Selenes POV

Mariss breath ghosted against Lucians throat as she whispered,

“But,Alpha…what if Selene finds out?What if she remembers?”

Lucians chuckle was low and cruel.“Selene?She’s nothing without me.She turned her back on her blood pack for this one—she’s got no allies,no territory,no bite.If she dares to defy me,I’ll strip her mark and banish her to the Frost Plains,where rogues eat the weak.”

Maris laughed softly,purring like a satisfied predator.

The small black moonstone box slipped from my trembling fingers and landed on the stone floor with a dull thud.Neither of them noticed.They were too busy devouring each other’s mouths,their wolves rumbling beneath the surface.

Maris had been there the first night Jasmine’s little heart faltered under the healer’s wards.

She stayed by my side through the storm,brought meat broth when I forgot to eat.She told me Jasmine was her light.

Now I realized what she meant when she whispered,“Jasmine lives on inside me.”

She hadn’t been lying.

Tears blurred my sight as I stumbled backward,choking on my breath.The world tilted,the scent of betrayal thick in the air.

I picked up the fallen gift and left without a sound,each step heavier than the last.

By the time I reached the common den,my legs buckled.I collapsed onto the furs and sobbed until my chest ached and my throat burned raw.

Then my comm-stone vibrated.

It was a MoonNet post.Mariss.

The image appeared—Maris smiling beside a man whose face was half-hidden,one of his hands resting on her swollen belly.But the silver fang bracelet gleamed clearly on his wrist.

Lucians.

The caption read:“Counting down the moons until our little miracle is born.”

My vision went red.

That was my mate.

That was my daughter’s heart—still beating,inside my best friend’s chest.

A guttural scream tore out of me.I hurled the moonstone box at the wall,shattering it to dust.

My stomach twisted;I stumbled to the wash basin and retched until nothing but acid burned in my throat.I wanted to rip my own skin away,to stop feeling what my wolf felt—the grief,the rage,the loss.

This was my fault.I had signed the Blood Scroll without reading it.I believed Lucian when he said it was an alliance document between packs.I trusted him blindly—and he had used my own signature to sacrifice our pup.

He thought I was alone.That I had no pack.

He was wrong.

My fingers trembled as I touched the old rune carved into my comm-stone—a mark I swore never to use again.The link opened with a pulse of crimson light,and a deep,gravelled voice filled the air.

“Selene,”came the growl,low and commanding.“After all these moons,you finally call?”

“I’m ready,Alpha,”I said,forcing my voice to steady.“Send the scouts.I’ll return in five days—once the mating bond is severed.”

A pause,then a cold chuckle.“Divorce?You were ready to die for that traitor.What changed?”

My answer came without hesitation.“He murdered our pup.He gave her heart to his whore.”

The line went silent for a beat.Then the Alpha’s tone hardened like forged steel.

“I warned you,child.He was never worthy of a Redfang bloodline mate.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.“I know that now.But he will learn too.”

“Then come home,”my Alpha father said.“Your brothers are waiting.And the Carter pack will remember why the Redfangs were once feared across the Northern Forests.”

Tears stung my eyes.The Redfang Pack—my birth pack.Seven warrior brothers,battle-hardened and fiercely loyal.They were loud,protective,merciless in war but tender with their kin.I had rejected them all for Lucian,the Silvermoon Alpha.

They had begged me not to mate him.

They’d said his scent reeked of deceit.

I had howled at them to leave me alone,torn my own crest from my fur,and stormed away into Silvermoon territory.

Now,I whispered,“Tell them their sister is coming home.”

The Alpha gave a growl of satisfaction before the rune dimmed.

I wiped my tears and looked around the den—once filled with love,now nothing but ashes and lies.

In five days,I would leave.

In five days,I would make Lucian Voss pay.

He had traded our daughter’s life for his mistress’s.

Now I would take his pack,his throne,his name.

This was not just a vow.

It was a mother’s oath—a Luna’s curse.

Lucian thought I was just a broken mate.

He had forgotten what runs in my blood.

I was born of the Redfang Pack—the oldest bloodline of the Northern Wolves.

And when a Redfang swears vengeance under the Moon Goddess’s gaze…

Even the gods listen.

Selenes POV

The moment the Bloodlink with my father—Alpha Redfang—faded,I yanked an old leather pack from the wardrobe and began stuffing it with what little I still called mine.My hands trembled,but I forced them to move.

If I stopped,the grief would crush me.

Tunics,cloaks,weapons—anything useful went inside.Then my fingers brushed a soft white gown.Jasmine’s favorite.

“Mommy,you look like a Moon Princess,”she had said.

My throat tightened.I folded it gently,tucked it at the bottom,and swallowed my tears.Not now.Not yet.

The door creaked open behind me.

“Selene?”

Lucians voice.

I turned,masking my fury with a brittle smile.“Just cleaning the wardrobe.”

His golden eyes scanned the room,sharp,suspicious.He opened his mouth—but another voice followed him in.

“Hey,Selene.”

My blood went cold.Maris.

She stepped in behind him,her scent filling the space—my daughter’s scent.My wolf bristled,fangs pressing against my gums.I wanted to leap,to tear the stolen heart from her chest.But I forced myself still.Not here.Not yet.

Then I noticed the two travel trunks behind Lucian.My stomach twisted.

“What’s that?”

He smiled like a man doing me a favor.

“Maris will be staying here for a while.”

I blinked slowly.“What?”

Before he could explain,Mariss laugh rang out,airy and sweet.

“Didn’t you hear?I’m pregnant.”

She cradled her stomach like a fragile treasure,waiting for my gasp,my blessing.

Instead,I raised an eyebrow.“And?”

Her smile faltered.She tried again,softer this time.

“I thought you’d be happy for me…after everything we’ve been through.”

Happy?

The word clawed through my chest like a blade.

Before I could answer,Lucian snapped,“Selene,what’s wrong with you?She’s your closest friend.You should be happy for her,not act jealous and bitter.”

Jealous.Bitter.

I turned to him slowly,letting the cold in my voice cut the air.

“Jealous?Why on earth would I be jealous?”

He hesitated,then muttered,“Because she’s carrying a pup—and you—”

He stopped,but it was too late.The words were silver-tipped arrows straight to my heart.

Because I lost mine.Because he killed mine.

I inhaled sharply through my nose,forcing calm.

“Then tell me,Lucian,”I said quietly,pointing toward Maris,“why does she suddenly need to stay in my den?”

He stepped closer,trying to sound righteous.

“Because she shouldn’t be alone right now.She needs us—our protection,our support.That pup needs stability.”

“Us?”I repeated.

Maris nodded quickly,lowering her lashes.

“It’s just until things settle.I thought you,of all wolves,would understand.”

“She’s pack,”Lucian said firmly.“She’s family.”

I laughed bitterly.

“She’s not my pack.”

Maris flinched;Lucians expression hardened.

“Why are you so petty,Selene?You sound pathetic.”

Pathetic.

The word rang in my skull like a whip crack.

I tilted my head,lips curling into a half-smile.

“Then tell me,Alpha,”I murmured,“is it your pup?”

The room went dead quiet.

Maris froze.Lucians jaw flexed,his eyes flashing gold.

“Don’t be ridiculous,”he snarled.“Of course not.”

“Really?”I asked softly.“Then why are you defending her like she’s your Luna?”

He bared his teeth.

“Because she’s alone,Selene!What kind of monster would turn away a pregnant she-wolf?”

A monster who killed his own pup,I thought.

But I didn’t say it.

Instead,I turned back to my pack and zipped it shut with deliberate calm.

“Now,if you’ll excuse me,”I said flatly,“I’d like to finish cleaning my den.”

Lucian muttered something to Maris,and together they left.

The moment the door closed,my smile fell.My hands shook so violently the bag’s strap nearly tore.

My wolf’s voice rose inside me,low and vicious:

He took our child.He brought her killer into our den.The Moon will demand blood.

And this time,I didn’t silence her.

Selenes POV

That night,sleep never came.

I lay still in the dark,listening to the faint rhythm of Lucians breathing beside me—until it stopped.

His scent shifted,moving away from the bed.The mattress dipped,then the door clicked softly shut.

Moments later,faint laughter drifted from the guest den.Mariss voice.

The sound sliced through the silence like a blade.

I pressed my palm to my stomach.A small,hidden pulse stirred beneath my skin—the pup he didn’t know existed.

He would never know.Not this time.

By dawn,he returned.The scent of jasmine clung to him.He smiled as if he hadn’t spent the night with another she-wolf.

“Selene,”he said carefully.“We need to talk.”

I looked up,my voice flat.“What now?”

He hesitated before clearing his throat.

“Maris shouldn’t stay in the guest den.She’s expecting,and she needs comfort.”

I stared,waiting for the rest.

“The Alpha’s quarters are larger,”he continued.“It only makes sense that she takes them.Just until her pup is born.”

For a heartbeat,I thought I had misheard.

Then laughter—cold,hollow—escaped me.

“You want me to give up my den…to her?”

His jaw tightened.“It’s not permanent.You’ve had it long enough.Mariss with child.She deserves comfort,Selene.Make a small sacrifice—for your best friend.”

The audacity almost made me bare my fangs.

I wanted to scream that I,too,carried life inside me.That my unborn pup deserved warmth far more than his mistress ever would.

But I said nothing.

In less than a day,I would be gone.

I forced my voice steady.

“Fine,”I whispered.

He sighed in relief,stepping closer to brush a kiss against my forehead.The touch made my skin crawl.

“Lucian?”Mariss voice echoed from the corridor.

He turned instantly,ready to obey.

“Hold on,”I said calmly.“I need your mark on something first.”

I picked up the parchment from the table.“Just pack paperwork,”I added lightly.

“Selene,not now—”

“It’ll only take a second.”

Maris called again.His patience snapped.“Fine.Give it here.”

He scrawled his signature without a glance.

When he handed it back,I smiled faintly.

He had just signed the formal dissolution of our bond—the Lunar Severance.

He had no idea he’d freed me.

“Is that all?”he asked gruffly.

“Yes.”

He left without another word.

The moment the door shut,I lifted the comm-stone.

“The bond’s severed,”I told my advocate wolf.“Pull every Redfang investment from Silvermoon Holdings.The Alpha no longer has our protection.”

Lucian had never known that my bloodline’s fortune kept his empire alive.Now it would crumble,piece by piece.

A bitter laugh slipped out as I turned back to packing.

Then came her voice.

“Selene,let me help.”

Maris stood in the doorway,her smile sweet as poison.

“Don’t bother,”I said curtly.

She ignored me,stepping into my den.Her gaze swept over the shelves until it landed on the small wooden chest—Jasmine’s belongings.

“Careful,”I warned.“Don’t touch that.”

She smiled,feigning innocence,and reached for the snow globe—a fragile orb with a tiny wolf cub dancing under falling flakes.Jasmine’s favorite.

“This is lovely,”Maris said softly,tilting it.“It was Jasmine’s,right?”

My chest ached.“Yes.Put it down.”

Her grin sharpened.

“Oops.”

The globe slipped from her hand.It shattered against the stone.Glass and water scattered.The little cub’s figure cracked clean in half.

“Oh no,”she gasped,clutching her chest in fake remorse.“Clumsy me.Pregnancy brain.”

Her eyes gleamed as she watched me kneel.

The snow globe wasn’t just a trinket—it was the only thing that soothed my nights after Jasmine’s death.

Now it lay ruined,shards glinting like tears.

I gathered the pieces with shaking hands,blood seeping where glass bit into my palms.

“It was her favorite,”I whispered.

Maris crouched beside me,her lips curling.

“Don’t worry,Selene,”she murmured,her voice dripping honey.“You’ll have other pups.You’ll move on.”

Something inside me snapped.

The wolf that had been silent for too long finally bared her fangs.

A growl rumbled up my throat,low and feral.The air trembled with it.

Mariss smirk froze as the scent of danger filled the den.