After a while, I stepped out of the kitchen den and saw Alistair and our pup sitting casually on the long fur-covered couch, flipping through crystal screens as if nothing had happened.

Neither of them apologized.

They expected everything to return to normal—like it always did. Me swallowing the hurt. Me pretending their cruelty didn’t matter.

But I was done.

I bent down to pick up the bond-severing papers I had dropped earlier, ready to speak, when the front door opened.

Rixana walked in like she owned the den.

Her lips were painted the deep red of blood roses. A fitted crimson silk dress clung to her body. Pearls glimmered at her throat, her hair curled to perfection. On her finger, a moon-cut diamond ring flashed brightly.

The same ring I had found in Alistair’s bag three days ago.

She paused when she saw me crouched on the floor, then let out a soft laugh, thin and sharp with hidden scorn.

“Theona,” she said lightly, “what happened to you? Cleaning this late into the night?”

I lifted my head.

In her polished eyes, I saw my reflection—tired, faded. My clothes hung loose. Water dripped from my hands, a yellow cleaning glove still clinging to my wrist like a cruel reminder of what I had just pulled from the sink.

I looked like a wolf worn down by years of neglect.

And yet, my mate ruled a wealthy territory.

I shouldn’t have looked like this.

Before I could reply, Rixana swept past me as if I didn’t exist. She pulled out two finely wrapped gift boxes and handed them to Alistair and our pup.

“Ravyn, this is for you,” she said warmly. “I remember you said you needed a new tie. And Alistair, I chose something special for you too.”

Alistair opened his box and smiled faintly—until he saw what was inside. He coughed and quickly hid the branded underclothes, a flush rising to his face.

Ravyn didn’t react at all. Instead, he lifted the tie with delight.

“Aunt Rixana, this is perfect,” he said. “I needed one for the engagement feast.”

Alistair nudged him sharply, but it was too late.

Engagement feast?

My voice came out slow and fragile. “You’re getting mated?”

Neither of them looked at me.

I stepped forward. “Why am I only hearing this now? I haven’t even met her.”

Ravyn hesitated, then shrugged. “Come on, Mother. Look at you. If Zyria met you first, this mating probably wouldn’t even be happening.”

I swallowed hard. “Then who stood in for me?”

He looked away. “Aunt Rixana did.”

The world tilted.

My knees nearly buckled.

Seeing my silence, Ravyn waved it off. “She’s your best friend, right? Her going is basically the same as you going. Can we not turn this into drama?”

I stared at him. “I’m your mother, Ravyn,” I said, my voice breaking. “I am.”

It was the first time I had raised my voice in years.

Ravyn froze.

Then Rixana laughed softly. She leaned down and plucked the bond-severing papers from my hands as if they were a joke.

“Oh, Theona,” she said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Still playing these little games? At your age?”

Her tone was light—but sharp beneath the sweetness.

“This sort of drama is cute when you’re young. Not now.”

Then she looked at me slowly, with open pity.

“You really think that if Alistair breaks the bond, you’ll find someone better?”

Alistair sighed loudly. “She’s been like this since the concert,” he said, turning to Rixana. “Acting like we’re the ones at fault. You and I know nothing improper happened, but she refuses to accept it.”

Rixana gently rubbed his temples. “Let me handle her,” she said patiently. “She’ll calm down.”

That was when I laughed—empty and cold.

“Perfect,” I said. “Then I’ll leave you two alone. I wouldn’t want to stand in the way of your happy ending.”

Alistair’s eyes hardened, but before he could reply, Rixana stepped forward.

“Theona, you’re misunderstanding everything. Please, let me explain—”

She reached out.

The diamond ring on her finger scraped across my hand—cutting my skin.

The pain was sharp.

Something inside me broke.

I shoved her.

She cried out and fell hard, silk and pearls scattering as she hit the floor.

Alistair rushed to her like a warrior protecting his queen.

“Theona, have you lost your mind?!” he roared.

He knelt beside Rixana, checking her arms, her shoulders. “Are you hurt? Are you alright?”

His voice shook. “Ignore her. She’s completely unstable.”

Rixana shook her head weakly.

Alistair turned on me, fury blazing. “I’ve tried to be patient, but this is too much! I told you nothing happened, yet you attacked her!”

He snatched the bond papers from her lap.

“You want to end the bond? Fine. Then it’s done.”

He signed his name with violent strokes and threw the papers at my feet.

“Pack your things and leave my territory.”

Then he took Rixana’s hand and spoke loudly enough for me to hear.

“Let’s go upstairs. Now that the bond is broken, no one can accuse us of crossing any lines.”

They walked away together, up the stairs, like the final scene of a story I never chose to be part of.

I didn’t scream.

I didn’t cry.

I bent down, picked up the papers, and signed my name slowly.

Behind me, Ravyn scoffed.

“Happy now?” he snapped. “You destroyed a perfectly good family. Honestly, Mother… I’m ashamed of you.”

I said nothing.

But inside, I whispered back.

You’ve disappointed me too.

That night, I didn’t return to the Alpha’s chamber.

Instead, I quietly dragged my packed suitcase into the guest den—the unused one, hidden in the back of the estate. Forgotten. Just like me.

Midnight passed, but sleep never came. My body was exhausted, yet my mind refused to rest.

I stepped out to get some water, hoping it would ease the burning pain in my stomach—but I froze when I heard Rixana’s voice drifting from behind the Alpha chamber door.

“I should be the one attending Ravyn’s mating ceremony,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’m his real mother.”

My entire body went cold.

Her voice cracked, and every word cut into me like a claw.

“If you hadn’t said you didn’t want pups, I would never have implanted our moon-blessed embryo into Theona,” she said shakily. “But now… it’s too late.”

Alistair sighed softly, as if burdened by some great sacrifice.

Tears blurred my vision as horror twisted my face.

He spoke again, low and gentle.

“Don’t worry. Even if the packs don’t know the truth, when Ravyn mates, you’ll sit at the head table. You’ll be introduced as his mother. That place belongs to you.”

Rixana quieted, comforted.

“But…” she hesitated. “What if Theona really breaks the bond? What if she actually leaves?”

Alistair laughed shortly, full of contempt. “She won’t. She’s depended on me for forty years. No rank, no skill—where could she go?”

“She’s nothing like you,” he added smugly. “You’re talented. You could rule anywhere. Theona? She’s only fit to scrub floors and wash plates.”

Their laughter echoed through the stone walls.

I collapsed where I stood.

So this was the truth.

I was never a Luna. Never a mother.

I was a servant. A surrogate womb. A tool. All because Rixana didn’t want to carry her own pup.

I endured the pain. I gave birth. I raised him. And now, they were handing him back to her like he had always belonged to her.

I swallowed my tears, hugged the agony in my gut, and stumbled back into the guest den.

***

Three days later, Alistair and Rixana emerged from the Alpha chamber dressed in ceremonial finery. He wore a charcoal-gray suit marked with pack sigils. Rixana stood flawless in navy silk, glowing like a future Luna.

They looked like a perfect pair.

They paused when they saw me sitting quietly in the common hall.

Rixana smiled, victorious.

“Theona, don’t be upset,” she said gently. “I know the bride called me ‘Mother’ first today, but that’s just tradition. She’ll call you that every day after the ceremony. I’m only helping you shoulder the role for now.”

Alistair frowned at me, clearly displeased.

“If you hadn’t let yourself decay like this, Ravyn wouldn’t have asked Rixana to replace you,” he said coldly. “You should be thanking her, not sulking.”

Then he added sharply, “Zyria moves in tomorrow. Clean the estate properly. If you behave like a decent housekeeper today, I might even reconsider ending the bond.”

I smiled faintly and nodded.

It didn’t matter.

The new owner of this estate would arrive soon. Whatever I cleaned today would not be for them.

Seeing my quick agreement, suspicion flickered across Alistair’s face. He seemed about to speak—but Rixana tugged his sleeve.

“We’ll be late,” she said softly.

After a brief pause, he followed her out.

Once they were gone, I pulled my suitcase from behind the sofa.

I was about to leave when Ravyn burst through the door, nearly colliding with me.

He stopped, staring at the suitcase.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he groaned. “Mother, not today. I’m overwhelmed already and now you’re doing this again?”

He glanced around angrily. “This place is filthy. Couldn’t you at least clean it?”

I didn’t answer. I walked past him.

He blocked my path. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I met his eyes calmly. “That’s not your concern. I’m not your mother—remember?”

His eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”

Before I could reply, his communicator rang. He answered impatiently, still glaring at me.

“I don’t have time for this,” he snapped, then hissed, “If you won’t help, don’t make things worse. We’re drowning in wedding matters. And if you leave—don’t come back.”

He thought his words would stop me. But he didn’t know I had already planned everything.

I didn’t look back.

They had all forgotten—this estate was my dowry. My land. My property.

The sale was complete. The moment I boarded the sky vessel, the gold would be transferred to my account.

As for them?

They would return to locked doors.

But none of that mattered anymore.

They were no longer mine.

I had spent forty years giving my life to people who never deserved it.

Not anymore.

From this moment on, I would live for myself.

I would choose freedom.