Alpha’s Childhood Sweetheart Killed My Mother, I Faked Death

My Alpha mate Cain's childhood sweetheart Vivienne had returned from her overseas training in healing. She'd made a bet with the other healers that she could use the deadly wolfsbane to cure patients. Every senior healer told her it was absolutely impossible. But she ignored the warnings and injected a massive dose of wolfsbane extract straight into my mother Iris's body. My mother fell into a deep coma after her wolf was killed. My brother Ethan, enraged at the Moonlight Gathering, demanded a Trial by Blood from Vivienne, demanding her life. But Cain had Ethan imprisoned in the Silver Prison before the gathering. I was trembling with rage, wanting to tell everyone the truth at the gathering. But Cain stopped me. “When you go up on stage, tell everyone that what happened to your mother was an accident.” I froze, tears streaming down my face. I was his mate, after all. A flicker of guilt crossed Cain's eyes as he gently wiped away my tears. “Don't cry, baby,” his voice was low and gentle. “Vivian and I grew up together. She saved my life when we were little. She's a good person. She would never intentionally use Wolfsbane to harm your mother. It was an accident.” “You just need to admit it wasn't Vivian's fault,” Cain said, “and I'll get the best healers to treat your mother.” He paused. “Ethan will be released immediately too.” I closed my eyes. “Okay…” Since Vivienne was so important to you, then I would grant your wish. I turned and staged my death, leaving with my mother and brother. But the powerful Alpha broke down, searching the world for me and begging me to come back. Chapter 1 My Alpha mate Cain's ex-girlfriend Vivienne had returned from her overseas training in healing. She'd made a bet with the other healers in the medical wing. She was convinced she could use the deadly wolfsbane to cure patients. Every senior healer told her it was absolutely impossible. She ignored the warnings and injected a massive dose of wolfsbane extract straight into my mother Iris's body. The medical instruments screamed with alarms. The treatment was a complete failure. Vivienne, humiliated in front of her colleagues, stormed out of the treatment room. My mother's wolf was killed—poisoned to death by the toxin. Her body was still breathing, but her consciousness had sunk into an unreachable sleep. My brother Ethan nearly broke the door down when he burst into the healing center. One look at our mother lying in that hospital bed, and his fists clenched so hard his knuckles went white. "Trial by Blood." His voice was low and shaking. "I'm invoking Trial by Blood against Vivienne." Trial by Blood—the oldest law of the Pack. The victim's family had the right to demand a public trial at the Moonlight Assembly, and not even the Alpha could stop it. Ethan left immediately to file the petition. But he never made it to the Assembly. The night before, Cain sent the Beta with six elite warriors to raid Ethan's home. They dragged him into the silver prison—the place reserved for traitors. Publicly, Cain announced that Ethan had attempted to incite rebellion and threaten pack order. When I heard the news, my legs nearly gave out beneath me. I ran toward the Assembly square. I was going to tell every pack member the truth. But before the Assembly could even begin, Cain appeared. He stepped in front of me, his tall frame casting a shadow over me. "Wren." His voice was soft. "Listen to me." "You locked my brother in the silver prison!" My voice was trembling. Cain sighed. "When you go up on stage, tell everyone that the risks of your mother's treatment were known." I froze. "Tell them Ethan's demand for Trial by Blood against Vivienne was driven by personal grudge, not legitimate grievance." My mind went blank. "You... you're asking me to lie?" Cain didn't answer. My whole body started shaking violently. I didn't understand. I was his mate. I was the one who shared a soul bond with him. The tears fell before I could stop them. Something like guilt flickered in Cain's eyes. He reached out, gently trying to wipe the tears from my face. "Don't cry, baby." His voice was low and tender. "Vivienne and I grew up together." I went rigid. "She saved my life when we were children." Cain's thumb traced softly over my cheekbone. "She's a good person. She would never deliberately use wolfsbane on your mother. It was just an accident." I stared at him, my nails digging into my own palms. "All you have to do is acknowledge that it wasn't Vivienne's fault," Cain said, "and I'll bring in the best healers to treat your mother." He paused. "Ethan will be released immediately too." My phone rang. It was the on-call healer at the healing center. I answered with shaking hands. "Wren!" The healer's voice was frantic on the other end. "Your mother's condition just took a sharp turn!" My heart seized. "We need moonlight herb to stabilize her vitals, but—" The healer sounded close to tears. "The Alpha requisitioned the pack's entire supply yesterday." "What?" "The Alpha said it was for Vivienne's drug research." My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the phone. Cain heard the healer's voice through the speaker. His expression didn't change at all. "Baby." He looked at me, his voice terrifyingly calm. "All you have to do is go up there and publicly announce that your mother's treatment failure was a normal healing risk, and that you and Ethan are waiving all rights to invoke Trial by Blood." He paused for one second. "The moonlight herb will be delivered to the healing center immediately." I stared at his face. "You wouldn't want your mother to die, would you?" I took a disbelieving step backward. My entire body was shaking. The man standing before me—for the first time, he felt like a stranger. A terrifying one. Five years ago, Cain had been the Alpha Heir of the entire Blackwood Pack—handsome, powerful, every she-wolf's dream. And I was just an ordinary commoner girl in the pack. At the Moonlight Ceremony, he'd taken my hand in front of every pack member. "She is my Fated Mate." His voice rang across the entire square. The crowd erupted. A commoner girl? The future Luna? The Elders were furious. "Give up this girl," the Chief Elder slammed his fist on the table. "You must honor the arranged mating contract with the Silvercrest Pack Alpha's daughter." Cain didn't even glance at the contract. He tore it to shreds right there in front of everyone. The pieces drifted down to the Elders' feet. The Elders, enraged, threw him into the silver cage. His father Alaric personally ordered him exiled to the wilderness alone. "I will never submit." Cain looked back at me as they dragged him away. There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes. Three weeks of exile. No weapons, no supplies, no word. I didn't dare close my eyes for a single night. In the end, he accepted the Elders' punishment trial—a full moon night, alone against thirty rogues. Bare-handed. That night I stood outside the trial ground, gripping the fence until my nails broke skin. Howls, the tearing of flesh, the crack of bone— It went on for a full hour. He survived. Covered in blood, his left arm nearly torn off, but he walked out of that arena on his own two feet. Alaric finally relented. Cain and I completed the Mate Bond. I thought after everything we'd been through, we'd be together forever. Until a year ago. Vivienne came back from overseas. Spoiled and arrogant, but Cain indulged her every whim. When her work went wrong, Cain cleaned up the mess. When her life needed arranging, Cain handled it. When her treatments failed again and again and the pack members complained, Cain personally escorted her in and out of the healing center every single day. ... The healer's frantic voice came through the phone again. "Wren! Iris's vitals are still dropping! We can't hold on much longer!" My knees buckled. Cain stood in front of me, waiting for my answer. "Last chance, Wren." I closed my eyes. My mother's face floated up from the darkness. I opened my eyes and walked toward the stage. Below, hundreds of pack members looked up at me. I opened my mouth. My voice was shaking. Every word felt like it was being carved out of my throat with a knife. "My mother's treatment failure... was a normal healing risk." Whispers rippled through the crowd. "My brother Ethan and I... waive the right to invoke Trial by Blood against Vivienne." The moment the words left my lips, my legs finally gave out. Cain stepped forward and caught me. He gently wiped the tears from my face. "Good girl," he whispered in my ear. Then he pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Have the Beta personally deliver a moonlight herb to the healing center." I collapsed against him, gasping for air. It was over. My mother was going to be okay. Then Cain's phone rang. The name on the screen—Vivienne. Cain answered, and Vivienne's voice came through the speaker, trembling and pitiful. "Cain... all the moonlight herb was used for research, and there's only one left..." She sniffled. "But the old injury from when I saved you as a child is flaring up again. It hurts so much... I need the moonlight herb too..." Cain's expression changed instantly. All composure vanished. "Don't be scared." His voice was urgent and worried. "Use the moonlight herb for your wound first. I'm coming right now." My mind exploded. "No!" I grabbed his arm. "You promised! You promised to save my mother!" Cain glanced down at me. He shook my hand off impatiently. "I'll have the Beta buy one from another pack at a premium." He was already striding away without looking back. "But right now, no one is stopping me from getting to Vivienne." "Cain!" I lunged after him. A massive force slammed into my chest. Alpha command. My body was pinned by an invisible hand, my organs twisting inside me. Blood surged up my throat. My knees cracked against the ground. My vision blurred. Consciousness scattered into chaos. One last thought surfaced— Sever the Mate Bond. I don't want it anymore. Chapter 2 When I woke up, I was alone. Cain wasn't there. The Beta came in carrying a velvet box. "The Alpha asked me to relay a message to the Luna." He kept his head down, unable to meet my eyes. "The moonlight herb... has already been given to Miss Vivienne." My fingertips went cold. "The Alpha takes your mother's condition very seriously. He's offered fifty million dollars to purchase moonlight herb from neighboring packs. There should be news soon." Fifty million. He said it like a number could make up for everything. The Beta opened the velvet box. Inside was a necklace of healing gemstones, each one glowing with a faint silver-blue light. "This is the Alpha's compensation." He hesitated. "The Alpha also said... he asks that the Luna stop targeting Miss Vivienne." I stared at the necklace. The Beta had the sense to set the box on the nightstand and leave. I sat holding that necklace for a long time. Finally, I placed it back in the box and closed the lid. I picked up my phone and scrolled to a number I hadn't called in years. Cain's father, the former Alpha—Alaric. The call connected. "I'll agree to sever the Mate Bond and give up my position as Luna." My voice was calm. "But you need to help me stage a death." Three seconds of silence on the other end. "I want to leave Blackwood Pack—me, my mother, and my brother." Over the next few days, I prepared a Mate Bond dissolution petition. Then I went to Cain's office. He was reviewing documents and looked up, momentarily startled to see me. I knew I looked terrible. My face was deathly pale. Something like concern flickered in Cain's eyes. "Why aren't you resting at home?" I didn't answer. I placed the document in front of him. Cain took it and flipped through. "What is this?" I smiled and cut him off. "A formal agreement I signed, waiving all claims against Vivienne." Cain's hand paused. He looked at me. The confusion in his eyes slowly shifted to surprise, then relief. "You've finally come around." His tone carried a note of gratitude. "That's what a real Luna does." My heart wrenched. But I smiled and urged him on. "Sign it quickly, before I change my mind." Cain seemed genuinely afraid I'd take it back. He picked up a pen and signed the last page without hesitation. He didn't read the contents carefully at all. After signing, he looked at me with what seemed like a trace of guilt. "Let me walk you home." I was about to refuse when his phone rang. Vivienne's name flashed on the screen. He answered, and Vivienne's voice came through, soft and helpless. "Cain, the aftereffects of my old injury are acting up again. I'm scared..." "Don't worry, I'll be right there." Cain hung up and turned to me. "Head back on your own. I've got something to take care of." He grabbed his coat and left. I stood in the empty office. I laughed bitterly. Then I took the signed document and went straight to the Alpha Council. Mate Bond dissolution agreement—officially filed. When I returned from the Council, I saw my belongings in the hallway. Clothes, books, my jewelry box—all thrown on the floor. Servants were busy carrying Vivienne's luggage into my bedroom. Vivienne stood at the bedroom door directing them. When she saw me, a flash of satisfaction crossed her eyes. Cain came down the stairs, his expression slightly uncomfortable. "Someone contaminated Vivienne's herb storage with silver powder. Until we find out who, she's safer here in the main residence." He wouldn't look me in the eye. I said nothing. "And Vivienne's old injuries—the moonlight from the master bedroom helps with her recovery." He paused. "Just stay in the guest room for a few days. I know it's an inconvenience." I bent down and picked up my suitcase from the floor. No answer. No argument. I dragged the suitcase to the guest room at the end of the hall. I'd be leaving soon anyway. That evening, while I was resting in the guest room, a scream pierced the hallway. I rushed out to find Vivienne collapsed at the kitchen door. A raw, red burn streaked across her arm. A pot of hot soup lay overturned beside her. When Vivienne saw me appear, something calculating flickered in her eyes. The next second, her crying amplified tenfold. Cain came charging downstairs, taking the steps three at a time to reach Vivienne's side. "What happened?! Where are you hurt?!" Vivienne sobbed. "I was just trying to heat up some soup, and when I went into the kitchen I found wolfsbane powder mixed into it... I panicked and knocked over the pot..." She didn't name anyone. But her gaze kept drifting toward me. Cain's expression grew darker and darker. A servant attending Vivienne added quietly, "The only person who went into the kitchen today was the Luna. No one else." I whipped around to face the servant. "I just stepped out of my room. I didn't touch anything," I said coldly. But Cain was silent for a long time. His voice was heavy with exhaustion and disappointment. "I thought you'd come around." I opened my mouth to explain. "Guards. Take the Luna to the silver prison to cool off." He turned away to help Vivienne, and didn't look at me again. Chapter 3 The silver prison door slammed shut behind me. I was an ordinary she-wolf. My tolerance for silver was nowhere near a warrior's. In less than ten minutes, my skin erupted in burning red welts—itching and stinging at once. The sealed space was saturated with silver toxin. Every breath felt like inhaling fire. I pounded on the door. I screamed all night. No one came. My voice gave out completely. I curled up on the one small patch of floor in the center of the cell that wasn't lined with silver. Covered in welts, my consciousness started to slip. I don't know how much time passed before the door opened. Cain stood in the doorway. When he saw the state I was in, his brow furrowed sharply. He walked in quickly and crouched down in front of me. I felt his hand touch my forehead. Burning hot. "Don't do something that cruel again." His voice was soft. My lips twitched. A miserable smile. I was in too much pain to even explain. He said "cruel." I'd been locked in a silver prison for god knows how many hours, my skin blistering and infected, nearly dead. And I was the cruel one. Cain had just carried me out of the silver prison. Vivienne happened to be walking down the hallway toward us. She was carrying a bowl of dark liquid, all smiles. "I specially prepared a silver-detox herbal remedy for the Luna. To help her recover." Cain looked pleased. He turned to me and said, "See? Vivienne is so good to you, and you keep misunderstanding her." He took the bowl and brought it to my lips himself. "Drink." I looked into Vivienne's eyes. A flash of malice, there and gone. I tried to refuse. Cain thought I was being difficult. His tone carried a hint of exasperation. "Stop being stubborn. It's good for you." He held the bowl steady against my lips, his other hand cradling the back of my head. The liquid poured down my throat. It wasn't a detox remedy at all. It was diluted wolfsbane. My wolf felt like it was being swallowed by fire. My entire body seized violently. I couldn't breathe. Everything went black. Cain panicked and grabbed me. "What's happening?! Wren!" Vivienne covered her mouth, putting on a perfect look of shock. "Maybe being in the silver prison too long weakened her body, causing a rejection reaction..." Her voice trembled—a convincing performance. "I'll go prepare an antidote right away!" She turned and ran. My consciousness shattered into pieces in the agony. When I woke again, I was lying in a bed at the healing center. Cain was sitting beside me. He looked like he'd been sitting there a long time. In his hand was a brand-new moonstone bracelet, the stones glowing with a faint silver-white light. "This will help repair the damage the silver toxin did to your wolf." He carefully slipped the bracelet onto my wrist, his movements gentle, avoiding the welts that still hadn't faded. "I had someone buy it overnight from another pack at a premium." I said nothing. "I shouldn't have left you in the silver prison that long." There was unmistakable guilt in his voice. "I didn't consider your tolerance for silver." I still said nothing. He was quiet for a moment. Then he changed the subject. "Because of everything that's happened, Vivienne's reputation in the pack has hit rock bottom." He sighed. "A lot of healers are openly questioning her abilities. Some even filed a joint petition to revoke her healer credentials." I stared at the ceiling. "I'd like you to publicly reconcile with Vivienne at the next Pack Assembly." My fingers slowly clenched the bedsheets. "Not an apology," he added quickly. "Just a public display of goodwill. A handshake, a few kind words." He looked at me, his tone suggesting this was a perfectly reasonable request. "If the pack sees that the Luna and Vivienne have no conflict, she can continue her work as a healer in peace." I slowly turned my head to look at him. My mother was in a permanent coma because of her. I'd just been force-fed wolfsbane and nearly died because of her. And now he wanted me to publicly "reconcile." "Absolutely not." Cain's expression darkened. "You put wolfsbane in her food, and she was still kind enough to bring you a silver-detox remedy." His voice was tight with barely contained anger. "Can't you be even a fraction as generous as she is?" My lips trembled violently. I was the one who poisoned her. I was the one who wasn't generous enough. Cain paused, then lowered his voice. "If you agree to reconcile, I'll release your brother from the silver prison in two weeks." Ethan. The silver prison, saturated with silver toxin—could Ethan's body hold up? How long had he been in there? Was his skin blistering like mine had? Had he screamed himself hoarse with no one coming? I closed my eyes. "...Fine." Chapter 4 Cain relaxed. He reached over and pulled the blanket up for me. The gesture was gentle. I turned my head away. I couldn't look at him. Pack Assembly day came quickly. Cain had the Beta escort me to the Assembly hall. He stood next to Vivienne the entire time. I walked up to the stage. Hundreds of eyes stared up at me. I clenched my fist, nails digging into my palm. "There is no conflict between myself and Healer Vivienne." The words scraped out of my throat, dry and hollow. "What happened before was a misunderstanding. I hope every member of this pack will continue to trust and support her." Two seconds of silence. Then the crowd erupted. "You made such a scene for so long that our best healer almost left!" An older woman shot to her feet, pointing straight at me. "And now you're saying it was a misunderstanding?" Someone else scoffed. "Is this what a Luna does? Say one thing and do another?" I stood on that stage and didn't explain. What was there to explain? That Vivienne poisoned my mother? That she force-fed me wolfsbane? It wouldn't matter. And Ethan was still in the silver prison. I turned and walked off the stage. I'd barely stepped down when a hand caught my arm. "Luna!" Vivienne had followed me, a sweet smile plastered on her face. "I have some rare healing supplies stored in an old cave near the border. Lately I've been feeling like someone's been stealing from it." She tilted her head. "Could you go check on it for me?" She paused, her smile widening. "After all, you're the Luna. It'll carry more weight if you go." "Send a guard." I refused coldly. Vivienne tugged on Cain's sleeve like a child. Cain walked over and frowned at me. "You can't even do her this small favor? You just stood up there and said there was no conflict, and now you won't even cooperate on something this minor." I let out a bitter laugh. I knew I couldn't refuse. He'd always been this domineering. The difference was that before, his dominance was aimed at everyone else, and all his tenderness was saved for me. Now his tenderness belonged to someone else. He had a thousand ways to make me say yes. I walked to the border alone. The storage cave was deep in a dense stretch of forest. The moment I approached the entrance, three rogues in black cloaks burst from the trees. The leader grabbed me by the throat and slammed me to the ground. "Miss Vivienne asked us to teach you a lesson." His voice was ice cold. "Don't think being Luna means you can push people around." A silver dagger sliced my arm. Once, twice, three times. Silver toxin seeped through the wounds into my blood. The burning spread through my entire body in an instant. They smashed my head against the cave wall again and again. Blood poured down my face. I fought with everything I had, but I couldn't break free from three rogues. My consciousness was fading. They started dragging me deeper into the cave. Then a howl pierced the distance. A figure came racing toward us. I couldn't make out who it was before I blacked out completely. I woke up in the pack's medical wing. Cain was sitting by the bed, dark circles under his eyes, clearly up all night. He'd been holding my hand. When he saw me open my eyes, his grip tightened. "We've identified them." His voice was hoarse. "A group of rogues that had been prowling the border tried to raid the supplies in the cave. You just happened to be there." I stared at him. "I've already sent warriors to eliminate them." His thumb traced lightly over the back of my hand. "I won't let you go to the border alone again." He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and held it out to me. "Vivienne prepared this specially—a concentrated wolf-spirit restoration remedy." He said, "She felt terrible when she heard you were hurt. She blames herself for asking you to go." I looked at the bottle. I didn't take it. "The rogue said, word for word, 'Miss Vivienne asked us to teach you a lesson.'" I looked at Cain evenly. "Do you believe me?" Cain's expression changed instantly. All the concern and guilt vanished, replaced by irritation. "Wren, can you stop playing games? How could Vivienne possibly hire rogues to attack you?" His voice was sharp with annoyance. "She's a healer. Where would she even meet rogues?" I said nothing. "I feel terrible that you got hurt, but you can't blame Vivienne for everything just because something bad happened to you." He paused, his tone softening. "Once you've healed, I'll take you to Moonlight Lake. Just the two of us. How does that sound?" He truly wanted to make it up to me. But he also truly didn't believe a single word I said about Vivienne. I closed my eyes and stopped talking. Chapter 5 Cain stayed by my bed all night. He kept tucking in the blankets, pressing his hand to my forehead to check for fever. But I pretended to sleep the entire night. I didn't want to respond. The next day I was still resting in the medical wing. The door slammed open. Cain walked in, his face like stone. He strode to my bed and threw something onto me. A moonstone necklace, smeared with blood. I recognized it—the one Cain had the Beta deliver to me before. I'd never worn it. Not even once. I'd thrown it straight in the trash. How was it here? "Vivienne disappeared last night." Cain's voice was cold and shaking. "The only thing on her pillow was this necklace of yours." I froze. "Yesterday you accused Vivienne of hiring rogues to attack you. Today she's gone." He stepped closer, his eyes boring into mine. "You wanted revenge, didn't you?" "I had nothing to do with this." I said. "I was in the medical wing all night. I never left." Cain scoffed. "Explain the necklace. I gave it to you. It's one of a kind." I looked at the blood-stained necklace. Vivienne. She must have fished the necklace out of the trash. Smeared blood on it, placed it on her own pillow, and vanished. A perfect frame job. But I had no proof. The necklace was mine. The blood was Vivienne's. Anything I said would sound like excuses. Cain wouldn't believe me. Just like every time before. Cain turned and walked to the door. He gave an order to the guards in the hallway. "Bring Ethan out of the silver prison. Take him to the basement of the Alpha residence." My blood went cold. "Cain!" He didn't look back. Half an hour later, I was brought to the basement. Ethan was bound to a punishment post. Silver chains locked all four limbs, his hands raised above his head, his toes barely touching the ground. He'd been in the silver prison too long. His face was ashen gray, his cheekbones jutting out—he was wasted to nothing. But when he saw me, he still managed a smile. "I'm fine, sis." Tears flooded my eyes. Cain stood before me. "I don't want to do this." His tone was a mix of anger, urgency, and exhaustion. "But Vivienne could be somewhere out there, hurt or dying. I don't have time for a thorough investigation." He looked at me. "Tell me where she is, and I'll release Ethan right now. He'll never be imprisoned again." I dropped to my knees. "I don't know." My voice was trembling. "I swear, Cain. I don't know." Cain looked at me and hesitated for one instant. In that instant, I thought he might believe me. The door burst open. The Beta rushed in. "Alpha! A note was found under Miss Vivienne's bed!" He held out a crumpled piece of paper. Scrawled in shaky handwriting—*Luna... help me...* Cain read the note and crushed it in his fist. The last trace of doubt in his eyes vanished completely. He gave the guards a cold order. The silver chains began to tighten. Silver toxin started seeping in through Ethan's limbs. Ethan clenched his jaw and let out a stifled groan. His arms turned silver-gray. "Stop!" I lunged forward and grabbed Cain's arm. "Cain! Please stop!" Cain looked down at me, his gaze ice cold. "Tell me, and I'll stop." The chains tightened another notch. Silver toxin seeped into Ethan's hands and ankles. Ethan let out a strangled snarl, veins bulging across his forehead, his body arched taut as a bowstring. I knelt on the ground, pounding Cain's legs like a woman possessed. "I don't know! I swear I don't know! Believe me just once! Just this once!" Cain stood there, motionless. When he'd torn up the mating contract for me, when they'd locked him in the silver cage, when they'd exiled him to the wilderness—he'd been just as immovable. But back then, his stubbornness was to protect me. Now, his stubbornness was crushing me. The chains tightened a third time. Blood seeped from the corner of Ethan's mouth. His entire arm had turned silver-gray. I tore free of Cain and threw myself at the punishment post. I shielded Ethan with my own body. The silver chains dug into my waist and arms. Wolfsbane-coated silver barbs pierced my skin. Both toxins detonated at once. Blood sprayed from my mouth. "Stop!" Cain roared. The guards released the chains immediately. Cain rushed forward and pulled me off the post. I was drenched in blood, consciousness slipping fast. Through the haze I heard frantic footsteps. The Beta came running in again. "Alpha! Vivienne's been found!" He was gasping. "In an abandoned cave outside the territory. Slightly shaken, a few scrapes. She won't let anyone near her—keeps calling your name." Cain held me, motionless. Vivienne's sobbing came through the phone. He closed his eyes for a moment. Then he carefully set me down on the ground. He took off his coat and draped it over me. "Get a senior healer to treat the Luna's injuries immediately," he told the Beta. "I'm going to get Vivienne. I'll be back soon." His hands were shaking when he stood. He looked back at me one more time. Something flickered in his eyes—hesitation—but it was gone just as quickly. Then he turned and walked away. Chapter 6 Ethan and I were rushed to the pack's medical wing. My injuries were critical—double infiltration of silver toxin and wolfsbane. My wolf could collapse at any moment. The senior healer's expression was grave. "We need to use the pack's last vial of moonlight essence immediately, or the Luna won't survive the night." The healer turned to retrieve the medicine. The door slammed open. Cain burst in carrying Vivienne. Vivienne had a few scrapes on her right hand. She was trembling and crying against his chest. "There's rogue venom in my wounds!" She held up her injured hand, sobbing. "If we don't use the moonlight essence to purify it right now, the toxin will spread into the deeper tissue and I'll never be able to work as a healer again!" She clutched Cain's collar. "Cain, if my hand is ruined, who's going to research how to save Iris? This is the only hope!" Cain looked at me on the treatment table. Then at Vivienne in his arms. He called the Beta over. "Ask the healer if the moonlight essence can be split in half." The healer shook his head. "Split, there won't be enough for either of them." Cain closed his eyes. "Give the moonlight essence to Vivienne." His voice was low. "Her hand can't be lost." He paused. "Use standard silver-toxin purification on Wren for now. I'll send someone to buy moonlight essence from another pack immediately." I lay on the treatment table and heard every word. I didn't have the strength to speak. Or to laugh. Minutes crawled by. Several times I felt my wolf on the verge of disappearing entirely. But I couldn't die. I held on, breath by agonizing breath. After what felt like an eternity, the emergency supply of moonlight essence from a neighboring pack finally arrived. The healer spent six hours pulling me back from the edge of death. * * * The moment I regained consciousness, I slid my hand under the pillow and found the phone I'd hidden there. I sent Alaric a message: "I need to leave immediately after it's done." Confirming the staged-death plan and the extraction route. I was still typing when the door opened. I shoved the phone back under the pillow. Cain walked in. Seeing me awake, he let out a breath of relief. He sat beside the bed and placed a rare piece of moonlight amber in my palm. "Making you wait those extra hours was my fault." His tone was laced with guilt. Then he said, "Vivienne's hand has been treated. The toxin was fully removed. Thank god we used the moonlight essence in time, or her hand really would have been destroyed." I listened quietly. "How much toxin did they end up clearing from her hand?" Cain blinked. "The healer said it was... minor infiltration." Minor infiltration. I nearly died. And what it bought was a case of "minor infiltration." I placed the moonlight amber back in Cain's hand. "Cain, let's sever the Mate Bond." Cain went completely rigid. Chapter 7 "I want to sever the Mate Bond." I looked into Cain's eyes and repeated it, word by word. Cain's tall frame went stiff. There was no anger on his face—only the raw, ugly look of someone who'd been struck deep. The room was deathly silent. After a long time, he slowly rose from the chair. "You're just lashing out, Wren." He deliberately kept his voice low. I looked at him coldly. It was almost laughable. "Once you've calmed down, you'll understand that the choice I made today was absolutely right." He continued in that tone of absolute certainty. "Vivienne's hand could not be sacrificed. She's the key to whether your mother ever wakes up." "I couldn't not save her. Do you understand?" I stayed silent. I didn't want to say another word to him. Cain took a piece of moonlight amber from his pocket and set it gently on my nightstand. "Keep this. It'll help your damaged wolf recover." He turned and walked toward the door. His hand gripped the handle. His steps faltered for a moment, but he didn't look back. "Heal well." The door closed. The day I was discharged, I didn't tell anyone. I went straight to the critical care ward at the healing center to see Ethan and Iris. The silver toxin had destroyed Ethan's nerves. He was completely paralyzed in all four limbs. Iris remained in a deep coma. They'd been placed in the same room. I pushed open the door and stopped dead. A woman in a healer's white robe stood with her back to me at Iris's bedside, doing something quickly with her hands. Vivienne. I glanced at the wolf-spirit monitor beside the bed. The machine had been switched to silent mode. Vivienne was holding a syringe, forcing a dark purple liquid into Iris's IV line. "What are you doing!" I shouted and lunged at her. I seized Vivienne's wrist and wrenched her away. The syringe shattered on the floor. "What the hell are you injecting into my mother!" I glared at her. Vivienne was startled, but the moment she realized it was me, the panic vanished from her eyes. A cold, satisfied smile crept across her lips. "Did you really think your mother couldn't wake up just because of the wolfsbane aftereffects?" she said in a low voice. My blood turned to ice. "I come give her a booster shot every week." She looked at me with contempt. "As long as she's alive, I carry the reputation of being the healer who ruined someone." "Only when she's dead and gone can this whole thing finally be put to rest." I was shaking from head to toe. I raised my hand and slapped her across the face with every ounce of strength I had. The crack echoed through the room. Vivienne shrieked and crashed to the floor, clutching her face. Rapid footsteps sounded at the door. Cain appeared in the doorway. He immediately saw Vivienne on the floor crying, and my clenched fist. "She was injecting something into my mother! She's trying to kill her!" I pointed at Vivienne and shouted. Cain's gaze dropped to the shattered glass on the floor, then snapped back to Vivienne with a deep frown. "I didn't... I was just doing a routine check on Iris, adjusting her dosage..." Vivienne wept pitifully. "The Luna came in and hit me without even asking..." She crawled up and shrank into Cain's arms, trembling. "My face hurts so much, Cain..." She pressed her swollen cheek against his chest. "I know the Luna doesn't like me, but I was just trying to help... If you don't believe me, test that liquid. It's just standard wolf-spirit nutrient solution!" Cain looked down at the shattered vial on the floor. The dark liquid had already seeped into the cracks between the tiles. There was no way to identify it. "Wren, you do this every single time." Cain raised his head and fixed me with a hard stare. "Have you ever considered that maybe you're wrong about her again?" I stared at him in disbelief. "Vivienne comes every week to adjust your mother's medication. Instead of thanking her, you attack her on sight?" Cain's voice was thick with disappointment. "I'm wrong about her? She just confessed to my face that she's been trying to kill Iris!" I shouted. Cain turned to look at Vivienne in his arms. Vivienne shook her head frantically, tears streaming harder. "I never said that! I swear I never said anything like that!" Cain closed his eyes. When he opened them, he'd made his decision. "Yesterday you were screaming about severing the Mate Bond. Today, the moment you're discharged, you come here and assault Vivienne." Cain looked at me coldly. "Wren, I think your mental state has been extremely unstable lately." He turned to Vivienne, his tone gentle. "Do you know a shaman who specializes in psychological trauma?" Vivienne nestled obediently against him and nodded. "I know a very good one. He can help the Luna." "Arrange it immediately." Cain gave the order. "I'm not insane! I don't need some goddamn shaman!" I backed away. But Cain waved to the guards outside. Two burly guards rushed in and locked their arms around mine. "Let go of me! Cain, she's a murderer!" I fought with everything I had. Cain didn't look at me again. I was dragged from the room. The heavy iron door slammed shut in my face. Chapter 8 The person Vivienne brought wasn't a trauma shaman at all. He was a dark shaman—permanently banished from the pack. Vivienne had paid him a fortune. For the next seven days, I was trapped in an absolute nightmare. "Cast the soul-erosion hex." The dark shaman showed no mercy. My wolf was torn apart by force. The agony made me scream without end. "Inject a trace amount of wolfsbane extract." The dark shaman continued his orders. The toxin suppressed all my self-healing ability. The method was viciously precise—and it left no visible wounds on my skin. I blacked out from the pain, only to be ripped back into consciousness by a new wave of agony. Over and over. For seven straight days. A week later, Cain finally opened the door of that dark room to collect me. I'd wasted away beyond recognition. My eye sockets were hollow. I stood there motionless, my limbs rigid, unresponsive. Cain saw the state I was in and his brow knotted tightly. "How did Wren lose so much weight?" He turned and demanded answers. Vivienne popped her head out from behind him immediately. "That's just how psychological treatment works." She smiled brightly. "The shaman's program must have been a bit intense. It's a completely normal reaction." Cain stared at my deathly pale face, his mouth opening. "Did you actually—" He was about to ask something when his phone blared to life. "Alpha, there are still many security details to confirm for Miss Vivienne's promotion ceremony tonight," said the voice on the other end. During the week I'd spent in that room wishing for death, Cain had made a decision. He'd forcibly promoted Vivienne to the pack's highest-ranked healer. Countless pack members had protested fiercely in the meetings. Because Vivienne had killed someone with wolfsbane. But Cain used his Alpha authority to silence every voice. "You must attend tonight." Cain hung up and spoke to me in a tone that left no room for argument. "Only with the Luna personally present to give her blessing will Vivienne's position be legitimate." "Only then will the pack members truly accept her." I looked at his matter-of-fact expression and offered no resistance. "Fine. I'll go." I answered calmly. I knew I'd been waiting for exactly this moment. The staged-death plan that Cain's father Alaric had devised for me was fully in place. Iris and Ethan had been secretly transferred out of Blackwood territory the night before. Tonight's ceremony was the final step to my freedom. The grand event was held at the edge of a cliff on the border of the territory. I stood quietly in a corner, watching Vivienne on the elevated platform in her platinum healer's robe—the symbol of the highest honor. Cain stood tall beside her, his face radiating undisguised pride. "I present to the pack our most exceptional healer—Vivienne!" Cain announced into the microphone. The hall erupted in applause. My face showed nothing. I walked up to the platform, one step at a time, and stood before them both. Every eye in the room turned to me. I took the microphone and looked into Vivienne's triumphant eyes. "Congratulations, Healer Vivienne. I wish you a brilliant future." I said it loudly, for everyone to hear. Then, without sparing Cain a glance, I turned and walked off the platform. Cain watched my retreating back from the stage. He was quite satisfied with my compliance. He gave a small, approving nod. I left the banquet hall alone and stepped onto the terrace at the cliff's edge to get some air. The click of high heels followed me out. Vivienne was right behind me. Vivienne leaned casually against the low stone railing at the cliff's edge, her smugness no longer contained. "Seven days in that room and you still haven't lost your mind?" She looked at me with disdain. "I already told the dark shaman to increase the wolfsbane dosage. You really are hard to kill." She moved closer. "How did those poison needles feel going into your veins? The sensation of agony shredding every nerve—was it as exquisite as it sounds?" She leaned in close to my ear, her voice barely above a whisper. "Your mother goes through the same thing every week. Except she's a vegetable, so even when the pain is unbearable, she can't so much as scream." I ignored her provocation completely. I pulled out my phone and sent Alaric one final confirmation. "Now. Execute the plan." The moment it sent, I tucked the phone back into my dress pocket. I lifted my head and looked calmly at Vivienne's twisted face. "Vivienne, you don't actually think you've won, do you?" I said it slowly, every word deliberate. Vivienne's smile froze. "All this time, your scheming, your ruthless attacks on me." I looked at her coldly. "But has Cain once suggested severing the Mate Bond?" "Has he ever—even once—wanted to leave me for good?" Vivienne bit down hard on her lower lip. Her eyes were starting to dart. I paused deliberately and let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you something important." "Do you know what Cain says about you in private?" Vivienne's breathing quickened. "He says he's only grateful because you helped him when you were children. He says he just feels sorry for you." I took a step closer. "He says once you've settled down emotionally, he'll have someone escort you out of Blackwood territory immediately." "His heart was never with you." Vivienne's face drained of color, inch by inch. "In his eyes, you're just someone he owes a debt to. A nuisance he can send away whenever he wants. Nothing more." "Shut up!" Vivienne screamed, her composure shattered. "Do you know what a Fated Mate is?" I fired back without flinching. "It means no matter how hard you scheme, no matter how many times you frame me—" "His bond with me was sealed by the Moon Goddess herself!" "You will never—not in this lifetime—take my place!" "I am his one and only Luna. Forever." Vivienne's eyes turned bloodshot, her lips trembling violently. I watched her expression as it crumbled toward the breaking point. The moment had come. "As long as I'm alive, you will never have him." I delivered the killing blow. "Then die!" Vivienne snapped completely. She lunged at me like a rabid animal, her hands clamping around my throat. Her raw strength drove me backward, slamming me against the low stone railing at the cliff's edge. The rough stone dug into my lower back. More than half my body was already hanging over the void. Below—nothing but the fathomless black sea. But I didn't struggle. I just stared straight into her unhinged face, and spoke three words, taunting. "You wouldn't dare." Vivienne let out a deranged scream. Her hands shoved forward with all her might. My body flipped over the low stone railing. Weightlessness. I plunged into the endless night.