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I will Stand Tall Without You, Alpha
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
Five years into my bond with Alpha Adrian Moonridge, the richest Alpha in the Northern Territories, I stood proudly beside our triplets at the Moonridge Academy. The celebration turned to ruin when DN...
Chương (5)
第1章
When the world seemed to turn against me, there was only one person I wanted to run to, my Alpha, my mate. Even after the truth that nearly condemned me, shattered me, I still clung to a fragile hope that he would deny it all, that none of it was real.
But the moment I reached his suite, my world shattered all over again.
“Zara,” a male voice said, one of Adrian’s Betas.
“Alpha Adrian has been planning this night for months. The Moon Banquet, the roses from Paris, even the private flight from the Northern Packs. Since your divorce was finalized, he’s spared no expense.”
My claws slipped free without permission, the beast in me clawing at my insides.
“Adrian, you shouldn’t have done all this,” came Zara’s voice, soft as silk and venom.
“All those years ago, you knew I couldn’t carry a child. You placed my eggs in Dawn’s womb, made her body suffer what mine never could. Now that I’ve returned… what if she learns the truth and hates me?”
The world tilted as I clung to the doorframe, my wolf’s broken growl trembling in my throat. I waited for him to deny it, for my mate to defend me, but his voice came instead, calm, measured, cruel.
“All these years she lived in comfort while you endured pain,” he said softly. “You are my true Luna, chosen by blood and bond. Whatever you lost, I’ll return tenfold. As for Dawn…”
He sighed, a sound that felt like the closing of a door. “She has my name, my roof, my wealth. That is her payment. Delaying her treatment by a week won’t kill her.”
I couldn’t breathe. The laughter that followed tore through me like claws.
“Back then,” someone said, “we used to joke he’d never win you, Zara. Guess he married a shadow instead, a lookalike to nurse his broken pride.” Zara gave a delicate laugh. “Please, the real Luna is still Dawn.”
“Is she?” came another taunting voice. “Tell us, Alpha. How long will you keep pretending? She was never your first choice… or have you actually fallen for your surrogate?”
Silence. My heart pounded in my ears. I waited for his answer, prayed for it. Then Adrian’s voice, low and final.
“This was never about love. It was a contract. A transaction. Nothing more.”
The bond between us screamed as it shattered, the pain ripping through my chest like lightning. I stumbled forward, the taste of bile rising in my throat. The world blurred, my vision tunneling. That was when my phone rang.
“Luna Dawn,” came my doctor’s voice, heavy with pity. “We regret to inform you… Due to the delay in your medical treatments, the dark growth in your womb has spread. The curse has reached your ovaries. There’s… little time left.”
The phone slipped from my hand as laughter coiled around me like poison. Through the blur, I saw Adrian’s tender gaze on Zara, the look that once was mine. A tear traced the fading mark of our bond. We were never his mate, my wolf whispered. We were his sacrifice. Something inside me shattered, and then burned. I straightened, trembling, as silver fire blazed in my eyes.
“All these years,”
I whispered, my voice trembling but fierce, “I have been a fool in your love…”
My canines lengthened, my aura crackling through the air as the moonlight shifted around me, bending to my rage. “…but not anymore.”
**
The snowstorm raged through the Silvercrest Mountains, its icy claws tearing at my skin until I could no longer tell where the cold ended and I began. The wind howled like a grieving wolf, but I felt nothing, no pain, no warmth, only the hollow ache of a soul long broken. The snow beneath me glittered with frozen tears, and still, I couldn’t move.
Five years ago, my brother gambled away everything: our home, our name, our pride. When the collectors came, my parents were given two choices: gold or flesh. They had no gold. So, they offered me.
I still remember the stench of that man’s breath as he reached for me, my mother’s voice beyond the door whispering, Endure it, Dawn. For your brother’s sake.
But something deep inside me snapped. My wolf, dormant, aching, howled. With bloodied hands, I shattered the window and fled barefoot into the storm, chased by shadows and shame until the scent of fear was washed away by rain.
At the crossroads, half-blind and half-mad, I stumbled into the path of a black sedan. Its headlights cut through the night like a predator’s gaze. And from within stepped him, Adrian, Alpha of the Moonridge Pack.
The night I met my savior.
The night I met my curse.
“Please… don’t let them take me back,” I had begged, trembling.
He studied me, this broken girl drenched in moonlight, and something unreadable flickered in his silver eyes. “Get her inside,” he ordered coldly. When his hand closed around my wrist, my pulse leapt.
“I don’t do charity,” he murmured, his voice a low growl that vibrated through me.
“But you… You remind me of someone I lost. I will mold you into her shadow until I forget the difference. If I walk away, they will devour you. If I claim you, no one will dare touch what is mine. Choose wisely, do you want to be mine, or their prey?”
Even through my fear, I recognized the crest on his ring, the same silver wolf etched on the mansion gates where I once sold candy. He was the kind alpha heir who bought every sweet so I could go home early, the boy who once whispered through the iron bars,
“One day, you won’t have to live like this.”
Alpha Adrian Moonridge said. My savior. My doom.
“I… I agree,” I had whispered. And with those words, I became his. His woman. His Luna in name, though never in spirit.
For five years, I gave him everything, my loyalty, my body, my soul, believing that love could soften an Alpha’s heart. Until today, when I learned I was nothing more than a breeding vessel, bought with gold and marked for convenience.
When I finally staggered home, the scent of my children, our triplets, still filled the air. Three tiny wolves, born of my love and his indifference. Their shoes sat neatly by the door, polished with care I no longer had the strength to give.
“Mom’s home!” they cried. I smiled, forcing warmth I didn’t feel, as little Caden brought me tea. The first sip was bitter. Seconds later, my vision swam.
My sons knelt beside me, their voices soft and rehearsed. “Aunt Zara said if the sleeping pills don’t work, we should try something stronger.”
“Sorry, Mommy,” another added, eyes void of innocence. “Our pack doesn’t need a weak Luna like you.”
Poison scorched my veins, yet a strange calm settled over me. “Fine,” I rasped, forcing the words past my tightening throat. “Keep the title. Keep the pack. Call her Luna or mother if you must. I’m done.”
As darkness closed in, I felt my wolf stir for the first time in years, wild, furious, free. The chains of obedience snapped, and with them, so did the woman I had been.
The Moon Goddess does not break her daughters for nothing.
I am done being the perfect wife. I am done being the shadow of another woman.
Let them keep the crown. I will build my own throne from the ashes they left behind.
And this time, when the moon calls, I will answer, not as his Luna, but as the wolf he tried to bury.
第2章
When my eyes flutter open, the first thing I see is the sterile white ceiling of the Moonridge Pack infirmary. For a heartbeat, I think the shadow leaning over me belongs to Adrian. But it’s only the pack healer, her eyes laced with pity, the kind that makes your soul shrivel.
“Luna Dawn,” she whispers. “We tried everything, but we couldn’t save the pup. You miscarried last night, in your husband’s car.”
Her words slice through the fog in my head.
“Pup?” My voice trembles, barely more than a breath. “I… was pregnant?” My hands clutch at the sheets, fingers shaking uncontrollably.
The healer hesitates before continuing.
“The sleeping pills you took were far too strong. Combined with your blood problem and weakened wolf, it was too much for the unborn.”
My stomach twists as the memory of the bitter tea Caden had handed me that day flashes through my mind.
Before I can process anything, the door swings open. Adrian steps in, my Alpha, my husband, the man whose mark burns faintly on my neck like a fading promise. He’s holding lilies. Funeral lilies. Their sweet scent fills the room like mockery.
“You’re awake,” he said simply. “Don’t worry. I’m here.”
His thumb brushed my cheek, and for a fragile moment, I almost leaned into him. Hope, weak and foolish, flickered within me. Maybe he would hold me. Maybe he would listen.
“Adrian… I- I lost the baby.”
“You’re overthinking,” he said flatly, waving the healer away.
He turned to me, calm and detached, the way an Alpha speaks to a subordinate.
“About last night, I already spoke to the children. It was just a mistake. They didn’t know the pills would cause… that kind of reaction. They thought it was a joke. Now that you’re fine, there’s no need to make them suffer for an accident.”
My wolf whimpered, claws scraping against my ribs. The room tilted. “They didn’t suffer?” My voice cracked. “What about me, Adrian? What about our pup?”
He brushed away a strand of my hair, his touch unbearably gentle. “You’re strong enough to handle this, Dawn. For me. For the pack.”
The pack. Always the pack. Never me.
The memory came unbidden, years ago, when the elders demanded an heir and I was too frail for another pregnancy. Adrian had held my hands then, his voice tender.
‘You’ve suffered enough. Let’s try the artificial womb. I won’t let you go through pain again.’
Back then, I believed it was love. I believed him when he said I was his heart. Even when I carried three pups at once, when the weight of life clawed through my body, I smiled. I bled for him. I almost died for him. And now… he couldn’t even acknowledge the life we lost.
A pain like molten silver twisted through my chest. I coughed, and blood splattered the white sheets like a sign of despair.
“Dawn!” Adrian’s roar shook the air. He caught me as I collapsed, his arms iron around me. His scent, powerful and commanding, wrapped around my fading senses as he bellowed for the healers. “Get the medic team, I want the best! Now!”
For a fleeting moment, I let myself believe it meant something. That I still mattered. His thumb wiped the blood from my lips, and I dared to hope that somewhere inside him still lived the boy who once bought candy from me through the iron gates, whispering promises of rescue.
But then…
His phone rings.
The name flashing across the screen sliced through me like a blade.
Zara.
Adrian’s jaw tightens. “What? You sprained your ankle?” His eyes flicked toward me, weak, bleeding, broken, and then, without a second thought, he turned away. Leaving me like I was nothing. “Stay where you are. I’m coming.”
He hurried to the door, his voice clipped as he orders the healer, “Take care of my wife. Don’t let anything happen to her.”
And then he’s gone.
Not for me.
For her.
Hours blurred into silence. Machines hummed. The moon rose, pale and indifferent, casting silver shadows across my bed. When my phone chimed, I almost didn’t reach for it. But curiosity, cruel, persistent, won.
Photos filled the screen. Zara draped across a man’s lap, champagne in hand, her lips painted with triumph. Adrian’s jacket around her shoulders.
Her caption burned through me like fire.
[Once, he left a million-dollar deal because I got scratched. After five years, nothing’s changed. His heart was always mine.]
Comments followed like fangs: [The perfect couple.] [Poor Dawn, the charity case Luna.] [That mansion he built? Everyone knows it’s hers.]
My gaze froze on the last photo, the mansion I’d been promised, adorned with roses from our wedding year. He once whispered against my hair, “A home for my lovely wife.” I’d never stepped inside. Every time I asked, he smiled faintly. “Not yet, Dawn. The time isn’t right.”
Now I knew why.
I didn’t cry this time. Not like before. I simply liked the post and commented,
[Congratulations.]
The chat went silent instantly. Even through the screen, I could feel their discomfort, their guilt, or perhaps their pity.
That was the moment I understood. I had wasted years fighting for a bond that was already dead.
My hand moves almost on its own, reaching for the phone lying cold beside me. Each breath feels heavier than the last as I scroll through my contacts until I find his name, the one man Alpha Adrian has always feared, the one whose mere existence had once been enough to start a war.
The Alpha King of the Northern Territory.
The man who had once sworn to burn the world just to have me.
I press the call button. The line rings once, twice, before his voice slides through the receiver, deep and dangerously calm.
“I was foolish,” I whispered, my voice a ghost of its former self. “Help me file for divorce. Don’t mention custody; the children were never truly mine.”
A pause. “And your price, Luna?”
I looked at the moon through the window, its light bleeding across my skin like silver fire. My wolf stirred, awake at last.
“In return,” I said, steady now, “you may have the body you once desired. The Luna of Moonridge Pack is yours to claim.”
第3章
On the day of my discharge, I expected to return quietly to the Moonridge Packhouse and bury myself in the silence I’d grown used to. But instead of taking the familiar route home, the driver stopped outside a brightly lit amusement park glowing against the twilight sky. Laughter, sweet scents, and the hum of mortal joy filled the air, each sound stabbing at my raw nerves like silver-tipped knives.
“Luna, Alpha Adrian is waiting for you,” the driver murmured.
My heart stilled. I hadn’t seen Adrian since the night he signed my release papers with the same indifference he used to sign a pack treaty.
“No,” I said firmly, my voice trembling despite my resolve. “Take me home.”
Before he could answer, I caught a scent I could never mistake, cedarwood and storm, dark dominance and danger. Adrian.
The next instant, the car door swung open. His shadow fell over me, tall and commanding, his presence alone enough to make weaker wolves bow. His hand closed around my wrist, his touch firm, his tone colder than moonlight.
“Don’t make a scene, Dawn. Come with me,” he commanded, his tone a flat sheet of steel.
“My secretary mentioned that you booked this entire park for a children’s birthday party,” he continued, an icy veneer of charm masking his cruelty. “Since Zara happens to share the same date, I thought it's better to celebrate together. It’s livelier that way.”
Livelier.
The word detonated in my mind. Five years ago, I had begged him to let my babies stay. “Seven months is enough. Deliver them now,” he'd snapped, severing my pleas with a cold finality. My body was torn, my life nearly lost, all because he needed the triplets’ birthday to align with his mistress’s. It wasn't a tragic medical decision; it was a vicious act of calculated humiliation.
Absolutely shameless!
Adrian towed me inside and pointed to a secluded corridor. “Wait for me in the private room. I will bring the kids after they finish their ride.”
My first instinct was to shift and run, to let my wolf break free and vanish into the night. But I forced her down. I needed proof, cold, undeniable evidence that would end this bond and strip him of every lie. Gritting my teeth, I followed his scent and moved toward the room.
Just as my hand reached the cold brass handle, muffled sounds sliced through the thick door, low gasps, the frantic rustle of fabric, the heavy, rough breathing of men. Wrong turn?
I pressed my eye to the crack.
The scene inside made my blood run cold. Zara, her lips swollen and red, her neck mottled with fresh marks, leaned lazily against two strange men. Their shirts were ripped, and the scent of raw, messy lust, not the clean, powerful musk of an alpha, suffocated the air. This wasn’t just a lover’s tryst; this was wrong. Terribly, fundamentally wrong.
I spun to escape, but a hand shot out, dragging me violently inside.
The door swung open a second later. Adrian strode in with the triplets, their laughter instantly dying.
Zara, who had been on her knees, now collapsed, trembling, at my feet. Her clothes were artfully shredded.
"Luna Dawn! I was wrong! I will never dare touch what belongs to you!”
My heart stopped. I wanted to scream a denial, to unleash the predator inside me, but Adrian’s icy gaze was a cage, pinning me down.
“L-Luna, please take me to the hospital, the pills you forced in my mouth to make me surely get pregnant…after all the men are done abusing me… I… I can’t let them…! I will rather die!” Zara wailed, rushing to Adrian, collapsing into his arms like a wilting flower.
But through the streaming tears, I caught it, the small, cold smile forming on her lips. My control snapped. The wolf inside me surged.
“I took advantage of you?” My voice was a low growl, barely recognizable.
“You even ordered them to film it and post it online… I was wrong to post pictures with Adrian.”
Adrian's jaw tightened. His eyes, already glacial, shifted from a whirring camera hidden in the corner to me. Fury replaced disbelief.
“Shut up!” The sound of my own rage was foreign. “It was Adrian who told me you would accompany us! How could I have known unless I’m some magician!”
Before I could continue, the triplets pointed their tiny fingers at me, their voices unnaturally firm, utterly devoid of childish innocence.
“Mom is bad!”
“Yes, it is mommy who said that there would be a great show today! How could we have known she would hurt Aunt Zara? It was… it was Mom!”
The hired men bowed deeply, simultaneously. “Alpha Adrian! It was her indeed! If we had known Miss Zara was your woman, we wouldn’t dare touch her even if we had a hundred guts!”
One of them fumbled out a recording device. A chillingly calm voice, undeniably mine, ripped through the speaker: “Make sure she suffers. Don’t let her walk away. Record everything.”
My eyes widened. The trap, so perfectly sprung, so intricately planned. A small, miserable smile stretched my lips. “All this effort to ruin me… just for a title? What a snake you are—”
I was unable to finish my sentence when Alpha Adrian’s palm landed on my cheek.
The slap landed with a shattering, sickening crack. The thunderous sound ripped through the room. I hit the ground hard, the metallic taste of my own blood flooding my mouth.
Zara’s manufactured sobs vanished, replaced by a ruthless, triumphant smile. Adrian stood over me, his face a mask of primal fury. I turned to look up at him, blood trickling from my lip, my eyes completely blank, stripped of all hope and fear.
He stilled, his hand still raised, a flicker of something, was it guilt? Crossing his sharp features.
“So, at the end, you believe her?” I whispered, the words ragged. “If someone were to see, they might think that she is your real wife while I am the mistress!”
Adrian’s eyes refroze, unmoving.
“So this is how low you will go?” His voice was calm, but each syllable cut deeper than a silver dagger.
He gestured sharply. The men who had touched Zara were dragged out. He stepped closer, his shadow falling over me.
“Did you strip Zara… did you enjoy humiliating her?” His voice was a merciless rasp. “Now it’s your turn.”
My chest seized. My wolf recoiled, utterly exposed. “No! Stop it!”
The moment was violent and sickening. Adrian’s hands seized me, no longer with cold control, but with angry, savage roughness. The stark sound of my clothing ripping filled the atmosphere. The hands that once held me with tenderness now tore at my dignity, leaving red, burning marks on my skin.
Hot tears streamed down my face.
“Adrian… what are you doing? Please, don’t-”
Nobody listened. I wailed like a broken creature, my soul shredding.
His eyes didn't waver.
“You wanted to ruin her name… now the wolf will make you pay. Every heartbeat. Every pride.”
The camera in the corner whirred, catching every motion: my fear, my scent, my unraveling.
“You wanted a spectacle, right? Today, the pack will teach you a lesson your blood will remember for life!”
第4章
Before I could react, Alpha Adrian’s claws closed around my wrists with punishing strength, his grip like iron shackles as he dragged me through the moonlit courtyard. The stones under my feet were slick with dew, and every step echoed with the weight of his fury. The air was sharp with frost and dominance, thick with the kind of rage only an Alpha could summon. Beneath it all, I could still smell his scent, cedar, rain, and the faint trace of silver that marked him as my mate, my Alpha. Once that scent had calmed my wolf. Now it made her whimper in fear.
Panic surged through me as I struggled against his strength, but it was useless. His power pressed against me like a wall, forcing my wolf to cower deep inside. My pulse raced, and my claws half-extended, useless against the authority that rolled off him in waves. He hauled me toward the rusted death trap on the edge of the training grounds, the old roller coaster that no wolf dared to approach. It stood there like a corpse of the old world, metal bones creaking in the cold wind, soaked with the echoes of human screams long forgotten. Even the forest spirits whispered warnings when the wind passed through its twisted frame.
“Once, I saved you from rogues, saved you from the same men who harmed Zara tonight.” Adrian’s voice thundered, his eyes glowing faint gold, his wolf brushing the surface. “Who knew you’d use that same savage instinct to harm others, to drug another she-wolf and force her into bearing a child!”
I froze, my breath catching, the accusation slicing deeper than any claw could. “That’s not true! Adrian, please-” My voice broke, and my wolf whimpered, pressing against the bond that still tethered her to his.
But my protests meant nothing. His expression was carved from stone, his Alpha command sealing the air between us like a cage. He forced me into the cold metal seat, claws grazing my arms as he bound me with silver-threaded restraints. The instant the forged silver touched my skin, it screamed against my flesh, burning, biting, eating its way into me as if it wanted to taste my bones. Smoke curled from the wounds, thick and acrid, the scent of scorched skin mingling with the copper tang of blood. Pain ripped through my veins like molten fire, tearing my wolf from her howl and shoving her into silence.
I gasped, choking back a cry as the silver pulsed with Alpha energy, feeding on my pain. The scent of scorched flesh mingled with the metallic tang of the machinery. Above us, the full moon glared down like a witness, bright and unmerciful.
“Adrian, please,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes as my voice broke into a low, trembling growl. “You’re my mate.”
His jaw tightened, and for a flicker of a heartbeat, I thought I saw the man I once loved beneath the beast. But the Alpha won. His eyes glowed brighter, gold bleeding into black.
“Then you should’ve remembered what it means to betray one.”
His cold eyes glowed with the faint gold of his wolf. He didn’t look at me as a mate, not even as a woman, just as prey awaiting punishment. His hand hovered over the control lever like a judge preparing to deliver his verdict.
I turned to the edge of the platform, where the pups, the children I had raised, stood watching. My throat constricted, my wolf clawing inside me, desperate to reach them. I opened my mouth to scream for truth, for mercy, but the Alpha’s dominance crushed the sound in my throat. His power had already declared me guilty.
The ride screeched to life, the air filling with the metallic roar of chains. My stomach plummeted as the world tilted into chaos. The wind tore at my hair, my tears freezing before they could fall.
“This,” Adrian’s voice boomed through the storm, “is what betrayal feels like. Every bruise, every breath you take, you’ve earned them!”
Time lost all meaning. I felt the silver biting deeper, the bruises blooming like cursed flowers beneath my skin. Blood seeped down my arm, mingling with the scent of iron and fur. The world blurred into pain, my wolf howling inside me, but trapped, bound by the mate bond that refused to sever.
From a distance, I heard their voices, small, trembling, uncertain.
“Caden, Mom looks so sad… are we doing something wrong?”
“N-No. Aunt Zara said this would help Dad. And Mom loves us, right? She’ll forgive us.”
Adrian never moved from the control panel. His expression was carved from stone. He didn’t curse or rage. He simply watched as the woman who once shared his soul unraveled before his eyes, limb by limb, howl by howl.
When I was on the verge of losing consciousness, he stopped the ride. My body hung limp, my wolf silent and broken. The man who once painted my likeness under moonlight, the one who had saved me, claimed me, marked me, was gone.
“All your debts,” I whispered through cracked lips, tasting blood and bitterness, “are repaid now.” And darkness claimed me.
**
Three nights later, I woke beneath the dim light of dawn, the scent of herbs and moonflower salve heavy in the air. My body ached, every bone humming with dull pain. Adrian sat beside me, his eyes bloodshot, exhaustion painted across his features.
When he saw me stir, he reached out as if desperate to grasp something already lost. “Dawn,” he breathed, voice breaking. “You’re awake.”
A doctor entered, murmuring something about trauma and my weakened condition, mentioning words like terminal and miraculous recovery. I silenced him with a single look. “It’s nothing,” I rasped. “Just exhaustion.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. Without a word, he lifted a spoon of soup to my lips, his touch trembling. “Eat,” he said softly, as though gentleness could erase what he’d done. “Tell me how you feel.”
I stared through him, past the room, past the bond that once chained our souls. I felt nothing. Not love, not rage, just emptiness.
Then the door opened, and Zara stepped inside, suitcase in hand, smelling of lilac and deceit. Her gaze flicked toward me, her lips quivering in false remorse. “Dawn… I’m sorry. It was my fault. But Adrian, you promised I could stay-”
“I see,” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper. “She’s already moved in. Then I suppose I should move out.”
Adrian’s tone was flat, his aura cold. “Now isn’t the time, Zara. Dawn needs rest. Wait outside.”
Her mask cracked for an instant, hatred glimmering in her eyes before she turned and left.
Only we remained. The silence between us was heavier than any bond.
He spoke at last, low and measured. “Whatever happened that day, Dawn… if you apologize to Zara sincerely, I’ll let it go.”
I turned to him slowly, my gaze locked with him. My wolf stirred weakly, baring her fangs.
“Alpha,” I said, voice hoarse yet steady,“The only thing I’ll ever apologize for… is mistaking a monster for my mate.”
第5章
“Zara will be staying here for a while. Until things settle down, I expect you to do everything to make her comfortable. She has been through enough already. Can you do it for my sake, Dawn?”
If this had been the past, I might have flinched at that tone, the heavy Alpha command that used to root me to the floor. But now, his authority brushed against me like wind against stone.
“She can stay as long as you wish, Alpha,” I said quietly, my voice stripped of warmth. “I’ll even apologize to her if that pleases you.”
I forced my body to rise, each movement pulling at my half-healed scars, and slid a document across the table toward him. “Just sign here. I plan to build a children’s healing sanctuary, one dedicated to the young wolves suffering sickness. Your approval is required.”
My voice did not waver, but my claws curled against my palm until I felt the faint sting of my own blood. The copper scent grounded me, steadying the wild ache in my chest. This wasn’t a simple request; it was the breaking of chains, the first step toward reclaiming my freedom… toward divorcing Alpha Adrian Moonridge.
He stilled, those golden eyes flashing with a glint I couldn’t read. For years, I had followed him like a bonded shadow, my wolf bending to his command, my heart tied to his pulse. But now, my quiet defiance pressed against him like a low growl in the dark, an unspoken challenge that even his Alpha instinct could feel.
“If you don’t wish to sign it, then forget it,” I murmured, lowering my gaze but keeping my aura steady. “I won’t force my Alpha.”
That faint disappointment in my tone, soft but raw, cut through him sharper than any fang. With a heavy breath, he took the pen, the veins in his hand tightening as he signed.
“I was only surprised you never mentioned this before. If this is your wish, I’ll support it fully,” he said, unaware that with that stroke of ink, he severed the bond we had both pretended still mattered.
He sighed, his voice turning almost tender. “After years as mates, this is the first time you’ve asked for anything, and even now, it’s for others. You’re still too softhearted, Dawn. I don’t know what poisoned you against Zara, but if it’s over those petty pack whispers, you’ve truly disappointed me. You should learn from her how to carry yourself like Luna. She’s the daughter of a noble bloodline, yet she never wields her power to harm.”
His words sank deep, cutting through flesh and spirit alike. My wolf whimpered within me, curling away from the sting. I bowed my head, blinking back the heat behind my eyes. How foolish I had been to think that surrendering my soul, my wolf, everything would ever make him see me as his true mate.
Later that night, I heard my pups whisper through the half-closed door.
“Mom’s so boring,” Caden muttered. “She doesn’t even understand anything about pack runs. She’s kind of dumb.”
“She only got lucky once, to have us,” another added. “If we sleep here, she’ll probably nag again. But still, she won’t refuse us.”
“Yeah,” the third giggled. “She never refuses.”
Their words sliced through me, but I only inhaled slowly, keeping my wolf in check. “Mom, we’ll sleep here tonight!” They cried, bounding in with pillows.
I stood, my gaze unreadable. “No need. Go back to your rooms.”
My tone carried no rage, no affection, only quiet command. They froze, shocked, as the door clicked shut behind them. For once, it was they who were left outside.
That was when my screen lit up with a message that made my heart still.
[In three days, I will come for you. Don’t let anyone break you before then.]
A small smile tugged at my lips. How strange that the male I once called enemy, Alpha Adrian’s rival, knew me better than the mate who had shared my bed for five years.
When Alpha Adrian returned late, he found the pups asleep together, clutching their pillows. “Why aren’t you in your beds?” he frowned.
“Mom didn’t want us,” they murmured.
He hesitated outside my room. For the first time in our bond, my door was locked. He raised his hand to knock… Then lowered it and left.
By dawn, I descended the grand staircase, only to freeze at the sight below.
Zara stood in the kitchen, her hair damp, one of Adrian’s shirts hanging loosely over her slender frame. She hummed softly as my pups clung to her legs.
“Mom! Mom! We want you to be our mom!” Caden cried, tugging at her sleeve.
The moment they saw me, they froze. Zara’s lips curved into a cruel, honeyed smile.
“You still dare to crawl here?” she hissed. “Now that the true Luna is here, a discarded one like you should know your place. Before I toss you out myself, perhaps you should start hunting for a new pack to leech on. You’d make a fine mistress for some lonely old wolf.”
I said nothing, though my wolf growled low beneath my skin. Before I could speak, Zara’s gaze darted toward the stairs, and she instantly fell to her knees, tears brimming.
“I-I didn’t mean any harm! My clothes haven’t arrived. I only borrowed Alpha’s shirt. I didn’t mean to offend you, Luna Dawn!”
Adrian froze, confusion clouding his expression. But before he could react, a soft laugh escaped me.
“You cry even if I breathe the same air,” I said, my voice like frost. “I came here for food, not to witness another of your pity shows. If every breath makes you sob, perhaps the healer should check your nerves instead of letting the pack think I bullied you.”
The kitchen fell silent. Even my pups gaped. Zara blinked rapidly, looking at Adrian for rescue, but this time, doubt shadowed his eyes.
I turned, meeting his gaze one last time. “I came to apologize, so you needn’t worry about her. Zara, I’m sorry. But don’t mistake luck for strength; they are two very different things.”
Zara’s lashes trembled. “T-Then will you return the necklace you tore from my neck? It was my brother’s last gift before he fell into a coma, saving Adrian’s life from the rogue attack…”