It didn’t take long for Lyra’s message to arrive.

Lyra:“See it now? Alpha Jace was never yours. The Luna’s title should’ve been mine all along.”

I’d barely finished reading when the pack’s public forum exploded.

Breaking: Alpha Jace Thorn Spends 10 Billion to Summon Elite Healing Mages for Actress Lyra’s ‘Minor Wound’

The post featured photos—

Jace crouched beside Lyra, brushing silver dust from a faint scrape on her back, eyes dark with worry, his hand trembling as if she were his heart itself.

My chest tightened.

It felt as if my bones were dissolving, the strength draining from every vein.

---

Five years ago, on my eighteenth blood-moon ceremony, I was to be blessed as the next Luna of the Silverfang Pack.

That night, the Moon Altar lights dimmed, and a messenger arrived—my parents had been taken by rogues.

I panicked.

Jace went alone.

He came back the next evening, half-dead, legs shattered, carried by my blood-soaked parents.

I fell to my knees, tears streaming.

“Don’t cry,” he whispered through the pain, his voice gentle even as blood seeped from his lips.

“Our Seris looks best when she smiles… cough…”

When the healers spoke, their verdict was devastating—his wolf legs crushed beyond healing, his spirit stones drained, both kidneys gone.

I volunteered my own.

Through a sacred blood ritual, I gave him a part of my life.

Afterward, I was never the same—my wolf weak, my energy fading, my nights haunted by trembling hands clutching moonwater to survive.

Two years later, he proposed beneath the Lunar Oak, eyes glistening red as he vowed, “I’ll love you for eternity.”

How ironic those vows sound now.

---

“Luna,” said the old steward softly, stepping into my chambers with a steaming goblet. “Your medicine.”

“Leave it,” I murmured, locking my screen.

He hesitated. “Alpha ordered that I watch you drink it.”

I smiled faintly, took the cup, and downed it all in one breath.

The liquid burned like melted silver on my tongue.

When the steward left, I waited until his steps vanished down the corridor, then hurried to the kitchen and gathered the ashes of herbs from the fire pit.

The next day, I brought them to a healer I trusted in secret.

Hours later, as I stood in the cold moonlight, his words echoed in my mind:

“These herbs look like tonics, but they counter each other. Taken long enough, they’ll rot her wolf core from within. Her body will collapse naturally.”

I nearly dropped the report.

The shaking wouldn’t stop.

---

When I returned home, the mansion was quiet—too quiet.

I pushed open the door to the sun hall and froze.

Jace was kneeling on one leg, a damp cloth in hand, gently wiping the dust from Lyra’s bare feet.

His touch was reverent, almost worshipful.

And beneath her feet—

lay the moon-woven blanket I’d made for him four winters ago.

Back then, he couldn’t walk.

He’d sat in the dark, refusing even to celebrate his birthday.

So I stayed up for three nights, weaving that blanket from blessed wolf-wool under the full moon.

He’d smiled then, holding it close.

“I’ll treasure it forever,” he’d said.

Now, it was crushed under another woman’s heel.

---

Lyra startled when she saw me. “Seris, I—I didn’t mean—Alpha just saw me stumble and offered to help. I was about to leave—”

Jace rose instantly, stepping protectively before her.

“Don’t blame Lyra, Seris. If you have anger, take it out on me. She’s innocent.”

Lyra sniffled prettily, clutching his sleeve.

“Jace, please don’t scold her. It’s all my fault. I tripped again, silly me. I’ll leave now before she gets upset…”

Her words dripped sweetness—sweet as venom.

I looked at Jace.

His jaw tightened; his eyes flashed with irritation—not for her, but for me.

A thousand memories clawed through my chest: the surgery, the vows, the poison.

The air shifted.

My wolf stirred—weak, but awakening.

Silver light flickered in my eyes as my voice came out low and trembling:

“Tell me, Alpha Jace… which part of me will you take next?”

Lyra’s words dripped with false sweetness, but her body pressed closer against Jace’s, her head resting against his chest as if she already wore my mark.

“Lyra,” Jace murmured, brushing her arm as if she were made of glass, “stop teasing. The wound on your back hasn’t healed, and now you’ve twisted your ankle again.”

His hand slid down to steady her wrist, his eyes cutting coldly toward me.

“If you can’t stand having Lyra rest here, Seris,” he said, voice low and threatening, “then you can find somewhere else to stay. The Crescent Inn takes guests.”

My fingers curled. “No need,” I replied evenly. “She can stay. Let her heal… right here.”

I turned and climbed the staircase, forcing my trembling legs to carry me upward. Behind me, I could feel their shared breath, hear the pulse of their hearts beating in one rhythm.

---

Later, the door to my chamber creaked open.

Lyra entered without knocking, the scent of her perfume — foxglove and wolfbane — thick in the air.

“My dear sister,” she cooed, leaning against the doorframe. “I heard you’ve been trying to conceive Alpha Jace’s pup for two years. All those rituals, the healers, the blood tonics… how exhausting.”

Her tone shifted, a blade hidden beneath silk.

“Too bad,” she sneered, “you’ll never give birth to anyone’s pup. Not when you don’t even have a womb anymore.”

The words sliced through me. “What did you say?”

Lyra’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Do you even know why your parents were taken that night of your Moon Ceremony?”

A chill swept through my body. “What do you mean?”

She stepped closer, the click of her heels echoing like bone against stone. “Because you came of age. Because your organs matured. They wanted you compliant — ready to donate. At first, only one of your sacred wolf kidneys was needed. But Jace…” She smiled slowly, cruelly. “He didn’t want you bearing his heir. He married you only to keep your body close, so he could harvest what I needed.”

My vision blurred. “You’re lying. We share blood — we’re sisters.”

“Sisters?” Lyra’s face twisted in fury. “Who told you that lie?”

She leaned in, her whisper colder than moonlight. “You’re not my sister, Seris. You’re nothing but a blood vessel Father and Mother raised beside me — a living reservoir. My personal blood bank. They called you their adopted daughter, but you were my property. A replacement heart waiting to be carved open.”

Her laughter rang like a curse. “And now that my health’s restored, we don’t need you anymore. That’s why Jace poisoned you — slow, steady doses disguised as ‘medicine.’ How does it taste, hmm? Sweet? Metallic?”

I froze, realization crashing over me.

So that was why he’d always insisted the steward watch me drink.

Why he dismissed my protests as “hormonal weakness.”

Lyra tilted my chin upward, nails digging into my skin. “Every month you drank your death a little deeper. Jace kept you close so you’d never run. You were just… convenient.”

Then her voice dropped to a whisper, almost tender. “Do you ever wonder why you wake with bruises on your arms? Those aren’t accidents, darling. Jace drains your blood while you sleep, mixing it into my tonics so my wolf stays strong.”

The world shattered. My wolf inside me whimpered — wounded, furious, desperate.

Before I could move, Lyra slapped herself, a sharp crack splitting the silence.

She stumbled backward, clutching her stomach.

“Ah!” she screamed. “Sister, please don’t hurt me! My pup — the Alpha’s heir — please, have mercy!”

Jace burst through the door in seconds, eyes blazing. He didn’t hesitate.

His boot slammed into my chest, knocking me to the ground.

“Seris!” he roared. “I never thought you’d fall so low. Lyra’s carrying my heir, and you dare raise a hand against her?!”

I gasped, struggling for breath. “I can’t bear a child because of you! Because you—”

His expression flickered—just for a heartbeat—before guilt turned to rage.

Then Lyra whimpered again, clutching her belly, and his resolve hardened.

Without another word, he swept her into his arms and carried her away.

The sound of the door slamming echoed through the hollow corridors of our home—

the place I once believed was my sanctuary.

---

My last hope burned to ash.

I reached for my communicator crystal, the one I’d sealed years ago with a blood rune only I could break.

As it lit with blue fire, a familiar voice answered on the other end.

“Seris?”

“I’ll take the mission,” I said, voice steady despite the tremor in my hands. “The one you offered me years ago—the Bloodmoon Rebellion.”

A pause, then a low, approving growl. “Are you certain, Luna? Once you step on this path, there’s no turning back.”

My eyes turned silver.

“I lost everything once,” I whispered. “This time, I’ll take it all back.”

Two days later.

The date was set.

I’d packed everything that still smelled of me — silks, rings, the old moonstone comb Jace once gave me — into a single trunk.

“Throw it all out,” I told the steward. “Burn it if you must.”

He hesitated. “Does the Alpha know?”

A bitter smile curved my lips. “Tell him the Luna is cleansing her den. He won’t care.”

When the last box left, I stood in the empty chamber.

The walls still hummed faintly with our old bond — the scent of his wolf, the echo of broken vows.

I felt nothing.

---

That was when the rune-crystal rang.

My adoptive mother’s voice thundered through the channel, sharp as silver.

“Come home. Tonight. No excuses.”

A pause, then a hiss:

“If you’re not here before sundown, you’ll regret it.”

The connection snapped.

I stared at the dying glow of the rune. Of course — this was about Lyra.

---

By dusk, I stood before the gates of the Highmoon Manor — my so-called family’s estate.

The heavy oak doors opened, and the first thing that greeted me was a flying goblet.

It struck my forehead.

Warm blood trickled down my face.

I bent, picked up the shattered silver cup, and placed it calmly on the table before my parents.

“Father. Mother.”

Lyra whimpered theatrically, clutching Jace’s arm. “Alpha, she’s terrifying… she’s bleeding!”

But her eyes glittered with triumph.

My mother’s face twisted. “So this is how you behave now that you’ve married into a powerful pack? You dare raise your hand against your sister?”

Her voice dripped venom. “We should’ve drowned you at birth, abomination!”

I swallowed hard. “Am I truly your daughter?”

The question barely left my lips before her hand cracked across my face.

My weakened wolf couldn’t hold me steady — I fell.

For a heartbeat, Jace’s expression flickered — something almost human passed across it — but Lyra’s soft gasp pulled his gaze away.

“Seris,” she said sweetly, “Mother didn’t even use much strength. Why fall so dramatically?”

Jace’s eyes cooled to ice.

“She’s right. Don’t exaggerate, Seris.”

My mother sneered. “Exactly. You’re always pretending to be the victim. You trying to blackmail us now, Luna Thorn?”

I didn’t answer.

I simply stood, wiping the blood from my mouth.

My father rose, slamming his cane against the marble floor.

“Kneel,” he barked. “Apologize to Lyra.”

I stared at him. “For what?”

The cane struck again — this time my leg.

Pain shot up my thigh, but I bit it back.

“Kneel,” he repeated coldly. “And beg forgiveness for trying to harm the Alpha’s unborn heir.”

Unborn… heir.

The words echoed, hollow and cruel.

I turned to Jace, voice trembling. “Do you believe them too?”

He didn’t even look at me. “Just apologize, Seris. End this quietly.”

Something inside me broke — cleanly, irrevocably.

Mother’s contempt, Father’s rage, Jace’s indifference — all of it blurred into a single void.

“Fine,” I whispered. “I’ll apologize.”

---

Lyra’s lips curved. She shot Mother a glance.

My mother instantly snatched two crystal goblets and smashed them to shards at my feet.

“Kneel here,” she said. “Show some sincerity.”

I stared at the glittering fragments. “Are you truly my mother?”

For a second, fear flickered behind her eyes — then hatred swallowed it.

She raised her hand to strike again.

This time, I caught her wrist mid-air.

Our gazes locked.

“You—how dare you touch me!” she hissed. “You see? She’s attacking her own mother! Everyone, look at this monster!”

Father moved, cane raised.

But I released her arm before he could strike.

When I looked at him again, my voice was cold and steady.

“Tell me, Father. Should I also learn from Lyra — seduce my sister’s mate to survive?”

The hall froze.

Lyra gasped, feigning fragility, clutching her belly.

“Please, stop… I don’t want to argue. I just want her to stop cursing my pup…”

Jace instantly wrapped his arms around her, growling low.

“Seris,” he warned, “your words are dangerous. Enough.”

The sight of him — the man who once swore before the Moon Goddess that his wolf and mine were bound forever — holding her like that…

It hollowed me out.

Father sneered. “You’ve become rabid, girl.”

Maybe I had.

Because at that moment, I felt my wolf stir deep within, snarling for the first time in years.

The air shimmered faintly; the light bent.

I took a step forward, my voice low and even.

“I’ll kneel when the Moon herself commands me.”

Lyra’s face was full of sorrow. She swayed on her feet, nearly collapsing, and Jace caught her just in time.

He frowned at me. “Seris, that joke went too far.”

“When you’ve done something wrong, you should apologize. Why are you still insulting Lyra?”

I looked at the man who had once sworn eternal vows to me beneath the Moon Goddess’s light — now holding another woman in his arms, defending her as if she were the one worth protecting.

A hollow ache spread through my chest.

“Seris, I don’t need your apology anymore,” Lyra suddenly said.

She took a trembling step forward, pretending to kneel.

“I only beg you — for the sake of the child in my womb — please stop using the shadow-binding curse. Don’t curse my baby anymore.”