I went to find my Alpha, my fated mate, Roman Valerius, only to catch him bonding with another she-wolf—Camilla Thorne—all for the sake of “pack stability.”

I followed the scent of my Alpha—my mate—deep into the sacred Moonlight Sanctuary. My heart seized. The air was thick with his musk, tainted by the cloying sweetness of another wolf—Camilla Thorne. Still, I clung to my trust in him.

He’d said it was a ritual for pack stability. I just never imagined what "bonding" truly entailed.

I stepped from the shadows to stop them, offering to take her place. But Roman just pierced me with his icy blue gaze. His Alpha command vibrated in his growl, “Is a mate’s jealousy more important than the future of this pack?”

The next moment, he tore his shirt open, revealing the sigil of his Alpha status. He pinned Camilla to the cold stone altar, his gaze flicking to me, a flicker of pain in his eyes. “I’ll just imagine it’s you, Kira,” he said, his voice strained. “It will be just like bonding with you.”

I went numb, watching as their auras—their very wolves—began to entwine. As the ritual neared its peak, I opened the pack’s mind-link and issued a single command.

"Sever all support to the Silvercrest Pack. Anyone who remains their ally is an enemy of the Monroe clan."

————————

1

The ritual shattered, interrupted by the force of my decree. Roman strode toward me, the glowing marks of the ceremony stark against his sweat-slicked chest.

"Kira, Camilla was just appeasing her clan’s elders. She didn’t want their politics to delay our bonding ceremony tomorrow.”

"Our bonding ceremony?" I scoffed. "You knew it was tomorrow, and you still performed a deep bonding ritual with another woman today?"

Roman strode to my side, trying to placate me with a kiss. "Don't be angry. The whole time, even with her... I was only thinking of you."

"But didn't you just say how amazing it felt to be with me?" Camilla’s voice, dripping with saccharine sweetness, came from the altar. Wrapped in Roman’s jacket, practically bathing in his scent, she flaunted herself. "Kira, Roman is so powerful. You've never truly melded with him… honestly… what a waste."

"Camilla!" Roman's face flushed crimson. "That was for the ritual!"

A smug smirk twisted Camilla's lips as she arched an eyebrow at me. "You realize, don't you, Kira? This deep bonding ritual wasn't part of the original plan."

Watching their pathetic back-and-forth made my stomach churn. I, the heiress to the Monroe clan, had spent five years funneling resources to secure his Alpha status, even extending our protection to Camilla's Thorne clan. And this… this betrayal was my reward.

I instinctively dodged Roman's attempt to kiss me and shoved him back.

Roman froze, his face falling. His tone turned cold. "I only did this to ensure our alliance is stable! If the Thorne clan turns against us, how can we possibly hold our bonding ceremony tomorrow?"

I looked at his self-righteous face and sneered, "You cheat on me right before the ceremony, and you still expect me to go through with it?"

"Roman! That was an incredible bonding!" A wolf I recognized as Jax Ryder hurried over, his excitement dimming the moment he saw me. A fawning smile stretched his lips. "It's all thanks to Lady Kira's guidance. I wasn't sure how to convince them to go through with a ritual of that magnitude."

"What does she have to do with it?" Camilla raised her eyebrows mockingly. "She didn't participate in the bonding. Wasn't it all Roman's and my achievement?"

The air fell deathly silent. Jax looked trapped, stammering as he tried to smooth things over. "Camilla was just... showing her devotion to the pack."

A cold laugh escaped me. I forced my voice to remain level. "So, Jax, it's normal to alter a sacred ritual just to give someone an opportunity to prove their 'devotion'? Tell me. Who decided to make this a deep bonding?"

Jax froze, casting a guilty glance at Camilla.

Suddenly, the fight drained out of me. "Roman," I said, my voice hollow, "the bonding ceremony is canceled. I reject you as my mate."

With that, I turned to leave. Roman grabbed my arm in a panic. "Kira, you can't do this! You've always been so understanding, and you have to be now. Our bonding ceremony is tomorrow—"

Before he could finish, Camilla’s voice slashed through the air. "Kira, you selfish creature who doesn't understand sacrifice! You're not worthy of being an Alpha's mate!"

"Camilla!" Roman finally exploded. His Alpha's authority slammed down, silencing her. His body trembled as he immediately reined the power in. "Camilla… I'm sorry, I—"

Camilla clutched her chest, staring at me in disbelief. "Kira! I'll remember this humiliation! You just wait!"

She deliberately knocked over a nearby energy crystal. The elders gasped. Her eyes were red with fury as she stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

The slam of the heavy door echoed in the sanctuary. Rage burned in Roman's eyes as he seized my arm, his voice thick with resentment. "Kira, I went to great lengths to secure this alliance. Now you’ve driven Camilla off, and the Thorne clan will be spooked. This jeopardizes our bonding ceremony!"

Even now, his only concern was power. He grabbed a jacket, threw it over his shoulders, and pulled me toward the door. "Come with me. We have to find Camilla."

We had only taken a few steps when the door creaked open. Camilla's parents, Marcus Thorne and Eleanor Thorne, walked in carrying congratulatory gifts, their faces beaming with excitement.

"We had Camilla come to distribute these to everyone… Oh, Kira, you're here too." They sensed the icy atmosphere in the sanctuary and saw the grim expressions on our faces. Eleanor's voice slowly trailed off. "What's wrong? Did you two have a fight? The bonding ceremony is tomorrow…"

"Mr. Thorne, Mrs. Thorne." I wrenched my arm from Roman’s grasp. "Perfect timing. Tomorrow's bonding ceremony is canceled. Effective immediately, the alliance between the Monroe clan and the Silvercrest Pack is dissolved. All protection over the Thorne clan is hereby revoked."

Marcus staggered backward. Eleanor’s eyes widened in dawning horror. She rushed toward her daughter, who stood shrouded in Roman's jacket, and ripped the garment away. Eleanor froze, her gaze fixed on the fresh, glowing marks of Roman's bonding ritual entwined on Camilla’s skin. But Camilla remained defiant, her voice sharp as she blamed me for forcing Roman’s hand by delaying their bonding.

"Kira, you must be joking," Eleanor pleaded, turning back to me in disbelief. "We're allies, aren't we?"

"We're hardly allies," I said, my voice dripping with contempt as I glanced at Roman. "Besides, the Monroe clan never allies with an unfaithful Alpha."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. For years, Roman had used pack business as an excuse to delay our bonding. The whole damn family had been playing me for a fool.

"Enough," I said. "In the Monroe clan, there is no forgiveness for infidelity."

I turned resolutely to leave. Just then, an urgent message broadcast through the pack’s mind-link exploded in my mind.

[Pure-blood heiress Kira Monroe publicly rejects her mate! Alpha Roman Valerius bonded with she-wolf Camilla Thorne during the ritual.]

"Aargh!" Camilla, who had just stormed out, shrieked as she charged back in. Rage contorted her features as she hurled an obsidian message slate at my head. "Kira! Are you trying to ruin him?"

A dull ache pulsed in my temple as warm blood trickled down my face. I paid it no mind, simply wiping the blood away. Then, with a backhand swipe of my claws, I sent her sprawling to the ground.

In a flat tone, I said, "If I wanted you ruined, you'd already be dust."

Roman rushed in to help Camilla up, hypocritically chiding me, "Kira, whatever Camilla did, you don't drag your own Alpha through the mud for revenge."

I wiped the blood from my temple and smiled at him. "It hasn't sunk in yet, has it? We're over. You are not my mate. Isn't this what you wanted?"

The news must have been leaked by someone in the pack who couldn't stand them. Only a fool like Camilla would think it was my doing.

She pointed a trembling finger at my face. "Get your people to retract that mind-link message. Now. I'll pretend this never happened, and the bonding ceremony will proceed as planned tomorrow."

I wouldn't waste another word on her. I turned to leave, but Roman suddenly blocked my path, only to be thrown back by the pressure emanating from me. Seeing this, Camilla grew even more furious. "Kira! You can't handle your own scandal being exposed, so you resort to violence?"

I smiled at her distorted face. A thought occurred to me. I glanced at Roman on the floor, then coldly demanded of Camilla, "Since the bonding ceremony is canceled, have Roman return the 'Moon Soul Amulet' my grandmother gave him."

Camilla was taken aback for a moment, but she quickly recovered with a cold smile. "Impossible. Roman needs you too much. You've invested so much in this bonding ceremony; you could never really cancel it."

She snatched the amulet from Roman's neck, held it high, and threatened me, "Clarify the message right now, or I can't guarantee your clan's sacred relic will remain in one piece."