After Erik Salvatore abandoned me at the Blood Moon ceremony for the seventh time, I severed the blood-bond between us.

His exclusive blood source? No longer. The family sigil branded on my soul? Stripped away.

I made myself a ghost at every Nocturnal Feast he attended.

When the Vampire Council asked me to take over his crumbling biotech empire, I relinquished my inheritance rights on the spot.

My one rule: Never look back.

For three hundred years, I gave him my everything.

I never wanted to live like that again.

I would rather turn to ash in the first light of dawn than spend one more night with that bone-deep emptiness in his cold, magnificent castle.

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1

I waited for Erik Salvatore for hours before the family's sacred altar, until the lunar runes etched into the stone began to dim.

I'd first reached out through our blood-sigil. He'd claimed there was an urgent meeting—an emergency with the Blood Alliance—and told me to wait.

I waited for another two hours. I tried to message him again, but there was only silence on the other end of the blood-sigil.

I clutched the unfinished blood pact, my knuckles straining, the ancient parchment crumpling in my fist.

"Miss Berry, the time for the ceremony is almost over. Do you still intend to proceed today?" the presiding elder finally asked, his voice filled with sympathy.

He had watched me wait here all night.

I snapped back to my senses and shook my head slightly. "Thank you, Elder. Not today."

As I walked out of the altar chamber, a few young vampires whispered as they passed by. "I swear I've seen her before. Always alone."

"Now that you mention it, yeah. Waiting for that prince of hers who always stands her up."

I kept my face a blank mask, but shame burned through me like wildfire. I instinctively quickened my pace.

This was the seventh time I had waited for Erik on the night of a blood moon.

Just as I reached the end of the obsidian corridor, about to leave, he appeared in a swirl of black mist.

He materialized into his human form, a mask of false apology already in place.

"I'm sorry, Berry. There was an emergency with the Blood Alliance. I hope I'm not too late."

I scoffed. An emergency with the Blood Alliance. That was his excuse last time. And the time before that.

Now he was using it again.

I couldn't even be bothered to call him out. I shook my head and replied, "You're late. The altar is closed."

Erik glanced at the dimmed runes, his face contorted in indignation. "Damn it, do these elders just pack everything up the second the ceremony ends? Couldn't they have waited five more minutes?"

He strode forward, grabbing my wrist with his cold, strong hand and pressing my palm against his marble-hard chest. "The moonlight was too harsh tonight. Feel this—I came all the way through the Forbidden Forest for you. I'm exhausted."

I stared at him blankly, fighting back tears.

Who did he think he was fooling?

There wasn't so much as a single leaf on him.

I bit my lip and, for the first time, questioned him. "If you really came through the Forbidden Forest, why isn't there a single scratch on your silver cufflinks?"

His cuffs were pristine, as if they had just been taken from a velvet box.

Erik's expression shifted in an instant. He frowned, his ice-blue eyes flashing with anger as he retorted, "What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I'm lying? Accusing me of not wanting to complete the blood pact with you?"

"I risked being ambushed by our sworn enemies to get here, and this is the thanks I get? I can't believe you're so cold-hearted, Berry!"

He effortlessly shifted the blame onto me.

His theatrics only screamed guilt.

I rubbed my temples as the will to argue drained from me. "You know the truth, Erik."

With that, I turned and walked away.

His cold voice rang out behind me. "Fine. I know perfectly well. Don't show your face in front of me again, and don't ever expect to become my bonded mate through this ceremony!"

This time, I didn't look back. I bit down hard on my lower lip, tasting the sweet, metallic tang of my own blood.

I had only taken a few steps when a blood-illusion materialized before me. "Couldn't complete the pact again, could you, Berry? What a shame. But don't worry. You can always come crawling back to Erik. Eighth time's the charm, right?"

The blood-red words of the illusion swam in my vision, mocking me.

I didn't need to be a seer to know it was Trina mocking me.

Although I had already guessed the real reason for Erik's absence, Trina Petrova's taunt still felt like a silver stake plunging into my heart, leaving me breathless.

I grew up with Erik, as a human. My family, the Vances, had offered me to the Salvatores as a 'Blood Anchor,' a living shield meant to protect him for three hundred years.

As a naive human girl, I had sworn to become his eternal partner.

This vow sent both our families into a state of ecstasy.

And Erik had always been good to me, or rather, very possessive.

Until he brought back another woman—the fledgling vampire Trina Petrova. Watching their unrestrained intimacy, I finally realized: whatever Erik felt for me, it wasn't love.

That realization terrified me.

A hundred years ago, I first proposed that we complete the blood pact.

Our families were all for it, but Erik—he flatly refused me.

Over the next century, I proposed it a dozen or so times.

He only agreed seven times—and on all seven of those occasions, he abandoned me.

And each time, like clockwork, Trina would materialize with a fresh taunt.

Just then, my communication stone vibrated again.

I thought it was Trina, and my thumb instinctively moved to crush it, but I saw it was my friend, the witch Caroline Forbes.

She was inviting me to that night's Nocturnal Feast.

Without thinking, I asked, "Is Erik going to be there?"

"Don't worry, Berry. I know things are rough between you two, so I made sure he'd be there. He's coming!" she said cheerfully.

"Then count me out," I replied. "If he's going, I'm not. Maybe next time."

The connection went dead silent. Caroline was stunned.

Everyone knew I had chased Erik for three hundred years.

I tirelessly restored ancient spells to stabilize his power, fought for his interests in the Vampire Council, and spent my days managing his vast, empty castle.

Once, at a Blood Alliance celebration, someone remarked how lucky he was to have me.

But Erik just scoffed coldly. "She's just a convenient blood bag. Who cares what she does?"

Back then, I didn't care. I thought one day he would see my worth.

Now, I cared.

After ending the communication, I sent a telepathic message to all the vampire acquaintances I knew: "From now on, if Erik is attending, please do not invite me."

Then, I returned to my room in the castle.

After bathing, I started gathering Erik's things. I threw them all into the fireplace and set them alight with a small flame spell.

My good friend Caroline appeared in a swirl of smoke, having clearly gotten the message.

When she saw the silk shirts burning in the fireplace, she cried out, "Gods, Berry, are you in there? Are you burning yourself alive?"

I smiled and pointed to the pile of ash. "What are you talking about? This is all Erik's stuff. I'm burning it all."

Caroline froze. After the flames died down, she looked at me in disbelief. "Weren't you and Erik supposed to complete the blood pact today? What happened that led to... this?"

She trailed off, the realization dawning on her face.

She knew everything that had happened before. She was trembling with rage, the magical elements around her vibrating. "He stood you up again? That bastard. No wonder you sent that telepathic message. I bet Trina was behind this. Come on, I'll teach her a lesson with a curse!"

Despite my repeated protests, Caroline dragged me to the manor where the Nocturnal Feast was being held.

We had just reached the entrance to the rose maze outside the ballroom when we heard Erik's voice drifting from inside. "Oh, don't make a fuss. It's been three hundred years. Berry has her little fits, but would she really dare to leave me? After all, without my protection, a mere human like her wouldn't survive a day."

"Once she calms down, she'll come back begging for my forgiveness, just like always."

Standing in the shadows of the maze, I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.

I had given him everything, but in his eyes, I was just throwing a tantrum.

Seeing my reddened eyes, Caroline gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

Just as she was about to string Erik up with vines, I stopped her.

In that moment, I never wanted to see Erik's face again.

I grabbed Caroline's hand and turned to leave. Just as we rounded the exit of the maze, Erik and Trina walked out of the ballroom.

Trina spoke first. "Erik, you've had too much blood. Stop talking. If Berry heard that, she'd be heartbroken."

"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" Erik retorted. "You were the one who told me to agree to it and then stand her up. You're so vicious, Trina."

Hearing that, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

So, it was all just a game. I was nothing but a joke to them. No wonder there wasn't a trace of joy on his face when he agreed to complete the blood pact with me.

I was too lost in my own happiness at the time to notice the scorn in his eyes.

Trina leaned against Erik, patting his chest playfully. "Me, vicious? It was your idea!"

"I only did it to make you happy!"

They started kissing right there in the corridor, lost to the world, the sickeningly wet sound of their tangled tongues echoing in the quiet night.

I was numb by the time Caroline dragged me from the manor.

The cold night wind blew against my skin. My heart felt like a block of frozen stone in my chest.

"Berry, you're just too nice. That's why those two bastards have the gall to play you for a fool!" Caroline was still cursing.

I could only manage a faint smile, the taste of blood still lingering in my mouth. "It's over. From now on, I have nothing more to do with Erik Salvatore."

After finally convincing Caroline to go home, I returned to my room.

Just as I was preparing the ritual to sever the blood pact, I suddenly remembered something.

Then I remembered my promise to restore an ancient grimoire for him, one meant to stabilize his power. I'd already had a blood servant deliver the finished book.

Only then did I remember that Erik never paid attention to messages from low-ranking blood servants. I told the servant to wait, cutting the connection, then initiated a blood-sigil communication with Erik.

From the music in the background, he was at his private club. Despite the music, I could hear the smugness in his voice. "Crawling back so soon?"

"Where's all that fire you had when you abandoned me at the altar?"

The old me would have swallowed my pride, apologized, and tried to placate him.

Now, I just said calmly, "I've restored that grimoire and had it sent over. It's at the entrance to your club. Remember to pick it up later."

Erik's voice sounded even more smug. "What rare tome is it this time, Berry? Trying to win me over? Didn't you just send a telepathic message to everyone saying you wouldn't go anywhere I was? What, coming back to me so soon?"

I didn't answer. I simply severed the blood-sigil connection.

Before the connection was severed, I heard him asking what was so special about the grimoire, saying he'd see how he felt before deciding whether to forgive me.

A cold, humorless laugh escaped my lips.

After chasing him like a fool for three hundred years, he probably thought I had no dignity left. It didn't matter. One day, he would learn he was wrong.