Serena's POV:

The silence in the apartment pressed against my chest like a boulder. I stood in the middle of the living room, the unshifted wolf soul deep within me aching faintly.

"I said, go brew the soup, Serena." Caleb's voice came through the crack of the door again. Every word carried the coercive pressure of an Alpha, a biological command that could bypass reason and directly control lower-ranking wolves.

My Omega instincts screamed at me to submit, my legs almost moving toward the kitchen against my will.

"No." I resisted with excruciating difficulty.

The study door was shoved open. Caleb stepped out, roaring, "What did you just say?"

I forced myself to meet his furious gaze. "I said no, Caleb. Brew it yourself."

Caleb was utterly stunned. An Omega defying an Alpha was simply unheard of. He stared at me, his chest heaving violently, but ultimately, he did not force me further. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh and walked into the kitchen alone, radiating frustration and anger.

Early the next morning, I walked wearily toward the dining room, but my footsteps abruptly stopped.

Caleb and Wendy were sitting at the mahogany table, premium raw venison reserved for elite warriors placed in front of them, while my seat was completely empty. The air was thick with Wendy's deliberately released, cloyingly sweet pheromones, simulating a heat cycle.

"Caleb worked on the runes all night; he needs to replenish his strength," she said softly, leaning her body almost entirely against his.

Caleb did not push her away. He merely shot me a cold glance. "There is leftover oatmeal in the kitchen. Eat it and don't bother us." With that, he grabbed his coat and left for the underground laboratory with Wendy.

The oatmeal at the bottom of the pot made a dull bubbling sound. I scooped out a bowl and waited until the front door locked before leaving this place that no longer felt like a home.

Throughout the day, I still fulfilled my duties as an unacknowledged Luna.

I visited the low-ranking families, comforted the sick wolf pups, and organized the territory's supply lines.

When night fell, I dragged my aching body, sore from heavy manual labor, back to the apartment.

Caleb was already in the bedroom.

He wasn't resting; he was waiting for me.

The moment I stepped into the room, he pointed a finger at my chest.

"Starting tonight, you are not allowed to step foot into the east corridor."

I froze, confusion welling up inside me.

"That is where the study and the guest rooms are. Why?"

"Because your Omega scent is too chaotic and disorganized," Caleb said coldly.

"Wendy and I need a pure environment to calculate the magical matrix. The royal inspection is next week, and your weak aura disrupts the flow of magic."

My heart turned completely to ice.

"You are restricting my movements in my own territory?"

A wolf pack's territory was the most sacred place, an absolute haven of trust.

"You don't even have a wolf form, Serena. You only get in the way."

He turned his back to me and lay down in the bed.

I lay beside him, staring into the pitch-black ceiling.

We fell asleep with our backs to each other, the distance between us like a freezing chasm.

When I woke up the next morning, Caleb was already gone.

I walked out of the bedroom and instantly stiffened.

At the entrance of the east corridor, a magical barrier pulsating with a faint blue light slowly thrummed.

Hanging dead center on the barrier was a wooden sign.

It read: "Omegas Strictly Prohibited from Entering."

That warning sign struck my dignity like a heavy punch. I reached out with a trembling hand, and the moment my fingertips grazed the barrier, blinding light erupted!

An agonizing pain, like burning fire and piercing ice, spread up my arm. It felt as if my bones were melting. I screamed and collapsed to the floor, the smell of charred flesh instantly filling the air.

It was silver powder. He had laced the magical barrier with the lethal poison of the wolf race.

I cradled my blackened, blistering hand, scalding tears crashing against the floorboards.

The study door clicked open. Wendy walked out holding a cup of coffee, a highly hypocritical expression on her face.

She waved her hand to dispel the barrier and rushed to my side, making a huge fuss. "Oh my goddess, Serena! I forgot to tell you, Caleb added silver powder to the runes for extra security."

She reached out, pretending to help me up. A violent wave of nausea made me gag, and I slapped her hand away. "Don't touch me!"

Wendy took the opportunity to fall back onto the floor in an exaggerated manner, clutching her stomach and screaming miserably. "My core! My Beta power core!" Tears instantly spilled from her eyes.

Right at that moment, the front door was thrown open. Caleb rushed in. The pungent smell of burnt flesh made his breath hitch, but his eyes instantly locked onto Wendy, who was crying on the floor.

He walked straight past me, completely ignoring my bleeding and horrific state, and knelt down to help her up. "What happened?"

Wendy buried her face in his chest, sobbing. "I just wanted to help her up, but she shoved me so hard."

Caleb turned his head and glared at me fiercely, the tip of his boot barely an inch from my charred fingers. "You are so petty and reckless! I warned you not to cross the line. Not only can you not control your temper, but you are also ungrateful!"

I held up my gruesome hand, crying out with a trembling voice. "You set up a barrier laced with silver powder in your own home!"

Wendy sobbed louder against his chest. "I should just leave. I always cause trouble."

"No." Caleb shot me a vicious glare, stood up, and completely deactivated the magic. "We are going to the underground laboratory. It seems my mate is even more narrow-minded than I thought."

He helped Wendy up and walked out with her, leaving me completely alone, bleeding endlessly.

A week later, the full moon arrived exactly on time, accompanied by a raging rainstorm.

The full moon always magnified a werewolf's emotions, making our yearning for our mates almost unbearable.

I was assigned to deliver supplies to the border outpost, a task that was absolute torture for an Omega in this kind of weather.

I shivered under the eaves of the small wooden cabin for hours.

Finally, the headlights of Caleb's SUV pierced through the darkness. A sliver of desperate hope rose in my heart, and I dashed into the torrential rain, waving my hands.

He stepped out of the car holding a black umbrella. I reached out, wanting to get closer to soak up some warmth, but he shoved my shoulder away.

The outpost door opened, and Wendy walked out holding a stack of scrolls. Caleb immediately tilted the umbrella, shielding her so she wouldn't catch a single drop of rain, and opened the passenger door for her.

I stood in the mud, letting the freezing rain batter me. "Caleb?"

Amidst the thunder, his expression was utterly cold. "Wendy's place isn't on the way, it's inconvenient to take you. Wait for the night patrol to pick you up."

The car door slammed shut, the tires kicking up thick mud that splattered all over my legs as the vehicle vanished into the rainy night. I stood in absolute darkness, waiting until midnight.

In my soaked pocket, my phone vibrated. It was a text from Wendy:

"Caleb is too tired. He is staying the night at my place. Don't wait up."

I tossed the phone into the muddy water. In that exact moment, the desperate wolf deep within my soul finally closed its eyes.

The mate bond was finally, completely broken.