I just stood there, watching them.

Watching the lingering madness and possessiveness in Damien’s bloodshot eyes.

Watching the panic and guilt Lyra couldn't hide on her paper-white face.

I had a million questions I wanted to scream, but when they reached my lips, not a single word came out.

Lyra, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, violently pushed Damien away – who was still lost in the moment – and rushed towards me, forcing a smile uglier than tears.

"Selena! You... why are you up? Are you feeling better? You didn't even call me when you got up... I... Damien and I were just discussing... discussing how badly you were hurt, and what precious herbs and prey we should get to help you recover your strength and feel better... and then... then a nasty bug flew into my hair, and Damien... Damien was helping me get it out..."

She babbled incoherently, desperately winking at Damien behind her, trying to get him to back her up and confirm her "story."

Damien, however, just pursed his lips, his face cold, saying nothing, only watching me with those deep, unreadable eyes.

Seeing Lyra on the verge of tears, Damien finally, as if doing her a huge favor, managed to squeeze out a reply: "Yes."

I knew Lyra wasn't frantically making up this terrible lie because she actually cared about my feelings, and definitely not because she wanted to protect our so-called "sisterly bond."

She was just scared.

Scared I'd expose their dirty affair.

Scared she'd lose her "innocent and kind" perfect image in the Blood Moon Pack.

Scared she'd lose Damien's unconditional love and protection.

After finding out I'd been betrayed by my most trusted bestie and my destined mate, I did hate Lyra.

That hatred, like a venomous snake, gnawed at my heart day and night, making me miserable.

I didn't know how to face Lyra, with whom I once shared everything.

But now that I’d decided to completely sever this mistaken bond, none of it mattered anymore.

I didn't care.

So, even though I knew they were teaming up, putting on a ridiculously flawed show for me, I couldn't be bothered to call them out.

It would only make me look even more pathetic.

I suppressed the complicated mix of sadness, anger, disappointment, and disgust in my heart and managed a stiff smile.

"Oh, I see."

My voice was so calm, it even surprised me.

Lyra didn't know what I was thinking. She just assumed I hadn't clearly seen their passionate kiss earlier, that I actually believed her flimsy excuse.

She let out a sigh of relief, quickly stepped forward, and affectionately linked her arm through mine, cooing at me in that familiar way I once knew so well.

"Selena, what were you going out to do? Are you going to the sacred spring to heal? Want me to come with you? I actually have some things I wanted to talk to you about."

I took out the token the pack healer had given me from my pocket, my voice flat. "The healer told me to go to the depths of the sacred spring for a deep purification and recovery."

Lyra immediately and enthusiastically offered to go with me, then pulled me away from that disgusting place in a hurry.

Damien stood rooted to the spot the whole time, just watching our retreating backs with those dark, unreadable eyes.

The purification ritual in the core area of the sacred spring was longer and more painful than I’d imagined.

But every jolt and cleansing wash of lunar energy felt like it was stripping away the ugly marks deep within my soul.

It hurt, a lot, but it was also... clarifying.

The results came out quickly. The healer said the residual fire energy in my body had been completely cleared, but my lunar energy, due to the previous overexertion, had damaged its foundation and needed long-term rest and nourishment from rare herbs to slowly recover.

He suggested I stay in a healing cave by the sacred spring for at least another month.

I had no choice but to accept.

Lyra, true to her word, came to visit me almost every day.

And whenever Lyra appeared, Damien would also coincidentally show up nearby, due to various "pack affairs" or "territory patrols."

The two of them kept staging these "chance encounters."

But I knew in my heart, Damien never truly wanted to accompany me, his mate in name only.

The freshest prey and sweetest berries he "happened" to bring each time would, after I "accidentally" refused them, be "reluctantly" passed on to Lyra.

The potent healing herbs he traded from other packs, after Lyra "unintentionally" mentioned she needed them too, would be "fairly" divided, with Lyra getting a large share.

When the three of us "accidentally" gathered to chat, Damien's gaze would always uncontrollably linger on Lyra's smiling face.

He'd instinctively smooth Lyra's wind-tousled hair, naturally pass her the sweetest spring water from his own cup, and his lips would curve up when Lyra laughed happily...

I saw everything he did, and I remembered it.

Occasionally, a familiar, subtle ache would still prick my chest.

But that was all.

I never showed these emotions, never foolishly argued or begged like before.

Because I knew I was truly, finally, moving on from this mistaken relationship.

The invisible connection between us, born from the fated bond deep in my soul, was fading.

One day, it would break completely.

And I would completely let go.

The day I was discharged, the day I decided to leave the Blood Moon Pack for good, Damien actually came himself.

He even, uncharacteristically, suggested taking me on a "mate's hunt and patrol" as compensation for the grievances I'd suffered.

This was the first time since he became Alpha that he’d actively invited me like this.

I paused, a little confused about what he was up to.

But he didn't give me a chance to refuse, directly pulling me onto his magnificent black war wolf mount.

First, he took me to the Moon-shadow Forest, the most beautiful of the Blood Moon Pack's territory, also richest in prey.

There, he showcased his incredible hunting skills as an Alpha.

His agile form moved through the trees, every strike precise and deadly.

Then, he piled the most precious prey in front of me and said in a tone that left no room for argument, "These are all yours."

Next, he took me to the pack's treasury, which was filled with glittering gems, rare ores, and weapons and ornaments made from precious materials.

He casually selected a dozen items that, in his eyes, symbolized the Luna's status and glory, laying them out before me one by one, like a generous king displaying his wealth and favor towards me.

"This necklace, strung with South Sea moonlight pearls, has a gentle luster that complements your fair skin."

"These armbands, crafted from thousand-year-old blood jade, are said to have the miraculous effect of concentrating lunar energy, which will help you recover your strength."

"This cloak, sewn from ice silk and fire fox fur, is light and warm, capable of warding off the northern cold."

...

For the past three years, although we were mates in name, Damien had never truly taken me on a date.

The few times we attended pack events together were mostly at the elders' insistence, and even then, he'd reluctantly bring me along.

No matter how much affection and care I showed him, no matter how much I did for him, he ignored it all, let alone patiently picking out gifts for me and giving detailed comments like he was doing now.

So I felt very uncomfortable, almost like the Damien before me was a stranger, making me feel... a chill down my spine.

A young, clueless she-wolf guarding the treasury, seeing Damien so attentively choosing gifts for me, looked at me with envy. She couldn't help but whisper, "Future Luna, the Alpha not only personally accompanies you hunting and chooses the most precious gifts for you, but he also so carefully considers your preferences and needs. To have such a powerful and doting Alpha as your mate, you must feel incredibly happy and proud!"

I watched Damien take out a black obsidian token from his pouch, signaling the she-wolf to pack up all those gifts and send them to my hut.

Throughout the whole process, he didn't even ask me once if I liked any of it.

Happy? Proud?

If I didn't know the person he truly loved was Lyra; if I hadn't experienced the humiliation at that full moon gathering and the desperation of being on the brink of death; if I hadn't witnessed his passionate kiss with Lyra on the sacred spring path...

Maybe, I really would have been like this young she-wolf, moved to tears by his sudden favor.

But now, seeing these exquisite, expensive, yet cold gifts, my heart was just numb.

I knew better than anyone that Damien's sudden, uncharacteristic actions weren't because he'd fallen in love with me.

He just couldn't give me real love and respect, so he was trying to use these things to make up for what he owed me, to silence the gossip from the elders and pack members, to soothe his own conscience.

What he could give me, I didn't need.

And what I once wanted, he couldn't give, and never would.

This fated bond, mistakenly forged by the Moon Goddess, was an absurd mistake from the very beginning.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

After that pointless gift-giving trip, it was already dusk.

Damien glanced at the sky and coolly asked if I wanted to eat anything.

I had no appetite for any of his "offerings," so he decided on his own to find a clearing by a stream, light a bonfire, and prepare a simple "mate's" dinner.

He then added, seemingly casually, "Lyra just told me through a wind-whisper stone that she happens to be nearby collecting night-glow grass, so I asked her to join us."

The northern forests were so vast, yet we just happened to run into her here.

Whether it was a coincidence or if he just couldn't wait to be with Lyra, I didn't know, and I didn't want to bother finding out anymore.

I just said, "Mm," and went to sit on a large rock by the stream, closing my eyes to rest, not wanting to look at his hypocritical face any longer.

About fifteen minutes later, Damien arrived with Lyra.

Lyra, still acting all innocent and worldly, chirped happily as soon as she saw me, linking her arm through mine affectionately, as if there had never been any bad blood between us. "Selena," she blinked her pure, innocent eyes, "I let Damien take you out to cheer you up. Was he good to you today? Did he get you any prey or crystals you liked?"

Only then did I realize that Damien's strange behavior today had all been approved by Lyra.

The few, precious warm moments I'd had in the past three years were actually Lyra's handouts to me.

How ridiculous!

I lowered my head, unwilling to respond.

This so-called mate's dinner, I ate it like I was chewing wax, mechanically putting the half-cooked roasted meat into my mouth.

Although Lyra was constantly chatting with Damien about interesting pack gossip, sometimes giggling at Damien's "wit," sometimes playfully complaining that Damien had been neglecting her lately due to "busy pack affairs," she kept glancing at me, sharply noticing my extremely low spirits.

So, when the bonfire started to die down, she insisted on pulling me along to a nearby hot spring to "relax."

"Selena, wasn't Damien's hunting and patrol trip with you today fun? Or were the gifts he picked out not to your liking, so you've been so down?"

She said this in a "wise older sister" tone while helping me undress.

"Don't mind Damien, he's usually so serious, but when he's with us she-wolves, sometimes he's really... really clumsy."

"Let me tell you," she leaned closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a huge secret, "a long, long time ago, I just casually mentioned I wanted to taste the legendary starlight fruit, which only grows in the Moon Goddess's garden. And he actually snuck into the forbidden area, only accessible to past Alphas, risked being torn aby guardian beasts, and brought back a whole basket for me! And guess what? After the elders found out, he was punished by having to soak in the ice lake for three days and nights. At that time, a few she-wolves from other affiliated packs who had crushes on him came to visit, wanting to taste the precious starlight fruit too. He wouldn't give them a single piece, even saying defiantly, 'I risked my life to get these, so naturally, they only belong to Lyra!' That story, our Blood Moon Pack members have been telling it as a joke for years! Don't you think he's been that bossy since he was little?"

She giggled as she spoke, her full chest bouncing, looking alluring in the moonlight.

I quietly watched the undisguised pride and happiness in her eyes.

I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't.

Yeah, only someone who knows they're favored, cherished, would be so bold, right?

An indescribable sourness and sadness welled up in my heart.

I didn't want Lyra to see how I was feeling, so I made an excuse to go into the nearby woods.

But I'd barely left the hot spring area, before I could even calm myself, when I heard horrifying roars from the sky not far away.

Then, thick black smoke, reeking of strong corrosion, spread rapidly from the direction of the stream we’d just left, towards the entire pack territory!

The surrounding trees, upon contact with the black smoke, withered and rotted at a visible speed, turning into disgusting pools of black pus.

The air filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and death.

"It's... it's the 'Shadow Plague'! Run!"

"Oh gods! How did those shadow creatures sealed in the 'Abyss of Despair' suddenly get out!"

Screams and cries for help, filled with terror and despair, came from all directions.

My first thought was Lyra, still at the hot spring, unaware of the danger!

So even though I knew that if I touched that terrifying "Shadow Plague," I'd be corroded like those withered trees, not even bones would be left, I still, without hesitation, ran against the tide of panicking, fleeing pack members, towards the hot spring!

Just as I reached the edge of the hot spring area, I saw Damien tightly shielding a disheveled Lyra in his arms, struggling to fend off the encroaching black smoke, preparing to break through to safety with her.

Lyra, like a frightened little bird, clung tightly to Damien's arm, her anxious voice, broken and intermittent, carried through the thick, suffocating black smoke. "Damien! Selena... Selena is still out in the woods! She... she doesn't know about the 'Shadow Plague' here! You... you go save her first! I... I can find a way to get out myself!"

"Forget about her for now! You leave this contaminated area with me first!"

Damien's voice was still steady, firm, and unyielding.

But Lyra stubbornly tried to push him away, wanting him to save me first.

"I'll be fine! Damien, go save Selena! She... she's your Luna in name, after all! If anything happens to her today because of us... what... what will you do? The council... the council won't let us off either!"

"Lyra! Listen to me!" Damien suddenly roared, cutting her off, holding Lyra even tighter in his arms. "I don't care what happens to her! I just want you to be safe! If she can escape on her own, that's her luck; if she can't... that has nothing to do with us either! In my world, there's only you. Nothing else matters!"

Every word, like a sharp blade, stabbed viciously into my heart.

I bit my lip so hard, the rich taste of blood instantly filled my mouth, the pain almost suffocating me.

Damien, tightly protecting Lyra in his arms, turned and quickly broke away in the opposite direction from me.

At the same time, the other pack members, completely crazed with fear, surged like a tide towards any seemingly safe exit.

I was pushed down in the chaos, falling heavily to the ground. My body was trampled black and blue by the stampeding pack members, my bones feeling like they were about to break.

I trembled violently from the pain, cold sweat drenching my clothes in an instant.

The black smoke from the "Shadow Plague" grew thicker, reaching my feet, starting to corrode my exposed skin.

I couldn't help but let out a pained groan.

Driven by the instinct to survive, I gritted my teeth against the intense pain, got up from the ground, and, leaning on a tree trunk already half-corroded, stumbled step by step towards what I remembered as a relatively safe area.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Luckily, I managed to save myself.

Alone back in my hut, I saw dozens of fake messages of concern from Lyra through our mental link. It just made me sick.

I replied with the shortest possible message: "I'm fine, don't worry."

Then, without hesitation, I unilaterally cut off all mental links with her.

From now on, we were done.

As for Damien...

I instinctively tried to sense the faint mental connection between us, the one from our fated bond.

Dead silence.

Not a single message of greeting, not a single thought of concern had come through.

It seemed he really, as he’d said, didn't care if I lived or died.

For the next full week, Damien didn't show up.

I didn't ask where he went or who he was with.

None of it mattered anymore.

I just quietly performed the final ritual to sever the fated bond.

The Moonstone, having absorbed my heart's blood and Damien's "agreement to separate" energy, was placed in the center of my hut, within an ancient ritual circle drawn with moon-grass and stardust.

I sat cross-legged, channeling all my remaining lunar energy, chanting over and over the forbidden spell from the ancient wolf chronicles to break a fated bond.

Every chant felt like a sharp blade cutting into my soul.

The pain, bone-deep, almost made me pass out.

But I gritted my teeth and endured.

Because I knew, only then could I completely escape this fate.

Occasionally, during breaks in the ritual, I'd subconsciously see Lyra and Damien's sweet interactions through the pack's internal wind-whisper stones.

Like Damien peeling a whole plate of her favorite flame shrimp for her.

Like Damien grooming Lyra's soft fur under the moonlight, like a true mate.

Like Lyra drawing two cuddling wolf cubs in the snow with her claws, carving her and Damien's names beside them...

My heart was already a still lake, no ripples disturbed its surface.

Days passed.

The Moonstone in the ritual circle, continuously absorbing my lunar energy and my will to separate, grew dimmer and dimmer, the cracks more numerous and deeper.

Finally, when I had almost exhausted the last of my lunar energy, the pack's wise woman contacted me through a mental link.

"Miss Selena, today is the last day before your fated bond with Alpha Damien breaks. According to ancient wolf law and the intentions both of you previously infused into the Moonstone, as long as you cast this Moonstone into the Blood Moon Pack's 'Abyss of Severed Fates' before moonrise tonight, the fated bond between you will be completely broken. Are you ready?"

I had waited too long for this day.

I immediately got up, picked up the nearly shattered Moonstone, and walked towards the pack's forbidden land—the Abyss of Severed Fates.

Returning from the forbidden land, I felt incredibly weak, yet an unprecedented lightness filled me.

Just as I was about to pack my last few belongings and leave this heartbreaking place for good, I unexpectedly received an urgent mental message from one of Damien's subordinates.

"Selena... uh, Miss Selena! The Alpha... the Alpha got drunk at the feast celebrating the successful hunt of a thousand-year-old Shadow Demon Wolf! He's very unstable right now. Would you be able to bring him back to the Alpha's cave?"

I asked for the location of the feast, hesitated for a moment, but eventually went.

Not because I still harbored any illusions about him, but because I didn't want him to become a laughingstock among other pack members while drunk and disorderly.

Reaching the entrance of the huge cave where the leaders gathered, I was about to lift the heavy curtain and go in when I heard Damien's drunken voice.

"Those few days hunting with Lyra in the Moon-shadow Valley... were the happiest time since I became Alpha... no, the happiest time of my entire life. Only she was by my side. We didn't have to care about those damn laws; we could express our desire and love for each other freely. I wish time could have frozen at that moment... Lyra could have been mine alone, forever..."

The bone-deep pain in his voice made the other Beta wolves in the cave, who were usually close to him, look uncomfortable.

"Alpha, please don't talk such drunken nonsense. Miss Selena might be here soon. She'd be heartbroken if she heard you say that. She loves you so much, she even cut ties with her own pack to stay with our Blood Moon Pack for you... She only has you now, you can't let her down," a young Beta wolf said, mustering his courage.

"Yeah, Alpha! Miss Selena even gave up the precious opportunity to awaken stronger lunar energy at the Moon Goddess's temple just to be with you! All these years, whenever you returned late from a hunt, she'd light a moonstone at the cave entrance waiting for you; when you were injured in battles with rival packs, she stayed up day and night, using her pure lunar energy to heal you, guarding you for a whole month; when you were patrolling the territory and accidentally ate poisonous berries, writhing in pain, she found out and immediately, regardless of the danger, crossed the entire forest to find an antidote for you..." another older Beta wolf couldn't help adding.

"We know you've only ever had Miss Lyra in your heart. But... but you and Miss Lyra, after all, aren't the mates originally designated by the Moon Goddess. Miss Selena, she's the mate the Moon Goddess gave you, the one who should truly belong to you. You'll regret hurting her!"

Hearing their advice, Damien chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"Regret? I've only ever regretted one thing in my life."

"Three years ago, I shouldn't have, in a moment of weakness, accepted this damn fated bond!"

"If, back then, I hadn't bonded with Selena... then, would Lyra and I still have had a chance to be together?"

####CHAPTER-NAME: