In five winters of our bond, my mate, Vladimir Barnes, had brought ninety-nine chosen she-wolves into our den.

At our union anniversary, he let the hundredth one trick me into drinking.

I cannot handle moon wine. It sent me into a fatal shock, and I woke in the healer's den. Still, he said to me, "Stop pretending to be weak, Abigail. Stella craves roasted meat from the hunt. Drag your frail self-home and prepare it."

Then the fire broke out in the pack’s storage house. Without a second thought, he rushed to save his chosen mate, carrying her out while leaving me behind. The flames roared, swallowing my cries for help, and when it was over, my right leg was left permanently crippled.

When I woke in the healer's sanctum, he was urging the healer to use rare moon herbs on Stella's arm, which only had a small scratch from the chaos. Something inside my soul finally snapped.

I said, "Vladimir, I want to sever our bond."

"Sever the bond? How dare you say that? Do you no longer care if your brother lives?" He laughed. "Does your weak little brother not need my pack's protection and medicine anymore?"

His mistress laughed with him. She even started a betting pool in the pack's mind-link.

[Come on, place your marks! How long will Abigail last this time after calling for a broken bond? One day? Or forever?]

Without a second of doubt, Vladimir linked back his bet. Ten million gold, betting I would break in one day.

I quietly put one silver coin on forever.

——

Shutting out their harsh voices, I cut the mind link and turned away. Then I called Vladimir's greatest rival.

"Darius. I am leaving him. You once said you would take me into your territory if I asked. Is the offer still open?"

"Of course it is! Where are you? I will come for you now!"

"No need to hurry. I have things to finish here. Let us meet in one month."

After that, I went straight to the pack law keeper. "Mr. Welch, I need two scrolls drafted. One for the severance scroll and one to give back my shares of the pack lands."

Welch looked worried. "Does Alpha Barnes know you are leaving the pack?"

I touched the wrap on my arm, still seeping blood. "He will."

For now, he was likely busy with Stella Facer.

That afternoon, Vladimir and I returned to the den one after the other. Seeing the cold hearth, his face turned hard. "Did I not tell you Stella wants sweet cream cake? Why have you not made it yet?"

I ignored his accusations and calmly took my seat.

His tone turned sharp. "Abigail, are you trying to anger me? Do not test me, or I will … "

"Cut off my brother's treatment," I finished, my eyes steady and cold. "Go ahead."

I had heard those threats more times than I could count. For winters, I had bowed to his will, all for my brother's sake.

Vladimir made me watch him court his lovers and clean up after their messes. He forced me to stand as a live target while his chosen ones practiced with bows, without any protection. He made me travel through moon storms for hours just to bring warm broth to some she-wolves.

However, I was still a living soul, and I had had enough of this shame.

I reached into my bag as I pulled out the scrolls. "Two scrolls. Mark them."

Vladimir frowned, clearly puzzled. He had never seen me stand so firm before. Just as his gaze dropped to the scrolls in my hands, his crystal communicator chimed. He didn’t even bother stepping aside before answering it.

Stella's sweet voice came through. "Alpha, why are you not back yet? My arm hurts again."

That man softened at once. "I am coming, sweetheart," he said, turning to leave.

I immediately grabbed his wrist. "Mark them first."

Annoyed, he glared at me. "Did you not hear her? Stella needs me. Why do you always make things harder?"

With clear impatience, he took the quill, turned to the last page, and placed his mark.

As I stared at his rushed, messy mark, my chest tightened.

If he had even looked at the scroll, he would have known it was the bond severance agreement. Sadly, he did not.

Vladimir stormed out, the heavy door shaking the frame behind him. The wind chime hanging by the entrance rang softly with his departure.

I sat there for a moment, frozen.

The wind chime. It was my half-sister, Isabella Lacroix's, favorite. She and Vladimir had been promised to each other since cubhood. But five winters ago, she was killed in a carriage crash.

The Lacroix’s could not bear to lose their bond ties with the Barnes, so they forced me into Vladimir's chamber.

I would never forget the look in his eyes that night, filled with nothing but disgust and hatred. He yelled at me, "You think pulling a low trick like this will make you my luna? Dream on. I will never let that happen!"

When the so-called shame was brought to light, my father broke down in tears and demanded that Vladimir take responsibility or face disgrace before all packs.

Ethan Barnes, his father, could not risk the family reputation. So, they made us bond.

I knew Vladimir never loved me, yet I still accepted the bond because I loved him. I thought that if I tried hard enough, I might one day warm his cold heart.

But on the night of our bonding, he brought home a woman who looked almost exactly like my sister, and that was only the beginning.

I made a promise to myself. The day he brought home the hundredth she-wolf, I would walk away.

Stella was the hundredth, and she resembled Isabella more than any of the others before her.

"Look! Is that the Alpha Barnes and Lady Facer?" a servant whispered in surprise.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I glanced at my crystal communicator. A traveler was recording stories about fated bonds, and by some twist of the moon, they had stopped Vladimir and Stella.

That man looked cold and detached as always, but the other one was radiating joy. He stood tall beside her, playing the part of the devoted mate.

The traveler read their random question aloud, "If the Moon Goddess sent you back five winters, what would you change?"

Stella frowned, pretending to struggle for an answer.

At the same time, Vladimir drew her into his arms. His voice was soft like a whisper under the moon, yet his words cut like claws. "I would have torn apart anyone who came near me with hidden intent, and I would make sure I found Stella much sooner."

His tenderness was meant for Stella. She leaned into him, her face lit with happiness, while every trace of his cruelty was reserved for me.

I gripped the screen until my knuckles turned white. His rejection still stung like a silver blade, but I was done mourning.

I took a portrait of Stella and placed it into the leather-bound book that held all his past lovers. Beneath her image, I wrote: 100. Goodbye. Then I locked it inside the Alpha’s desk along with the signed severance scrolls.

It was my final offering to him. I thought he would at least value the truth.

After that, I began to clear out my chambers.

When Vladimir and Stella returned to the den, I had just thrown a woven fur blanket into the waste bin.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

My body stiffened for a moment. "Throwing away things that belong in the trash," I replied calmly.

Vladimir walked over and saw the bin full of handmade crafts I had once made for him, along with several expensive dresses he had gifted me. "You never even wore these dresses. How can they be trash?" he frowned.

Without stopping my hands, I replied calmly, "Some things were never meant to fit. No point in forcing them."

Like us. After five winters in this pack, I finally saw the truth.

Vladimir seemed to catch the hidden meaning in my tone, his eyes narrowing. Before he could speak, Stella grabbed his arm and whined.

"Alpha, my wolf is restless. Can I rest in the main chamber tonight?" She asked, pointing toward our private chamber.

Vladimir pressed his lips together. "Stella just went through skin grafting after her shift injury. Nights are hard for her. It will be easier for me to take care of her if she stays in the alpha chamber."

I raised my eyes and met Stella’s openly defiant gaze. She was trying to provoke me.

After all, that chamber was my last territory.

In the past, I would have shifted and fought anyone who tried to enter my sanctuary. But now, the fire was gone.

I simply nodded. "Fine. I will remove my belongings."

That room was filled with every scrap of my soul. It took me hours to strip it bare.

When Vladimir saw the empty stone walls, he looked unsettled. "Stella is only here until her wounds heal. She will move to the guest wing soon. Why did you clear out every single thing?"

"I would rather have a fresh start later than hold onto old ghosts," I said calmly.

He watched me with deep suspicion. "Abigail, you are being too quiet. What game are you playing?"

I said nothing.

Then, all at once, Stella let out a soft, delighted gasp. “Oh, this bracelet is beautiful!”

I turned sharply and saw her holding a pale pink agate charm from my table. My heart pounded hard against my chest as I stepped toward her at once. “Give that back.”

Stella turned toward Vladimir with wide, innocent eyes. "Alpha, I truly desire this treasure."

Before Vladimir could respond, I intervened sharply. "That belongs to me."

Because my voice was harsh, Vladimir's expression turned predatory and dark. "It is a mere trinket. She honors you by even noticing it. Do not cause a scene in my den," he growled.

Fury boiled in my veins. "That bracelet belonged to my pack mother!"

I was a rogue's pup, raised in secret within the distant forest borders with my younger brother. My foster mother possessed nothing. That charm was a gift she spent months gathering pelts to buy for my First Shift ceremony.

Vladimir knew its value to my soul.

His brow tightened as he hesitated, glancing at Stella.

That she-wolf, the master of deceit, quickly feigned regret. "I am so sorry, Abigail. I did not know it held such magic for you. Here, take it back."

She reached out, but as she did, her grip intentionally failed. The bracelet hit the stone floor and shattered into useless shards.

My hand remained frozen in the air as I watched the last tie to my mother break forever. Tears fell before I could mask them, but I silenced my cries and struck her across the face with all my strength.

Stella staggered back in shock, her head hitting the heavy oak dresser, a dark mark forming on her skin.

Vladimir erupted in a wolfish rage. He struck me so hard I crashed to the ground, my ears ringing with the force of an Alpha. My palm landed on the broken shards, and blood soaked the floor.

Stella began to wail, crying out, "Alpha, my face! Will I be scarred for the mating season?"

Her face, so much like my sister's, only made his anger worse. Vladimir lifted her in his arms protectively. "It is all right, my love. I will take you to the healer."

He stormed out with such force that he crashed into the stone pedestals along the wall. A heavy statue tipped over and struck my head, sending a stream of blood down my face.

He did not spare a single glance for the mate he had cast aside.

I was used to this kind of cruelty. Without a word, I reached for my crystal communicator and called for a healer from the village.

When I regained consciousness, Vladimir sat by my cot, his face as cold as winter.

Usually, he would be howling threats at me. Instead, he looked at me with loathing and said, "Tomorrow, we fly to the Moon Cliffs. You once trained in the sacred water rituals, did you not? Stella will grant you her mercy if you dance for her in the tides. This is your penance."

I had learned the water rites only because Vladimir admired the elegance of the sea fairy. That’s why I wanted to prove that I was worthy of standing in his pack. I even spent my small savings to rent a private lagoon for his lunar birthday, hoping to surprise him.

But when he saw me beneath the water, the look of disgust in his eyes struck harder than any blow.

He commanded the guards to strip away my breathing charms, leaving me gasping beneath the waves for nearly an hour. I lost my senses from the drowning weight before he finally pulled me out.

Since then, I have been terrified of deep water.

"I'm not going," I said instinctively.

Alas, he didn't even bother to argue.

The next morning, his men dragged me onto a flying craft powered by moon crystals. As it rose into the sky, my stomach tightened.

The ocean surrounding the Moon Cliffs glittered under the sun, a vast blue territory. To any other shifter, it was a paradise. But as I watched the waves rise and fall like the breath of a beast, I felt a heavy terror crushing my lungs.

The moment we landed, I bolted, running toward the furthest edge of the cliffs. Oddly, he did not hunt me down. A surge of unease crawled up my spine.

Suddenly, the bright sky turned to ash. The golden sunlight vanished as thick, enchanted storm clouds rolled in. The wind howled like a hunting predator, and I knew a supernatural gale was coming.

Terrified, I called his crystal communicator. "Where are you? Where is my shelter for the night?"

Vladimir laughed with a chilling sound on the other end. "After your crimes, you believe I would grant you the safety of my walls? You truly are a delusional stray."

My heart pounded harder. "What do you mean?"

The wind screamed, but his voice was even sharper. "The pack is leaving on the chopper. The magic here will kill the crystal's connection soon. If you wish to live, find your own way to survive the moon storm."

The bond snapped, and his words sliced through my spirit like silver blades.

Clutching my thin cloak, I heard the first rumble of thunder echo over the peaks, and then the sky tore open. Heavy rain hammered down, so the horizon disappeared as the sea churned into a furious, thrashing beast.

My eyes widened with horror, and I spun to run in the opposite direction. But thunder exploded, the gale shrieked, and waves rose like giants, crashing down upon me.

The freezing tide swallowed me whole, and the violent water muffled my screams for mercy. Lightning tore the sky apart, illuminating the world for one last, terrifying second.

And as my life slipped into darkness, I saw them. In that flash of light, my foster parents smiled at me with warmth.

"Dear pup, your true father has been searching for you. Do you wish to return to his kingdom?"

No! If this pain was the price of being a Lacroix, then I would rather spend eternity in that quiet mountain village.

I did not want blood ties, nor did I want to know Vladimir Barnes.