Chapter 1

The day I found out I was pregnant with twins, I saw my mate, Alpha Viggo, bringing another she-wolf to her prenatal check-up.

I froze on the spot, the pregnancy report crumpling in my fist.

That night, he looked at me with ice in his eyes. The same man who once kissed every inch of my body. The same man who swore he was mine and mine alone.

“She’s carrying my pup. Her wolf is unstable. You will brew her calming tonics. Every single day.”

“She's sensitive. She can't sleep without my scent. So move your things to the west wing. Make room for her.”

The huge villa fell deathly silent.

My wolf howled—a sharp, wounded cry. Pain from our mate bond ripped through my soul. But I didn't shed a single tear.

I just calmly grabbed the suitcase I’d already packed and walked toward the door.

The guards tried to stop me, but Viggo didn’t even glance up.

“She’ll be back,” he said, swirling the wine in his glass, his Alpha arrogance on full display. “Three days. That’s all she’ll last. Her wolf will drive her mad without my touch. She’ll come crawling back, begging.”

The pack members and allies who had come for our ceremony erupted in laughter.

A few of them even made a bet right in front of me, wagering a million-dollar aurora ore mine.

They bet I’d be torn apart by the fear of going rogue and be on my knees by midnight, begging Viggo to let me back in.

But they had no idea.

My birth father had already secretly sent our family token.

My pack was already waiting.

This time, I would shatter our bond for good.

...

"The pups are very strong, Luna." The Chief Healer gazed at the ultrasound, his voice filled with awe. "Their power signature is astonishing. They are, without question, the strongest heirs I have ever seen."

I listened in silence, my fingers clenching the fabric of my dress.

I took a deep breath, my voice trembling. "Healer… can I… get rid of them?"

The Healer stared at me, his eyes wide with horror. "Luna! Have you lost your mind? These are the Alpha's heirs! Is this the pregnancy sickness talking? Perhaps you should bring the Alpha with you next time."

My mouth twisted in a bitter smile.

Bring him here?

He was probably at another woman's side right now.

I laid a hand on my still-flat stomach, feeling the two faint but resilient sparks of life within me. My heart clenched painfully.

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to destroy my own flesh and blood. I turned and left the healer's office in silence.

The moment I returned to the pack manor, which was alive with preparations for the Full Moon Feast, I ran right into Viggo.

"Nyxia, perfect timing," he said. "Take off that bracelet. Give it to Odette."

I instinctively covered the Moonheart stone bracelet on my wrist.

It was my mother’s last gift to me.

When I was a child, dying, she spent ninety-nine days on her knees in the Moon Temple, praying for this divine stone to save me. It was the only thing that could calm my unstable wolf.

I hadn’t taken it off since I was seven.

On the night of our mating ceremony, Viggo had kissed this very bracelet, promising that he and the stone would be with me forever.

“Viggo, this is—” I heard my own strained voice.

“I know what it is,” he cut me off, his tone chillingly casual. “Odette is just an Omega. The pregnancy is hard on her. She needs the Moonheart stone to keep her stable.”

I clenched my fists, searching his face.

The mate bond flared with pain again as he focused on Odette’s needs. That’s when I knew he was serious.

He saw me clutch my chest in agony. His gaze faltered. For a heartbeat, I saw a flicker of regret in his dark eyes. Pity.

But just as quickly, the cold mask of cruelty slammed back into place. He looked straight at me. “There are plenty of jewels in the pack vault I can give you as compensation. You’re a Beta. Your wolf is strong. Let her have it.”

Let her have it. Those little words. Again.

I’d lost count of how many times I’d heard them.

I remembered the last time my wolf was acting up. I forced myself to attend an alliance banquet.

On the way back, Viggo left me in the snow, fifty kilometers from our territory, just because Odette whined that she was feeling unwell and wanted him with her immediately.

That night, I walked for eight hours in a blizzard. My feet went numb. Every breath I took tasted like blood.

And him? He was in a warm bed, whispering comforts to his new favorite.

Thinking of that, I gave in.

No matter what I did, he would always choose her if she just said the word, wouldn’t he?

I glanced down at my belly. I was carrying his pups, too.

“Fine,” I said, walking toward Odette. My voice was soft. “I hope it protects you and the baby.”

My hands trembled as I undid the clasp.

The Moonheart stone glowed with a soft, silver light under the crystal chandeliers.

The moment I fastened the bracelet on Odette’s wrist, Viggo smiled, satisfied.

“See? If you just listen—”

Before he could finish, the chain, always so strong, suddenly snapped.

The Moonheart stone hit the floor and shattered into a dozen pieces.

The broken crystals unleashed a chaotic storm of energy. A stinging, silver light filled the air.

“Ah—!” Odette shrieked, clutching her stomach. “It hurts! My wolf, our pup…”

“Odette! Healer, now!” Viggo lunged forward, pulling her into a protective embrace.

He whipped his head around to face me, his eyes blazing a furious, beastly gold. He glared at me as if I were a traitor.

Despite his coldness, I remembered him holding me just like that when I was sick, staying by my bedside for three days and three nights.

Now, our pack members and allies, the people I once considered family, just stood there, watching indifferently as their Luna was publicly cast aside by her Alpha.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed my suitcase and turned to leave.

But in the next second, a crushing Alpha command froze me in place. An invisible force dragged me back toward the broken shards.

“Use your blood to calm her out-of-control wolf!”

Before I could react, Viggo slammed my palm down onto the sharpest shard of the Moonheart stone.

Agony ripped through me.

Blood gushed from the wound, dripping onto the broken crystals.

Miraculously, my blood did soothe the chaotic energy.

Odette’s pained whimpers began to subside.

Viggo stared down at me. Only when he felt the pain from my wolf and saw my bloodied hand did his own fingers twitch at his side. He finally let go.

“Don’t pretend to be generous if you’re not going to be. You pulled this little stunt. Don’t you think you should apologize?”

In that moment, I remembered all the humiliating apologies from the past year.

Apologizing for interrupting their dates.

Apologizing because the calming tonic I brewed didn't suit Odette's taste.

Apologizing for walking in on her kissing him in his office.

Every single time, the mate bond would flare with agony.

And every single time, the result was the same. I was forced to submit.

I fought back the whine of my wolf, clenching my fists until blood filled my palm, letting the pain replace the urge to cry.

Then, I straightened my spine, and I bowed.

Three times.

A complete, humiliating submission to an Omega.

“Is that enough, Alpha?” I lifted my head, a numb smile stretched across my pale face.

He looked into my empty eyes, and his chest tightened.

He let go of my hand and grabbed my chin, as if to hide his reaction. “You’re all alone now. Who else do you have but me? Who are you trying to impress with this arrogant act?”

Then he shoved me away and turned to lift Odette, carrying her toward the medical wing.

He stepped right over the pool of my blood.

I slowly got to my feet, looking at the bleeding wound on my palm.

My mother’s Moonheart stone was shattered beyond repair. Just like our ten years together.

I walked to the main door, step by step, stopping by the trash can.

From my pocket, I pulled out the silk handkerchief soaked in my blood. His initials were still embroidered on it.

I opened my fingers. The handkerchief fluttered into the trash.

Just like him.

Just like the love I once had for him.

Garbage.