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Chapter 3

Author: Anna Smith
The next morning, Rowan’s first stop was the healer’s sanctuary on the east ridge—

the same place where my brother had taken his last breath.

I drifted after him through the mist, the air thick with the scent of wolfsbane and frozen pine.

His car tore along the icy road, headlights slicing through the fog.

His brows were furrowed, his jaw locked, every motion sharp with urgency—

but I knew that desperation wasn’t for finding me.

It was for fixing Voss’s latest disaster.

He didn’t even stop the car properly. The door swung open before the engine died.

He leapt out and strode into the sanctuary’s marble hall.

“You,” he snapped at the nurse behind the desk. “I need Gavin Thorne’s medical record—now.”

The young nurse startled. “One moment, Doctor—”

Before she could finish, a voice drawled from behind him—low, mocking, and all too familiar.

“Well, well. Look who the moon dragged back. Rowan Hale himself.”

Rowan stiffened. He turned to see Dr. David Ward, a healer who had left the pack hospital after the scandal three years ago.

They had never been friends.

“David,” Rowan said coldly. “Where I go is none of your concern.”

David smiled without warmth. “Relax. I’m just surprised you still have the nerve to show your face here.

Tell me, how can a wolf be so cold-blooded? You didn’t come when they were dying—and now that they’re gone, you suddenly remember to care?”

Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about? What do you mean, dying?”

He looked genuinely lost, as if he couldn’t imagine what the man was accusing him of.

But I knew exactly what David meant.

He was talking about Gavin—and me.

When I was ambushed in that alley under the blood-moon, silver blades ripped through my flesh faster than my wolf could heal.

My spirit howled inside me, clawing to rise, but the silver burned through its voice.

By the time the patrol found me and dragged me into the ambulance, my pulse was fading, my wolf already half-severed from my body.

The healers reached out through the pack-link, begging for my family to come—just to say goodbye before the bond between body and wolf snapped forever.

But Rowan was with Voss Voss that night, attending the Moon Council banquet.

When the call came through their mental link, he silenced it, not wanting “pack business” to ruin the evening.

Later, he blocked the link completely—cutting me off from the last thread of the pack’s voice.

And so, I died alone beneath the same moon that once marked me as his mate.

My brother Gavin faced the same fate.

When the healers sent his critical-condition notice, pleading for funds, I tried to reach Rowan again.

But he was traveling with Voss, showcasing their new research to the Elders.

By the time they returned, Gavin was gone—his wolf fading quietly into the night,

no one beside him as he slipped away.

David’s voice snapped me back. He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with scorn.

“Oh, come now, Rowan. You know exactly who I mean.

Mira and her brother called for you before the end—but you were too busy basking in Voss’s light to answer.”

Rowan’s jaw clenched. “Watch your words.”

David let out a brittle laugh, all teeth and venom.

“Why? Afraid they’ll bite? Tell me, what makes you so special that two wolves destroyed themselves for you?”

He brushed past, his shoulder grazing Rowan’s, and walked away.

The echo of his boots faded down the corridor like a heartbeat slowing to silence.

The nurse returned, clutching a file. Her voice trembled.

“Doctor Hale… the patient Gavin Thorne—he passed away one year ago.”

Rowan blinked, his breath catching. “one year…?”

For the first time, real fear crossed his face—

a flicker of something raw, almost human—

as though the ghost of every life he’d broken had just reached out and touched his spine.
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    The day of the banishment hearing arrived with steady snow and a line of witnesses who weren’t used to public rooms.The Elders took the raised table. The scribe’s quill scratched. Voss arrived without counsel, hair pinned, expression controlled.The first witness—the fisherman—told the rescue story simply. He identified my parents by name and described their movements. He said he’d never seen the Voss couple that day. He signed his statement in front of the room.The second witness—the ward cleaner—confirmed the Voss matriarch’s ankle injury that winter and the absence from the infirmary. She produced a copy of the shift log she had saved because she didn’t trust the new system.The third witness—the baker—spoke briefly about seeing my parents with a limping boy and, later, seeing me alone.The Elders entered the ledger amendment as “provisionally accepted,” pending archive retrieval. No one protested.Then came the bank clerk, who testified to the transfers authorizing “professional

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  • The Moon Remembers   Chapter 4

    I followed Rowan to the ridge graveyard because I didn’t believe he would go. He did.He stopped at two stones: GAVIN THORNE and MIRA THORNE. He stared, waited for an error to appear in the letters, and when it didn’t, he sank to his knees.David found him there. “Now you believe,” he said.Rowan didn’t answer at first. “How long.”“Three winters,” David said. “Gavin, one year.”Rowan’s voice was flat. “The hospital records could be wrong.”“They aren’t.”Rowan stood. “Then I failed both of them.”“You did,” David said. “Start by saying that out loud. To someone other than yourself.”Rowan looked at my name again. “I made her sign a confession to protect Voss Voss. If Voss had fallen, she’d lose everything.”“And Mira didn’t?” David asked.“I thought she’d survive,” Rowan said. “I thought she was stronger.”“You used her strength as a cushion,” David said. “Why Voss, specifically?”Rowan gave the answer he had practiced for years. “I owed her. Her parents saved me from rogues when I wa

  • The Moon Remembers   Chapter 3

    The next morning, Rowan’s first stop was the healer’s sanctuary on the east ridge—the same place where my brother had taken his last breath.I drifted after him through the mist, the air thick with the scent of wolfsbane and frozen pine.His car tore along the icy road, headlights slicing through the fog.His brows were furrowed, his jaw locked, every motion sharp with urgency—but I knew that desperation wasn’t for finding me.It was for fixing Voss’s latest disaster.He didn’t even stop the car properly. The door swung open before the engine died.He leapt out and strode into the sanctuary’s marble hall.“You,” he snapped at the nurse behind the desk. “I need Gavin Thorne’s medical record—now.”The young nurse startled. “One moment, Doctor—”Before she could finish, a voice drawled from behind him—low, mocking, and all too familiar.“Well, well. Look who the moon dragged back. Rowan Hale himself.”Rowan stiffened. He turned to see Dr. David Ward, a healer who had left the pack hospi

  • The Moon Remembers   Chapter 2

    My soul remained tethered to him like a cursed chain.Even in death, I followed him back to our old manor on the northern ridge—the place that once smelled of pine smoke, moonlight, and lies.When Rowan returned, the door creaked open and warm light spilled onto the frozen floor.Voss was waiting by the fire, her white fur cloak glimmering like fresh snow under a hunter’s moon.“You found her?” she asked, rising from the chair. Her tone was sweet, but her golden eyes gleamed with fear.Rowan hesitated, his voice low. “No. Dorian said… Mira’s been dead for three winters.”“Dead?” Voss’s brow furrowed. “Impossible. She’s hiding, trying to guilt us. You know how dramatic she was.”He didn’t answer. The silence pressed between them like fog before a storm.Voss sighed, feigning sympathy. “That must be it. Mira’s still angry over what happened three years ago. If she refuses to help, then fine—maybe I should turn myself in to the Elders.”Rowan flinched. “Don’t talk like that. You know what

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