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?”