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.

Aveline’s POV

I could barely recognize myself when I finally stepped foot back into Thorndike territory. My body was weak, my spirit even weaker, but what truly weighed me down was the betrayal festering in my chest like a poisoned wound. Every breath tasted of ash, and every memory of Alaric burned like fire in my veins.

I almost married that man. I almost gave my life, my future, my heart, all of me, to someone who could stage his death and walk away as if I were nothing.

Coward. Liar. Betrayer.

The words looped in my head until I felt sick.

I told myself that faking my death had been the only way out of that hellhole. And it was true. But truth didn’t soothe the bitterness. No, it sharpened it. I had been driven to such an extreme because of Alaric, because of Elowen, because of the Vandolph Pack that coddled lies and drowned me in humiliation.

I would never forgive him. Not in this lifetime.

As I crossed the familiar gates of Thorndike, the scent of pine and mountain air hit me, wrapping me in the comfort of home. This was where I belonged, where my blood ran deep into the soil. I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until now.

The first person I saw was my mother, Luna Grecia. She rushed toward me the moment her eyes landed on me, her face wet with tears. “Aveline!” Her voice broke as she pulled me into her arms, clutching me as if she’d never let go again.

“Mother,” I whispered, my throat tightening. I hadn’t cried since I left Vandolph, but now, against her embrace, my dam nearly broke.

“My child, my sweet girl,” she murmured into my hair. “You’re home. You’re safe now.”

Behind her, my father, Alpha Gregory, stood tall. But even an Alpha’s stoic mask couldn’t hide the way his eyes glistened. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, fury rippling through his aura. When I stepped out of Mother’s arms, he came forward and held me by the shoulders.

“They will pay,” he growled. His voice was low, trembling with a dangerous promise. “Vandolph dared to treat my daughter this way, dared to—” He cut himself off, grinding his teeth. “They will have no ties with Thorndike ever again.”

A sob tore from my chest, not because of weakness, but because of relief. “Father…”

“You don’t need to say a word.” His jaw tightened, but his eyes softened when he looked at me. “You’re home now, Aveline. That’s all that matters.”

I nodded, though anger still gnawed at me. “I can’t believe I almost—” My voice cracked. “—almost gave my life to Alaric.”

Mother’s arms wrapped around me again, as if shielding me from the very name. “Don’t you speak of him again. He’s not worth your breath.”

“I won’t.” I forced my tears back. “He’ll never see my face again.”

And I meant it. I would never look back. Never meet that man again in my life. Let him rot in his own lies with Elowen clinging to him like a parasite. I was done.

The Thorndike Pack received me with open arms. Wolves I grew up with, warriors who once sparred with me in training, omegas who served in the kitchens—all of them gathered around, offering embraces, smiles, tears of joy. Their happiness at my return was like a balm to my battered soul.

“You should rest,” Mother insisted once the greetings quieted.

But before I could retire, I noticed a group of strangers near the edge of the training grounds. Their scents were different. Stronger, sharper—like steel and storm. Lycans.

I frowned. “Father, why are there lycans here?”

He followed my gaze, his expression unreadable. “They’re not enemies. They came seeking refuge.”

“Refuge?” My brow furrowed. Lycans rarely mingled with packs.

“They’re tired,” Father explained. “Tired of endless battles, of living on the edge every day. You know their kind has been hunted and threatened for decades. Some wanted a quieter life, away from the bloodshed. Thorndike offered them sanctuary.”

Mother nodded in agreement. “They are warriors no less, but even warriors grow weary.”

I studied them from a distance. They were taller, broader, carrying an air of restrained power. Even in stillness, their presence was commanding. I should’ve been wary, but instead, curiosity tugged at me.

“They’re different,” I murmured.

“Different, yes,” Father said. “But they will follow our laws while they stay here. That is all that matters.”

I nodded slowly, though unease lingered. My thoughts wandered to the rumors I had overheard even before returning—rumors about the lycan princes.

Two of them, heirs of a bloodline both feared and revered. The older was said to be the steady one, the one wolves could admire. But the younger… they called him dangerous. Evil. Ruthless.

I pushed the thought aside. Princes and politics had nothing to do with me anymore. I had too much to heal from, too much to rebuild inside myself. I wouldn’t waste a single heartbeat thinking about men—lycan or wolf.

As I finally retreated to my chambers, I sat by the window and stared at the forest stretching out beneath the twilight sky. The moon was rising, silver and solemn. My wolf stirred faintly inside me, weary but alive.

“You’re home,” I whispered to her, to myself.

Yet even in the peace of my own room, rage simmered beneath my skin. Rage at Alaric, at Elowen, at the life they stole from me and the baby they forced me to lose.

I pressed a hand to my stomach, eyes burning. “Never again,” I vowed. “No one will ever break me like that again.”

For the first time since that nightmare, I felt something new stir within me—not weakness, not despair, but resolve. Revengeful, perhaps. But above all, determined.