Aveline’s POV

A knock echoed through my room that night, dragging me out of a thin, restless half-sleep. My eyes burned, swollen from crying until the sky had lightened, but I forced myself upright anyway. Somewhere deep inside, my wolf shifted uneasily, unsettled and alert.

The door opened before I could even answer.

“Aveline,” a familiar voice murmured.

Theo.

Or rather, the man everyone insisted was Theo.

But every time I looked at him, something inside me recoiled. His stare wasn’t distant or subdued like a grieving twin’s should be. It was sharp—too intense, too alive. It was Alaric’s gaze wearing another name.

He stepped fully into the room, his broad shoulders nearly filling the doorway. He looked exhausted, hair slightly disordered, face shadowed—as if he were the one crushed beneath sorrow.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he said quietly, eyes fixed on the floor. His jaw tightened, fingers curling and uncurling at his sides. “I never should’ve raised my hand against you. I lost control.”

I didn’t respond. My throat felt scorched, packed tight with words I refused to give him.

He came closer, his tone firm but carefully restrained. “I’m grieving the child in my brother’s place,” he continued. “You know Alaric would never have wanted that pup gone. And as his twin, it’s my responsibility to guard what belonged to him.”

My wolf bristled violently at the word guard.

Protect? No. This was nothing but another lie, delivered straight to my face.

I said nothing. I simply pulled the blanket closer and turned toward the wall, cutting him out of my sight.

“Aveline,” he tried again, softer now, coaxing. “You need to rest. You’ve been through too much.”

Before I could stop him, his hands lifted the blanket higher, tucking it around my shoulders as if I were something fragile, breakable. His fingers lingered at the edge of the fabric.

“I heard this helps you sleep,” he added quietly.

I bit into my tongue until the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

He was still pretending. Still playing the role. Still hiding behind a dead man’s name—all for her.

When he finally left, the click of the door closing felt like a weight settling on my chest. I stared into the darkness until morning, numb, unmoving, unable even to cry.

---

I woke the next day to chaos.

Shouting rattled the walls. Feet thundered down the corridors. Elowen’s sobs echoed through the packhouse like a siren.

When I opened my door, I was met with hostile stares. Servants. Warriors. Elder maidens. All gathered, whispering with sharp mouths and sharpened eyes.

“She destroyed them.”

“Burned everything.”

“Even the rare ones we nearly died collecting.”

My stomach dropped.

Elowen appeared moments later, wrapped in a pale robe, tears streaking her cheeks. She looked pitiful—small, broken, clinging to sympathy like a lifeline. But when her gaze met mine, I saw it.

Triumph.

She buried her face against the Alpha’s chest.

“I saw her,” she sobbed loudly. “I watched Aveline burn my medicine. Every last bit.”

My breath caught. “That’s not true!” I shouted, but my words were swallowed by gasps and angry murmurs.

The Luna mother spun toward me, horror twisting her face. “How could you do something so cruel? You tried to kill her by destroying her treatment? Haven’t you caused enough harm already?”

The word murderer drifted through the room like poison smoke.

I wanted to tear the truth from Elowen’s mouth. To scream until the walls cracked. But before I could move, the Alpha raised his hand.

Silence fell instantly.

His expression was cold, merciless. “Confine her to her room. No meals. No water.”

My wolf roared inside me, but my body froze. Two servants seized my arms before I could react, their grips brutal.

Elowen’s crying intensified. She clutched him tighter, shaking her head weakly. “Please, Alpha… don’t punish her. She’s grieving. She lost her mate. She didn’t mean it. I’m fine—we’ll replace the herbs. Let her go.”

Her voice was gentle. Virtuous. Convincing.

But Alaric’s jaw hardened. He looked at her with false concern, then turned to me with eyes like stone. “No. Aveline’s actions are dangerous. She intended to worsen your condition by destroying your medicine.”

“You know that’s a lie!” I screamed. “I never touched them!”

“Take her away,” he said flatly.

They dragged me down the corridor as I kicked and fought, but the warriors were stronger. They threw me into my room, locked the door, and left.

For two days, no one came.

No food.

No water.

The first night, I clawed at the door until my nails split. By the second, my throat was so dry I couldn’t scream anymore. My wolf whimpered faintly, weakened by hunger.

I curled on the floor, shaking, fury burning hotter than the tears streaming down my face.

I will make him suffer.

I will make him feel every shred of this hunger, this rage, this helplessness.

That promise kept me breathing.

On the second night, the lock turned.

The door opened.

Two servants stood there, faces unreadable. “Stand up.”

I blinked at them, dizzy. “What…?”

“Orders from the Alpha,” one replied. “Elowen wants you to prepare dinner.”

My body shook as they hauled me through the halls. My legs felt hollow, barely holding me upright.

The kitchen stank of firewood and raw meat. They shoved me toward the counter. “Cook.”

My stomach twisted violently at the sight of food. My knees nearly buckled. But the warriors hovered close, daring me to refuse.

My hands trembled as I took the knife, slicing, stirring, moving through the motions. I cooked the same meals I once made for Alaric—dishes he used to praise with a smile that once meant everything.

Now, they tasted like ash.

When the stew finished simmering, I caught my reflection in the polished metal of the pot.

Sunken cheeks. Red-rimmed eyes. A stranger staring back.

And in that moment, I swore silently:

This was not how my story ended.

They could starve me. Strike me. Lock me away.

But they would not break me.

And one day—

he would understand what it meant to be trapped in hunger.

Aveline’s POV

I set the final platter onto the long oak table, my fingers shaking so badly I nearly dropped it. Every muscle in my arms screamed in protest, and my chest felt crushed beneath an invisible weight. Still, I straightened, forcing my body to obey. Serving, enduring—that was all I was allowed to do now.

The aroma of roasted venison mixed with herbs and slow-cooked roots drifted through the hall, rich and familiar. It was the dish Alpha Alaric had always favored.

Even like this—hollowed out, starved, stripped of dignity—I had cooked for him. Somewhere deep inside, a foolish thought lingered: maybe the scent, the taste, the meals I once made with devotion would stir something in him. Maybe it would remind him of the woman who used to sit at his side.

He occupied the seat at the head of the table, posture rigid, expression carved from ice. But when his eyes flicked briefly toward the food, I saw it—a momentary crack. A shadow of longing. As if memory reached for him despite himself. My heart clenched painfully, though I refused to let that fragile spark turn into hope.

“Sit down,” my mother-in-law snapped, her voice sharp enough to cut.

I moved toward one of the chairs, but she spoke again before I could lower myself.

“Not there. On the ground.”

I froze. My breath caught, lips parting in disbelief. Surely I had misheard. I lifted my eyes toward Alaric, silently pleading—begging him to stop this, to say something, anything. He didn’t even look at me.

I swallowed, my stomach twisting violently with hunger.

Slowly, unwillingly, I sank to the floor.

Not beside the table. Beneath it. Reduced to eating at their feet—like a stray, like something unworthy of a chair. Less than even the lowest omega.

The shame burned hotter than any wound, but my body was too drained to resist. Hunger gnawed mercilessly, hollowing me out from the inside. I pressed my lips together, forcing myself to endure. I had been humiliated before in this pack… but never by Alaric. Never by the people who once called me family.

A plate was placed before me on the floor. I reached for it and began to eat, every bite scraping raw against what remained of my pride.

Then a sharp cough shattered the heavy silence.

“Alpha—!”

Elowen’s voice rang out, brittle and panicked. She coughed again, harder this time, red staining her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide with terror. “I—I’ve been poisoned!”

The hall erupted. Gasps, chairs scraping back, warriors leaping to their feet. Every gaze swung toward me—toward the woman crouched on the floor, the one Elowen had always painted as her enemy.

I froze, food still in my mouth, as she crumpled dramatically into another wolf’s arms.

Alaric shot up so fast his chair shrieked against the stone. His fury was a physical force as he strode toward me and kicked the plate from my hands. Food scattered across the floor like debris.

“How dare you?” His voice thundered, his Alpha aura crushing down on me until it was hard to breathe. “You didn’t learn anything, Aveline. Now you’re vile enough to poison a meal?!”

I flinched as if struck. “No—I didn’t!” I cried, my voice breaking.

He didn’t hear me. His eyes blazed with betrayal.

“Take Elowen to the infirmary,” he ordered sharply. “Immediately!”

Warriors rushed to comply. In the chaos, bodies shifting around her, I caught one fleeting glimpse of Elowen’s face. Her lips curved—just barely—into a thin, victorious smile.

Ice flooded my veins.

She planned this. Every bit of it.

And Alaric… Alaric never questioned it.

“Elites,” he called, his voice slicing through the noise. His gaze returned to me, merciless. “Deal with her. Throw her into the Death Garden.”

The world tilted. My legs gave way beneath me.

“No…” My voice shattered. Tears spilled freely as I crawled forward, palms flat against the floor. “Alpha, please—don’t. You know what that place does. Wolves don’t survive it—”

“Enough!”

His command slammed down, silencing not only me but my wolf, who whimpered and retreated inside.

My chest rose and fell in broken gasps. I looked up at him, desperate. “Please listen. I would never poison her. You know me. You know my wolf—”

His jaw tightened. The eyes I once trusted, once called home, regarded me like dirt beneath his boots.

That was when it sank in.

He would never choose me.

Not over her.

Hands seized my arms. I was dragged across the floor, my pleas dissolving into screams, then into hoarse sobs. No one intervened.

When the iron gates of the Death Garden creaked open, dread washed over me instantly. Rot and decay saturated the air, the cursed flowers radiating a deathly pressure that crushed a wolf’s spirit. Mine whimpered in fear, curling inward. The moment my bare feet touched the soil, weakness flooded my limbs.

The gates slammed shut.

My breathing turned shallow, my chest constricting as though unseen hands were closing around my heart. Darkness threatened my vision, but I forced myself to move, clinging to one single instinct:

Survive.

With shaking fingers, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the burner phone I had hidden for weeks. The call connected almost immediately.

“…Aveline?” my father’s voice answered.

I swallowed, forcing strength into my tone. “We need to change the plan,” I rasped. “Burn the Death Garden. Make it look like… make it look like I died here.”

“Aveline—”

“Do it,” I insisted, tears spilling as my knees finally gave out. “If Alaric wants me gone so badly, let him believe it worked. Let him live with it. Let him regret.”

The rescue came swiftly—shadows moving through the night. I barely registered the arms lifting me, the smoke filling my lungs, the fire roaring behind us as flames consumed the cursed garden.

A body—already prepared—was left behind to burn. Around its charred neck, they placed the necklace Alaric had once given me. The symbol of a love I once believed in.

Now, it would mark my death.

And the beginning of his punishment.

...

Alaric’s POV

The door slammed open as my Beta staggered inside, breathless and pale.

“Alpha!” he gasped. “The Death Garden—it caught fire. The flames were uncontrollable. We couldn’t save her.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “We found a body… burned beyond recognition. But—”

He hesitated.

“She was wearing Aveline’s necklace. The one you gave her.”

Alaric’s POV

I could hardly breathe when the whispers reached me.

The omega servant stammered the words like she was afraid they’d slice my chest open, “Alpha… Lady Aveline… she’s gone. Burned in the garden.”

For a moment, I thought my ears deceived me. No—my mind refused to accept it. I stood there frozen, but my wolf stirred violently inside me, howling and thrashing against my ribs.

“No,” I muttered, shaking my head, clenching my fists.

But the look in her terrified eyes told me it wasn’t a jest.

My legs carried me before I even realized it, storming out into the garden with dread clawing up my throat. The scent of ash and char filled my lungs the moment I stepped outside. Wolves murmured, scattered about with their heads low, avoiding my gaze.

And then I saw it.

The earth was blackened, still smoking faintly, and there among the cinders lay a shape—small, scorched beyond recognition. My heart dropped into a pit so deep it felt endless.

Beside it, half-buried in the ashes, was a necklace. Her necklace. The one I gave Aveline when I swore I would never let her feel alone again.

My knees buckled. I stumbled forward, my hands trembling as I picked it up, its chain burnt and warped, the pendant charred but unmistakable.

“No…” My voice cracked, my chest squeezing so hard I could hardly get air. “Aveline…”

My wolf wailed inside me, the sound so raw I nearly doubled over. I wanted to deny it, to rage and demand proof, but the truth was burning in front of me.

She was gone.

And I had done this.

I sank to the ground, numb, my hands shaking around the broken necklace. My breath came ragged. My vision blurred with tears I didn’t even know I still had in me. My heart was breaking open, bleeding memories. Aveline’s laughter. The fire in her eyes when she challenged me. The warmth of her touch when she carried my pup inside her.

I should have been at her side. I should have fought for her. Instead, I let lies and schemes take root. I chose Elowen. And now… now there was nothing left.

“Aveline…” I whispered her name like a prayer, but the wind only carried smoke.

I didn’t know how long I knelt there before I heard footsteps. Elowen. Her scent reached me even before her soft voice did.

“Alpha…” She crouched beside me, her hand reaching for my arm. “Don’t… don’t look at it anymore. Come inside. Please.”

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

Her hand rested lightly against my shoulder, but it felt like ash against my skin. I flinched away, eyes still fixed on the ruin before me. Words choked me, trapped in my throat.

“She’s gone,” I finally rasped, the words tasting like venom.

Elowen’s breath hitched, but she tried to sound soothing. “You… you still have me.”

I turned to her then, and the look in her eyes startled her into silence. Because I saw it, clear as the flames that consumed Aveline—this was the cost of my betrayal. I had planned to return to Aveline once Elowen’s illness had run its course. I thought time would wait for me, that I could twist fate to my liking.

But fate had burned her alive before I could crawl back.

And I had no one to blame but myself.

The funeral was held the next day. The air was heavy, the pack cloaked in black. The wolves gathered, heads bowed as the pyre was lit anew. They spoke of Aveline as though she had been nothing but a troublesome she-wolf, a fiancée who had lost her way. Lies. All lies.

I stood apart, the flames reflecting in my eyes, burning the hollow inside me.

I hadn’t wept openly in years, but now I couldn’t stop. I let my pack see me on my knees, fists pressed to the earth, shoulders shaking. My wolf howled in mourning, echoing through the bond, raw and unrestrained. They were wondering why me—Theo—was weeping like I lost my other half.

I realized, in that merciless firelight, just how much I loved her still.

I had convinced myself otherwise, let myself be led by guilt, duty, and Elowen’s fragility. But Aveline, she was supposed to be my luna, my true heart. Every memory of her burned sharper than any blade. Her stubbornness, her courage, even the way she looked at me when she was angry, it was all gone, and I would never hear her voice again.

Elowen stood behind me, her hand brushing my arm, whispering, “You’re not alone, Alpha. I’m here.”

I didn’t move. My chest was stone.

Her words rang hollow. Because no matter how she clung to me, I couldn’t feel anything. Not warmth. Not comfort. Only regret so sharp it carved me open.

If I hadn’t agreed to Elowen’s plan, if I hadn’t staged my death to be with her, none of this would have happened. Aveline wouldn’t have spiraled. She wouldn’t have been left to suffer, to abort our pup, to stand alone against whispers and cruelty.

I had destroyed her.

After the funeral, I shut myself away. I didn’t want Elowen near me. I didn’t want anyone. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the flames, heard Aveline’s voice, remembered the feel of her hand in mine the night I first swore I’d never leave her.

But I had left her.

I became cold to Elowen. Her gentle touches, her attempts at comfort, they turned my stomach. My wolf snarled at her presence, a beast that wanted nothing to do with the woman I had sacrificed everything for.

“Alpha,” she whispered one night, tears brimming in her eyes. “Why won’t you look at me? I… I need you.”

“You need me?” I finally snapped, my voice breaking. “She needed me. And I wasn’t there.”

Elowen flinched, shrinking back. “I never meant for this—”

“Don’t.” My voice was ice. “Don’t speak her name. You will never understand what you cost me.”

I left her there, sobbing softly in the shadows. I didn’t care. Because the truth was simple, cruel, and unchangeable.

Aveline was gone. And I had loved her too late.

That night, I sat alone in the garden where the fire had claimed her. The scorched earth still smelled faintly of smoke. I clutched the charred necklace in my hand until it cut into my palm.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered into the night, though no one would answer. “If there is a moon beyond this sky, if there’s a place where your spirit roams, hear me, Aveline. I was a fool. And I’ll never forgive myself.”

The wind stirred, cold against my face. My wolf curled into himself, silent in his grief.

And I knew then that no matter how long I lived, no matter how strong I became, I would carry this regret until the day the Moon Goddess called me home.