I conscientiously perform my duties as the Luna of the Blackwood pack throughout our three years of bond.

During every cycle of the full moon, my Alpha, Damon Slater, insists on personally preparing Wolf Essence Elixir for me. He claims it enables me to manage my duties as Luna with greater ease. I trust him implicitly, never doubting his words.

It is only later that the shaman reveals that "the elixir" is actually Shadowmoon Drug—a forbidden drug that induces infertility.

I haven't even had the chance to question him when Isabelle Turner, his lover, brazenly posts a sonogram confirming the Alpha's pup in the group chat. Damon, my Alpha, does nothing, letting Isabelle accept everyone's pledge of loyalty to her.

Damon coldly reminds me that our bond serves a purely political purpose for the alliance and then aggressively questions me about what grievances I still hold. He thinks of me as merely a means to serve the alliance, a tool that can be replaced at any time.

He is completely wrong about that, though.

Elena's POV

In our three years of bond, my Alpha, Damon Slater, maintained a facade of gentle affection while secretly poisoning me with a sterility-inducing drug. I was on the verge of confronting him when his lover, Isabelle Turner, brazenly declared that she was pregnant with Damon's pup.

"I'd like to announce that my Alpha has given me the most precious gift."

Isabelle had announced it in a cloyingly sweet and triumphant tone, with an accompanying photo showing her hand resting on her lower abdomen.

I was stunned, my breath catching in my throat. That single message instantly crushed my intention to seek Damon out and demand a confrontation.

In the meantime, the group chat was bombarded with messages.

"Congratulations! Alpha Damon finally has an heir!"

"It's wonderful news for the pack!"

"I'll have to start preparing for the congratulatory gift!"

There were well-wishes coming in one after another. Callum Smith, the Beta of the pack, instantly gave Isabelle a shimmering, rare Luna Gem, while the chief warrior of the pack delivered a symbolic gift of centuries-old cedarwood.

There were also others who vowed to dedicate their lives to guarding Damon and Isabelle's pup, the Alpha heir.

"I solemnly swear my allegiance to the future Alpha by the oath of the pack!"

"I pledge my unwavering loyalty to the future Alpha heir!"

There were pledges of loyalty flashing past the screen, one after another.

Damon, the admin of the group chat, remained silent throughout the whole thing. He offered no denial, no single word of explanation, and made no move to halt the frenzy either.

I had to sit and bear witness as Isabelle, established as the mother of the future heir, received the solemn vows and lavish gifts from Damon's most trusted allies.

I felt my hands trembling—they weren't born of grief or despair, but pure rage.

"Thank you, everyone, for your thoughtfulness."

Isabelle sent another message, sounding like the rightful Luna of the pack. "I'll make good use of these gifts to decorate the pup's nursery."

She then sent a smile emoji with another message, stating, "Damon and I will invite the Elders to attend the naming ceremony once the pup is born."

It was a sacred rite that could only be presided over by the Luna of the pack. It turned out that Isabelle was already planning her rise, acting as if she were the Luna-to-be.

I took screenshots and saved all the evidence, then turned off the communication crystal. It was awfully quiet in the room, with only the sound of my ragged breathing echoing.

I had consistently wondered why I couldn't conceive in the past three years. I sought out every healer and doctor, endured countless tests, and even submitted to ancient fertility rituals. I would receive Damon's comforting words with every failure, with him saying, "You have nothing to worry about—there's still plenty of time, Elena."

He would then hand me more of those "elixirs" after comforting me.

I finally realized the truth now—he never intended for me to conceive. I was nothing more than a tool to him, used to secure the alliance between the two major packs.

I then heard footsteps approaching the door and realized that Damon had returned ahead of schedule. He was supposed to be handling a territorial dispute at the border tonight and wasn't due back until tomorrow. He clearly had something more important to deal with since he came back early.

His voice, dripping with fake concern, called out, "How come you're back so soon, Elena? How did the check-up with the shaman go?"

I took a deep breath, struggling to keep my voice even as I replied, "It all went well."

Damon pushed open the door and stepped inside, his face bearing his usual gentle smile. "It's good news, then. I'm feeling rather exhausted tonight, so let's head to bed early."

I gazed at his face, picturing him using that exact same expression to murmur sweet nothings to Isabelle just a few hours earlier. I then asked him, "Why are you back so early tonight?"

"It's because the border issue was resolved more smoothly than expected," Damon replied. He slipped out of his coat, his movements as natural as if nothing had happened.

I knew he was lying because the corner of his left eye always gave a slight twitch whenever he lied—just as it did that very moment.

"What's the matter, Elena? Why do you look so pale?" Damon asked as he stepped out of the bathroom, his voice soft and laced with probing.

I offered no reply. I simply sat on the edge of the bed, my mind compulsively replaying the sickening stream of celebratory messages over and over again.

"Elena?" Damon walked closer, trying to catch a glimpse of my phone.

I quickly locked my phone screen and looked up at him, noticing that my sudden movement had brought a look of alarm to his eyes.

"It's quite festive in the group chat," I replied calmly—a calmness that even terrified me.

Damon momentarily faltered. He then coolly resumed drying his hair, though the stiffness in his shoulders betrayed him. "What group chat are you talking about?"

I slowly stood up and looked him in the eyes, replying, "It's the group chat made up of all your closest allies. Isabelle is pregnant, Damon."

He immediately let go of the towel, causing it to fall onto the marble floor. He then hurriedly explained, "I can explain this—"

I moved toward him, every step deliberate. "How do you want to explain this, Damon? Do you want to explain why you permitted her to share photos of her pregnancy in your most trusted circle? Or do you want to explain why you stood by as she accepted every single oath of loyalty from your allies?"

Damon's complexion was drained of color. He tried to speak, but he found himself unable to respond on the spot.

I closed in on him. "Do you want to explain why you, the admin of the group chat, remained silent while the Betas were openly discussing the naming ceremony? That is a sacred ritual that only the Luna of the pack can preside over, Damon."

His voice began to tremble slightly, saying, "I-It's not what you think, Elena."

I directly stopped in front of him, asking, "What is it then, Damon? How exactly are things supposed to be, Damon?"

Damon responded with a chilling, detached tone, sounding like a complete stranger. "You ought to know that our union was always a contract for the benefit of the two major packs, Elena. You surely knew that to be the case."

I felt a sudden, fierce pain seize my chest, as if something inside me had shattered. I then asked in a trembling manner, "What is your point, Damon?"

Damon's gaze was utterly cold, devoid of any remorse. "What could you possibly be lacking, Elena? You're the Luna of the pack, you command respect, and you possess endless wealth and authority. You dwell in the grandest mansion, wear the most expensive clothes, and the household staff treats you with the utmost deference. What more could you possibly want, Elena?"

I stared at the man before me. We had been together for three years, but now he seemed like a completely ruthless stranger to me.

I asked softly, my voice barely above a whisper, "What, then, of the love between us, Damon?"

Damon scoffed. "What do you mean by love, Elena? You're past the age of playing an innocent young lady in love. You ought to know that the alliance of the packs far outweighs any personal emotion."

I felt sick to my stomach. "Do you plan on keeping that pup, then?"

In that instant, the only sounds in the room were the harsh breathing of the two of us, punctuated by the distant cry of a nocturnal bird.

Damon replied flatly, "I need an heir, Elena."

I suddenly burst out laughing, even as my tears streamed down my face. I retrieved a crystal vial from beneath the pillow, its base holding the residue of a dark blue elixir. "You require an heir, huh? What is this, then, Damon?"

Upon seeing the crystal vial, Damon's eyes immediately widened in surprise. "T-That's—"

I immediately cut him off, reaching into the bedside drawer to retrieve a piece of parchment. "I have the official test report from the shaman here, as well as the formal diagnosis from the healer of the pack."

I took slow, deliberate steps toward him. "Those so-called elixirs you prepared for me were Shadowmoon Drugs, right?"

Damon, with his back against the wall, had no way out. "Please hear me out—"

I could barely speak without trembling, saying, "It's been three years, Damon. You personally brewed this toxic drug for me for every full moon for three long years."

Damon sounded very weak, saying, "I never intended to cause you any harm—"

I bellowed, "You didn't intend to harm me? You forced me to drink such a potent drug for three years, suppressed my wolf, cut off my connection to the Moon Goddess, and made me infertile! You actually dare to tell me now that you want an heir?"

In that instant, my voice reverberated throughout the room, a sound saturated with pure fury and deep despair.

Damon turned deathly pale, a fine sheen of cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

In the meantime, a wolf's howl sounded outside the window, the unmistakable signal of the border patrol. In the quiet of the night, that sound was especially eerie and piercing.

He finally broke his silence, his voice laced with a slight desperation. "I'm willing to compensate you, Elena. I can give you anything you want—territory, jewels, authority—"

I wiped my tears away, my voice settling into a stillness that was far more unnerving than any rage. "You want to compensate me? What do you believe could ever compensate a woman for having her right to bear a pup deliberately taken from her, Damon?"

Damon's gaze shifted away, unwilling to meet mine.

I spoke softly, yet each word held a terrible, cold menace. "You irrevocably destroyed the most valuable thing I will ever have, Damon. Do you even realize what you have done?"

"I was worried that you'd be upset, Elena," Damon said softly, his voice barely a whisper as he made a desperate, last-ditch attempt to justify his actions.

I retorted with a sneer, "You're worried about upsetting me, huh? You deceived me for three years, convincing me my own body was defective and forcing me into a cycle of self-blame with every passing month, Damon!"

Damon stated nonchalantly, "You just have to stop drinking that drug from now on."

I stared at him as I recalled every single detail of our three years together.

I remembered how, on every full moon, he would watch me drink the "elixir" with a look of profound love and worry in his eyes. I remembered how he comforted me after every menstrual cycle, saying, "It's alright, Elena, since we still have time. I'm sure the Moon Goddess will watch over us."

It turned out that every comforting word he uttered had been a deception, and the concern in his eyes was nothing more than a carefully crafted mask.

"E-Elena?" Damon tried to approach me, stretching his hand toward my cheek.

I quickly stepped back, raising a hand to keep him away. I then replied coldly, "You'd better stay away from me. You make me sick, Damon."

Damon's outstretched hand froze, hanging midway to my face, then slowly fell to his side.

I unfurled the parchment, adding, "Do you want to take a look at the healer's diagnosis? It's stated that the continuous use of Shadowmoon Drug has already severely weakened my connection to the Moon Goddess."

Damon's pupils constricted sharply.

I then recited the figures on the parchment aloud, declaring, "It also stated that my Wolf Nature Index fell from 98% to 47%."

"Elena…" Damon attempted to offer an explanation.

I then pointed to the small text marked in red ink, saying, "It's noted that based on the current extent of the damage, there is a strong possibility of permanent infertility."

In that instant, the temperature in the room seemed to drop to freezing point. I noticed that Damon's complexion had turned deathly pale, his forehead now glistening with a thicker layer of sweat.

I stated deliberately, "I might suffer from permanent infertility, Damon. Do you truly grasp the implication? It means I might be denied the chance to have my own pups for the rest of my life!"

Damon tried to speak up, but he couldn't even utter a single thing. He leaned against the wall, looking like he might collapse at any moment.

I stared at him as the final illusion I held in my heart was utterly destroyed. It turned out that Damon, the man whom I once thought I would spend my life with, was actually capable of such cruelty. "I'm going to submit an application to the Council of Elders to sever our mate bond."

That statement immediately sent a shockwave through the room.

Damon reacted intensely, springing away from the wall. "Y-You can't do that, Elena!"

"Why shouldn't I?" I looked at Damon, my gaze utterly devoid of emotion.

"It's because of the alliance…" He started, though his voice was uneven and shaky.

I burst into rage, all the anger I had buried surging to the surface. "You almost ruined my life for the sake of another woman, Damon! How dare you bring up the alliance at this moment!"

I didn't even spare him another glance, turning my back and heading for the door. I was the only one who had suffered the damage as things stood. I stated flatly without looking back, "I'll be speaking with the Council of Elders tomorrow."

"Elena Johnson!" Damon yelled, his voice filled with rage.

I slammed the door shut with a deafening bang and then locked it. I then heard Damon's urgent knocking coming from the other side. "Open the door! We need to talk about this!"

I paid him no mind, instead sinking slowly to the floor against the door. Damon's voice gradually faded, settling into silence. It was silent throughout the room, marked only by the rasp of my breathing and the occasional distant sound of a bird outside.

I thought I would cry for a very long time, only to realize that I had no more tears left to shed.

It was then that the long-forgotten communication token on my desk suddenly sprang to life, casting a dim, silver sheen. It took the form of a crescent moon pendant, its exterior covered in elaborate carvings of complex runes.

I was stunned. That communication token was something Liam Carter had given me just before our parting. Damon had cast a powerful barrier over the residence, so it had lain dormant for three whole years.

Its sudden illumination signaled that someone was reaching out to me.

I felt my hands trembling as I picked up the communication token, my fingers gently tracing the runes on the surface.

I then heard a gentle voice emanating from it. "I know these messages may not reach you, but I wanted to tell you that the stars are beautiful tonight, Elena—just like the Big Dipper that's shining as bright as your eyes. I wish you could witness it.

"I'd just want you to know that I'll always be here, waiting for you, regardless of your location or the circumstances."

It was unmistakably Liam's voice. It was still as gentle as ever and instantly recognizable.

Liam and I were each other's first love. Yet, my parents tore us apart in the name of securing a strong alliance, insisting that Liam's pack was too weak. I was eventually forced to become mates with Damon three years ago.

I clamped my hand over my mouth as tears started streaming down my face again. They were different now, no longer born of despair but a tangled blend of deep-seated pain and burgeoning hope.

I noticed that there were more messages queued in the communication token, as its light indicator continued to blink. I wiped away my tears and stared at the communication token that had come back to life.

I realized then that it might be time for me to send Liam a reply.