I stood motionless, unable to look away as their lips met. They were lost in their own world, oblivious to my presence—until Owen finally pulled back and his gaze flickered past Cynthia to land on me. The torchlight in the corridor cast eerie shadows on his face, sharpening the cruel glint in his eyes.

"Why?" My fingers tightened around the icy iron bars, my whole body trembling. My voice barely made it past my lips. "I gave you everything, Owen—my love, my trust, my loyalty. You were the only one I ever confided in about my wolf."

"Exactly," he interrupted smoothly, stepping closer to my cell. "I was the only one who knew how much of a threat you really are."

Cynthia’s expression shifted, the slight widening of her eyes revealing that even she hadn’t known this part of his scheme.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my pulse roaring in my ears.

A cold laugh escaped Owen’s lips. "Did you really think I loved you?" He scoffed. "You're James Darkwood’s daughter—born from the bloodline of the most dominant Alpha this region has ever seen. Your lineage alone could challenge the power of the Moon Goddess herself." His smirk deepened. "I had to keep you close. I needed to understand what I was dealing with."

"But I never—" I tried to argue, but he cut me off with a mocking shake of his head.

"Never what? Never planned to overthrow me?" His palm slammed against the bars, making the metal shudder violently. I flinched at the sound, my breath hitching. Somewhere in the depths of the prison, a distant scream echoed.

"That day at the training grounds," he continued, voice low and venomous, "you played the weakling, but I saw the truth. Your wolf was anything but fragile—it carried the same power that made your father unstoppable."

The puzzle pieces started falling into place. My stomach twisted. "So every moment between us…"

"Was nothing more than a way to keep you under control," he confirmed without hesitation. "I had to ensure you stayed where I wanted you—despised, powerless, and completely alone." His lips curled in satisfaction. "And then Mara became a problem."

A shudder ran through me. "Mara?"

"She caught you shifting in the forest." Owen leaned in, his breath laced with the scent of wine from the earlier festivities. "She came to me, eager to defend you, desperate to clear your name. Poor thing never realized the danger you posed."

My arms wrapped around myself as his words sank in.

"You killed her," I murmured, the accusation tasting like poison on my tongue. "And you made sure I took the blame."

His smile was slow and sinister. "Two birds, one stone," he said, spreading his hands as if this had all been a grand performance. "With Mara gone, the pack’s hatred for you only grew. And now…" He gestured toward the Alpha insignia on his chest. "I have everything I ever wanted."

Cynthia let out a soft, smug laugh as she traced her fingers over his chest. "And I get to be Luna—the title you naively thought would be yours."

A surge of fury burned through my veins, making my vision blur. My grip on the bars tightened. "You’re a coward!" I spat. "You betrayed me. You let an innocent woman die just to fuel your own ambitions!"

Before I could react, his hand shot between the bars, fingers locking around my throat like a vice. The world tilted as I gasped for air, his grip crushing my windpipe with terrifying ease.

"Watch your tone," he warned, his voice soft but laced with menace. He yanked me forward, bringing my face inches from his. "I am your Alpha now. Your life belongs to me."

I clawed at his wrist, nails sinking into his skin, but he didn’t even flinch. Darkness crept into my vision as my body fought for oxygen.

"You promised…" I wheezed, my strength failing. "You said… once you became Alpha… you’d let me go."

Abruptly, he released me, and I crumpled to the cold stone floor, coughing violently.

"Oh, I will," he murmured, pacing in slow, deliberate steps. "But your release won’t be freedom. It’ll be something far worse."

A chill ran through me. "What does that mean?" I forced out, dread curling around my heart.

"You’ll see tomorrow," he said casually, his lips curving into a smirk. "Consider it my final gift to you, my dear mate." He spat the last word as if it disgusted him.

Cynthia lingered at the cell door, tilting her head as she regarded me with amusement. "The saddest part?" she said mockingly. "You willingly took the fall. The perfect little martyr, right to the bitter end."

Their footsteps faded down the corridor, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence. My body curled against the cold, unforgiving ground, my chest heaving with silent sobs.

And that was when the truth finally settled in.

I hadn’t been cursed by the Moon Goddess.

I had been cursed by my own blind heart.

—------------

"Ariana James, you stand before this pack to face your judgment," the elder announced, his voice echoing through the clearing. "Tonight, the Moon Goddess herself will bear witness to your punishment."

The gathered wolves roared with outrage, their anger pressing down on me like a crushing weight.

I barely heard them. My gaze locked onto Owen, silently begging him to keep his word. But when our eyes met, all I saw was icy detachment—like I had never meant anything to him at all.

Then he raised a hand, silencing the crowd. "Stop the execution," he commanded.

Murmurs of confusion rippled through the pack.

"Owen," one of the council members hesitated, "the decision has been made. Execution is—"

"I have a better punishment in mind," he interrupted smoothly, his lips curling in satisfaction.

A chill crept down my spine.

"What exactly do you propose?" an elder asked cautiously. The other council members exchanged uncertain glances, sensing the shift in the air.

Owen turned to me, his expression unreadable, yet the malice in his gaze was unmistakable.

"Death is too easy for her," he said, his voice calm and measured. "She deserves something far worse."

The crowd stirred uneasily.

"Speak plainly, Alpha Owen," an elder pressed.

Owen exhaled, like he was savoring the moment, then delivered his verdict.

"Sell her," he said.

A stunned silence fell over the clearing before horrified whispers broke out.

"Slavery?" one elder scoffed. "That’s hardly justice!"

"If anything, it’s too lenient," another growled.

"You misunderstand," Owen said smoothly, his smirk deepening. "She won’t just be sold. She will be given to the Night Walker Pack."

Gasps echoed through the clearing.

A suffocating dread gripped my chest.

The Night Walker Pack.

A fate worse than death.

The silence that followed was suffocating, as if the entire courtyard had collectively lost the ability to breathe.

A sharp gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it. Even someone like me—who had been scorned, ridiculed, and treated as an outcast my entire life—felt sheer terror claw at my chest at the mere mention of that name.

The Night Walker Pack.

A realm ruled by the infamous Lycan King, a monster of a ruler whose name was whispered only in hushed, fearful tones. His reputation for brutality was legendary, and it was said that the severed heads of those who dared defy him were impaled along the borders of his territory as an ominous warning to all.

His warriors were demons of both strength and cruelty, and his captives—well, those unfortunate enough to be claimed as his slaves rarely lived long. The horrifying stories that seeped past those cursed borders were enough to paralyze even the bravest of wolves with fear.

Women were condemned to unspeakable fates—forced into servitude, subjected to heinous acts, and treated as nothing more than breeding stock or playthings for cruel entertainment. Men were worked to the bone, their bodies discarded like useless scraps once they were no longer of any use. The Night Walker Pack knew no mercy, only endless, inescapable suffering.

No one spoke of them lightly. No one dared cross their borders. And no one, no matter how powerful, ever returned alive.

“No… no, please…” My voice trembled as tears blurred my vision, my entire body locking up in terror.

One of the council members hesitated, casting a wary glance at Alpha Owen. “Alpha, surely this punishment is excessive, even for her crimes. Perhaps we should reconsider—”

“Let me remind you,” Owen interrupted smoothly, his voice cold as steel, “that Ariana James is a murderer. She deserves no leniency, no kindness. And the Night Walker Pack…” He smirked. “They know exactly how to deal with creatures like her.”

A tense silence followed, and then, one by one, the elders nodded in agreement. Even Alpha Marcus, who had remained visibly uncomfortable, eventually relented. I noticed the slight tremor in his hands as he signed the decree, but he still signed it nonetheless.

Then, as if ignited by a spark, the crowd erupted.

Shouts of triumph rang through the air, cheers and laughter blending into a sickening symphony of hatred and celebration. They reveled in my fate as though it were some grand festival, their voices cutting through me like a thousand blades.

“Send the murderer away!” “Let the Night Walker Pack have her!” “Justice for Mara!”

Owen turned to me then, his piercing blue eyes gleaming with victory. There was no trace of the man I had once loved, no flicker of remorse. Only satisfaction.

In that moment, I understood. Death would have been a mercy. This… this was far worse.

Rough hands seized me, dragging me to my feet. I thrashed, desperation giving me strength. “No! Please! Someone—anyone—help me!” But no one did.

A heavy metal cage was dragged into the courtyard, rusted and worn, its bars lined with dried blood from past occupants. My heart pounded wildly as they forced me inside, slamming the door shut behind me. The clang of metal rang out like a death knell.

The crowd roared again as the cage was lifted onto a wagon. I gripped the bars so tightly that my knuckles turned white, my breath coming in panicked gasps.

Then—

“Wait.”

Owen’s voice sliced through the chaos, silencing the crowd. The wagon came to a jarring halt. A cold wave of dread crashed over me.

What more could he possibly want?

He stepped forward, his gaze locked onto mine. “There’s still something missing,” he mused, his voice dripping with cruelty.

I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering.

Owen stopped directly in front of the cage, his expression eerily calm. Then he said the word that sent ice through my veins.

“Rejection.”

My entire body stiffened.

The bond. The sacred mate bond.

Rejection wasn’t just a severance—it was torture. A brutal, agonizing torment that could break even the strongest wolves.

I had witnessed it before. A warrior had once rejected his mate, and she had screamed in agony for three days before her wolf finally succumbed to the pain, leaving her an empty shell.

Owen’s smirk widened. “You see, Ariana, I’ve been saving this moment. If I reject you now, the pain will linger until you reach the Night Walker Pack. And in your weakened state, well… we all know what happens to the weak there.”

My blood ran cold.

The Night Walkers had no use for the weak. Those deemed unworthy were either cast into the wilds to die alone or used as entertainment in their sadistic games.

I gripped the bars, shaking my head violently. “Owen… please. I’m begging you. We were meant to be forever.”

His expression remained indifferent. “Forever?” he repeated mockingly, before straightening and speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I, Alpha Owen, reject you, Ariana James, as my mate and future Luna.”

Agony. Pure, unfiltered agony. It ripped through me like a thousand knives plunging into my heart, tearing apart the bond that had once tethered us together. A raw, ragged scream was ripped from my throat as my body convulsed from the sheer force of it.

The crowd watched, some turning away in discomfort, others leaning in with morbid fascination.

Gasping through the pain, I forced the words out through trembling lips. “I… Ariana James… accept your rejection.”

And with that, the bond shattered completely.

The emptiness that followed was worse than the pain. It was a void so deep, so consuming, that for a moment, I thought it might swallow me whole.

Owen dusted off his robes, his smirk never fading. “Take her away. And make sure she understands—she is never to set foot in our territory again.”

The guards yanked the wagon forward, forcing me past the borders. I stumbled, barely catching myself, but I didn’t look back.

Not until I had one last thing to say.

Turning sharply, I locked eyes with Owen, my body trembling not with fear—but with fury. “You think this is the end?” My voice was low, laced with something dangerous. “You think you’ve won? You’re wrong, Owen. This is just the beginning.”

I felt my wolf’s power surge within me, wild and unchecked. “One day, you will regret this. I swear at it. You haven’t broken me—you’ve only made me stronger.”

Owen merely chuckled, folding his arms as he watched me with infuriating amusement. “We’ll see about that.”

I turned away, my chains rattling as the wagon jerked forward.

I didn’t look back again.

Because this wasn’t the end.

One day, I would return.

And when I did—Owen would learn what true regret felt like.