased to exist.

I went straight to his study.

The door was ajar, and through the crack came Mary's laughter.

Felix, as an Alpha, had a sense of smell a hundred times sharper than ordinary werewolves. He despised when others let their scent spill carelessly into the air.

Yet now, the study was thick with Mary's scent—heady, brazen, showing Felix's favoritism towards her.

I pushed the door open.

Felix leaned back in his chair, more relaxed than I had ever seen him. And beside him sat Mary.

She wore a body-hugging gown that traced every curve, her hair a cascade of glossy waves over her shoulders, her lips painted the red of fire.

The daughter of the former Beta, she had grown up with him. Their bond ran deep, forged since childhood. Ever since she returned from ending her previous mate bond, she had slipped seamlessly into his life.

They were inseparable—at pack banquets, private gatherings, everywhere. To anyone looking in, Mary was already his Luna. Together, they looked like a golden couple.

Now, she leaned close, a cigarette between her lips, her voice coy as she teased, "Felix, lend me a light."

He said nothing, only tilted his head slightly and passed the cigarette from his own mouth.

She bent closer. Their cigarettes met tip to tip, a spark glowing in the dim light.

Time stretched unbearably, longer than any kiss Felix had ever given me.

Then his eyes flicked toward me.

He shifted, almost guiltily, pulling away from her intimate lean.

"You're back so soon?" His voice was flat and indifferent.

Mary turned, blowing a ring of smoke from her red lips before smiling at me with smug amusement.

"Hi, Jean. Don't misunderstand, we were just sharing a light. Do you want one too? These cigs are quite good today—"

She didn't get to finish.

"Mary," Felix interrupted coolly, "don't corrupt Jean. She's a good girl. She doesn't touch tobacco or alcohol."

Mary laughed wickedly.

"Fine, fine. But really, don't you think you treat her like a daughter? With how protective you are, next time we go out, should I order her a glass of milk instead?"

Then she gasped in mock surprise, turning to me with exaggerated contrition.

"Oops, sorry, Jean. No offense. I just meant it's a little childish."

"No need. I don't smoke," I said flatly, cutting her off as I walked forward.

I held out the scroll, open to the final page that required his signature, masking every shred of tension behind a carefully rehearsed calm.

Felix barely looked up, his eyes narrowing faintly. "What's this?"

"A business travel request that requires your stamp," I said, forcing my dry throat to cooperate.

"According to pack regulations, a Luna's travel application needs the Alpha's confirmation. After all… you're my only family."

The air froze.

My clan had been wiped out in a pack conflict. It was Felix's father who had taken me in. More than anyone, Felix knew how utterly alone I was in this world.

He frowned, reaching for the papers. "Let me take a look—"

My heart lurched.

He never looked. He usually stamped things without a second thought. But this time, of all times, with the one document I needed signed quickly, he hesitated.

Just then, Mary tugged at his arm, her laughter sweet.

"Alpha, our reservation time is almost up. She's your Luna. What's there to worry about? She won't run away."

He paused, then with a shrug of ease, pressed his handprint onto the page, severing our mate bond as carelessly as if it were an ordinary contract.

Before his eyes could fall on the bold words Severance of Mate Bond Agreement on the next page, I swept the scroll back into my hands.

I turned and left swiftly, hiding the trembling of my fingers.

Behind me, Mary let out a low laugh, her voice dripping with implication.

"She looks so fragile. And she's an Omega. I'll never understand why you chose her as your Luna."

The teacup in Felix's hand paused mid-air. His eyes lingered on my retreating back, his tone unreadable. "The Moon Goddess always has her reasons."

The door shut behind me.

I drew a long, shaking breath. I was finally free.

And yet, absurdly, in that moment of release, my mind drifted to the times when Felix had once been good to me.

The night five years ago when it all began—after his father brought me to the Crescent Pack, when I still kept my distance from Felix.

He had found me by the lakeside, tears in my eyes as I clumsily tried to treat a wound. A warrior who despised me for being Omega had knocked me down, leaving a gash that healed painfully slow.

Felix said nothing. He simply took the herbs from my trembling hands and treated the wound himself.

His fingers traced gently along my skin, pressing lightly, soothing the sting more than any medicine.

When his touch drifted lower along my back, my body shivered. My heart pounded so loud I thought my face would catch fire.

He stopped, his breath warm against my ear.

"Shall I continue?"

Inside me, my wolf howled, 'Mate! He's our mate!'

With trembling courage, I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him.

That night, he marked me. Claimed me. And soon after, we held our mating ceremony.

Hand in hand beneath the Moon Goddess's blessing, his voice had been low and solemn. He called me his fated mate, his greatest gift, the one he would love and protect for the rest of his life. He swore I would be the happiest Luna, never shedding another tear.

And for a while, he kept his word.

He soothed my nightmares with his warm hand on my back, releasing a calming scent to lull me to sleep. He shielded me with his arm whenever another Alpha's gaze lingered too long, pulling me close with unspoken possession.

He carried me onto his desk, hands wandering beneath my skirts, his kiss devouring my breath until I was lost in him.

But those days of tenderness and passion ended a year ago.

As an Omega, it was difficult for me to conceive an Alpha's child. I sought remedies in secret, finally finding a reclusive witch who promised to help.

That day, he came home early and found the vial in my hand. His expression grew colder by the second.

"What is this?"

I rushed to explain.

"Medicine to strengthen my body… so we can have a pup sooner."

But he had seen too many fall victim to the harm of secret potions. His own mother had been a victim. He loathed such things.

That was why I had hidden it from him.

He took the vial, frowning.

"What if it harms you? I'll have it tested."

When the results came back, I stared in disbelief. The potion was contraceptive.

From that day, he believed I never wanted his child. That I never loved him.

And from then on, he never spared me a glance.

He came home later and later, his warmth replaced by indifference.

Last month, on the anniversary of our mating ceremony, I waited at the restaurant for four hours.

In the end, what I saw was his back, leading the pack's warriors to the airport to greet Mary.

From that moment, I began planning my escape.

This scroll was my last shred of hope.

I even prayed he would notice, that he would refuse to press his handprint… so I could lie to myself that he still cared, just a little.

But because of one careless word from Mary, he pressed it down without hesitation.

Five years of companionship, destroyed by a single breath from her lips.

The last illusion I held shattered beneath the casual press of his thumb.

I could no longer deceive myself.

Standing in the empty hallway, I pulled out my phone and booked a flight one week from now.

In seven days, I would leave this gilded cage that had held me for five years.

Felix could continue his life as destiny's favored son.

But it would no longer include me.