Beyond the Broken Mate Bond

"Luna Seraphina, are you certain you wish to proceed with the breaking of the mate bond? Once we begin the ritual, the bond between you and Alpha Kaden will be gone forever. Your power, your standing, and everything you hold within the pack will no longer exist."

The aged priest of the pack held Seraphina’s hand, her weathered eyes reflecting worry.

Seraphina nodded, her voice unwavering with determination. "I’m sure."

The priest persuaded Seraphina, "The ritual will bring you unimaginable pain, and Alpha Kaden will suffer greatly too. Please, could you reconsider it?"

Seraphina broke the skin of her finger with a silver pen and pressed her blood print on the ancient werewolf script to seal the deal. "Let’s begin."

"Very well. After the ritual, you will forsake the name, Seraphina Mor, and in return, the Moon Goddess will grant you a new life. You will go by Kathryn Flint, is that correct?"

"Yes."

Kathryn would leave and begin a new chapter in a forest. It was a path she had set out for herself.

She was going to leave and break free from the pack that had been nothing but lies.

After the ritual, the priest handed her a new human ID and passport.

"Can I leave the territory now?"

"Yes, you may. The confirmation slip holds the Moon Goddess’s blessing, which has the power to mask your scent from the Alpha seeking to track you, but it can only last for a week."

Seraphina prepared her departure with haste. She would bring nothing else with her, neither her Luna staff nor her registered name on the pack’s records.

Seraphina was leaving with her new passport in a week anyway. The Luna title could remain with the pack for good, for she no longer needed it.

With a new passport in hand, Seraphina Mor walked out of the altar, right across from the iconic Zenith Tower, the landmark of Silverbend.

Alpha Kaden Crest's exclusive interview played across the building's enormous screen.

Picking up on the alpha's body language, the host asked with a smile, "Alpha Kaden, I notice you've been fiddling with your ring, but it looks just like any other ordinary moonlight silver band. Is there a story behind it?"

With a tender smile, Kaden held up his hand to show the ring to the host. "This is the token that represents my mate bond. Forged from moonlight silver that the Moon Goddess blessed, the material poses no harm to my kind in its purest form. In fact, it can bear the weight of a mate bond."

"Oh? I must apologize. For someone of your standing, I expected something far more extravagant, perhaps embellished with antique gems."

Kaden replied, "I crafted the ring from moonlight silver for my Luna when I shifted for the first time. I spent hours grinding it and engraving our initials on the inner band."

"Oh my, I can see two letters. K and—"

Kaden jumped in. "S. My Luna's name is Seraphina Mor."

"She's one lucky Luna. I bet she must've saved the entire wolf pack in her last life to become your fated mate."

Kaze responded, "I must have been the savior of the entire galaxy to have been blessed by the Moon Goddess with her as my Luna."

The passersby practically sighed in envy.

The only exception was the she-wolf in question.

Seraphina merely smirked.

It was true that she and Kaden once shared a bond. It began the night they met under the moonlight as teen wolves and lasted fifteen years. At the time, they ruled together as Alpha and Luna.

In the eyes of the pack, they were the perfect match blessed by the Moon Goddess.

That was until two months ago.

Through the mate bond, Seraphina picked up on the intense ecstasy from Kaden, a feeling that didn't come from her.

It was an unfamiliar, raw, and primal sensation. Soon after, Seraphina received a magical projection from an unidentified sender.

The footage portrayed Lyra, a young she-wolf. With her lingerie leaving nothing to the imagination, Lyra showed off the bite marks and scratches on her neck and chest. Needless to say, she had just gotten her freak on.

Lyra flashed a peace sign at the camera.

A silver band rested on her index finger. It was clearly a male's ring that was too big for her, and the ring was engraved with the initials "K" and "S".

After that, Seraphina ran into Lyra outside Kaden's office. Lyra had recently been promoted to become Kaden's assistant.

Seraphina's mind went blank right there and then.

Stuck in the moment, Seraphina was tempted to barge into Kaden's office and demand, "Does the job description of an Alpha's assistant include meeting his primal needs?"

In the end, Seraphina gave up on that thought.

That projection featuring Lyra's marked body and the sense of betrayal through the mate bond were all the answers she needed.

Amidst the gasps of amazement and envy, Seraphina spun on her heel and strutted into an antique jeweler's workshop.

When she removed the ring from her left ring finger, she could feel a piece of her soul being torn away.

"How can I help you, ma'am?"

"Please melt this ring down for me."

"But this is a bond token made from moonlight silver with an engraving, no less. It must hold a sacred meaning. Are you sure you want to melt it?"

"Yes, and please make it quick."

Half an hour later, Seraphina arrived home with a jewelry box crafted from obsidian, an element that could mask any scent.

It was well into the night when Kaden came home.

He held a bouquet of moonlight flowers. "I'm sorry, Sera. Things have been hectic in the pack, and I haven't been able to spend time with you. I brought you your favorite flowers. Do you like them?"

As Kaden leaned in, Seraphina caught a whiff of Lyra's sickly sweet and cheap scent on him.

Tilting her head, Seraphina noticed the faint row of teeth marks on Kaden's Adam's apple. His shirt collar bore a lipstick smudge as well. The vivid red could not be more obvious.

Seraphina let out a smirk, wondering if he was tied up with pack duties or simply "preoccupied" with Lyra.

"Why the silence?"

Seraphina pushed him away. "I'm just a little tired."

"Shall I carry you back to the room?" Kaden bent down to scoop Seraphina into his arms.

Seraphina pushed him back once more. "You must be worn out. Go take a shower and get some rest."

Kaden took her hand, a thought slamming into him. "Sera, where's your ring?"