My steps faltered as I approached the pack’s private lounge, where muffled voices carried through the thick wooden doors. Instinctively, I pressed myself against the wall, ensuring I remained unseen.

“To think Darius married her out of duty,” one voice chuckled mockingly. “If Damian were still around, he’d rip him to shreds for it.”

A second voice chimed in, softer but no less cutting. “Alpha Damian would never have allowed his little sister to end up like this. Such a shame he’s gone.”

I clenched my fists, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. Alpha Damian? Gone? They were talking about my brother—my Damian.

A brief silence followed before someone whispered, “You know, there are rumors he’s not dead. That he survived.”

The air seemed to freeze around me. My breath caught in my throat, and my mind reeled. Damian—alive? How? After all these years, could it be true?

I pressed myself harder against the wall, struggling to stay upright.

The voices inside continued, oblivious to the storm raging in my mind.

“Only Alpha Darius and the elders know the full truth about the Vaughn tragedy. The Luna’s been kept in the dark all this time.”

“Poor thing,” another voice added mockingly. “She was so young when it happened, too easy to manipulate. It’s no wonder she’s so desperate for love.”

My stomach churned, bile rising in my throat. The Vaughn tragedy… My parents, my brother, our entire pack wiped out in a single night of bloodshed. I was only five years old, and my memories were hazy, filled with screams, fire, and the suffocating scent of iron.

I had been told my brother died protecting me, that his sacrifice ensured my survival. But what if it was all a lie?

Selene’s voice rang out, cutting through my spiraling thoughts. “She’s so gullible, isn’t she? Clinging to Darius as if he actually loves her.”

My hands trembled. The betrayal stung more than I cared to admit.

I couldn’t bear to hear another word. Gathering every ounce of composure, I pushed open the door. The lively chatter came to an abrupt halt as all eyes turned to me.

Darius’s arm, which had been draped casually around Selene’s chair, fell away as if burned.

Selene gave me a smug smile, her eyes glinting with challenge. “Luna,” she greeted sweetly, her tone laced with venom.

“I’m not feeling well,” I announced, my voice steady despite the chaos in my mind. “I’m heading back to the quarters.”

Darius stood, his brows furrowing. “Celeste, wait—”

“I’ll manage,” I cut him off sharply, my tone leaving no room for argument. Without another glance, I turned and walked out, my steps quick and purposeful.

The night air was cool against my flushed skin as I hurried back to the manor. Every step brought new questions, new fears. Could my brother really be alive? And if so, why had no one told me?

Once inside my chambers, I locked the door behind me and paced, my thoughts racing. A name surfaced in my mind—a name I had tried to ignore for months.

Damien Blackwell.

The enigmatic Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. He had approached me months ago, commissioning my designs for the Bloodstone Pack’s emblem redesign. Our interactions had been brief and professional, but something about him had always felt… familiar.

I shook my head, trying to dismiss the wild thought. It couldn’t be Damian. It couldn’t.

But the whispers I had overheard wouldn’t leave me alone.

I crossed the room and opened the drawer where I kept correspondence with clients. Sure enough, there it was—a handwritten letter from Damien Blackwell himself.

My hands trembled as I read his words, searching for something, anything, that might confirm or disprove my suspicions.

Finally, I grabbed a pen and paper, writing a short, desperate note:

Damien, are you Damian Vaughn?

I hesitated for only a moment before sealing the letter and calling for one of the pack’s couriers.

“Deliver this to Alpha Blackwell,” I instructed, my voice firm.

The courier nodded and left swiftly, leaving me alone with my racing thoughts.

Moments later, the door to my chambers burst open, and Darius strode in, his expression dark.

“Why did you leave the celebration?” he demanded, his tone harsh.

“I wasn’t feeling well,” I replied, my voice calm despite the storm inside me.

Darius’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been distant all night. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I met his gaze evenly, the years of practiced composure shielding my true emotions. “Perhaps you should ask yourself the same question.”

His jaw tightened, but he said nothing, turning on his heel and leaving the room without another word.

As the door slammed shut behind him, I let out a shaky breath. The truth was clawing its way to the surface, and I could no longer ignore it.

If Damian was alive, I would find him.

No matter what it took.

At home, I picked up the CCTV footage on my phone and started going through the earlier recordings. I stared at the footage on the screen, my heart breaking with every passing second. Darius, my mate—the man destined by the Moon Goddess to be my other half—had betrayed me. The bond that tethered our souls now felt like a chain dragging me into the depths of despair.

Selene’s provocative voice echoed in my ears: “She didn’t give you that fluttering excitement tonight, did she?”

And Darius’s response, his pathetic attempt to justify his actions, cut deeper than I thought possible.

The pain of the betrayal wasn’t just emotional—it was physical. My wolf, Luna, paced furiously within me, her rage simmering. She howled to be let loose, to confront them both, to shred the illusion of love Darius had built on lies. But I held her back.

“Not yet,” I whispered, forcing my claws to retract. I needed proof—not just for myself but for the pack. They deserved to see the truth of their Alpha.

Scrolling through the timestamps, I forced myself to watch every sickening encounter. Each kiss, each touch, each betrayal replayed in vivid detail. Darius had desecrated not just our bond but the sanctity of the pack’s home.

Finally, the pain became too much. Slamming the laptop shut, I pressed a trembling hand to my chest. The mate bond throbbed faintly, a cruel reminder of the connection we shared.

“This ends now,” I murmured, the resolve in my voice steadying my wavering spirit.

---

The next morning, I walked into Darius’s study, the air thick with his scent. Beneath it lingered a faint trace of Selene’s perfume, a mockery of everything we once stood for.

I placed a small box on his desk. Inside were the remnants of a love I could no longer recognize—notes, small tokens, things that once held meaning but now served as painful reminders of his betrayal. On the lid, I scrawled a simple note:

“For the mate who didn’t deserve me. Happy anniversary.”

Taking a deep breath, I opened the drawer where Darius kept the letters I’d written him over the years. Each one was a testament to my love and devotion, words I now realized were wasted.

I gathered the letters, my movements deliberate, as though I were erasing every trace of the life we’d built.

The door creaked open behind me. Darius’s voice broke the silence. “Celeste?”

I didn’t turn around, focusing instead on the final letter. “What are you doing here?”

“Just cleaning up,” I replied coldly.

His footsteps drew closer, and I could feel his presence like a weight pressing on my back. “What is this?” he asked, his tone sharp.

I turned, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination. “Proof,” I said simply. “Proof that I don’t need you anymore.”

His eyes flicked to the box on his desk. “You don’t mean this,” he said, his voice tight. “You’re just upset—”

“Upset doesn’t even begin to cover it, Darius.” My wolf stirred, her growl low and menacing. “I gave you everything—my love, my trust, my loyalty—and you destroyed it.”

“You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly,” I cut him off, stepping closer. My claws extended as Luna surged forward, demanding justice. “You’re not the mate I thought you were. And now, I’m taking back what’s mine—my freedom.”

He reached for me, desperation flickering in his eyes. “Celeste, don’t do this. Think about the pack, the bond—”

“The bond?” I laughed bitterly. “You destroyed that bond the moment you brought her into our home. You don’t deserve the mate bond, and you certainly don’t deserve me.”

Taking a deep breath, I felt the surge of power within me as I stepped back. “This isn’t for you, Darius. It’s for me.”

With that, I turned and walked out of the study, my steps steady and sure. The Moon Goddess may have tied us together once, but his betrayal had untangled the threads.

This was my beginning.

The morning I prepared to deliver my rejection to the Alpha Council, an unopened email on my laptop stopped me in my tracks. My breath hitched as I opened it, the sender’s name igniting both hope and fear.

Damien Blackwell.

The message was brief but carried the weight of a storm.

Damien: I am, but who told you that? Besides, would you believe me, Isla?

His use of my birth name—one I hadn’t heard since my family’s fall—shook me to my core. Could it really be him? Could my brother, lost to me for years, truly be alive?

I hesitated, doubt warring with the desperate yearning in my chest. What if it was a trap? Wolves knew how to exploit vulnerability, and my longing for family was a weakness I had buried deep.

My fingers trembled as I typed my reply.

Celeste: Prove it to me.

An hour passed in a blur of exchanged messages. Damien answered my cautious questions with precision, revealing details only my brother could know.

Finally, he sent his number, insisting it would be easier to explain over the phone.

When I called, the sound of his voice shattered the fragile dam I had built around my emotions.

“Celeste?” he said, his deep voice steady yet laced with warmth.

“Damien?” I whispered, tears springing to my eyes. His name felt foreign yet achingly familiar. “Is it really you?”

“It’s me,” he said softly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to prove it. I know it’s been years, but I’m here now.”

My breath hitched. “How… why didn’t you come back before?”

“It’s complicated,” he admitted, his tone grave. “But I’m free now, and I want to help you. Are you in trouble?”

His question pierced through my defenses. He could still read me as if no time had passed. Everything I had endured spilled over.

“Please take me away from the Klein pack,” I choked out, the words tumbling free.

There was no hesitation in his response. “Done. Send me your location. I’ll send someone to bring you to the Midnight Hollow.”

“Midnight Hollow?” I echoed, caught off guard.

“It’s safe—a place for wolves like us, away from human eyes,” Damien explained. “You’ll understand everything soon. Just trust me.”

---

That evening, after delivering my rejection to the Alpha Council, I returned to the Klein pack’s manor for the last time. The rejection ceremony had been swift but emotionally taxing.

Now, standing in my room, I packed only the essentials. My heart ached as I retrieved the love letters I had once written to Darius—symbols of a love that had been one-sided and unreciprocated.

Before leaving, I gathered the letters and lit them one by one, their ashes a testament to the end of what I had once believed in.

---

By the time Darius returned home, the manor was eerily silent, a stillness that immediately unsettled him.

“Celeste, I’m back!” he called, his voice echoing through the empty halls.

No response.

His unease grew as he searched each room, his anxiety mounting with every passing moment. Finally, he stumbled upon the charred remains of the letters in the backyard.

Among the ashes, a partially burned note caught his eye. The handwriting was unmistakable—mine.

Darius’s heart sank. He stormed back inside, his breath coming in short, frantic gasps.

“Where is my Luna?!” he bellowed at a servant who had just returned from errands.

“I don’t know, Alpha,” the servant stammered, cowering under his intense glare. “She was here this morning…”

Darius’s claws extended as he dashed to our bedroom. The sight of the open closet and missing suitcase confirmed his fears.

He returned to his study, desperate for answers, and found a letter on his desk, neatly placed. His hands shook as he opened it.

“For the mate who didn’t deserve me. Happy rejection day.”

The note was simple, but its message was clear.

A sudden, excruciating pain shot through his chest. His hands gripped the desk as the bond between us severed completely.

Through the mate bond’s remnants, he reached out, his voice frantic in my mind.

“Celeste! Why? Why are you doing this?”