After sending word to the Silver-Moon Pack, I knew there was one crucial, incredibly painful ritual I had to perform before I could officially accept Alpha Lucian's courtship gift and start a new life with them.

I had to completely break the Mate Bond with Kael – the bond he'd betrayed and stained.

In ancient wolf lore, once a Mate Bond was forged, it was like a brand on your soul.

It was almost impossible to break unless one mate died, or there was an ultimate betrayal.

And breaking it meant going to Moon-shadow Falls, a sacred place passed down through generations, at the peak of the Blood Moon. You had to offer your own blood and your absolute will to the Moon Goddess, sacrificing the dead love and taking back the part of your soul the other mate held.

The ritual was dangerous. One wrong move, and your soul could tear, leaving you seriously weakened, maybe even unable to ever bond again.

I used to think our bond stayed strong because I loved Kael so much.

I never imagined it was because he wasn't dead at all.

Another day passed. When the Blood Moon hung high in the sky again, I took Finn, snuck away from the Stone Creek Pack without anyone seeing or hearing us, and quietly left our territory.

Moon-shadow Falls was in a sort of no-man's-land between Stone Creek and Silver-Moon territory.

Hardly anyone ever went there. It was full of unknown dangers, but it was the only place for this forbidden ritual.

Finn stuck close to me, his little body trembling slightly. He must have sensed the heavy, dangerous feeling in the air tonight, but he stayed firmly by my side.

I'd brought Finn his favorite berries, soaked in wild honey, to keep him calm.

Then, from the leather pouch I carried, I took out a special ceremonial gown I'd prepared long ago.

It was woven from the toughest night-star grass, a deep, quiet midnight blue – symbolizing endings and new beginnings.

Ancient tradition said that when a she-wolf was breaking an old bond and preparing for a new life, she couldn't wear the moon-silver color of her first mating.

It was about completely burying the past love and showing respect to a potential new mate.

I stood at the foot of Moon-shadow Falls. The huge waterfall thundered down the cliff.

Under the blood-red moonlight, it looked like a giant dragon bleeding, roaring so loud it was deafening.

The mist was freezing, biting.

I took a deep breath and changed into the ceremonial gown.

Its cold touch jolted me.

Looking at my reflection in the water, I saw the five years of sadness had faded, and hope was flickering in my eyes again. I felt a bit dazed. For five years, I'd almost forgotten I was once a proud Luna.

I told Finn to wait at a safe distance. Then, I took the sharp ceremonial dagger from my belt.

Just as I was about to follow the ancient ritual, to cut my palm and use my blood to start praying to the Moon Goddess to break that damned bond…

“Elara! What are you doing here?!”

A voice like a thunderclap boomed from the nearby woods.

I whipped around. Kael was standing in the shadows at the edge of the trees. Behind him, looking confused, were Alina and her little daughter, Luna.

It looked like they might have come here to hunt under the Blood Moon and stumbled upon me by accident.

Kael's eyes were locked on me – or rather, on the special, significant gown I was wearing, and the dagger in my hand.

He wasn't stupid. As the former Alpha heir of Stone Creek, he knew exactly what this outfit, this place, on a Blood Moon night, meant!

His face went deathly white, his eyes filled with terror.

“Elara,” he stumbled a few steps out of the shadows, “you… you're wearing that gown… you're holding that knife… you're at Moon-shadow Falls… What… what are you planning to do?!”

Ever since he'd “faked his death,” I'd cut off almost all unnecessary contact with the outside world, let alone bringing Finn alone to Moon-shadow Falls on a Blood Moon night.

I didn't want to argue with him, didn't want to reveal all my plans in front of him.

I just stared at him coldly, my voice firm and calm, “Ronan, this is none of your business. Please take your family and leave. Don't disturb me.”

“None of my business?!”

My words seemed to set Kael off completely. He lunged forward, and the powerful aura of a top-tier Alpha almost burst through his “Ronan” disguise.

“Elara! You're wearing a 'Bond-Breaking Gown'! You're holding a 'Soul-Severing Blade'! Tell me how this is none of my business?! Are you… are you trying to… to completely break… break our…”

He could barely choke out the last words.

He stared at me, those blue eyes that once held so much love now filled with agony.

He remembered clearly, five years ago, at our grand, sacred mating ceremony, I wore a moon-silver gown when we pledged ourselves to the Moon Goddess.

And now, me – someone he still thought of as Kael's “widowed Luna” – was at Moon-shadow Falls on a Blood Moon night.

A “widowed” she-wolf would never, ever dare to perform such a dangerous and blasphemous ritual unless she'd suffered the ultimate betrayal, or was determined to cut ties with her past mate completely!

Kael stood there, stunned, for a long moment, his eyes a storm of emotions.

Behind him, Alina finally sensed something was very wrong with this sudden turn of events.

She tugged Kael's arm nervously, whispering, “Ronan… Ronan? What's wrong? What… what is she doing?”

But Kael couldn't hear anything else now.

He knew, once I completed this ritual, everything between me and Kael would be utterly gone.

And he would truly, finally, lose me forever.

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“Elara! Stop!”

Kael's roar tore through the night. His eyes, bloodshot, locked on me as he charged like a wounded beast.

That Alpha power, Kael's power, which I hadn't felt for five years, suddenly exploded.

The air grew heavy. Finn let out a terrified whimper.

Alina clapped a hand over her mouth in horror, Susan crying in her arms.

“You have no right to order me!” I raised the Soul-Severing Blade, my voice like ice, the Blood Moon's light glinting on its edge.

“My bond with Kael is over. It has nothing to do with you, Ronan.”

“Our bond!” Kael roared, trying to snatch the dagger. “You can't!”

His fingers almost brushed my wrist.

I spun back, claws shooting out, and raked them across his arm.

“Kael betrayed it first!” Each word was a shard of ice. “He died in battle, abandoning me and Finn! I have the right to find a new mate, to break my ties with him.”

Kael couldn't dodge in time. Beads of blood welled up on his arm. He froze, staring at the unfamiliar, fierce determination in my eyes.

“He did it for…” he started to argue, his voice hoarse.

“For Ronan? Or for Alina?” I scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

Alina's face was pale.

Suddenly, Finn darted in front of me, arms spread wide, letting out a small but ferocious growl at Kael. “Don't you hurt my momma!”

It was like a hammer blow to Kael's heart.

He looked at Finn, his eyes filled with unbearable pain.

In that split second of hesitation, I raised the dagger again. Without a pause, the blade sliced across my palm.

Blood welled up, dripping onto the cold stones of Moon-shadow Falls.

“Moon Goddess, witness!” I vowed, my voice cutting through the roar of the waterfall. “I, Elara, hereby sever my Mate Bond with Kael! From this moment, we are done, our souls separate!”

“No—!” Kael let out a desperate howl and lunged.

His Alpha aura completely lost control, raging like a hurricane.

I felt a violent tearing pain deep in my soul. My vision went black, and I swayed.

The ritual… was interrupted.

Or rather, at the most critical moment, it was hit with a brutal force.

The sharp pain almost made me drop to my knees.

Kael's hands clamped onto my shoulders, his grip so tight it felt like he'd crush my bones.

“What have you done? Elara! How dare you!” His eyes were bloodshot; he'd lost all reason.

“Let go of me!” I shoved him away with all my might.

The soul-wound made me weak, but a mother wolf's instincts kept me going.

Finn lunged, sinking his small teeth hard into Kael's arm.

“Get away! Don't bully my momma!”

Kael yelped in pain and instinctively flung Finn off. Finn hit a nearby rock with a dull thud.

My fury exploded. “You dare hurt Finn!”

I launched myself at Kael, claws aimed for his throat. He scrambled to block, and we wrestled.

Alina screamed, trying to pull us apart, but Kael's raging aura threw her back.

It was chaos at Moon-shadow Falls.

I knew I had to get out of there! Now!

I whirled around, snatched up Finn, and ignored everything behind me. I didn't even want to bother exposing Kael's pathetic lie.

“We're leaving!”

Ignoring the searing pain in my soul and my exhaustion, I bolted towards Silver-Moon territory.

“Elara! Don't go!” Kael roared, chasing after me.

He was incredibly fast; the distance between us was shrinking rapidly.

Despair washed over me. Was I doomed to fail today? But I couldn't stop.

Just then, several sleek, silver-grey shapes shot out of the woods like lightning.

They carried Alpha Lucian's distinct scent.

The wolf in the lead was my cousin, Leon, Head Beta of the Silver-Moon Pack.

“Protect the Luna!” Leon's command was a low growl.

Instantly, the Silver-Moon warriors formed a protective circle around Finn and me.

Kael was forced to stop, facing off against Leon and his warriors.

“'Ronan' of the Stone Creek Pack,” Leon's voice was ice cold. “You're trespassing. And you're chasing our future Luna.”

Kael panted, his eyes darting between me and Leon.

He looked at Finn, still shaken in my arms, at my pale face and the blood on my lip.

The madness in his eyes slowly faded, replaced by an even deeper despair.

“Elara, I'm…” he mumbled, his voice full of helplessness and pain.

Leon didn't give him a chance. “Take the Luna and the young master back to Silver-Moon territory!”

The Silver-Moon warriors escorted us, vanishing quickly into the night.

Leaving Kael alone, standing before the blood-soaked Moon-shadow Falls, like a forgotten stone statue.

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