Three days later, the door to the Silver Room finally opened.

The blinding light made me flinch.

My skin was a mess of burns from the silver, each one a reminder of the hell I’d just endured.

A guard stared at me, his face blank, as I crawled out.

"Time's up," the lead guard said coldly. "The Alpha wants to see you."

I staggered to my feet, every wound screaming in protest.

I wasn't taken back to my rooms. I was escorted directly to the Alpha's main house.

Fabian was standing by the window. He didn't even turn to look at me.

"Have you made up your mind?" His voice was colder than the Silver Room. "Confess, and I might show mercy. Refuse, and you'll sacrifice your power to the wards. This is your last chance."

I bit my lip, my body trembling with pain and rage, but I said nothing.

"Fine," he said with a slight laugh. "Perhaps seeing her family will bring her to her senses."

I was brought to the dining hall. The long table was laden with a feast, all for Gloria.

Golden roasted venison, fragrant fish soup, crystal-clear honey, and blood-red moonberries.

My portion was a bowl of watery gruel.

" Gloria, you're still weak," my mother said with fake concern. "You should only eat something light."

Gloria sat at the head of the table while Fabian served her himself.

"This venison is perfect, my love. Try some," he murmured, his voice a soft caress as he placed the tenderest cut on her plate.

"And I had this soup made just for you. It's good for your recovery."

I silently ate my tasteless porridge. It tasted like my life.

"Sister, why aren't you talking?" Gloria asked with concern. "If you just apologize to Fabian, I'm sure he'll forgive you."

Her words were poison, each one a little push toward a confession for a crime I didn't commit.

I lifted my bowl and took a sip.

Strange. The soup had a bitter taste.

"This soup is…?"

"What's wrong with it?" my mother asked.

"Nothing." I shook my head and kept eating.

But a few minutes later, I started to feel dizzy.

My limbs grew heavy, my blood felt sluggish, and it became hard to breathe.

I knew this feeling.

Wolfsbane.

An herb that could paralyze a werewolf's system.

I looked at Gloria in shock. She was busy talking to Fabian, but a flicker of triumph crossed her eyes.

I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't work.

"Not feeling well?" Gloria asked, feigning surprise. "You look a little pale."

I opened my mouth to speak, but my tongue was numb.

Just then, Gloria "accidentally" knocked over her soup bowl.

The scalding liquid splashed directly onto my arm.

A scream tore from my lips. This wasn't just hot soup. It was laced with liquid silver.

My skin sizzled, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

I fell from my chair, writhing on the floor in pain.

"Oh my gods! Gloria!"

Fabian rushed over in an instant. Not to me, but to Gloria.

"Did you get burned?" he asked, anxiously checking her hands.

"I'm fine, my hand is just a little red," Gloria said, her eyes welling with tears. "It's all my fault, I'm so clumsy…"

"It's not your fault," Fabian said, kissing her fingers. "I'll have the healer look at it right away."

He scooped Gloria into his arms as if she were made of porcelain. As he strode past, he shot me a look of pure disgust. "You still haven't learned your lesson," he warned, his voice dripping ice. "The execution is still on."

Then they were gone.

Leaving me alone on the cold floor, the silver-laced soup continuing to eat away at my skin.

My parents followed them out, not sparing me a single glance.

I don't know how long I lay there before a young healer finally arrived.

"Gods, you're so badly burned!" he gasped. "Any later and the wolfsbane would have stopped your heart!"

He quickly tended to my wounds, injecting me with an antidote.

"Who gave you wolfsbane?" he asked angrily. "This poison is enough to kill a werewolf!"

I didn't answer. It wouldn't have mattered.

As the healer finished treating me, his expression grew more and more serious.

He checked my pulse again and again, studying the color of the blood around my wounds, his brow furrowed.

"Strange…" he muttered.

"What is it?" I asked weakly.

He looked up, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and awe. "When I was cleansing the silver poison, I had to probe your wolf soul… Gods, I have never encountered a soul so pure, so powerful."

I stared at him, confused.

The healer took a shaky breath, his voice trembling with awe and terror. "You don't understand. Your soul... it's the purest I have ever seen. For them to do this to you... they're not just punishing you. They're digging their own graves."

He looked at me, his eyes wide with horror. "You must escape now! They're trying to rip the soul out of this pack, and they're going to burn us all to the ground."

The healer pressed a new communicator into my hand and left quickly.

I lay alone on the simple cot, my wounds throbbing.

The silver poison was gone, but the burns would take a long time to heal.

Just then, the new communicator buzzed.

It was someone I'd mentioned in my journal.

Elder Samuel.

He was one of the most respected elders in the pack, retired from active duty two years ago, rarely involving himself in pack affairs.

I hesitated, then answered.

"Child, are you alright?"

The Elder's old, kind voice came through the speaker, full of concern.

"I heard what happened. Where are you now?"

"In the medical tent," I answered weakly.

"I'm on my way."

"No, Elder, you don't have to. I'm fine…"

"Nonsense!" he snapped. "You were poisoned with silver, and you call that 'fine'?"

The line went dead.

Half an hour later, Elder Samuel appeared at the tent flap.

He was a tall, old man with a full head of white hair, but his eyes were still sharp.

When he saw the burns on my body, a look of pain crossed his face.

"My child," he said, sitting by my bed. "Who did this to you?"

"No one. It was an accident…"

"An accident?" the Elder scoffed. "Wolf's Blight accidentally appears in your porridge? Liquid silver accidentally splashes on you?"

I stared at him in shock. "How did you know…?"

"The healer told me," the Elder said, his voice filled with rage. "Hazel, just how much have you suffered these past two years?"

I said nothing.

"I know about the things you did for Fabian," the Elder said, his voice full of sorrow. "Sneaking into the Blazefire pack to steal their manual, settling the land dispute in the eastern territories for him, finding the lost Moon Goddess totem on a stormy night…"

Tears suddenly streamed down my face.

Someone remembered. Someone knew what I had done.

"And that time his power went wild," the Elder continued. "You watched over him for three days and three nights, nearly draining your own life force. The healer said if you'd been a moment later, you would have died right there."

"But when he woke up, the first thing he asked was where Gloria was."

I covered my face, unable to stop the tears.

"Child, you deserve better," the Elder said, taking my hand. "I will see justice done," he vowed, his voice ringing with authority. "By the Moon Goddess, this will not stand."

"Don't, Elder," I shook my head. "I don't want to fight about this anymore."

"No, I must," the Elder said firmly. "As an elder of this pack, it is my duty to protect every child who is wronged. I will call a council meeting tomorrow…"

His communicator suddenly buzzed, interrupting him.

I glanced at it. The call had ended.

But just then, the tent flap was violently thrown open.

Fabian stormed in, his face dark and furious.

"Crying again?" he sneered at me. "Is it fun, running to the Elder to complain?"

"Fabian, how dare you speak to her like that?" Elder Samuel stood up angrily. "She is the victim here!"

"Victim?" Fabian laughed coldly. "She betrayed the pack. She deserved to be punished. Now she's playing the pity card again. Pathetic."

"She was nearly poisoned to death!" the Elder roared.

"She was careless," Fabian said dismissively. "Gloria was burned too. Did she complain?"

I looked at him. This man I once loved so deeply.

His eyes held no concern, only disgust and impatience.

"I didn't complain to the Elder," I said weakly. "He contacted me."

"Oh, really?" Fabian stepped closer to the bed, looking down at me. "Then what were you two talking about?"

"He was asking about my injuries."

"Asking?" Fabian's eyes grew colder. "Do you need that? I thought you were so tough."

I looked at him and suddenly realized something.

He had no idea what I had done for him.

Those 100 things were probably just things he took for granted, things he didn't even notice.

"Do you even know what I've done for you?" I asked.

"Done for me?" he sneered. "Besides being a constant, clinging shadow, what exactly have you accomplished?"

Elder Samuel looked at him, shocked. "You don't know that she—"

"Enough!" Fabian cut him off. "I don't want to hear this nonsense."

Just then, his own communicator rang.

I saw Gloria's name on the screen.

He answered instantly, his voice softening. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"My hand still hurts…" Gloria's weak voice came through.

"I'll be right there," Fabian said gently. "Put some ice on it for now. I'll bring you a better healing balm."

"Okay. Hurry back. I'm scared…"

"Don't be scared. I'm always here for you."

His face was a mask of worry and affection the entire time.

After he hung up, he turned to leave.

"Wait," Elder Samuel called out. "You're just leaving? You're not even going to check on her injuries?"

"She's not dying," Fabian said, his voice flat as he walked away. "Gloria needs me."

He disappeared through the tent flap.

Elder Samuel clenched his fists in anger. "That bastard! I'm going to…"

"Let it go, Elder," I said weakly. "Let him go."

"No! I cannot tolerate this injustice!"

"It really doesn't matter anymore," I said, looking at the moon outside the tent. "I don't care anymore."

Tears slid down my cheeks.

Elder Samuel gripped my arm, his gaze firm.

"Don't you worry. I will handle the Alpha. And once you're healed, I'm getting you out of here."

Three days later, I was woken by a frantic knocking at my door.

My wounds weren't fully healed, but I could walk again.

I opened the door to see my anxious parents and a panicked-looking Fabian.

"Gloria is sick!" my mother cried, rushing into the room. "She's dying!"

"What?"

"It's a wasting curse," my father said, his voice trembling. "Someone put a vile curse on her. Her life force is draining away."

I followed them to Gloria's room.

She lay in bed, pale as a sheet, her breathing so shallow it was almost imperceptible.

A circle of healers and mages stood around her, all of them looking hopeless.

"How did this happen?" I asked, shocked.

"It must be an enemy pack," Fabian snarled. "They're trying to weaken us by hurting her."

The oldest and most powerful shaman stepped forward, his expression grave.

"The curse has taken root in her bloodline. Normal methods won't work."

"Then how can we save her?" Fabian demanded.

The shaman was silent for a moment. "There is only one way. It requires a blood-kin to share their wolf's spirit to purge the curse."

"Blood-kin?"

"Yes. It must be a direct blood relative," the shaman said, looking at me. "Only Hazel can save her."

All eyes in the room turned to me.

"Me?"

"You are her only blood-sister," my father said. "Only your wolf's spirit can resonate with hers."

"But…" I hesitated. "The ritual could kill me," I said, my voice shaking but firm. "I won't do it."

"So what?" my mother shrieked. "She's your sister! Are you just going to stand there and watch her die?"

"I'm not saying I won't help, it's just that this ritual…"

"Enough!" Fabian cut me off, his voice raw with fury. "You're still trying to bargain at a time like this?"

"I'm not bargaining, I'm just considering the risks…"

"Risks?" he leaned in, his voice a low growl that vibrated in my bones. "Is your pathetic life more important than hers?"

The words were a dagger to my heart.

"Fabian, you can't say that…"

"Why can't I?" he advanced on me, his eyes full of menace. "She's lying there on the brink of death, and you're here weighing your options?"

"I'm not weighing my options!"

"Then what are you waiting for?" my father roared. "Do the ritual! Now!"

"I refuse."

Three words. The room fell into a dead silence.

"What did you say?" my mother stared at me in disbelief.

"I said, I refuse," I repeated. "Sacrificing my wolf's spirit could kill me. I'm not willing to take that risk."

"You selfish, wicked girl!" My mother lunged, trying to slap me.

I stepped back, dodging her hand.

"I'm not being selfish. I'm trying to stay alive."

"She's your sister!" my father bellowed.

"She's your adopted daughter," I corrected him. "And I'm your real one. Why do I always have to be the one to sacrifice for her?"

A dangerous light flared in Fabian's eyes.

"Are you sure you want to refuse?"

"Yes."

In the next second, the Alpha's Command slammed into me—a crushing, invisible weight that buckled my knees and stole the air from my lungs.

"I'll ask you one more time," Fabian's voice was a low, dangerous growl. "Will you save her?"

"I…" The pressure made it almost impossible to speak. "I… won't…"

The pressure doubled.

I finally crumpled to the floor, my body shaking uncontrollably.

"Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way," Fabian said coldly. "Guards, take her to the altar."

"No!" I struggled to get up. "You can't force me!"

Several guards rushed in and seized my arms.

"Let go of me! This is against pack law!"

"Law?" Fabian laughed mockingly. "Who's going to side with a selfish traitor against me?"

He leaned down, whispering in my ear.

"You've always been desperate for my touch, haven't you? Do this one thing for me, and I'll make it less painful."

I stared at him in horror.

This was the man I once loved?

"In your dreams."

"Fine," he straightened up, his eyes full of cruelty. "Then we'll do it the most painful way possible."

I was dragged out of the room and hauled toward the ancient altar in the center of the pack grounds.

The pack members along the way just stared, not one of them speaking up for me.

"Look, it's that traitor, Hazel."

"I heard she refused to save Gloria."

"So selfish. Won't even save her own sister."

"She deserves whatever she gets."

The altar glowed eerily in the moonlight.

It was covered in ancient runes, with a silver ritual circle in the center.

The old shaman was already waiting, holding various ritual tools.

"Begin," Fabian commanded.

"No! Please, don't do this!" I struggled wildly. "I'll die!"

"That was your choice," my father said heartlessly. "If you had agreed from the start, it wouldn't have to be this painful."

I was forced onto the altar. Silver chains clamped around my wrists and ankles.

The shaman began chanting in an ancient tongue. A strange, dark energy filled the air.

"Begin the separation," he said, raising a silver ritual knife.

The blade didn't cut my skin. It plunged through me, a shard of pure agony, stabbing not my flesh, but my very soul.

"Ahhhhh—!"

An agony beyond words ripped through me.

I felt my wolf spirit being shredded, ripped from my soul fiber by fiber. It was an agony beyond the flesh, a spiritual dismemberment.

"Stop! Please, stop!"

But no one listened.

Fabian just stood there, watching, his eyes cold and empty of pity.

As more of my spirit was torn away, I felt myself dying.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, a deafening SNAP echoed not in the air, but in my very soul.

The invisible chain that bound me to him—the cursed mate bond—snapped.

Instantly, a strange sense of relief washed over me.

The ritual continued, but I felt an incredible lightness.

Like a chain I never knew was there had just been broken.

Fabian suddenly staggered, his face going pale.

He looked at his hands, his eyes filled with a dawning confusion and panic.

I knew what had happened.

The fated mate bond.

It was broken.

Completely and irrevocably broken.