Janine's POV

“Revenge?” The word slipped from my lips as my pulse thundered through my ears.

Killian eased himself into the chair beside my bed, the silver-gray of his wolfish eyes sharpened into something cold and lethal.

“Exactly that,” he replied quietly. “Think about it, Janine. The two people who swore loyalty to you carved your heart out. Why should they walk away untouched?”

Something fierce stirred in me, a dark spark I hadn’t felt since the night Tommy was taken from me. This wasn’t despair—it was hunger. The kind that demanded blood.

Ignoring the ache still coiled through my body, I pushed myself upright. “So you want to make Avery pay,” I said slowly.

His lips curved, but there was no warmth there. “I gave her everything I had. She trampled it into the dirt. So yes, I want her to suffer. She may share your blood, but—”

“That doesn’t matter,” I cut in flatly. “Why come to me?”

A predatory gleam lit his gaze. “Because I don’t like winning alone. You’re essential to what I have planned.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Then stop dancing around it. What’s your plan?”

“Become my mate,” Killian said, as casually as if he were asking me to share a drink.

—

Once I was discharged, I hailed a cab back to the pack manor. I checked my phone with a humorless smile—no missed calls, no messages, not even a token inquiry from Lester. Two days in the infirmary, and I might as well have vanished from the world.

My thoughts replayed Killian’s outrageous proposal. It was madness. I wanted revenge, yes—but not another hollow bond built on convenience and lies. I had turned him down immediately, even when he slipped me his number “just in case.”

There would be no case.

At least, that’s what I’d told myself.

Lester’s car wasn’t in the driveway when I arrived, but Avery’s sleek silver sedan was. That alone told me why my absence had gone unnoticed.

The manor door creaked open, and I froze as faint sounds drifted down the hall. My wolf bristled. I followed the noise toward the master chamber—our chamber, the place where I had once believed in forever.

The door was ajar.

What I saw inside shattered whatever restraint I had left.

Lester had Avery pressed against the bed, their attention so fully tangled in each other that they never sensed me. Clothes lay strewn across the floor like evidence at a crime scene.

I had always known they were crossing lines. But witnessing it—seeing how naturally they fit together—was a different kind of wound.

Tears burned behind my eyes as their voices reached me.

“I’ve missed you more than I can say,” Lester murmured.

Avery laughed softly. “Is that because your Luna isn’t enough for you?”

“She never was,” he breathed. “Once I claim my father’s Alpha seat, I’ll give you everything.”

That was the moment everything hollowed out inside me. The grief that had been gnawing at my heart didn’t disappear—it simply went numb, replaced by something sharper, colder, and far more lethal. My wolf, silent until then, rose to her feet within my soul, eyes burning with the same resolve settling into my bones.

I lifted my phone with hands that no longer shook. One picture. Then another. And another. Proof framed in silent flashes. When I was done, I didn’t confront them. I didn’t scream or cry. I just slipped back into the hallway, plucked Lester’s car keys from the console table like I’d done a thousand times before, and walked out of the house that had once been my sanctuary.

Behind the steering wheel, I let myself look at the images only once, just long enough to feel the betrayal solidify into resolve. Then I opened my messages and typed four words to Killian.

I accept your offer.

His response came before I could even lock the screen, the vibration in my palm almost mocking how ready he had been for this.

Killian: Good. This is where the real game begins.

I leaned my head back against the seat, a broken laugh slipping out. It felt like I had just bargained with a demon—but demons were exactly what I needed.

I drove straight to the law firm Killian had mentioned earlier.

The receptionist looked up with a polite pack-trained smile. “Good afternoon. How may I help you?”

“I’m here to see Jonathan Hayes,” I said evenly. “Killian Romano sent me.”

Recognition flickered across her face. “One moment, please.”

Minutes later, I was ushered into a sleek office where a tall man rose to greet me.

“Ms. Blackward,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Jonathan Hayes. Please, sit. What brings you here today?”

I met his gaze without flinching.

“I want to sever my bond to Lester Campbell.”

Janine's POV

I had barely pulled into the driveway when Lester burst out of the manor, eyes wild, scanning the grounds like a wolf that had lost the trail. His gaze landed on his car—parked neatly where he’d left it—and then on me. Relief flickered across his face, quickly smothered beneath a clumsy smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Janine!” he called, hurrying over. “Where did you go? I was starting to panic.”

Panic. Right. I nearly laughed at the absurdity of it.

I offered him a gentle smile. “I was out buying something special for our anniversary celebration next week.”

He blinked like he’d been slapped. “Our… celebration?”

I tilted my head innocently. “Yes. For our anniversary. You do remember that, don’t you?” My tone was light, but I held his gaze, daring him to admit the truth.

He cleared his throat, fingers raking through his hair. “Of course I remember. How could I forget something like that?” He gave a hollow chuckle. “Work’s just been overwhelming lately, that’s all.”

A lie as thin as ash.

“Well, I wanted to keep it a surprise,” I replied. “So you’ll have to be patient.”

He smiled stiffly. “I can’t wait. You shouldn’t have gone alone, though. You could’ve called me.”

“It’s fine,” I said quietly. “You’ve been so busy, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Guilt shimmered briefly in his eyes as he leaned in to brush a kiss over my cheek. It felt empty, like touching a stranger. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“Me too,” I lied, slipping past him into the house.

Behind me, he exhaled heavily—relieved that I hadn’t caught him with Avery earlier when I’d taken his car. If only he knew.

Upstairs, I entered the master chamber, my stomach twisting at the memory of what had happened there. The door creaked again, and I turned, expecting Lester.

It was Avery instead.

She lounged against the frame, lips curved in a smug little smile, eyes glittering with malice.

“You saw us,” she said lightly.

I kept my face smooth. “I don’t know what you mean.”

She pushed off the door and sauntered inside. “Don’t insult me. I watched you watching us.”

Silence was my only reply.

Her smile widened. “You should’ve stayed. Maybe you’d have picked up a few tricks.”

I shrugged. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to sleep. I think Lester’s downstairs waiting for you.”

That wasn’t what she’d expected. Her grin wavered, then returned sharper than before. “Fine. I’ll go finish what we started. You’re welcome to observe.”

She left, heels clicking down the hall.

I pulled out my phone and typed to Killian.

Phase one completed. Prepare yourself.

His response came back with a heart emoji.

—

For the next two days, Lester barely left my side. He hovered like a nervous guard wolf, making it nearly impossible to put the rest of my plans in motion. His instincts must’ve sensed the shift in me, though I wore my mask of calm perfectly.

I finally snapped and sent Avery a message.

Looks like Lester’s forgotten about you. He hasn’t stepped away from me once. Keep fooling yourself—he belongs to me.

Within minutes, Lester’s phone lit up with her calls and messages. He ignored them all—until he couldn’t.

When he returned, his face was grave.

“My love,” he began gently, “a sudden pack summit just came up. I have to leave tonight. It’ll take three days.”

I feigned disappointment. “But our celebration is in four days.”

“I know,” he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I swear I’ll be back in time.”

Inside, I was almost giddy. Three days. Exactly what I needed.

—

Those three days disappeared like smoke on the wind, each hour devoured by frantic preparation. I barely slept, moving through the manor like a restless shadow, gathering documents, arranging transfers, double-checking every detail of the escape I had been planning for so long. And whenever doubt crept in—whenever my heart tried to soften, whispering memories of the mate I once loved—Avery would, almost on cue, send me another picture.

A photo of her curled against Lester on a hotel balcony under a foreign moon.

A shot of their hands entwined, her engagement ring from Killian replaced by the mark of my husband’s bite.

A blurry image of their silhouettes on rumpled sheets.

She thought she was breaking me.

Instead, every single image carved my resolve deeper into stone. I archived them carefully, labeling each one, building the evidence that would bury them both.

Then the day arrived—the anniversary of the bond I once believed was sacred. The same day Lester was meant to return home.

I stood alone in the living room, the manor eerily quiet, and typed one final message.

Happy anniversary. Your gift is waiting on the table.

I set the divorce documents down beside the photos—mine and hers—then blocked both their numbers.

With a suitcase in hand, I stepped outside. Killian was already there, watching me with a knowing smirk.

“Ready?” he asked.

I took his hand.

A private jet waited on the tarmac, engines humming like restrained thunder. Questions fluttered through my mind—about his wealth, his reach—but I was too drained to care.

As the plane began to move, Killian sent an email to every major pack news channel.

And just like that, the hunt began.

Guilt crept through Lester’s veins the moment Janine’s message lit up his phone, the faint vibration sending a shiver along the bond that tied their wolves together. The date burned behind his eyes.

The Moonbond Anniversary.

The day a Luna was meant to be honored, cherished, surrounded by her pack.

And he had forgotten.

A faint unease rippled through his wolf, but he forced it down. There was still time. He could fix it. He always fixed things.

A soft, perfumed weight pressed against him. Avery’s lips brushed his, warm and possessive, chasing away the creeping dread.

“You’ve been lost in your head,” she murmured, her fingers sliding across his chest, tracing the faint silver scars left behind by past shifts. “What’s troubling you, Alpha?”

“Nothing,” he said too quickly, tossing his phone onto the bedside table as though it had bitten him. He pulled her closer, burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent — honeysuckle laced with wolf heat — letting it drown out the dull ache stirring in his chest.

They were still at the coastal pack hotel, hidden from the prying eyes of their clans. Their flight home wouldn’t leave for another few hours. Plenty of time.

He would swing by the artisan district, buy something extravagant — moon-forged jewels, perhaps — and Janine would forgive him. She always did. Her wolf was gentle. Loyal. Devoted to the point of blindness.

Everything was under control.

Lester exhaled, wrapping his arm around Avery’s waist, closing his eyes in contentment.

Then his phone began to vibrate.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

The table rattled as the device erupted into a storm of notifications. His wolf snapped awake inside him, hackles rising as unease flooded his chest.

He sat upright, frowning at the screen glowing with dozens of missed calls and pack-network alerts.

Then John’s name flashed across the screen.

“John?” Lester answered cautiously.

“Turn on the news. Now.” Panic shredded the other man’s voice.

“What’s wrong?” Lester asked, already swinging his legs over the bed.

“Just do it, Rich. You need to see this.”

A chill slithered down his spine. He grabbed the remote and flicked on the holo-screen mounted to the wall.

The image that filled the room froze his blood.

There he was.

His arm wrapped around Avery’s waist, her body pressed against his, their lips locked in a kiss that screamed intimacy. Not staged. Not manipulated.

Real.

Beneath the image blazed crimson letters:

ALPHA HEIR Lester Campbell CAUGHT IN FORBIDDEN AFFAIR WITH HIS LUNA’S SISTER — PACK OUTRAGE ERUPTS

The bond in his chest jolted violently, as though something inside Janine had recoiled in horror.

“No… no, no…” Lester whispered, the remote slipping from his numb fingers.

Behind him, Avery’s sleepy voice floated through the suite. “Why did you stop? Come back to bed—”

Then she saw the screen.

The color drained from her face.

“Oh Moon Goddess…” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Killian will see this. My mate will know everything!”

Lester dragged a hand through his hair, his wolf pacing frantically inside him, claws scraping at his ribs.

“John,” he barked into the phone. “Erase it. Shut down the feed. Pull the story — I don’t care what it costs!”

“I’ve tried,” John replied hoarsely. “Every pack channel has it. It’s already gone feral across the territories. We can’t contain it.”

“No!” Lester roared, smashing the call closed.

He immediately dialed Janine.

Voicemail.

Again.

Blocked.

His throat tightened painfully. “She severed the line… she blocked me.”

Avery grabbed his arm, nails digging into his skin. “What do we do? Killian blocked me too — he knows, Lester!”

But Lester wasn’t hearing her anymore.

His wolf was howling now.

He tore free from her grip and stormed from the suite, ignoring her frantic shouts behind him. He burst through the hotel corridors like a wounded beast, shoving through startled guests, his instincts screaming one command:

Home. Now.

He drove like a madman, tires screaming against the asphalt as the forest blurred past his windows. His pulse thundered louder than his engine.

Strange, how the idea of losing Janine suddenly felt like suffocation.

He had always believed she was immovable — bound to him by devotion, isolated from the world beyond him and Avery.

But the bond felt… strained. Thin.

Her smile flickered through his mind. The way she used to look at him as if he were the moon itself.

“No,” he muttered fiercely, pressing harder on the accelerator. “She’ll listen. I’ll fix this. I always fix this.”

He skidded into the manor grounds and abandoned the car mid-driveway.

“Janine!” he shouted as he burst through the front doors.

Silence answered.

Too quiet.

His gaze snapped to the living room table.

An envelope waited there.

His name written in Janine’s handwriting.

Hands shaking, he ripped it open.

Divorce documents.

Signed.

At the bottom of the first page, written in her elegant script:

Happy Moonbond Anniversary, Lester.

Beside the envelope lay photographs.

Not just the scandal images.

Private ones.

Him and Avery laughing in hotel rooms. Tangled in sheets. Kissing beneath foreign moons.

Lester’s knees buckled as the weight of his destruction crashed down on him.

“Janine…” he croaked.

But the bond was already fading.

She was gone.