I bolted from pack territory, not waiting to hear the rest.

He didn't come after me.

I hid out for a week in the cave we used to crash in as rogues. When the pain in my body got too brutal to ignore, I finally went to the healer.

When I came back home, the vase we'd shattered during our fight was still all over the floor.

He hadn't been back.

I knelt to clean it up and sliced my palm on a shard.

Black blood—poisoned—slid from the cut.

I just stared at it.

Should I tell him?

If he knew I was dying... would he even care?

My eyes burned. I let out a dry laugh.

Forget it.

He wasn't the Eric I grew up with. Now he'd just say I was faking it to get his attention.

I drew a slow breath.

The door opened.

Eric stepped inside.

A red mark stained the white collar of his shirt.

The air shifted—heavy with a she-wolf in heat.

Not mine.

Velda's.

I'd know that scent anywhere.

He looked at me, eyebrow raised. "Done throwing your tantrum?"

I said nothing. Slid my injured hand into my pocket.

I hadn't expected him home. The black blood soaked into the fabric.

I thought he'd notice.

He didn't.

Instead, he scoffed. "Trying something new? You're getting more pathetic by the day."

Even after everything, my chest still tightened.

There was a time when a bee sting would've had him panicking.

He knew I used to be a warrior. Knew I hated crying. Knew I'd swallow pain without a sound.

Back then, if I got hurt, he'd lose it.

Now?

I cleaned my wounds. Alone.

Seeing me quiet, Eric eased his tone—but the impatience was still there.

"Zara, stop making a scene. Velda's just here temporarily. Other Alphas keep a few she-wolves besides their Luna. Look at you—how much weight have you put on? Compared to them, I've only taken one. And it's just for breeding. You should be grateful."

He always pitched it like that.

Before he could keep going, the mind link snapped open.

"Eric... I had a nightmare. I dreamed vampires were coming to take me. I'm so scared. Can you come back?"

Her voice was soft. Sugary.

The hard lines in his face vanished.

He softened instantly, voice low and careful—like she was something fragile.

That look used to be mine.

He didn't spare me another glance. Just headed for the door.

"Eric."

He stopped. His hand tightened on the knob, irritation flashing. "Velda's scared. As Luna, you're supposed to support our wolves. Don't start being unreasonable right now—"

"Let's sever our mate bond."

He froze.

Then the fury hit.

"What are you insane about now?!"

Disgust filled his eyes.

"First you hurt yourself. Now you want to end this. What's next? Suicide?"

I asked quietly, "No need for anything dramatic... what if I'm really about to die?"

My voice barely held.

But he'd already yanked the door open. Snow and wind blasted inside.

"Then go die. Die somewhere far away."

The door slammed.

Silence swallowed the living room.

A savage pain ripped through my abdomen—the silver poison chewing through my organs.

I grabbed the pain potion the healer gave me and forced it down.

It hurt so bad I could barely breathe.

I wanted to tell him everything.

That a vampire ambushed me.

That silver poison was eating me alive.

That I was actually dying.

I almost took the risk.

Bet he'd come back.

My shaking hand reached for him through the mind link.

Only wind answered.

He'd shut the link off.

A rough laugh slipped out as I looked at my reflection in the broken glass.

Because of the poison, I hadn't eaten in days. I was all bone—ribs sharp under my skin.

And he'd just called me fat. Said my skin was thick.

Nothing hurts like a heart that's already dead.

In his eyes, I'd always be the jealous, dramatic she-wolf.

I counted the time.

"Eric, this is day one of my goodbye."

My time was running out. No reason to keep any of it.

I called the weakest Omegas and handed over everything Eric ever gave me—rare furs, gemstones, all of it.

"Luna... you're really giving this to me? This is prime silver fox fur. If Alpha finds out..."

The young Omega's voice shook. Her eyes didn't.

"Take it. You need it more."

I smiled while they carried off the gifts that used to mean honor. Used to mean love.

"Alpha treats you so well. He always saves the best for you."

I heard the envy. I didn't answer. Just glanced down at the pack feed on my phone.

Velda had posted:

[It's freezing out, but good thing I've got your warmth to keep me cozy.]

In the photo, she was wrapped in a flawless white bear pelt.

Eric hunted that bear up north last week.

I'd begged for it. Winter bedding. The cold cut deeper now.

What did he say?

"I'm slammed every day. Who has time for that? And you're so fat—how could you even be cold?"

So yeah. He wasn't busy.

He just had someone else to keep warm.

After the Omegas left, I went to see Daisy.

She's a warrior from a neighboring pack—Stormcrown Pack. My only real friend.

"I need you to take me to the wolves' graveyard."

She froze. That place is where we bury our own. Wolves only go there when they're picking their final spot.

"Zara, why would you ask me to take you somewhere like that?"

I didn't answer. I just pulled her inside.

The old wolf guarding the graves rolled his cloudy eyes and handed me a map.

I walked the grounds and picked a quiet place facing the sun.

Out of respect for Daisy, he accepted my deposit.

"It's for me. I'm choosing it for myself."

I wrote Zara on the registry.

Once the gold was put away, I dragged a shaken Daisy back to the car.

The second the door shut, she grabbed my shoulders.

"Zara, what is going on? Why are you picking a grave for yourself? Does Eric know?"

Fear was all over her face.

It made me think of him.

If he'd seen that back there, would he be scared of losing me?

I smiled, bitter.

He'd probably think I was being dramatic again.

"Daisy."

I cut her off and slowly untied my loose black robe.

The muscle I used to have was gone. In its place—shriveled, dark skin.

Over my heart, claw marks. Deep. Bone showing.

Black pus leaked from the wounds. The smell of rot filled the car.

"I was ambushed by a vampire. Silver poison. It's already in my bones." I looked out the window, voice light. "The healer said one month. Starting today, twenty-eight days left."

Daisy covered her mouth. Shock wrecked her face.

Tears spilled fast. Her hand shook as she reached for the wound—then stopped.

"How... how did this happen? You were the strongest Beta she-wolf."

"That was before."

I tied my robe back up, hiding the damage.

For some reason, seeing Daisy cry for me twisted something in my chest.

Almost happy.

See?

There was still someone in this world who cared whether I lived or died.

A brutal cramp ripped through my stomach.

Black blood filled my mouth.

Daisy started yelling about the healer, but I grabbed her wrist.

"Take me home."

I wasn't dying in a room that smelled like antiseptic. I wasn't letting the pack see me like this.

I tried to stay awake so she wouldn't panic.

The pain won.

Everything went dark.

Through the haze, I heard her screaming into the phone.

"Eric, you bastard! Wherever you are, get back here now!"

She took me home.

By the time Eric showed up, the healer had already pumped me full of painkillers and left. Daisy was gone too.

I lay there alone, swallowed by a heavy black robe, curled into myself.

The silver poison had sunk into my marrow. I was all bone, my face the only thing swollen from the toxins.

"What stunt are you pulling now? Daisy says you're dying? You look fine to me."

The door swung open. Eric walked in, frowning, staring at me like I was trash.

My throat was too dry to answer.

Velda slipped in behind him, holding a basket of berries.

Before I could speak, she said softly, "Zara, are you not feeling well? Did you maybe eat too much lately? Gaining weight can mess with your stomach. I picked sour berries for you. They help."

So he brought her to watch me embarrass myself.

"What's with that look?" Eric snapped. "Velda came to be nice. You can't even say thank you? Since when are you this rude?"

I looked at him, voice hoarse. "Your manners include bringing a side she-wolf to humiliate your Mate?"

He faltered, then glanced over me.

The loose black robe swallowed my body. All anyone could see was my swollen, pale face.

"Look at you." He turned away like even staring at me was gross. "Eating all day, puffed up like a pig. Not a trace of Luna grace left."

He never tried lifting the robe.

One look and he'd see it wasn't fat. Just bones.

"Done?" My voice stayed even. "Then leave."

His chest rose and fell. He pointed at me. "Zara, don't test me."

Velda grabbed his arm, voice shaking. "Eric, don't blame Zara. It's my fault. If she doesn't like me, I'll go."

"You're not going anywhere." He yanked her back, fury snapping in his voice. "I'm the Alpha of this pack! What is she next to me?"

His phone lit up. The Elder Council.

He paused, let go of Velda, and stepped out onto the balcony.

The second Eric stepped out, Velda dropped the act.

She walked to my bed, looked down at me, then leaned close to my ear.

"Zara, you know what Eric says about you when you're not around?"

She smiled, smug. "He says my waist's slimmer than yours ever was. Soft like water. This is what a she-wolf's supposed to feel like."

"And he also said..." Her voice dipped, venom-slow. "Every time he touches you, it's torture. Being with a fat pig makes him sick."

I went still.

Every soft memory twisted into blades, shredding what was left of my pride.

"Oh, you didn't know?" She straightened, brow lifting. "He didn't come earlier because we were busy. On that white bear pelt. So soft..."

I gagged.

"Oh no, Zara, why are you throwing up?" She gasped, fake concern dripping off every word as she grabbed a fruit knife. "Too much fat upsetting your stomach? I'll peel a berry for you. You love sweets, right?"

She made a show of peeling it.

Then the knife tip slashed straight for the back of my hand.