I was the daughter of the Ashford Pack Alpha — the most beautiful she-wolf in the entire southern territory. Alphas lined up to pursue me, and I couldn't be bothered to give any of them a second glance.

Until my best friend dared me: "Sera, I've got a bet for you. Think you can make my brother Kieran fall for you? Win, and I'll give you my mother's healing moonstone necklace. Lose, and you hand over that limited-edition sports car you love so much."

Countless beautiful she-wolves had tried to get into his bed. Every last one of them had been turned away cold.

The very first night after I took the bet, I saved Kieran from a silver poisoning, and spent the rest of that night tangled up with him while he burned through his heat.

For the two years that followed, he grew more and more obsessed with me.

On the long conference table in the pack meeting room, he pinned me down against the papers.

In every room of his private estate, we left traces of ourselves behind.

I gradually fell in love with him during countless intimate moments.

Until the night only to overhear his conversation with the pack elder.

"Alpha, it's time to announce who will be Luna." The Elder's voice was low and deliberate. "Miss Seraphina has been by your side for two years now. According to pack tradition—"

"Enough." Kieran cut him off. "She and I were just having fun."

The Elder was quiet for a moment. "And your first love? When you two separated, she asked for two years apart to try other partners. Those two years are up now. Isn't it time for her to come back?"

"Yes." Warmth finally crept into Kieran's voice. "It's time for her to come back."

That was when I realized — his so-called true love was my half-sister. The person I hated most in the world.

For two years, I had been just his experiment while he "tried someone else".

I turned and walked away without a second thought. But this powerful Alpha went mad — tearing through the entire wolf world searching for me.

At the full moon banquet, I slipped away from the Alphas trying to court me and drifted, bored, into a corner.

I was the daughter of the Ashford Pack Alpha — the most beautiful she-wolf in the entire southern territory. Alphas lined up to pursue me, and I couldn't be bothered to give any of them a second glance.

My best friend Emily appeared at my side, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Seraphina, I've got a bet for you. Think you can make my brother fall for you? Win, and I'll give you my mother's healing moonstone necklace. Lose, and you hand over that limited-edition sports car you love so much."

I raised an eyebrow. I'd been coveting that moonstone necklace for a long time. A rare gem said to accelerate a werewolf's healing — and there was only one like it in the entire territory.

I glanced across the hall to where Kieran Frost stood.

He was speaking quietly with a few other Alphas, his fitted black suit outlining a long, lean frame.

Everyone in the werewolf territory knew it: the Alpha of Frost Pack had never marked a single she-wolf.

Countless beautiful she-wolves had tried to get into his bed. Every last one had been turned away cold.

"Deal." I lifted my chin and drained my glass in one swallow.

That night, while I was patrolling the territory borders, I caught the scent of blood.

In the moonlight, a massive wolf was writhing in pain.

Kieran Frost.

He'd been poisoned with silver. The moment I got close, I could feel the scorching heat radiating off his body.

Leave it any longer, and even an Alpha would die.

I shifted quickly, bit open my own foreleg, and let my blood drip into his open wolf's mouth.

White wolf blood is a natural antidote — and I was the only white wolf in the entire territory.

But I realized almost immediately that something was wrong. The silver poisoning had triggered his heat.

He lunged before I could react.

Massive wolf paws pinned my body down. His burning breath fanned across the side of my neck.

I tried to pull free. He held me down completely.

His teeth closed on the back of my neck — exactly where a wolf marks their mate.

My whole body went rigid.

But he didn't bite down. He stayed there, a low, broken whimper rising from deep in his throat, like he was holding himself back from something.

On the moonlit grass, we stayed tangled together until dawn.

When I woke, I was back in human form.

His suit jacket was draped over my shoulders. His shirt was beneath me.

Kieran stood a short distance away, his back to me.

"About last night—" he started.

"I know." I cut him off, stood up, and pulled the jacket tighter around myself. "It was just the heat. Don't worry about it."

He turned. His expression was complicated. "Your blood saved my life."

"Then you owe me one." I walked up to him and looked up at his face with a light smile. "When are you going to pay it back?"

He was quiet for a moment. "What do you want?"

"Haven't decided yet." I smiled. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."

For the two years that followed, he was, in his way, repaying that debt.

Every time I wanted him, one message was all it took. He came running.

After a while, he was the one who couldn't get enough.

On the long conference table in the pack meeting room, he pinned me down against the papers.

In the woods of the deep forest hunting grounds, he caught me behind a tree and claimed my lips.

In every room of his private estate, we left traces of ourselves behind.

I gradually fell in love with him during countless intimate moments.

I thought this Alpha, so icy to everyone else, had fallen for me too.

Tonight, I received a gift box he'd sent over.

Inside was a set of black lace lingerie.

I put it on and studied myself in the mirror. The lace traced every curve of my body — seductive and undeniable.

I knew he liked this.

The study door wasn't fully closed. I was about to push it open when I heard voices inside.

"Alpha, it's time to announce who will be Luna." The Elder's voice. "Miss Seraphina has been by your side for two years now. According to pack tradition—"

Kieran's voice was cold. "She won't be Luna."

My hand froze on the door handle.

"But she's the Alpha's daughter of Ashford Pack," the Elder pressed. "And her white wolf bloodline—"

"Enough." Kieran cut him off. "She and I were just having fun."

My heart clenched like a fist had closed around it.

The gentle moments played back through my mind, one after another.

Him grooming my fur — his touch so careful, like he was handling something precious.

Him shifting into wolf form in the moonlight and carrying me on his back, letting me see every corner of the territory.

Him holding me through a thunderstorm, murmuring quietly that I didn't need to be afraid.

The Elder was quiet for a moment. "And your first love? When you two separated, she asked for two years apart to try other partners. Those two years are up now. Isn't it time for her to come back?"

"Yes." Warmth finally crept into Kieran's voice. "It's time for her to come back."

His first love?

I was just his experiment while he "tried someone else"?

My hands were shaking as I pushed the door open.

Kieran's gaze dropped to the lingerie visible beneath my coat. Something flickered in his eyes — want — then went out just as quickly.

The Elder turned instinctively to look at me. Kieran stepped forward, putting himself between us.

"Out." He said it to the Elder without looking at him.

The Elder sighed and left.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" I forced my voice steady.

Kieran stood, walked to the bar cart, and poured himself a whiskey.

"Nothing to explain." He took a sip. "You know what this is between us."

"Fuck buddy?" I stepped closer. "So for two years, that's all I've been to you?"

"Wasn't that what it was?" He turned and looked at me. "I know about your bet with Emily. The healing necklace, wagering whether you could get me."

My breath caught. "You—"

"Of course I knew." He paused. "I was playing along."

He pulled a cheque from the drawer. "Consider this compensation. Two years of being available whenever I called — you've earned it."

"I wasn't—" My shaking hand pushed it away. I grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Wasn't what?" He frowned. He'd never seen me like this before — so fragile.

"Just playing around." I heard my own voice trembling. "My wolf chose you."

Kieran went still. His mouth opened like he was about to say something — and then his phone buzzed.

A message: Kieran, I'm back.

Kieran looked at me in silence. Moonlight poured through the window, casting shadows across his face.

"But mine didn't." Kieran got to his feet. "This ends here."

He calmly pushed my hand away, turned, and walked out of the study.

I stood there, staring at my reflection in the mirror — at myself in that lingerie.

For the first time, I felt like I was the punchline of a joke.

I stormed out of the study, ripped off that damned black lace, and drove to the bar at the edge of the territory.

Alphas and Betas kept trying to talk to me. I ignored every last one of them and drank myself numb, one glass after another.

The alcohol blurred my vision, but the pain in my chest was a blade that stayed sharp.

Two years. Two years of intimacy, warmth, and possession — and I had been nothing more than his experiment while he "tried someone else."

"Another bottle."

The bartender hesitated. "Miss, you've already had quite a bit—"

"I said another bottle."

Through the haze, the bar door swung open. A familiar Alpha scent drifted in, and my wolf came alive instantly.

Kieran.

He was wearing a black shirt, his expression cold.

I lifted my head, squinting through blurred vision toward the entrance. When I saw the figure beside him, my glass nearly slipped from my fingers.

It was Melody Ashford. My half-sister.

She was in a white dress — gentle and delicate — head slightly bowed, nestled against his side.

My nails dug into my palm. She and her mother were the two people I despised most in this world.

When I was two years old, my mother died on the battlefield protecting my father Marcus during a territory war.

Three months later, Marcus brought home his mistress Vivian, along with their three-year-old illegitimate daughter, Melody.

Marcus claimed my mother had used her family's influence to force him into the marriage. That his heart had always belonged to Vivian.

But I knew the truth. My mother was the daughter of the former Ashford Pack Alpha. Marcus had pursued her himself. After they married, she gave up her right of inheritance to let him become Alpha.

She gave him everything. She died for him.

And in less than three months, he married his first love and made her his new Luna.

Now I watched Kieran pull out Melody's chair for her — that careful, considerate attention he had never once given me.

He never held my hand in public. Never stood by my side at pack gatherings.

I had convinced myself he was just cold by nature, that he didn't like showing affection in front of others.

Only now did I understand. His tenderness had always belonged to someone else.

My heart felt like it was being carved out with a silver blade, cut by cut.

I stood up and stumbled toward the exit.

"Well, well. A lady this drunk — want us to walk you home?" Three rogue wolves closed in around me.

"Get lost." I laughed coldly.

"Ooh, feisty." The one in front reached for my shoulder.

I needed to hit something.

I shifted into my white wolf and launched myself at the worthless bastards. My claws found flesh almost immediately.

But something was wrong. These rogues had come prepared — their claws were coated in silver dust.

The burning hit me fast. My movements slowed.

One of them seized the moment and sank his teeth into my shoulder. Blood ran through my fur and dripped to the ground.

Then that familiar Alpha scent came closer. I raised my head and, through the blood and haze, saw Kieran.

He stood at the edge of the crowd, moonlight falling across his sharp features.

He was looking at me. Worry and fury flickered across his face — like he was about to push through.

Our eyes met. One second. Only one second.

"Kieran, I'm scared." Melody's voice floated up, soft and fragile. "These rogues are terrifying. Did you see someone you know?"

Kieran stopped. He looked away. "No. Don't be afraid. Just some rogue wolves fighting — nothing to do with us."

Then he wrapped an arm around Melody and walked away without looking back.

I stood there, frozen.

Stray wolves with nothing to do with him.

Two years. In his heart, I had always been nothing more than a stray wolf with nothing to do with him.

I wanted to laugh, but blood and tears ran together down my face.

I drove the three rogues off with everything I had left, then collapsed from the silver poisoning.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in the healing center.

My body felt like it had been taken apart. The silver was still moving through my blood, the burning spreading from my shoulder to my limbs.

The door opened. Footsteps approached, carrying that familiar cedar scent.

Kieran.

He walked to the bedside, a delicate crystal bottle in his hand. "Moonlight herb. For silver poisoning."

I kept staring at the ceiling. Didn't look at him.

"Let me change your bandages." He moved to step closer.

I jerked away, twisting my body to avoid his hand.

The movement was too fast. My shoulder wound tore open with a searing pain.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek and laughed coldly. "What are you doing here? Come to check on a rogue wolf?"

Kieran's eyes darkened, those ice-blue irises fixed on me.

"If I don't come to see you," He paused. "who else will?"

That hit harder than any wound. It cut straight through.

Because he was right.

My mother died fighting to protect my father on the border. My father brought home his mistress and her bastard daughter.

That place called home had stopped belonging to me a long time ago.

It was Kieran who had given me the illusion — two years of making me feel like I still had someone, like I could lean on him.

Until last night, when he walked away with Melody. Until he called me a rogue wolf with nothing to do with him.

I forced my pride upright and stretched my mouth into something like a smile. "There's no shortage of young, strong Alphas lining up to check on me."

I held his gaze. "Kieran. What I said last night about having feelings — that was just playing along. Did you really think I liked you? You were convenient. Now I'm bored of it. We're done."

I tried to look fierce. I tried to make my smile sharp enough to cut.

But my eyes had already gone red.

Kieran stared at me for a long moment, his expression cooling degree by degree. "Is that so."

A nurse knocked and entered. "Alpha, Miss Melody is outside asking for you."

"Go be with your true love!" The words came out louder than I intended. "Get out of my sight!"

Kieran was quiet for a few seconds. "I came because Emily asked me to check on you."

He said it, then turned and walked out.

I laughed. Laughed until my whole body shook, laughed until the tears came. "Don't worry, I'm not deluded enough to think otherwise."

Kieran stopped in the doorway. He frowned and looked back at me — the first time he had ever seen me cry in front of him.

He seemed to want to say something. His lips moved. But in the end, nothing came out.

The door closed.

I sank back on the hospital bed. Tears ran silently — for a long time, until my eyes were dry and raw and there was nothing left.

In the days that followed, I changed my own bandages.

The silver burns made me sweat through the pain. I gritted my teeth and cleaned the wound myself, applied the moonlight herb, came close to passing out more than once. But I didn't call for help.

At night when I couldn't sleep, I scrolled my phone.

Somehow I kept landing on Melody's social media — those carefully staged photos where Kieran was peeling apples for her, making breakfast for her, Melody leaning softly against his shoulder.

Her caption read: "The best Alpha gives you the whole world's tenderness."

I stared at those photos until my chest ached in waves.

But I didn't cry. I told myself I would never shed another tear for Kieran Frost.

A week later, I was discharged. The silver poisoning had mostly cleared, but the scar on my shoulder remained.

Like a brand. A reminder of how stupid I'd been.

I went to the edge of the territory and knocked on the witch's door. "I need a potion — one that alters a wolf's scent and severs all bloodline ties."

The witch studied me, eyes wide. "Are you sure? Once you drink this, there's no going back. Your pack bond will break. Your bloodline connections will vanish. Even your wolf's scent will change. It takes effect in two weeks, and there's no antidote."

I didn't hesitate. I tilted my head back and drank it in one go.

It was bitter. Bitter like all the tears I'd ever swallowed.

Two weeks left. The family. Kieran. I didn't want any of it anymore.