The dawn of the first day brought a cold sense of liberation. I wasted no time in selling off the pack equity agreement that Vladimir had signed with his own hand.

Five winters of suffering. This was what he owed me.

The next day, with the gold in my keeping, I went to the healing house to arrange my brother's move. There were healers across the sea with ancient knowledge who could mend his shattered spirit. I intended to carry him away from this cursed territory forever.

But as soon as I arrived, I was met with chaos. The pack caregiver rushed over, fear clear on her face. "Luna, where have you been? Your brother's condition has turned for the worse!"

My chest tightened as if claws had sunk into it. "What do you mean? He has been stabled all this time. What happened?"

Too bad, the caregiver could not give me a clear answer.

Not long after, the elder healer came out from the healing den, his face dark. "Luna, we've stabilized him for now, but his situation is critical. His state could fall at any moment. This place does not have the power for this kind of fight. I strongly urge you to move him to the Moon City healing sanctums at once."

I did not waste a heartbeat on indecision. We summoned a carriage, and soon we were racing down the old path toward the city.

We were only two turns away when a line of dark chariots blocked the road. The coachman climbed down to speak with the sentries, but came back shaking his head. "They have claimed this whole stretch for a Luna rite. They will not let us pass."

What celebration could possibly outweigh a life hanging by a silver thread?

I kicked open the carriage door and leaped onto the cobblestones. There, leaning against a gilded carriage with a smirk on his face, stood Vladimir. His arm was draped possessively around Stella.

In that moment, a massive magical display ignited above the street. It shimmered with the words: 'Happy 24th Birthday, Stella.'

A birth rite? They blocked the healing path for a birth rite?

Fury surged through me, wild and uncontrollable, like a wolf breaking free of its chains. "Vladimir! Move your carriage! We need to get through to the Moon City healer’s sanctum!"

He looked over with lazy eyes. "You just left the healer sanctum yourself. Instead of going home to brew some broth for Stella, you are running to the Moon City healer sanctum? For what?"

"My brother!" I snarled, my voice shaking with need. "His spirit is failing. I need to get him to the Moon City healer sanctum now!"

My blood parents were long gone to the spirit lands. My brother was all I had left in this world.

Vladimir knew this truth better than anyone. For a fleeting second, his gaze softened, and he hesitated.

But Stella leaned her head against his shoulder, her eyes shimmering with false confusion. "Your brother? Is he not safe, comfortable and well cared for at the healing house as we speak?"

I was burning with fury. "I do not have time for your tricks, Stella. This is life or death. Move out of the way!"

Her lips trembled as she forced tears into her voice. "Luna Abigail, I know you are angry because Alpha Vladimir has been spending so much time with me lately. But how could you sink so low? Cursing your own brother's spirit to fail just because you are jealous?"

Then she looked at Vladimir with innocent eyes. "Alpha Vladimir could easily learn the truth with a quick crystal communicator call. There is really no need to lie, is there?"

Her soft, gentle voice struck like a claw. Hitting every one of Vladimir's weak spots.

Frowning, he made a call with his crystal communicator. After a short talk, the hesitation on his face vanished completely.

Suddenly, the bells inside my carriage began to chime frantically.

"Luna, we are losing him!" the caregiver cried out. "We need to move now!"

My palms were soaked with fear as I begged, "Vladimir, I am on my knees! Please let us through!"

Unfortunately, Vladimir only showed his teeth in a snarl. "I just sent word. Your brother is at the healing house, perfectly fine. I did not expect you to fall this low, Abigail. How much gold did you pay that actor inside the carriage? You are just jealous of Stella's coming pup, so you picked today of all days to pull this trick and ruin her birth rite."

The bells inside screamed louder, but he was too caught up in his own pride to see the truth.

Moments later, one long, flat howl rang out from inside the carriage. Chaos broke out as the healers rushed to pull his spirit back.

The elder healer soon came out, shaking his head. "I am sorry, Luna. We were too late."

My whole body shook. The tears would not stop falling.

"Vladimir!" My voice cracked. "You have finally done it. For Stella, you killed the last of my blood I had left. Are you happy now?"

For a brief moment, seeing my grief, doubt flickered across his face.

He opened his mouth to say something when Stella handed him her crystal communicator. "Alpha, I worried I might be wrong, so I called the caregiver earlier. Look. They are taking good care of her brother."

She showed him a projection of my brother, perfectly fine, being cleaned in his healing bed.

What a perfect illusion.

Whatever doubt Vladimir had vanished in an instant. Disgust twisted across his face. "You are a master of the stage, Abigail. It is a pity you did not seek a life in the theater. Today is Stella's birth rite. So I will not deal with your lies now. But tomorrow, we will finish this."

With that, he pulled Stella close and walked away without a second look. I crumbled beside my brother's cooling body, sobbing helplessly.

The pack's funeral hall was cold and silent. I remained there for the full cycle of the moon, staring into the dark void.

On the third day, I gave up my place in the pack and took my brother's ashes home.

The moment I crossed the border into our territory, Vladimir was waiting. His growl was sharp and full of irritation. "Why didn't you answer my calls last night? Do you have any idea how upset Stella was? You completely ruined her birthday rite."

I kept my voice calm. "I was at the funeral hall. Waiting for my brother."

He let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Always lying. What will you say next? That the thing you are holding is really his ashes?"

I stayed silent. There was no point in defending my honor; he never trusted my word anyway.

Vladimir waved his hand as if I bored him. "Forget it. Stella did not rest well after the celebration. You owe her."

Stella's eyes lit up right away. "Luna, why don't you make it up to me with a birthday gift? That ring you are wearing would be perfect."

My wedding ring. The Barnes Pack heirloom Vladimir had placed on my finger during the moon ceremony. Out of everything he had given me, it was the only thing that ever felt true.

I raised my eyes and looked straight at Vladimir. "Is that what you want too, Vladimir?"

For a second, I saw a flash of doubt in his amber gaze.

Stella lowered her head, acting like a shy pup. "It is fine, Luna. If you wish to keep it, I will step back. It was just a small wish for my birthday. I do not truly need it."

Her weak act worked perfectly. Vladimir's expression immediately turned to stone. "If she desires it, hand it over. Do not force me to strip it from you myself."

Before I could move, Stella lunged and grabbed for my hand. In the scuffle, the urn slipped from my fingers. The ceramic shattered against the stone floor, sending my brother's ashes flying across the hall.

My heart felt like it stopped. I fell to my knees, desperately trying to save what little remained.

Just as I reached out, a gust of wind blew through the hall, sending the ashes flying everywhere.

"No! Please, stop!" My voice broke as tears filled my eyes.

Vladimir stood there, finally seeming to understand something was wrong. "Abigail, you … "

Still, Stella spoke first, cutting him off. "I am so sorry, Luna. I did not mean it," she said sweetly, yet her foot pressed down on a small bone fragment while she kept trying to pull the ring from my hand.

I pushed her away, my voice shaking with anger. "Get away from me!"

She stumbled backward, landing hard on her backside. The next second, her fake sobs filled the air. "Luna, you know I am carrying a pup. How could you push me like that? Do you hate this pup so much?"

Vladimir quickly wrapped his arms around her. "Abigail! She just wanted the ring, for moon's sake! Why would you get so aggressive?"

Tears were falling down my face. Something inside me finally broke.

"You will pay for this!" I screamed, my voice cracking. "One day, you will both pay for everything you have done to me!"

I had never been this angry in my whole life. My rage silenced even Vladimir. Stella sat frozen, eyes wide, as if she did not know me anymore.

Even so, I did not care. I did not care about either of them, for all I could think about was my brother, whose ashes now lay scattered across the floor like worthless dust.

I dropped to my knees, desperately trying to save what little I could, my hands cutting open on the sharp pieces of ceramic. My blood mixed with the ashes, turning everything into a sticky, painful mess.

Vladimir's voice softened a little, like some twisted part of him felt pity. "If you did not want to give the ring, you could have just said so. You did not need to put on this act. Anyone watching might actually believe this really was your brother's ashes."

I froze. My hands still bleeding, my chest heaving. Even now, after everything, I still could not get him to believe me.

Stella clicked her tongue, letting out a small sigh of annoyance. "Oh, the ring is dirty. What a shame."

Vladimir brushed her hair back, comforting her like she was some prized she-wolf. "Don’t worry. I will buy you a new one."

And just like that, they walked away, stepping on my brother's ashes as if they were nothing but dirt beneath their feet.

That afternoon, Stella sent me several messages through the crystal communicator.

[Vladimir gifted me twenty different gems today! All forged by the best smiths, with gold chains to match!]

[He says I deserve the highest honors. Tonight, he is taking me to the High Council vault to pick out ancient jewels!]

[Rings ... the mark of a pack bond, of loyalty, of a true mate.]

[But Vladimir's love is just like these rings, cheap and passed around like meaningless things.]

[Fine. If that is who he is, then I do not want him anymore.]

[And I do not want the filthy ring either.]

I walked into the work chamber and opened the heavy desk. Inside were the portraits of his one hundred mistresses and the severance scrolls I had quietly prepared long ago.

I took off the blood-stained wedding ring and placed it inside, along with my healer's report, the one confirming I had lost our pup.

Once everything was in place, I gently took what little was left of my brother's ashes and put them in my bag, then headed downstairs.

I left the manor keys on the dining table and wiped my scent from the territory wards. Now, every trace of me in this pack house was gone.

Under the dark sky of the new moon, I stepped into the carriage waiting at the border. I took out my crystal communicator, snapped it in half, and threw it into the deep forest. The shadows swallowed it whole.

By the time Vladimir returned to his den, I was already across the sea.