Alpha Mate Loved Omega, I Loved Freedom

My Alpha mate cheated on me with an Omega we had kindly taken in. Six months ago, at the Pack ceremony, their sex video was projected onto the big screen. I felt the blood drain from my body in a single heartbeat. I made a scene. Forced Cain to swear in front of the entire Pack Alliance assembly that he would cut ties with Vivienne. He made his vow. And yes, he came back. The first time we attended a multi-pack banquet together after our so-called reconciliation, a Luna who'd always had it in for me stepped into my path. "Wren, what exactly are you so proud of? You threw a fit across the whole pack — catching your mate in the act, making sure every last person saw that video. What kind of Luna makes a spectacle of herself like that?" "Your Alpha didn't even mark her. And you went nuclear over it? Cain must've done something truly terrible in a past life to end up with a Luna like you." I turned to Cain. Waiting for him to speak. A denial. A defense. Even a single word. He lowered his eyes and said nothing. Something inside my head shattered. A few days later, I saw Vivienne at the market on the edge of pack territory. All because she accidentally knocked over a shelf, the shop owner raised his hand to slap her. Before the slap could land, Cain appeared out of nowhere. I had never seen Cain use that level of dominance on anyone. Three years ago, I was attacked by rogue wolves. Nearly died from the injuries. When Cain arrived, his expression was cold and composed. Today, he nearly lost it — because an Omega got slapped. Almost in the same second, my phone lit up. An official notification from the Alpha Council filled the screen: [Luna Wren, the Mate Bond dissolution documents you commissioned have been prepared.] But why did the usually calm Alpha went crazy after I left? Chapter 1 My Alpha mate, Cain Ashford, cheated on me. With the very Omega I'd kindly taken in. Six months ago, at the Pack ceremony, a video was projected onto the big screen. I felt the blood drain from my body in a single heartbeat. Hundreds of eyes looked at the screen first, then at me. I made a scene. Forced Cain to swear in front of the entire Pack Alliance assembly that he would cut ties with Vivienne. The scandal spread to every pack. Everyone was talking about the Luna of Ashford Pack — the one whose Alpha had humiliated her. He made his vow. And yes, he came back. The first time we attended a multi-pack banquet together after our so-called reconciliation, a Luna who'd always had it in for me stepped into my path. She held her wine glass with a razor-sharp smile. "Wren, what exactly are you so proud of? You threw a fit across the whole pack — catching your mate in the act, making sure every last person saw that video. What kind of Luna makes a spectacle of herself like that?" "Your Alpha had a moment of weakness with an Omega. He didn't even mark her. And you went nuclear over it? Cain must've done something truly terrible in a past life to end up with a Luna like you." The banquet hall went dead silent. Alphas from every pack turned to watch — some curious, some savoring every second of it. Their gazes were frost. I turned to Cain. Waiting for him to speak. A denial. A defense. Even a single word. He lowered his eyes and said nothing. As if he were listening to something that had absolutely nothing to do with him. Something inside my head shattered. On the drive from the banquet back to the pack house, I finally lost it. "Cain! She humiliated me in front of all those people. Why didn't you say a single word? You just stood there and watched her twist the knife?" The car stopped. He rolled down the window. Night air flooded in. He let out a long breath, like he could finally breathe again. "Wren, I came back. What more do you want from me?" He turned to look at me. Every trace of restrained tenderness had been stripped from his eyes. Only exhaustion remained. "It was one moment of weakness. One mistake. You're the one who blew it up. You're the one who drove her out. And you still won't let it go — is that it?" One moment of weakness. One mistake. I closed my eyes, and the images came flooding back. The lace underwear Vivienne left on his back seat. The matching pair of moonstone bracelets he bought her — identical to the one on his wrist. That video at the ceremony, hundreds of people watching as he pressed down on her shoulders and she tilted her head back, calling his name. And through all of it, Cain only ever admitted to "one moment of weakness." Everything else, he denied. I opened my mouth, ready to throw every piece of evidence in his face the way I always had. But in the end, not a single word came out. What would be the point? His body had come back to me. His heart never did. A few days later, I saw Vivienne at the market on the edge of pack territory. She looked nothing like the polished woman she'd been at Cain's side. Her clothes were faded and worn. She'd lost a shocking amount of weight, doing the lowest grunt work in a small shop. All because she accidentally knocked over a shelf, the shop owner screamed at her in front of everyone — and then raised his hand. Before the slap could land, Cain appeared out of nowhere. He seized the man's wrist. His Alpha dominance poured out without restraint. The shop owner's knees buckled and he dropped straight to the ground. I had never seen Cain use that level of dominance on anyone. Three years ago, I was attacked by rogue wolves. Nearly died from the injuries. When Cain arrived, his expression was cold and composed. He directed the rescue with perfect efficiency, not once losing control. Today, he nearly lost it — because an Omega got slapped. I called a car, expressionless, and left. That night, he brought Vivienne back to the pack house. He stood before me, and for the first time, I heard something I'd never heard in his voice — a raw, desperate plea. "Wren, Vivienne escaped from her old pack. From a sadistic Alpha. You were the one who took her in, gave her a place in Ashford Pack. After the scandal, she was cast out. No pack would have her. She's been doing the lowest work she can find. A few days ago, rogue wolves nearly took her — to sell her." "What happened between us is over. But I can't just stand by and watch her die." "So let her stay. Please… just try to understand." I looked at the arm he held in front of Vivienne, shielding her. And I laughed. "Sure." "Since you say there's nothing between you two, go to the pack's sacred grounds and complete the Moon Goddess's Alpha Trial. If she receives the Moon Goddess's blessing, I'll agree to let her stay." The Alpha Trial. How many Alphas — powerful, untouchable Alphas — had walked in and never walked out. Cain looked at me. No hesitation. Not a single question. He turned and walked away, striding toward the sacred grounds. Behind him, Vivienne collapsed to her knees, clutching the hem of my clothes, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. "Luna, don't — please don't make him go. It's my fault. I'll leave right now. Please don't do this to him…" Cain's Alpha friends crowded in front of me, each one more agitated than the last. "Wren! Cain's been good enough to you! Seven years — when has he ever not given you what you wanted? So he made one mistake. What powerful Alpha doesn't have an Omega or two on the side? Who are you to gamble with his life?" "Exactly! He already apologized publicly at the Pack Alliance assembly. That's not enough for you? You won't be happy until he's dead?" I said nothing. Vivienne tore free from the hands holding her back and ran toward the sacred grounds. She ran, looking back over her shoulder, screaming: "Cain! I'm going with you! If you die, I won't live either!" I stood there watching her figure disappear into the distance. The wind was strong. It scattered tears I didn't know I'd been shedding. Seven days. The butler approached me, his face taut with tension. "Luna, the trial… it's over." I went downstairs. Cain was covered in wounds, his face white as paper, on the verge of collapse. But Vivienne was secure in his arms. Not a scratch on her. He looked up at me. After seven days of hell, his eyes were startlingly clear. And floating in that clarity was a thin, cold edge of mockery. "Satisfied, Wren?" My nails dug deep into my palms. "Satisfied." Then, very quietly, I said one more thing. "Cain, I'm letting you go." The wind was too loud. He didn't hear me. Almost in the same second, my phone lit up. An official notification from the Alpha Council filled the screen: [Luna Wren, the Mate Bond dissolution documents you commissioned have been prepared. They will take effect immediately upon signature by both parties.] Chapter 2 Cain was being carried into the healer's treatment room just as the Alpha Council enforcers arrived at the pack house gates. The two groups nearly crossed paths, but Cain only had eyes for Vivienne — draped over his chest, sobbing as if the world were ending. He didn't even notice the enforcers. I stood at the far end of the second-floor corridor, watching them disappear behind the treatment room doors. Then I turned and went back to my room. The enforcer was already waiting inside. He spread the Mate Bond dissolution papers on the table and walked me through each clause, his tone clinical and professional. I wiped the last trace of moisture from the corner of my eye, picked up the pen, and signed my name with a perfectly steady hand. Seven years of a mate bond. Ended by a single document. So that was all it took. The next day, I brought the papers to Cain's treatment room. Before I even reached the door, voices leaked through. "The Luna's heartless, isn't she? Cain nearly died in the sacred grounds, and she didn't show her face all night?" "Look at Vivienne — stayed by his side the entire time. Changed his bandages, cleaned the blood, didn't sleep a wink. If you ask me, that's what a real Luna looks like…" I kicked the door open. The voices died instantly. I walked in, my boots sharp on the floor, and swept my gaze across their faces. One by one, they lowered their heads. Vivienne was already positioned in front of Cain's bed, eyes swollen and red, her voice trembling. "Luna, I followed him into the Alpha Trial of my own free will. If you still want someone to blame, then punish me… Please, don't torment him anymore. His wounds can't take any more…" She bit her lip. Tears rolled down one after another. On the bed, Cain's face was ashen — but the instant he looked at Vivienne, a flash of anguish crossed his eyes. He reached out and pulled her behind him, shielding her with an arm that was barely functional. Then he looked up at me, his gaze cold as tempered ice. "Wren, whatever problem you have, take it up with me. Vivienne passed the Moon Goddess's trial. She has every right to stay in this pack now." "I won't let you hurt her again." The way he said it — guarded, defensive — as if I were the one who'd forced my way into someone else's marriage. Before, I would have thrown every last piece of evidence in his face without a second thought. Gone through it point by point until he couldn't deny who had hurt whom. But now I simply walked to the bedside and tossed the papers in front of him. "Sign." Cain glanced down. Assuming it was a routine pack administrative document, he didn't even look up. "Pack business can go through the Beta. But since you're here—" He propped himself up slightly. A softness crept into his voice — something he had never once shown me. "About Vivienne. I need to make some new arrangements. She'll take the Alpha suite — best exposure, closest to the treatment room. She's been through hell out there after you drove her out of the pack. Her health is wrecked. I'm going to take care of her recovery personally." Personally. Those words coming out of his mouth nearly made me think I was hallucinating. Three years ago, a rogue wolf ambush hit my patrol on the northern border. A mutant rogue crushed my left leg — bone broke through skin, blood trailing behind me the whole way back. The Beta carried me to the outpost and called Cain. The pack healer said another thirty minutes and the leg would've been lost for good. When the call connected, Cain's voice was as flat as if he were discussing the weather. "You're the Luna. You should learn to handle these things yourself." Then he hung up. I bit down on a strip of leather and held on until I made it onto the treatment table. Held my own wound closed while the healer worked. The wound got infected. The fever kept coming back. Recovery took three full months. Cain never visited. Not once. I'd told myself back then that it was just who he was. Cold by nature. Not that he didn't care — he just didn't know how to show it. But now, here he was, eyes full of tenderness, talking about moving another woman into his room and nursing her back to health himself. My silence must have meant something else to him. He frowned. "You don't agree? Let me be clear — this isn't up for discussion—" "I agree." I cut him off quietly. "Just sign these papers, and I won't say another word." That caught him off guard. He blinked, then picked up the documents. Barely glanced at them. Signed his name without hesitation and tossed them back. "Done." He was already turning to look at Vivienne. "I hope you mean what you say. Leave her alone from now on." I folded the papers, slipped them into my pocket, and walked toward the door. At the threshold, I said softly: "I hope you two are happy." Cain was wiping Vivienne's tears. He didn't hear a word. Chapter 3 After the documents were sent out via pack courier, the Alpha Council's reply came quickly: [Luna Wren, the Mate Bond dissolution has been officially processed. It will take full effect on the next full moon, in two weeks' time. Both marks will fade naturally under the moonlight.] I read the message, and something that had been lodged tight in my chest finally started to loosen. When I got back to the pack house, the hallway was in chaos. Servants were hauling my belongings out of the Alpha suite — box after box, stacked in the corner of the corridor. At the same time, Vivienne's clothes and personal items were being carried in. The butler approached me, choosing his words carefully. "Luna, which room would you prefer? The east guest room has good natural light. I can have it prepared right away—" "Don't bother." I glanced at the boxes. The moonstone candleholder — I'd searched through markets in three different packs before I found it. I'd thought it would catch the moonlight perfectly from the bedside window. The calming incense I'd blended for Cain — I kept the exact ratios written in a notebook, batch by batch, because he was a light sleeper and even a fraction too strong would give him headaches. The photograph on the wall, taken at the sacred lake during our first year together. One of the rare times he'd smiled. "Get rid of all of it." The butler opened his mouth, then closed it. He turned and went to make the arrangements. Over the next few days, I shut myself in the small room that had been hastily cleared for me. I packed my things and quietly contacted Elder Seline for updates on Kingsley Pack. My parents had been the Alpha and Luna of Kingsley Pack. After they died in the aftermath of a territory war, my mother's sister, Elder Seline, had taken over as interim leader. She'd been waiting for me to come back and take the Alpha position. But I'd turned her down — I'd been set on being Cain's Luna. The day Cain recovered enough to return to the pack house, Vivienne came with him. I heard them arrive. Didn't even look up. The next few days were the same. I avoided them completely, treated them like they didn't exist. I thought I could quietly wait out the remaining time until the mate bond dissolved on its own. Then one night, I was ripped from sleep. Cain's voice came down through the darkness — low, barely containing his fury. "Wren, someone put wolfsbane in Vivienne's food." "She's been here a few days and you're already pulling this?" "Did you think she wouldn't dare tell me? That you could get away with anything?" Before he finished, a slender figure appeared in the doorway. Vivienne stood wrapped in Cain's jacket, face pale, her voice so soft it barely carried — as though she were afraid of disturbing something fragile. "Alpha… it's really fine. It was just a little wolfsbane. I can handle it. Compared to what Luna used to do to me, this is nothing… Please don't blame her…" "Compared to what I used to do" — what had I ever done? I had never laid a finger on her. But Cain's eyes went colder. I shoved his hand off me. "I didn't do it. The pack house has surveillance crystals. Check them yourself." "The servant already confessed." Cain's voice held no warmth whatsoever. "You ordered it." He threw a half-empty bottle of wolfsbane at my feet. "This is the same type of bottle you use for your herb blends. What's left to explain?" "Now apologize to Vivienne." I looked at him. Then I looked at the woman behind him — head bowed, eyes glistening, every word calculated to perfection. I let out a short laugh. I grabbed the bottle of wolfsbane and splashed it directly at Vivienne, right in front of Cain. Vivienne shrieked, clutching her arm. Where the liquid hit her skin, red welts bloomed instantly. I met Cain's stunned gaze. "If I wanted to hurt her, I wouldn't bother sneaking around." Then I walked past his darkened expression without a second glance, grabbed my jacket, and left the pack house. My friend Bianca cursed the moment she got my message. Twenty minutes later, she showed up at a tavern outside the territory with a handful of friends. She slammed her hand on the table before she even sat down. "A wolfsbane frame-up? Seriously? Buy off one servant and suddenly it's your fault? How stupid does Cain have to be to fall for that?" Mara, sitting next to her, took a long pull of her drink and scoffed. "Wren, you were the Alpha's daughter of Kingsley Pack. You had suitors lined up from the east coast to the west. Who the hell does Cain Ashford think he is?" "Exactly!" another friend chimed in. "You'll be better off without him." They went back and forth, ripping into him with gleeful abandon. The pressure in my chest finally eased a little. I raised my glass, clinked it against theirs, and drained it. When Bianca saw some color return to my face, she slung an arm around my shoulder and steered me toward the back. "Come on. There's a sparring match tonight — some young warriors going at it. Better than sitting here stewing." They swept me through the crowd. I'd barely found my footing on the viewing platform beside the fighting pit when — A bucket of ice water crashed down on me from above. The burn of wolfsbane detonated across my skin — scalp to limbs — like a thousand white-hot needles driving into every inch of my body at once. Drenched, I stood frozen in place. Chapter 4 The wolfsbane — concentrated, vicious — drove my wolf into near-total collapse. I could barely sense her at all. Bianca and the others lunged forward, but several Gamma-ranked warriors from Ashford Pack were already blocking their way. One of them clamped his hand on my shoulder and forced me to the ground. Then another bucket of wolfsbane ice water came crashing down. The burn and the cold detonated at the same time. I couldn't even summon enough strength to curse — the words froze in my throat. Bianca clawed at the warrior's hands. "Let her go! What the hell do you think you're doing? Who gave you the authority—" "The Luna did something wrong." The warrior's tone was as calm as a weather report. "Alpha Cain's orders. This ends when she apologizes to Vivienne." The Cain I knew had never used this kind of punishment on any pack member. He handled things with cold restraint. He wasn't even cruel to rogues. And now he'd ordered his men to douse his Luna in wolfsbane ice water in public — just to force me to bow my head and apologize to that woman. For what? I hadn't done anything. I clenched my jaw and fought, but with my wolf suppressed by the wolfsbane, my body was no different from a human's. The warrior's grip on my shoulders was iron. It didn't budge. The wolfsbane water came at regular intervals. Burning and freezing, burning and freezing — my skin erupted in angry welts, and feeling drained from my limbs piece by piece. My resistance grew weaker. Eventually, I couldn't even twitch. In the end, I heard my own voice grinding out from between my teeth, shaking so badly it barely formed words. "I'm sorry… I was wrong…" The grip released. The warriors stepped back and calmly relayed the message. I lay on the ground — gray-faced, wrung out, trembling without stop — like a rag that had been twisted dry and thrown aside. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Bianca rushing over, wrapping her jacket around me, screaming for the pack healer. When I woke, I was in the treatment room. My head was splitting. The wolfsbane burns still smoldered across my skin. The moment I stirred, a cup of warm water appeared in front of me. I stared at the hand holding it. Then I used every ounce of strength I had left and smashed the cup right back. "Get out." The cup shattered on the floor. Water splashed across Cain's sleeve. He wiped it off. His face showed nothing. "So you do know what pain feels like, Wren?" "After you threw wolfsbane on Vivienne, she burned with fever for an entire day and night. You know what Omega bodies are like — she nearly died. Did you ever stop to think about how she felt?" I pushed myself up against the headboard, my voice raw. "If you're so worried about your Vivienne, what are you doing here?" Before I could finish, my phone buzzed. A message from Bianca, sharp and furious: [Wren, someone used your name to contact Seline — trying to get Vivienne installed in a senior position at Kingsley Pack. Did you know about this?] My head snapped up. I pinned Cain with my gaze. "That was you." "How dare you use my name to shove Vivienne into Kingsley Pack? That pack is what my parents left me. Seline has held it together all these years, waiting for me to come back. And you're handing it to an Omega?" Cain didn't look the least bit surprised. He frowned slightly, as if my phrasing displeased him. "The scandal you caused got her blacklisted by every pack. She had nowhere to go. Giving her a safe place — what's wrong with that?" A pause. His voice was flat. "It's not like you're planning to go back and run Kingsley Pack anyway." My nails dug into my palms. Then he said one more thing. "You gave up the Alpha position at Kingsley Pack yourself. You chose to bond with me and become Luna of Ashford Pack. That was your decision." In that instant, every sound in my ears vanished. So he'd always known. Known what I'd given up for him. Known that the Kingsley Pack Alpha succession had been mine by right — that I'd handed it over with my own two hands, because I chose to stay by his side. He knew how much I loved him. And that was exactly why he could tear that love from my chest so casually now, and drive it back in like a blade. I was quiet for a long time. Long enough that Cain took it as agreement and started to get up. "Fine." My voice was level. "But I have one condition." Chapter 5 "What condition?" Cain's tone carried a thread of impatience, as though he'd agree to anything so long as I stopped being difficult. "Give me back my moonstone pendant." Cain went still. The pendant was a Kingsley Pack heirloom, passed down through generations of Alphas — given only to one's true mate. The day I placed it in his hands, he'd stared at it for a long time and said he'd wear it for the rest of his life. "Why do you want it back?" A flicker of hesitation crossed his voice. "Isn't it… only meant for someone you love?" The corner of my mouth twitched. I was about to say, "Because you don't deserve it" — His phone lit up. Vivienne's soft voice came through, the coy lilt audible even at a distance. Cain's entire expression shifted. The coldness and irritation he wore around me melted away in an instant, replaced by a tenderness I had never once seen on his face. "Okay. Wait for me." He hung up and turned back to me. "What were you saying?" "Nothing." I looked away. "Give me back the moonstone pendant. After that, whatever you want to give Vivienne is none of my business." His mind had already drifted to Vivienne. Without looking up, he called to the butler: "Have the pendant delivered to the treatment room." Then he left. I spent an entire week in the treatment room. The wolfsbane burns went from open sores to scabs to fresh skin. The healer said I'd recovered quickly, but a few faint scars remained — they'd fade with time. The day I was discharged, an official notice arrived from the Alpha Council: [Luna Wren, the Mate Bond dissolution will take effect in two days, on the night of the full moon.] Two days. I took a deep breath, tucked the notice away, and started packing. I'd barely stepped through the treatment room doors when three rogue wolves lunged out of nowhere. My wolf still hadn't recovered. I couldn't shift. They knocked me out in seconds. When I came to, I was locked in a sealed room, my wrists chained to the wall with silver cuffs. The door opened. Vivienne walked in. Her makeup was flawless, her composure absolute. Nothing like the trembling, teary-eyed waif she played in front of Cain. "Let me go." I stared at her, my voice roughened by the silver burning into my wrists. "Vivienne, do you have any idea what you're doing?" She slapped me across the face. Hard. Clean. No hesitation. "I know exactly what I'm doing." Her voice was venom. "Wren Kingsley, Cain doesn't love you. Why are you still clinging to the Luna title?" "I'm the one who belongs with him. But because of you, everyone treats me like some shameless Omega." She stepped closer, hatred pooling in her eyes. "Do you have any idea what my life was like after you had me thrown out of Ashford Pack? No pack would take me. I did the filthiest work for people who beat me and screamed at me. Rogue wolves nearly caught me and sold me off—" "And all of that was because of you." She stopped in front of me and looked down. Her lips twisted into a smile. "If you'd never taken me in, I would never have come to Ashford Pack. I would never have met Cain, never fallen in love with him, never ended up like this." "So everything that happened — that's on you." The sheer, deranged logic of it sent ice crawling down my spine. She turned and beckoned toward the door. Several rogue wolves filed in. Their scents were chaotic and dangerous. There was nothing in their eyes but raw brutality. Vivienne glanced at them, her tone as casual as if she were placing a lunch order. "She's yours tonight. Beat her until she's begging on her knees. Don't leave anything a healer could trace." "The harder you hit, the bigger the payout tomorrow." She walked out. The rogues closed in. I fought — thrashing, pulling — the silver cuffs grinding fresh burns into my wrists. The wolfsbane still lingering in my system kept my wolf crushed. I couldn't summon even a tenth of my usual strength. "Back off!" "I carry Alpha blood from Kingsley Pack! I'm the Luna of Ashford Pack! Touch me, and none of you walk away!" They didn't stop. "Whatever Vivienne's paying you, I'll double it!" My voice was shaking, but I couldn't let them see it. Then — on the far side of the room, behind a massive glass wall, a light clicked on in an adjacent chamber. A tall figure stepped through the door. Cain. I screamed his name with everything I had left. "Cain—!" Something made him pause. He turned his head and glanced toward the glass. Chapter 6 For one heartbeat, I thought I was saved. The next second, my blood turned to ice. Because I watched Vivienne enter from a door on the other side — and throw herself straight into Cain's arms. He bowed his head and held her. A tenderness surfaced on his face that I had never seen in seven years of marriage. His gaze swept past the glass wall, but he didn't see me at all. He couldn't see me. It was a one-way observation wall, crafted with forbidden pack magic. I could see everything on his side with perfect clarity. All he saw was a solid stone wall. Vivienne had planned this. That sliver of hope turned to dust. Laughter erupted behind me from the rogues. "Not screaming anymore, Luna? That's your Alpha on the other side of the glass, isn't it? Watching your man hold another woman while you get the shit beaten out of you — Vivienne really knows how to put on a show." When they'd laughed enough, one of them crouched and tossed my phone in front of me. "Oh, right. Vivienne set up a little game for you." "Call your Alpha. If he picks up, we let you go — and Vivienne disappears forever. If he doesn't pick up, well—" The rest was swallowed by their laughter. They grabbed my hand and forced it onto the phone, triggering the call. The ringtone echoed through the sealed room, hollow and empty. Through the glass, I watched Cain's phone light up in his pocket. He frowned slightly, gently pushed Vivienne aside, and murmured, "Why is Wren calling now…" He reached for the phone. Vivienne's eyes went red instantly. "You pushed me away." Her voice trembled with hurt. "You say you love me, but you can't even hold me without pushing me aside?" She paused, bit her lip, as if summoning enormous courage for what came next. "You think I don't know? Every time you sleep with her, you're thinking of me." The words carried through a sound charm embedded in the wall of my cell — every syllable, crystal clear. My mind went blank. Every full moon, Cain and I shared a bed. It was the only intimacy we still maintained as mates. He was ice-cold toward me in every other way, but on those nights he was the opposite — fervent, almost unrecognizable. I never knew that every time he held me, he was thinking of another woman. He'd poured every forbidden desire he had onto my body. I froze. On the other side of the glass, Cain froze too. Vivienne took his hand and slowly guided it to the back of her neck — the marking spot. She looked up at him, her voice equal parts seduction and ultimatum. "Cain, I can't spend the rest of my life just being your soul's match." "If you don't mark me, I'll find another Alpha who will." The phone kept ringing, stretching those seconds into an eternity. I watched Cain's eyes flicker — hesitation, conflict. Then he killed the call, lowered his head, and sank his teeth into the back of Vivienne's neck. He marked her. In the same instant the rogues descended on me, Cain completed his mark on Vivienne. She let out a sigh of pure satisfaction and leaned against his chest. Her gaze drifted toward the glass wall — she couldn't see me, but she knew I was watching. And I was on the floor beneath the rogues' fists and boots, screaming for help that wouldn't come, silver burning my wrists raw, wolfsbane keeping my wolf silent as death. One wall apart. Heaven and hell. When the blows landed, I stopped fighting. I stared at the ceiling. Tears ran down in silence. When I woke, the room was empty. The silver cuffs had been removed at some point. Two deep burn scars ringed my wrists. I dragged myself up, numb, and stumbled back to the pack house. Locked myself in the bathroom. Turned on the cold water. It ran over a body covered in wounds. It didn't wash away a thing. My phone buzzed three times. The first was from Cain: [Stay in the pack and behave. I'm away for a week on business.] The second was from Vivienne. Two photos — a private beachfront villa Cain had booked for her on the southern coast. Blue ocean, golden sun. I curled in on myself, retching until there was nothing left to bring up. Only scalding tears remained. The third message was from the Alpha Council: [Luna Wren, the Mate Bond dissolution process is complete. The bond will sever automatically at tomorrow night's full moon.] The bond dissolution… finally done. Cain and I were both free. I was letting him go. And letting myself go. With trembling hands, I packed the last of my belongings and picked up the moonstone pendant the butler had returned. The pendant held witch-forged magic — capable of replaying any event from the past ten days. I captured every moment from last night's cell — and every moment from the wolfsbane punishment before it — stored them in full, and left them as a parting gift for Cain. I took one last look at the front gates of the Ashford Pack house, turned around, and set out on the road back to Kingsley Pack. At the same moment, those recorded images sent shockwaves through every pack that saw them.