"It's pack tradition," I lied smoothly. "The mark is purified before an anniversary to strengthen it."

Three days until I leave.

Lying to Rocco was becoming frighteningly natural.

He stared at me, his Alpha instincts screaming that something was wrong.

"Look me in the eye, Caterina," he said, moving toward the bed. "You're lying."

I met his gaze without flinching.

"Rocco, I have no reason to lie."

He placed the paper on the nightstand and sat down slowly on the edge of the bed.

He didn't press the issue.

"Come here," he said, his voice softening as he opened his arms. "I want to hold you."

I obeyed, letting him pull me into his arms.

He held me tightly, his chin resting on the top of my head.

"Caterina, I love you," he murmured in the darkness, his voice impossibly gentle. "You are my only Luna, the most precious thing in my life. No matter what happens, I will never let you leave me."

"I need you to remember that."

He was whispering all the right things, and his chest still held the familiar warmth I knew so well.

But my body was rigid, and my heart was a stone.

But Rocco felt none of the warmth he expected from our bond.

Before, whenever he held me like this, I would melt into him, my small movements and soft sighs telling him how much I loved him.

Now, there was nothing.

Only distance and resistance.

And the closer he got, the more severe the backlash of the rejection became. I knew he was suffering.

Both physically and mentally.

"Caterina?" He pulled back, searching my face with worried eyes. "What's wrong with you? Why do you feel so far away?"

"I'm not," I said blandly. "I'm right here, my love."

Just then, a frantic mind-link call burst into his thoughts.

"Alpha! Emergency!" It was Beta Marcus's panicked voice.

Rocco frowned and accepted the link.

"Scarlett was attacked by Rogues during the hunt! She's badly injured!" Marcus's voice was frantic. "She's lost a lot of blood and is unconscious. The doctors say it's critical!"

The color drained from Rocco's face.

The raw panic and anguish of someone fearing for the life of a loved one was written plainly across his features.

It was ten times more intense than his reaction when I had been injured.

"What? How did she run into Rogues?" he demanded, shooting up from the bed. "Where were the others? The guards?"

"The Rogues were after her. It seemed like a planned attack. The guards were all seriously wounded, she's the only one who…"

"I'm on my way!"

Rocco was already throwing on his clothes, his movements frantic.

"Caterina, Scar's in trouble. I have to go see her," he said, fastening his belt, his voice thick with urgency.

"Go," I said calmly.

He hesitated, clearly thrown by my composed response.

In the past, the mere mention of them being alone together would have sent me into a spiral of anxiety.

"I'll be back soon," he said, pausing at the door. "Wait for me."

"Okay."

After the door closed, I heard him rushing around the living room.

A few minutes later, an engine roared to life and then faded into the distance.

I got out of bed and walked to the window.

Watching his taillights disappear into the night, I felt a strange sense of peace.

No anger, no jealousy. Nothing.

Just the quiet relief of being set free.

For the next two days, I made my final preparations.

I called my lawyer to confirm the division of assets.

I sent a message to my mother, telling her I would be home soon.

I packed the design portfolios from the bookshelf, one by one.

The last few clothes in the closet were folded and placed in my suitcase.

Six years of my life, completely erased.

On the third day—our mate anniversary and my planned day of departure—I was jolted awake at five in the morning by a violent pain.

My chest felt like it was being ripped apart. Every breath was a fresh slice of a knife.

This was it. The final agony of the bond breaking.

Sage the witch had warned me that the forced rejection would have a period of excruciating pain.

It was the Moon Goddess's final offer of a chance to repent.

If the mates could reconcile, the bond could be saved.

I gritted my teeth, enduring it as cold sweat soaked through my nightgown.

The pain intensified until my vision began to blur.

I was losing the battle.

My hands trembling, I managed to force a mind-link to Rocco.

"Rocco… it hurts… can you please come back?"

The message went out into the void.

Silence. No response.

Another wave of agony crashed over me, and I finally collapsed onto the floor.

I don't know how long I lay on the floor.

The pain came in relentless waves, each one feeling as if a silver dagger were carving up my soul.

Cold sweat drenched my nightgown, and my body trembled uncontrollably.

This was it. The Mate Bond was breaking for good.

Gradually, the pain began to recede.

With a huge effort, I pushed myself up, leaning against the bedframe to sit.

The worst of it was over.

I checked my phone. It was 3:00 PM.

Twelve hours until my flight.

Just as I was about to get up, an unfamiliar mind-link signal punched through my shields. It wasn't Rocco's. It was his Beta, Marcus.

"Alpha, you have to get back here to handle the IPO! Now!" Marcus's anxious voice rang in my head.

This was rare. Marcus was always so composed; he must have linked to me by mistake. "Alpha Damon of the Blackwood Pack arrives tomorrow! If we don't secure this investment, the company is finished!"

Damon.

The name jolted me into full awareness.

My intended.

Sensing the unusual silence on my end, Marcus must have realized his mistake. "Luna?"

"I'm so sorry to disturb you. I can't reach the Alpha, and it's a real emergency…"

"He's at the hospital," I said calmly. "With Scarlett."

"What? Now?" Marcus's voice was incredulous. "The company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and he's still—"

"You should contact him directly," I said, cutting the link.

A few minutes later, I felt Rocco accept a link from Marcus.

Their conversation came through in fragmented pieces—our Mate Bond was breaking, but it wasn't completely gone yet.

"Dammit, I know," Rocco's exhausted voice said. "Give me two hours."

"Alpha, one more thing. Luna Caterina sent you an emergency distress call last night. Did you not receive it?"

There was a pause on the other end.

"I didn't get an emergency message," Rocco said coldly. "She's probably just being dramatic."

So he had gotten my call for help. He had just chosen to ignore it.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

I opened a mind-link of my own, contacting Rocco directly.

"You'd better have a damn good explanation, Caterina," he snarled. "Why did you have Scarlett attacked?"

I froze. "What?"

"Don't play innocent!" he roared. "Those Rogues were clearly after Scar. They've already confessed."

"Rocco, I didn't—"

"Enough!" he cut me off. "Caterina, I never knew you could be so vicious. Jealousy has made you unrecognizable!"

"I told you, I didn't do it," I said weakly. "I collapsed this morning. I called for your help. I honestly thought I was going to die."

"Cut the act," he sneered. "I'm tired of your games, Caterina."

I closed my eyes, the last shred of hope dying within me.

"Tonight. Eight o'clock, under the laurel tree," I said, using the last of my strength. "We end this where it began."

"End things?" Rocco's voice was mocking. "Caterina, do you really think you can leave me?"

"Be there or don't. The choice is yours."

"I'll be there," he said, his tone softening slightly at my resolve. "But Caterina, whatever little game you're playing, we can work through it…"

"Rocco… the doctor said I need to rest. Will you stay with me?" Scarlett's cloying voice interrupted from his end.

"Of course, baby. I'll be right back," he cooed, completely forgetting I was still on the other end of the mind-link.

I spent the next few hours making my final preparations.

I deleted every contact in my phone that connected me to this city.

At seven-thirty, I wheeled my suitcase out the door.

The night air was cool, the moon was full and bright.

Just like the night we'd marked each other, six years ago.

Rocco was already waiting under the laurel tree.

His face fell the moment he saw my suitcase.

"Caterina, what do you think you're doing?"

"Saying goodbye," I said evenly.

"Goodbye?" he scoffed. "Where are you going?"

I didn't answer. I just pulled the completed Rejection Confirmation from my bag.

"I'm just giving you this," I said. "And then we're finished."

Rocco's eyes widened in panic as he read the title of the document.

"Caterina, are you insane? I am your Mate, your Alpha!"

"My Alpha would never have ignored my calls for help," I said, looking him straight in the eye. "My Mate would never have treated me like a substitute."

"I didn't…"

"Don't," I cut him off. "You know exactly what you did."

Rocco was silent for a long time before finally taking the document.

"And if I don't sign?"

"Open it and see, Rocco," I said flatly. "You already did."

"Which means we're done."

A final, tearing pain ripped through my chest.

And then… nothing. The bond was gone.

I turned, dragging my suitcase behind me, and walked toward the airport without looking back.