“I accept your offer.”My voice was cold as frost,the words cutting through the dense night air like a blade.“I will disappear from Alpha Alexander’s life forever…and marry the dying heir of the Stone Pack instead.”

The silver-banded mate mark token clattered onto the oak table,echoing like a death knell.

Across the High Alpha’s council chamber,Alpha Frederick Winslet—my biological father—froze mid-sip of his wolfsbane tea.

“You…what did you say?”he rasped,his tone trembling with disbelief.

“I said I will marry the Stone heir—the one on his deathbed,”I repeated,meeting his stunned gaze without flinching.“The alliance bond meant for your precious daughter,Stephanie?I’ll take it instead.”

Three years I had served Alpha Alexander Hamilton as his Beta assistant.

Three years I had been his hidden mate.

And a month ago,my entire world collapsed.

On my way back from the trading border,rogues ambushed me.I was taken to a scent-masked den,chained and left without light for four nights,my wrists torn raw by silver ropes.I screamed his name—Alexander—twenty-seven times.

He never came.

One of the rogues finally laughed,pressing a communicator to my ear.A woman’s voice came through,silky and cruel.

“The Alpha has better things to worry about.Try someone who cares.”

They left me bleeding in the dirt after that.

I don’t remember who found me—only that I woke up in the healers’ward,half-starved and barely breathing.

But when I opened my eyes,he wasn’t there.

Instead,I saw the morning’s Pack Gazette headline:

[Alpha Alexander Hamilton and childhood sweetheart Stephanie Winslet spotted leaving the Moonlight Hot Springs together.]

While I was trapped in darkness,my mate was with his secret lover—my so-called“sister,”Stephanie.

The she-wolf who had been swapped with me at birth.

After sixteen years of living among the poor mountain clans,the Winslets discovered I was their real daughter.Yet from the moment I arrived at the Alpha’s mansion,their smiles froze.

“We can’t abandon the daughter we raised for sixteen years,”my father had said.“Stephanie is delicate,Lavina.Don’t covet what isn’t meant for you.”

That was my welcome home.

Now I stood before them again.“You need the Stone Pack’s alliance to keep your territory afloat.You don’t want Stephanie to marry a dying wolf?Fine.Your unwanted daughter will do it instead.”

The chamber went silent.My mother’s face paled;my father’s hands trembled around his cup.

I rose slowly,my pride the only thing keeping me standing.

“In return,”I said flatly,“erase my name from the Winslet lineage.No crest,no inheritance.Pretend I was never born.”

A pause.Then,quietly,“Tell Alpha Alexander this is my last gift to him—freedom.”

The Alpha’s manor was eerily silent when I stepped inside.

Moonlight poured through the high windows,glinting off silver candlesticks and two plates laid for dinner.For one wild second,I thought—perhaps—this was for me.

Then his voice shattered the illusion.

“I get it,Stephanie.It’s fine if you can’t come tonight.”

A low chuckle followed.“Don’t worry,sweetheart.I ruined most of the dishes anyway.Lavina will be home soon;the food won’t go to waste.”

My heart froze.

I moved forward quietly,my wolf howling within but I forced her down.

Alexander turned,startled,before his expression hardened into a scowl.

“Lavina,why so late?If anyone sees their Luna working like a common pack clerk,they’ll think I mistreat you.”

“Just…finishing reports.”

“Right,”he said,exhaling.“You always said I don’t try enough.So I wanted to surprise you this time with a dinner.”

The scent of roses hit me—pure,white,and cruelly familiar.They were identical to my mating-day bouquet.My hand trembled as I reached for them.

Slap.

Pain shot up my wrist as he struck my hand away.Red marks bloomed instantly.

Alexander’s eyes widened,guilt flickering across his face.

“Lavina…I didn’t mean to.You know I don’t like anyone touching my things.”

He fetched the healer’s salve,murmuring hollow apologies as he dabbed my bruises.

“I just didn’t want you to ruin the arrangement I spent hours on.”

When he finished,he thrust the bouquet toward me.“Here.Take them.”

“It’s alright,”I said weakly.

He forced a smile.“Didn’t you always say you wanted a dinner with me?Today’s your day.”

He loaded my plate carelessly,as if feeding a stray wolf.I ate nothing.

“I’m not hungry,”I whispered.“I just want to rest.”

His smile vanished.“I did all this for you,and you’re throwing a tantrum?Spirits,Lavina,it was an accident—”

“And I’ll forgive you,”I cut him off softly,sliding a folder across the table,“if you sign these.”

His brows knit.“What is this?”

“Just formalities,”I murmured.“For the future.”

He sighed,bored.“Can’t my Luna handle this herself?You’re ruining my mood.”

Then his communicator buzzed.

Stephanie.

His eyes lit up.“Yes,I’m still at the manor.Give me five minutes.”

I watched silently as he grabbed the pen.

“I’ll sign whatever you want,”he said without even reading.“Just don’t stay mad,alright?”

His signature slashed across the parchment like the final cut of a blade.

He reached for his coat.“We’ll talk later,Lavina.Be good and rest.I’ll be home late.”

Then he left.

No questions.

No goodbyes.

Only the soft click of the door sealing everything between us.

My gaze fell to the document.

[Final Dissolution of Mate Bond]

He hadn’t even read the title.

And I…hadn’t stopped him.

When I sent a photo of the signed decree,a message flashed instantly on my crystal communicator:

[Alpha Damien Stone:Now that you’ve agreed to be mine,one moon from today,I will come to claim what belongs to me.]

The next morning,when I arrived at the Hamilton Pack Council Hall,the air felt sharper—colder—than usual.

“Lavina.”

Alpha Alexander’s commanding tone rolled from inside our shared glass chamber,clipped and distant—as if he were addressing a subordinate,not his mate.

When I stepped inside,he didn’t glance up from the scroll he was reading.

“Close the door.”

Only then did his ice-blue eyes lift to meet mine.The chill in them could have frozen fire.

“Lavina,I’ll keep this brief,”he said,standing tall,his Alpha aura pressing down on the room.“Rumors are spreading,and I can’t afford to have my reputation dragged through the mud because of you.As of now,you’re relieved of your duties as my Beta assistant.Starting tomorrow,you’ll report to another division—far from this territory.”

He paused,eyes glinting with distant authority.

“Stephanie will take over your position.”

The words sliced through me like silver through flesh.

This was the Pack Administration I had helped Alexander build from nothing—his empire,his pride.

When the Elders had mocked his proposal for independence,I had spent a year serving under their command to earn him another hearing.I ran errands for them like a servant,even knelt before their council chambers through one freezing night,begging for a second chance for his dream.

I had never asked for acknowledgment.Never claimed any shares of the success when the Hamilton Pack rose to power.For three years,I worked without rest—even when fever burned through me,I still handled his correspondence,all to lessen his burdens.

And yet,he cast me aside as though I were no more than a broken tool.

For a long time,I believed he kept our bond secret to protect me from jealous packs and gossiping wolves.But now I understood—Alexander never loved me.His heart had always belonged to Stephanie Winslet.

“Lavina…you have enough experience to serve anywhere.But think of your sister.Stephanie’s mate just died.She’s fragile,she needs comfort.In return,I will—”

“Alright.”

The word fell softly,cutting off his rehearsed reasoning.

He blinked,surprised.“That’s all?Aren’t you angry?”

His hand tightened around the velvet box he had prepared—a trinket meant to ease guilt.A silver pendant engraved with our initials,like tossing a bone to a loyal wolf.

“If that’s all,Alpha,I’ll take my leave.”

“Lavina,what do you mean?Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”

He had expected tears.Rage.Pleading.But my silence unnerved him.

Just then,the door burst open.

“Alex!I sorted your reports,do you need me to—oh!Sister Lavina?”

Stephanie’s voice dripped with false sweetness as she stepped inside,clutching a delicate satchel of moonlit silk.

CRASH.

A small music orb that rested on my desk fell,shattering against the stone floor.A faint melody bled into the silence before dying altogether.

My heart seized.It was the porcelain wolf figurine Alexander and I had shaped together at the Luna’s crafting festival—after I lost our pup.It held a secret compartment with the tiny sonogram crystal of the child we never met.

“Sister,I’m so sorry,”Stephanie gasped,her eyes shimmering with feigned tears.“It was an accident—please don’t be mad—”

“Why would she be mad at all?”Alexander cut in sharply.“Lavina,why do you keep useless trinkets like that lying around?What if Stephanie got hurt?”

Useless trinkets.

The last memory I had of my unborn child—dismissed like nothing.

My knees weakened.I crouched,hands trembling,to gather the shattered pieces.A jagged shard sliced deep into my finger,crimson drops staining the floor.

Alexander didn’t even notice.

“Steph,you’re bleeding,”he murmured,lifting her hand to inspect a small scratch.“Come,let’s get you cleaned up.”

He guided her out,hand at her back,protective and gentle—the way he used to touch me once.The door clicked shut behind them,and I was left in silence.

I sat there on the cold marble floor,the broken orb pressed to my chest,my blood mixing with the dust.Then slowly,methodically,I packed away everything.

The old flight parchment to the Southern Isles,where he first said I love you—ripped in half.

The timepiece I gifted him during our first winter solstice—left behind.

Every trace of warmth—gone.

When Alexander returned fifteen minutes later,the chamber was hollow.

No faint scent of my perfume.No scattered notes across the desk.

Even the little cactus he used to tease me about had vanished.

Only one thing remained:a smear of blood near the leg of his desk.

He stared at it,silent.Something flickered—briefly—in his expression,then died.

As he turned to leave,I opened the door again to retrieve the last document.

“Lavina,wait!”

I stopped,glancing back.

“This is temporary,”he said.“When the rumors fade,I’ll bring you back.”

I smiled faintly.“I waited long enough.It doesn’t matter anymore.”

To my parents,Stephanie was their cherished daughter.

To Alexander,she was his destiny.

No matter how I fought,I was always the replacement.

I turned to go,but his voice halted me once more.

“Lavina—there’s an Alpha gathering tonight.I was invited.”

“I’m not—”

“You’re still under my command,”he cut in sharply.“I can’t appear without my Beta.”

The pressure in his tone left no room for refusal.

I thought of the message from Alpha Damien Stone the night before.

A month from now,I would no longer belong here.

“Of course,”I said calmly,my voice empty.“One last task.”

The Moon Auction Hall gleamed beneath gilded chandeliers carved from enchanted crystal.

As the Beta in charge of logistics,I had arrived an hour early to register the“rare relics”the Hamilton Pack would offer in tonight’s charity auction for orphaned pups.

But as I neared the curtained section marked“High Alpha Access Only,”familiar voices drifted from the crack in the door.

Alexander—and his old pack brothers.

The same wolves I once welcomed into our den,poured wine for,laughed with.

Now their laughter echoed through the chamber,sharp and predatory.

“Now that Stephanie’s back in your life,you’re finally free,Alexander,”one of them drawled.

Another snorted.“What about Lavina?She’s decent,sure,but come on.Between her and Stephanie?One’s the Winslet Pack’s prized daughter—and the other…”He chuckled.“Just a no-name she-wolf from a forgotten valley who got lucky.”

The words hit harder than claws.

I remembered that night years ago,when Alexander had introduced me to them as‘a humble wolf from the outer territories’,saying his friends disliked arrogance.

But now I saw the truth.

He wasn’t protecting me.

He was hiding me—so that Stephanie could shine.

“And infertile too,isn’t she?”someone added,laughing cruelly.“Didn’t she miscarry once?I heard she failed her Healer’s treatments four times.You’d be a fool to bet your legacy on a barren female.”

A chilling silence followed.

Then Alexander spoke.

“It’s not Lavina’s fault,”he said evenly.“She’s been a good placeholder.But that’s all she’ll ever be.I can’t let a substitute carry my bloodline.”

My breath caught.

“The first pregnancy was a mistake,”he continued,voice low and cruelly steady.“When she lost it,I felt bad,sure—but I never meant for her to bear my pup.After that,I made sure she couldn’t.I’ve been giving her suppressants in her tonics for years.She never noticed.”

My world fractured.

The bitter tablets I used to choke down—the ones he claimed would“stabilize my wolf energy.”

Every failed fertility ritual,every moon I wept believing I was broken—

It had all been his doing.

‘We’ll try again when you’re stronger,’he’d said each time,arms around me while his lies dripped like poison.

“Spirits,Alexander,”one of the men muttered.“Your mother despised Lavina enough already.Making her suffer through false hope just for Stephanie’s sake?That’s cold—even for you.”

“I only married Lavina because my grandfather insisted,”Alexander said with a low,bitter laugh.“He liked her purity.I didn’t have a choice.”

He paused,and his tone softened into longing.

“Stephanie is everything I’ve ever wanted.”

That was it.

That was the moment I stopped breathing.

I turned and fled down the corridor.The world blurred into streaks of gold and shadow.My hand pressed against my mouth to stifle the sob threatening to break free.

When my communicator buzzed,I glanced down.

[ALEXANDER:Where are you?Get back here.Now.]

A bitter smile touched my lips.

Even now,he summoned me like an obedient wolf on a leash.

I called the steward of the Hamilton estate.

“Bring me everything from my vault.Now.”

Then,I wiped my tears and straightened my back before reentering the hall—masking the ruin inside with calm precision.

The Grand Auction was filled with Alphas and Betas from every major pack.Flashing orbs of press crystals lit the hall when Alexander appeared—with Stephanie clinging to his arm.

“Lavina,there you are.”

I turned toward them silently as the press surged forward.

“Alpha Hamilton!”a reporter shouted from behind the velvet rope.“Is it true you dismissed your Beta assistant today?”

“Alpha,are the rumors about your assistant being your secret mate true?”

Questions flew like arrows.

Stephanie’s grip tightened around his arm,her eyes blazing with false innocence.

Before Alexander could speak,I stepped forward.

“There has been a misunderstanding,”I said evenly,my voice slicing through the chaos like a blade.“There is absolutely no personal bond between Alpha Hamilton and me.”

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“Alpha Hamilton is the leader of this pack,”I continued,tone composed.“And I was merely a subordinate wolf serving under his command.Nothing more,nothing less.I have already accepted an offer from another Alpha to transfer packs.”

The words hit like thunder.Alexander froze,his jaw tightening.

But he couldn’t refute me—not without confirming the truth.

A bold journalist stepped forward,holding up a photo crystal displaying matching rings forged by a Parisian mage.

“Are you saying there’s no secret bond?Because the pair of rings you both wear were enchanted as mating tokens—the male version is still seen on Alpha Hamilton’s hand—”

I raised my hand calmly.My finger was bare.

“No ring,”I said softly.

The silence that followed was absolute.

Alexander stared at me,shock flickering in his eyes.He remembered my vow beneath the Blood Moon—that I would never remove the ring sealing our bond.

I reached into my bag,withdrew a sealed scroll,and handed it to the nearest reporter.

“Here’s a certified record from the Council of Elders.No mating bond ever registered between Lavina and Alpha Hamilton.In fact,”I said,letting my eyes meet Alexander’s,“I am already promised to another Alpha.”

The crowd erupted in stunned whispers.

Alexander took a step forward,lips parting—but before he could speak,the great bronze bell tolled three times.

The auction had begun.

Perfect timing.