Lunara’s POV

The moment my paws hit the edge of the territory, I shifted back into my human form, clothes materializing around me thanks to the enchantment woven into Killian’s cloak. I tossed the hood back as our den came into view.

Before I even reached the front steps, the heavy oak door burst open and Kael stormed out, eyes wide, scent sharp with panic. He froze when he spotted me and then glanced at the sleek obsidian moon-carriage I’d taken from the Healing Grove, parked at the side.

His face quickly rearranged into something that looked like relief—fake and rushed.

“Lunara!” he called, jogging toward me. “Where have you been? I was… I was worried.”

Worried. I nearly scoffed aloud. This from the mate who hadn’t checked on me once since I nearly died? Who was rutting my sister while my blood still soaked the den floor?

I pasted on a calm smile. “I was out gathering a surprise for our anniversary festival next week.”

Kael blinked, his expression going momentarily blank. “Anniversary... festival?”

I tilted my head, letting my golden eyes pin him in place. “Yes. The full-moon celebration. For our anniversary. Did you forget, Alpha?”

His throat bobbed. “No! Of course not. I’ve just been… overwhelmed with patrol changes and, uh, rogue sightings.”

Liar.I nodded slowly. “Well, I wanted to surprise you, so I won’t spoil it. You’ll see soon enough.”

He gave a strained smile, his aura dim with unease. “You didn’t have to do that. I wish you’d told me—I could’ve come with you.”

“It’s fine,” I murmured. “You’ve been very… busy.”

His guilt spiked. He leaned forward to nuzzle my cheek, a mock display of affection. His touch felt colder than winter frost. “I’m glad you’re home.”

“So am I,” I whispered, stepping past him and walking into the den we once shared—now nothing but a hollow structure filled with betrayal.

As I ascended the spiral stairs to the Alpha’s quarters, bile rose in my throat. The same bed. The same room. My once sacred space—defiled by his treachery.

The door creaked behind me.I turned, expecting Kael.But it was Ashira.

She leaned against the carved doorway in a silk wrap that barely covered her. Her lips twisted into that insufferable smirk. Her scent slithered through the room like poison.

“You saw us, didn’t you?” she purred, stepping inside.

I kept my face blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She laughed, low and malicious. “Oh, don’t lie. I saw you. Standing there, watching. I hope you enjoyed the show.”

I stared at her. Unmoving. Unflinching.

“You should’ve stayed longer,” she added with a wink. “Kael likes it when I howl his name.”

“Cute,” I said with a shrug. “You should head downstairs. He’s probably wondering where his little toy wandered off to. I need rest.”

Her smirk faltered, just a fraction. She hadn’t expected indifference. But she masked it quickly.

“Fine,” she said, flipping her hair. “But when you’re ready to admit defeat, feel free to knock. Or watch again.”

She slinked out like the snake she was.I locked the door with a flick of my fingers and pulled out my rune crystal.

Phase one is done. Get ready.Killian’s response was instant. A burning-red heart rune pulsed across the screen.

~

Over the next two days, Kael was glued to me. He shadowed my every step, his wolf pacing near mine with unnatural closeness. He thought I hadn’t seen him and Ashira that night—but some part of him sensed the shift in me.

I kept my face sweet. My voice soft. The perfect Luna. Meanwhile, I seethed beneath the surface and prepared.

When I finally needed a push, I sent Ashira a rune message.

(Looks like Kael’s done with you. He hasn’t left my side since I got back. Keep dreaming, Ashira. He was always mine.)

Her reaction was immediate. Soon, Kael’s rune crystal began to pulse with calls and messages. At first, he ignored them. But after a dozen flickers of her scent curling near the den’s edge, he cracked.

“I have to leave,” he told me that evening, voice wrapped in faux remorse. “A High Council summit has been called. Urgent territory matter. I’ll be gone three days.”

“Our anniversary’s in four,” I murmured, faking disappointment.

“I’ll be back in time, I swear it.” He kissed my forehead like I was still his, then grabbed his cloak and vanished into the night.

Perfect.

~

The next three days were a blur of movement. I finalized the details Killian and I had planned. Ashira made things easier with her arrogance—sending me rune-pictures of her and Kael locked in intimate poses, thinking she was breaking me.

She didn’t realize every image only fueled me.I saved each one.Then… the full moon rose. The night of our so-called anniversary.

I stood in the den’s great hall, heart calm, mind sharp.I opened my rune crystal and sent one final message to Kael.

Happy Anniversary. I left your gift on the table.

Then I placed my gift—signed rejection scrolls, inked in my own blood to sever our bond. Alongside them were all the rune-images and photos Ashira had sent.

I blocked their crystals immediately.I took one last breath of the den’s air and walked out with my suitcase.

Killian stood waiting, dressed in ceremonial black, a wicked grin tugging at his lips.

“Ready?” he asked, holding out his hand.

I didn’t hesitate. I took it.A moon-glider was ready on the cliff—a rare, enchanted vessel that flew faster than any winged beast. Its silver hull gleamed under the stars.

I glanced at Killian. “How did you afford a moon-glider?”

He only smirked.I was too tired to care. I settled in.Just as we lifted into the air, I nodded once.

Killian pressed the rune on his communicator. A thousand messages burst into the night—sent to every Alpha court, every council, every pack.

Let the fun begin.

Chapter 7

Kael’s POV

Guilt clawed at Kael’s insides as he stared at the glowing rune stone in his palm. The swirling message from Lunara glowed softly in her golden script: Don’t forget our Luna-Union Festival today.

His heart sank.He had forgotten.Their Luna-Union anniversary celebration—one that the entire Moonveil Pack would attend—was today. He hadn’t prepared anything. No offering. No gift. Not even a damn flower for his mate.

A warm tongue licked his jaw, dragging him out of his spiraling thoughts.

Ashira, curled beside him in the moss-laden nest of the private grove they’d claimed for their secret retreat, nuzzled against his throat.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” she murmured, voice still husky from their tangled night.

“Nothing important,” he replied, dropping the rune stone into his satchel and pulling her close again.

The ancient grove was hidden by thick warding spells and shielded from pack patrols. He and Ashira still had a few hours before they’d need to head back. He could swing by the merchant stalls in Hollowfang Valley and grab something glittery for Lunara. It would be fine. He’d smooth it over—he always did.

There was no reason to panic. He was the Alpha. He was in control.Kael exhaled deeply, threading his fingers through Ashira’s hair.

But an hour later, a flurry of sharp rune alerts buzzed against his thigh.

First one.Then another.Then a flood.

And then the howls began—urgent, echoing through the territory like a storm.

He sat up, tension coiling in his chest. His rune stone vibrated violently. A name blinked across the screen: Lucas.

Kael answered with a growl. “What is it?”

“Turn on the damn scrying mirror,” Lucas barked. “Now. It’s bad, Kael. Really bad.”

Kael frowned and leapt from the grove nest. He threw on his cloak and rushed to the crystal-fed scrying orb mounted inside the alcove nearby. His claws trembled as he activated the rune.

The image flickered, then solidified.And his entire world shattered.A still frame filled the mirror.Him.Ashira.Locked in a heated kiss beneath the moonlight, her robes tangled around her waist, his hand pressed to her bare thigh.And above the image, in fiery red glyphs:

“MOONVEIL BETRAYED: Alpha Kael Thorne in Forbidden Bond with Luna’s Sister.”

Kael stumbled back, nearly tripping over a root. His breath left him in a harsh exhale.

“No… no, no, no!” he muttered, clutching his head.

Ashira emerged behind him, now fully dressed, brushing leaves from her sleeves. “What is it?”

He pointed. She followed his gaze—and paled.

Her lips parted. “Oh spirits. My husband… Killian will see this.”

Kael’s pulse roared. “Lucas,” he growled into the rune stone. “Scrub it. Every channel, every tether. Bury it.”

“I already tried,” Lucas replied grimly. “The entire Council's scrying grid picked it up. It’s viral, Rich. There's no stopping it.”

“No!”

His hands shook as he tried to call Lunara. The link rang once—then cut off. He tried again. Blocked.He tried through their mate bond—emptiness.

“She blocked me,” he whispered.

Ashira was panicking now, too. “Killian’s blocked my mind-link. He knows! Kael, we have to do something!”

But Kael was already backing away. Already running.He didn’t speak. Didn’t look at her.

He shifted mid-step, fur tearing through skin as his wolf burst forth in a blaze of black and silver. He bolted from the grove, howling past trees and darting through packlands, leaving Ashira’s cries behind.

He had to get home.Had to explain.Had to fix this.Wind tore through his fur. His paws barely touched the forest floor. He pushed harder, faster, driven by desperation.

He’d always taken Lunara for granted. Thought she’d never leave. She had no one else. No escape.

But now—now that he’d felt that terrifying hollowness of her absence, he realized something he never wanted to admit.

He needed her.More than he’d ever needed anything.Please, Moon Goddess… let her forgive me.

He reached the edge of their den and shifted back into his human form, not even waiting for the cloak enchantment to settle.

“Lunara!” he shouted as he burst through the door.

Silence.The den was cold. Lifeless.

On the central stone table sat a single envelope. Elegant. Clean. With his name in Lunara’s perfect script.

He picked it up with trembling hands.

Inside: Mate Severance scrolls. Signed. Sealed. Official.And beneath them, a short handwritten note:

Beside it, a stack of crystal-printed images—more damning than the one on the scrying mirror.

Pictures of him and Ashira in the grove. The private moments he thought no one saw.

A strangled noise escaped his throat. His knees buckled.

“Lunara…”

His voice cracked, echoing through the empty den.But she was already gone.