My Alpha mate Damien and his Beta were talking in the study.

They were speaking in the ancient tongue of the wolves.

I had secretly learned it, wanting to be closer to his world.

"You only bonded with Elara to give Rosalie an Alpha's pardon," Mason's voice was laced with unease.

"You're giving her suppressants. Calling them 'nerve-calmers.' She'll break when she finds out the truth!"

My mate's cold reply echoed through the door.

"The point is to prevent a pup, not have one."

"As for Elara? I'll protect her... as long as she stays out of Rosalie's way."

They didn't know I heard every word.

I stood outside the door, the fresh mark he'd left on my neck still stinging.

In my hand, I held the pills he gave me to "calm my nerves."

So his love was a lie. My salvation was a cage.

If that's the case, then I'll make sure they get exactly what they wish for.

————————

1.

Without hesitation, I swallowed the suppressants.

They were more bitter than any dose I had ever taken.

Inside the study, the two men's conversation continued.

Damien's Beta, Mason Grey, was clearly troubled by his conscience.

"Let's not even talk about you giving her suppressants. Let's talk about what Rosalie did during the cliff challenge three years ago."

"Elara's mother risked everything to save her. But Rosalie ambushed her with a silver dagger, using her body as a foothold to send her plummeting to her death. Damien, anyone who's seen the magical recording knows it was deliberate. Elara was right to appeal to the council of elders."

"But you became Elara's mate, so Rosalie wouldn't be put on trial. You even signed that Alpha's pardon behind Elara's back. Yes, Rosalie is fine, but Elara's spirit was shattered, and her inner wolf has all but fallen silent. She's been blaming herself all this time. If she ever finds out the truth, she'll go mad."

My mate, Damien, sounded irritated, his voice cold and insistent.

"Rosalie didn't do it on purpose. She just slipped. It was a subconscious reaction. She regrets Elara's mother's death, too."

"I've hidden the pardon well. Elara will never know the truth. Besides, I'm good to her. I'll give her a home and spend the rest of my life making it up to her. She'll forget the pain and get better."

Mason sighed. "Calm down. My heart just aches for Elara. You appeared in her darkest hour, and she fell in love with you, but the person you truly love is Rosalie... Never mind. I hope you can keep this hidden and not live to regret it."

Damien, sipping his drink, said firmly, "I won't."

Those two words shattered my composure.

My world shattered, I fled the house I once considered my sanctuary.

I ran to the summit of the snowy mountain at the edge of the Pack's territory.

This morning, Damien and I had made love for a long time. In the heat of passion, he had whispered "I love you" in my ear over and over again.

Now, his confession had become the sharpest of blades.

It pierced my heart, making my inner wolf howl in agony.

I collapsed onto the snow.

Tears streamed from my eyes.

Just as I was completely disillusioned with love, memories I had buried deep within me began to resurface.

The day my former mate-to-be, Lucas Vance, and I were to be bonded, Rosalie couldn't accept it.

She was in love with Lucas.

She left a suicide note and entered the dangerous cliff challenge.

She was actually a skilled climber. Even so, my mother followed her to protect her—even though Rosalie was merely my father's illegitimate daughter.

Many people captured the scene with magical recordings. I saw my mother grab hold of Rosalie. But then, Rosalie drew a silver dagger and stabbed her before stepping on my mother's shoulder and shoving her violently off the cliff.

And just like that, my mother was dead.

When I rushed over, Rosalie was sobbing, "I was just so scared! Please, don't blame me, Elara! When your mom protected me, she would have wanted me to live!"

I broke down, demanding to know why she had used a silver weapon on my mother. She just cried and cried, insisting she didn't mean to.

Despite this, I appealed to the council of elders, accusing her of murder.

Then, Lucas rejected our bond and stood by Rosalie's side instead.

Consumed by grief, I could only watch as the fated mate mark on my arm—the one binding me to him—painfully twisted and reformed before my very eyes into Rosalie's name.

Lucas said, "I won't let you hurt Rosalie."

Rumors spread like wildfire throughout the Pack. They said I was using my mother's death to gain sympathy.

They called me paranoid and crazy, jealous of my own sister. That was why my mate-to-be had abandoned me.

The overwhelming gossip suffocated me, and I broke down. My inner wolf grew so quiet that a healer diagnosed her as having fallen silent.

Even so, I never gave up on seeking justice for my mother.

My mother had cared for and protected me for twenty-three years. How could I abandon the fight for her justice?

It was then that Damien began to earn my trust.

He took care of me with meticulous attention, protecting me in every way.

I saw him as my salvation, accepted his proposal, and completed the bonding ceremony with him.

After we were bonded, the council of elders dismissed my appeal.

I tried my best to put it all behind me and heal. I wanted to have a pup with Damien, for our family to be happy.

Who would have thought that my supposed salvation was actually proof of his deep love for Rosalie.

Sometime later, Damien followed my scent and appeared before me.

When he saw me, the tension on his face vanished, and his eyes filled with pity.

"Why did you run off here all alone? I was worried."

"It's getting colder. And things are busy in the Pack at the end of the year. If you got sick, I'd be heartbroken."

I wasn't surprised that Damien had found me.

He had once claimed it was our mate bond's mind-link.

Now I finally understood. It was the tracking rune in the necklace around my neck. He wanted to monitor me, terrified I would cause trouble for Rosalie.

I just blinked. My tears had long since dried, and I stared blankly at the snowflakes drifting down from the sky.

"I heard that praying to the Moon Goddess makes wishes come true, so I came out to make a wish."

My first wish was simple: that Damien and I could sever our mate bond smoothly.

My second wish: that I would never see him again after our bond was broken.

My third wish: that my mother's spirit could finally rest in peace.

I hope she doesn't hate me for falling in love with the accomplice of her murderer, for even wanting to bear his pup.

Damien draped his coat over my shoulders and affectionately tapped my nose. "You should have dressed more warmly. Look at your hands, they're freezing."

"What did you wish for?"

I watched numbly as he continued his tender performance.

"About us, and about my mother."

Damien stiffened, his eyes narrowing as they searched my face. "Rosalie is your half-sister. No matter what, she's your family. She was also devastated by your mother's death, and now you two only have each other. It's been three years. Why don't you…"

I knew what he was implying. "I know. I won't cause any more trouble."

My appeal had already failed; she was never punished.

Furthermore, even if that pardon were revoked, nothing would change.

Damien looked relieved. His expression didn't change, but the slight upward tilt of his lips told me he was in a much better mood.

"My love, I'm so glad you've put this behind you."

"It's a new year, a new beginning. Let's spend the rest of our lives together. We'll be happy, I promise."

I just listened to him in silence.

Before long, Damien took me home.

Mason was gone, and Damien said he had to handle some Pack business in his study.

I sat there, numb. A thousand emotions raged within me until I took out the "Bond-Severing Ritual" scroll I had prepared.

Without a second thought, I signed it and went straight to the study. But I found the door ajar and no one inside.

It was my first time entering his private chamber, which was neat and tidy.

On the wall hung a life-sized portrait of Rosalie.

Propped against the leg of the desk was a piece of wolf-hide parchment, covered with her name written over and over.

Every stroke was filled with a boyish, lovesick devotion.

I thought I could calmly accept the truth of his betrayal.

But I couldn't. My heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, a pain that not even a werewolf's healing ability could mend.