Epilogue: Kael's POVKael arrived at the borders of the Dark Moon territory under the cloak of night. The rumors had been unsettling. A Rogue attack, a rejected mate. But the chilling silence from Elena, a silence he could feel through a bond only he knew existed, was what truly spurred him into action.He knew he had to see for himself.Growing up, Elena was the only person he had ever truly cared for.The girl who had saved him on that rainy night, who had stained her hands with her own blood to free him from a silver trap, was the eternal light in his heart.Even after she became Damon's mate, he had never stopped watching over her from a distance.When she was injured in training, he would secretly leave her herbs.When she was mocked by her peers, he would use his Alpha dominance to intimidate the bullies.When she cried, a part of him wanted to burn the world to ash for her.But now, that light had been extinguished.His wolf's senses were sharper than a typical Alpha's, and he
On the night of every full moon, the pain would multiply.I could feel his suffering, because my spirit was still connected to him.He couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, could only suffer in endless remorse."Elena... my Elena..." he whispered my name day and night, but the only response was an empty echo.The Alpha King laid another cruel curse: Damon could never have another mate.Even if he met a new fated one, the bond could not be formed.He was doomed to spend the rest of his long life in solitude and pain.Watching these two who had hurt me receive their due punishment, my spirit felt no satisfaction.Instead, I felt a profound exhaustion.Revenge did not bring true relief.Pain was just pain, no matter who it was inflicted upon.More importantly, the shackles of the mate bond that had bound my spirit were finally beginning to loosen.With Damon's official divine punishment, the last threads connecting us were breaking, one by one.I felt myself dissipating.My spirit grew more trans
A new image materialized in the air, going back to the hours before the attack.In the image, Chloe snuck into the armory and took a small vial from her cloak.She coated my silver dagger with the liquid from the vial, her movements chillingly practiced."This is silverfrost venom," Marcus explained, his voice grim. "It's designed to suppress a werewolf's strength and block their healing."Damon, Leo, and every member of the pack who now knew the truth stared at Chloe in utter shock.I finally understood why my inner wolf had suddenly gone silent when I faced the Rogue that night.Why I couldn't release my Omega's combat pheromones. Why my spirit was so easily jolted from my body.It wasn't because I was too weak. It was because Chloe had poisoned me.The image continued, showing the attack from another angle.This time, it clearly showed how I had used my own body to shield Damon.How my claws had torn out the Rogue's throat, how my blood had stained the forest floor red."Do you all
The old priestess, Martha, listened to all of this with a deep frown.As a cleric, she could sense more of the supernatural world."Alpha, perhaps we should wait...""No more waiting!" Damon cut her off. "Since Elena has chosen this path, I have even more reason to be rid of this mark."He turned to the priestess, his eyes burning with resolve. "I will ask the Moon Goddess to make Chloe my new mate."Martha did not agree. "Alpha, that goes against the goddess's divine will! A fated mate cannot be changed!""Divine will?" Damon sneered, a dangerous, murderous intent in his wolf's nature. "If Elena chose a dark sacrifice, that means the Moon Goddess has abandoned her too!""From this day forward, Chloe is the Luna of Dark Moon!"My spirit nearly fractured at that moment.Watching the Alpha I once loved so deeply erase our past so easily, so eager to bond with my sister.He truly didn't care about anything I had ever done for him.Perhaps I was a joke from the very beginning.If only I ha
The next morning, my spirit was forced to follow Damon to the pack's sacred ground.He cursed the entire way, his fury rolling off him in waves of uncontrolled Alpha dominance."Hiding for so long and still refusing to show herself. Does she really think I'll go begging for her?"The Moon Temple sat on the highest peak of the pack's territory, its white marble structure gleaming in the morning light.This was the sacred domain of the Moon Goddess, a place for important ceremonies.The temple's high priestess, Martha, was already waiting.She was the highest-ranking cleric in the pack, possessing the ability to communicate with the Moon Goddess.Shimmering, moonlit runes danced upon the obsidian altar."Alpha, have you truly decided to erase the mate mark?" Martha asked with a frown. "Once this ritual is performed, it cannot be reversed.""It will tear at your very soul, Alpha. The process is excruciating.""My mind is made up," Damon said coldly, stripping off his shirt to reveal his p
Hearing those words, Damon's pupils constricted. His Alpha bloodline erupted, and a dangerous pressure filled the air.He refused to believe it. His wolf snarled at the memory, at the sheer impossibility of it. "That's impossible! She and Chloe faced the same Rogues. Chloe has fully recovered. How could she have been so severely injured?""Don't think I can't see through her little tricks! She's just trying to win my sympathy by faking her death, to get the Luna title back!""She thinks faking her death will earn her pity? Dream on."My wolf spirit watched his reaction.How laughable. He was angry because he thought I was faking it.He redialed Anya's number, his voice colder than hell itself. "Listen to me, you lying bitch," he snarled into the phone. "I know Elena is alive. She's hiding somewhere, waiting to laugh at me, isn't she?"Anya's weary voice came from the other end. "Alpha, I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, just feel the mate bond."Damon's wolf bristled with fury.