Pain. It was the first thing that ripped through me when my eyes cracked open, a savage fire tearing down sinew and marrow as though my very wolf had been dragged across burning coals. It wasn’t just the shatter of bone or the sting of torn flesh; it was deeper, older, a soul-deep agony that made the beast within me throw back her head and wail against the void. My wolf whimpered, her presence dim, fading like a dying ember, and the hollow echo of her grief nearly unraveled me.

A doctor, human, not of the pack, rushed to my side, her touch careful but alien, lacking the grounding weight of a wolf’s essence. Her hands pressed me back into the cot, and the absence of pack energy in her aura made my instincts bristle, my wolf stirring in weak protest.

“Do not move, child. Your ankle was broken, your ribs bruised, and you had cuts and burns across your body because of the accident. You must rest.”

Her words sounded distant.

Accident?

Then it struck like lightning: Alpha Sebastian, Vera, the forged bond, the Elders’ silence, my brothers’ laughter at my humiliation, my desperate flight into the storm, and the truck that came barreling toward me when my wolf refused to answer my call.

“How long… have I been here?” My voice cracked, more broken than my body.

“Almost a day,” the healer whispered, her gaze lowering with pity. Then came the blow that shattered me more completely than steel or flame.“You were carrying life inside you… Two months along. The accident took it. I’m so sorry.”

Her words echoed, hollow and merciless. Pregnant? My wolf keened in my chest, claws raking the inside of my ribs as if she could tear the truth away. I hadn’t even known. Not once had Alpha Sebastian touched me in a way that honored the Moon’s bond; our union had been bound only by ink and lies, not by blood nor howl nor the sacred rites beneath the oak. Yet still, my body had held the spark of life, a cub that would never breathe the night air.

“I- I didn’t know…” I whispered, each syllable cutting me open.

The doctor asked if she should summon someone. My heart clenched at the thought. Alpha Sebastian, my so-called husband, had already chosen my sister as his bride beneath the eyes of the pack. Luis and Erol, my brothers who once swore blood oaths to defend me, only to sneer as I was discarded. Still, I was drowning, and drowning creatures grasped anything.

“My phone,” I rasped.

I tried calling, but disappointment greeted me when Alpha Sebastian never answered. No matter how many times I called, his voice never came. Instead, the doctor set down a basket by my bed. “A friend brought this. Food, herbs, and flowers. Said he is the one who pulled you from the wreck. A doctor, though not of my kind.”

A strange unease rippled over me. Who had pulled me back from death when even my wolf had gone silent?

Alone, I reached for my phone again. My breath caught when I saw it, photos and videos splashed across the pack’s feed. Alpha Sebastian, Vera, and my brothers. Smiling under foreign lights, their arms linked, their faces bright with joy as they feasted and celebrated. The caption read: “Finally, a real family trip. Much needed.”

Real family. The words gutted me. My wolf wailed inside me, a sound no one else could hear.

--

By morning, Alpha Sebastian finally called, his voice dripping with forced panic. “Amara! Why didn’t you tell us you were in the hospital? We would’ve come sooner.”

Us.

They arrived together, Alpha Sebastian, Luis, and Erol. Their faces painted with concern, but their scents betrayed them.

Guilt, deceit, and the lingering sweetness of Vera’s perfume cling to Alpha Sebastian’s skin.

“I tried calling you,” I said hollowly. “Where were you?”

“Business,” Alpha Sebastian replied too quickly.

Business…

As if yesterday hadn’t been the day of our anniversary. As if he hadn’t abandoned me for my sister’s arms.

He reached for me, murmuring empty promises, but before I could summon the strength to push him away, Erol burst in with a shout. “Vera fainted!”

Alpha Sebastian froze, his eyes snapping wide. And just like that, his grip faltered. He dropped me to the cold stone floor without a second glance, bolting from the room to chase after her scent.

Pain lanced through my body as I crumpled, humiliated and discarded once more. My wolf whimpered, too weak to rise.

And then, arms far steadier than Alpha Sebastian’s lifted me.

Strong. Familiar.

Through blurred vision, I saw him, dark hair, eyes that burned like embers.

“Xavier Moonveil…?” I breathed. The healer from my past. The wolf who had once cared for me then vanished without a trace.

He brushed a strand of hair from my damp face, his touch grounding. “Still stubborn enough to run headfirst into danger, I see.” His voice was low, steady, carrying the resonance of the Moon itself.

I trembled as his scent wrapped around me, cedar and earth after rain, the scent of home my wolf recognized instantly.

Xavier Moonveil leaned closer, his gaze unyielding.“Amara… will you run away with me under the Moon’s shadow, away from the chains of your pack, and run free at my side?”

I stayed in the infirmary longer than I thought I would, partly because of the lingering pain in my fractured ankle, but mostly because no wolf from my own bloodline came to fetch me. Not my so-called mate. Not my brothers who once swore loyalty beneath the Moon. No one, except Xavier Moonveil.

Xavier, who used to be my friend at the Academy of Claws and Shadow, back when our wolves were still learning to hunt beneath the stars. Xavier, who once confessed that his wolf stirred whenever I drew near, and whom I turned down gently, because I had already surrendered my heart to another. To Alpha Sebastian, my chosen mate.

And now, it was Xavier who stayed at my side as I healed. He brought meat seasoned with herbs that my wolf could stomach. He sat beside me while I wept, never demanding an explanation, never asking for more than I could give. His presence was steady, grounding, and his wolf’s aura kept the nightmares at bay.

The day I was about to be discharged, he wheeled me out into the sunlit grove behind the hospital, where the sacred trees whispered with the voices of our ancestors. We sat in silence, the hum of the wind and the rustling leaves filling the heavy space between us.

“I meant what I said,” Xavier murmured, his gaze steady, his wolf flickering golden in his eyes. “You don’t have to stay in that pack house full of vipers. If you want to leave with me… I’ll make sure your wolf and spirit are safe.”

I stared at my hands. They were thinner than before, trembling faintly, the claws refusing to emerge no matter how hard I willed them. So many choices, and all of them had led me here, hollow, discarded, grieving alone.

“Give me five nights,” I whispered. “I need to settle what remains. But after that… I’ll go with you.”

His smile was small, tinged with sorrow. “Then my wolf and I will wait for your call under the Moon.”

--

When I returned to the pack house, it was already past noon. The sun was too bright, the birdsong too cheerful for the kind of storm brewing in my chest. I leaned on the cane the doctor had given me, limping toward the great oak doors.

Each step was a gamble.

Choosing Xavier, a wolf I once rejected, felt uncertain, but it was better than living in a pack house where I had become invisible prey.

I pushed open the doors.

Laughter…

I froze. Inside the hearth hall, I saw them: Alpha Sebastian, Luis, Erol, and Vera. Lounging like royalty, drinks in hand, Vera’s head resting on Alpha Sebastian’s shoulder. My mate. My sister. My brothers.

They looked up at once. Their smiles vanished, as if they had seen a ghost returning from the grave.

“Oh,” Alpha Sebastian said, blinking. “Sorry. I forgot you were coming home today. How are you?”

Forgot? A bitter laugh coiled in my throat. They never visited. Not once.

Before I could speak, Vera leapt to her feet, rushing toward me with a dazzling smile. “Sister! I missed you. I’m so sorry we didn’t visit. I’ve just been so weak, but I’m better now. What about you? Feeling well?”

I stepped back, disgust crawling like spiders down my spine.

“I’m not well,” I said sharply, my voice cold enough to frost the air.

Her smile faltered. She blinked, then reached for me again. “Amara—”

I shoved her hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

“Hey!” Erol snapped, rising, his wolf bristling. “Why would you push her? You know she’s fragile right now.”

Luis followed, his eyes narrowing. “She’s been through so much. You can’t treat her like this.”

“What about me?” I demanded, my voice rising into a growl. “I lay broken in the healer’s ward. I was struck down by steel and fire. And where were you?”

Alpha Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Because you were reckless. Running in the middle of the road without your wolf. But Vera, she battles a sickness that eats her alive, Amara. She is fragile.”

“She is also my sister,” Vera added sweetly, her eyes shimmering with false tears. “Please don’t fight me. We’re both suffering… we should stand together, not—”

I shook my head slowly. “I bled too. I lost my child. But none of you came. Not once.”

The words barely left me before Vera staggered dramatically, clutching her stomach.

“Oh no,” Erol gasped. “She’s ill again.”

As expected, they surged to her side instantly, Alpha Sebastian lifting her as though she were made of glass, Luis fetching a cloth, Erol patting her back with worry.

And I stood there.

Alone.

Again.

My confession was swallowed whole, dismissed like smoke on the wind. I thought of screaming, forcing them to see me, but I was too hollow. Too weary. How could I remain in a pack where no one claimed me?

I turned and limped to the room Alpha Sebastian and I once shared. But when I opened the door, my breath caught.

Everything was gone. My garments, my photos, even the sacred trinkets I had placed upon the nightstand. In their place, Vera’s perfume, her jewelry, her dresses draped near the mirror as though she had already marked this territory as hers.

I staggered back, the cane slipping from my grasp, and when I turned, she was there.

Vera. Smirking.

She no longer wore a mask of sweetness. Only the serpent remained.

“You know,” she murmured, tilting her head, “I used to be soft. But kindness won me nothing. You stole my place, my man, even my brothers’ loyalty. Now, I am merely taking back what was always mine.”

Her smile was venomous.

“But don’t worry,” she added mockingly, “I’ll give you a few days to crawl away. I wouldn’t want the pack to see you tossed out like a stray. That would tarnish our family’s image.”

I stared at her, fury igniting. “Are you truly sick?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Of course I am.”

But I remembered. How Vera once faked fainting spells to draw attention. How she spun lies of headaches and weakness to escape duty.

“You dare accuse me of deceit?” she said louder now, her voice sharpened to carry.

Luis and Erol rushed in.

“She’s at it again,” Vera wailed. “She says my illness is false!”

“You really are the curse in this family, Amara,” Erol spat. “No wonder no one ever liked you.”

Luis stormed forward, and before I could react, he tore the necklace from my throat, the one he gave me when we were pups, a token that he would always protect me.

“You don’t deserve this anymore.”

I stood frozen, numb as ice.

They left, one by one.

And I sank to the floor, clutching my side, every breath a reminder of the pain I had endured.

But I stayed silent.

Because in a few nights, I would be gone.

And when I was, the Moon itself would bear witness to the regret they would choke on.

The last of my clothes was folded into the leather satchel when the sound of the doorbell cut through the silence of my room. I froze, the scent of cedar smoke and cold night air drifting faintly in from the open window. My heart stuttered. Perhaps it was Xavier Moonveil? I reached for my phone, searching for a missed call, a message, some sign of him. Nothing. With a heavy exhale, I abandoned the thought and padded toward the door, the wooden floors creaking beneath my steps.

A white box rested on the stone threshold, larger than any offering I had ever seen, its silk ribbon glinting gold under the silver light of the rising moon. My name was written across the top in curling, calligraphic strokes, as though summoned from another lifetime. No note, no sender, only my name.

Curiosity, and something darker, something restless that stirred in my blood, drove me to bring it inside. I placed it on the table and untied the ribbon, lifting the lid slowly, reverently, as though afraid the contents might bite.

And then my pulse faltered.

The gown. My gown.

It was the very design I had sketched as a girl, back when I still believed Alpha Sebastian would one day claim me under the Moon, when I dreamed of a true Blood Moon Binding instead of the hollow paper contract he shoved at me years ago. Ivory silk shimmered like liquid light, the sleeves of lace spun delicately as if woven by the spirits of our ancestors themselves. My trembling fingers traced the bodice, where a name was hand-embroidered in gold thread.

AMARA.

My throat constricted. Tears blurred my vision. Could this be Alpha Sebastian’s way of making amends? Could this be his silent apology after years of distance, betrayal, and unspoken wounds? Was he ready at last to give me the binding the pack had waited for, the vows beneath the Sacred Oak, the acknowledgment that I was his mate in truth, not just convenience?

For a moment, I allowed myself to believe. My heart whispered yes.

I stepped into the gown, shivering as the silk embraced me, molding against my skin like destiny itself. In the mirror, I caught my reflection, fragile yet radiant, and pressed my hand to my chest, hearing the faint echo of my wolf stirring within, aching for recognition.

The door burst open with a violent crash.

“Amara, what in the Moon’s name are you doing?!”

I jolted, breath caught in my throat.

Alpha Sebastian filled the doorway, fury carved into every line of his face. His scent, smoke, iron, and the familiar musk of his wolf rolled through the room, stifling me. Before I could utter a word, he strode forward, his fangs flashing faintly in the corner of his mouth, and ripped the gown from my shoulder with such force I thought he might tear the fabric, or me in half.

“Why are you holding this?” His voice was a growl, raw and merciless.

“I—” My words faltered. “It has my name… it was my design. I thought… are we finally going to be bound before the pack?”

His laugh was sharp, colder than a blade dipped in winter water.

“Bound? Don’t be foolish, Amara. You and I are already mated.”

“Then why-why this?” My voice cracked.

The gown in his hands seemed to burn my eyes as he spat the answer.

“It is for Vera.”

My heart stilled.

“She deserves the ceremony. She deserves the gown. She has always dreamed of walking the aisle beneath the Moon, of pledging herself as a bride before the pack. And she is sick. She does not have long.”

The world tilted. My wolf snarled inside me, clawing against my ribs, howling at their betrayal.

“But it was my dream,” I whispered, voice shaking. “It was always mine.”

My brother Erol stepped into the room, his smirk dripping with disdain, the aura of his wolf crackling like sparks. Behind him, Vera appeared, wrapped in her blanket, her face pale and luminous as though she wanted the entire world to pity her frailty.

“For Moon’s sake, Amara,” Erol sneered. “Stop making this about you. You are strong. She is not. Let her have what she wants.”

Vera’s soft eyes lifted to mine, glistening with unshed tears. “I only wish to be wed once, Amara. To feel the Binding, even if it is borrowed. I do not mean to steal him forever. Just the ceremony. Just the dream. You are strong enough to endure. I am not.”

“Borrow my husband?” My words were ice. “Steal my dream?”

Silence. Their silence condemned them all.

“You truly disappoint me.”

Vera flinched, but I no longer cared. I turned from them, the gown slipped from my body like discarded skin, and walked away. Each step felt heavy, but fire burned inside my chest, hotter than the shame they had smeared across me.

I entered my room again and pulled everything from its drawers: the letters, the sketches of gowns I once cherished, the photographs of Alpha Sebastian holding me as if I mattered. I carried them all outside, to the iron barrel behind the pack house, and set them ablaze.

The flames roared, devouring my past, curling smoke skyward as if carrying my lost dreams to the Moon itself. My wolf shifted restlessly beneath my skin, keening with pain and fury. I remembered my brothers’ promises of protection, Vera’s false adoration, and Alpha Sebastian’s empty vows. Lies. Every last word.

Ash swallowed the final page of my sketchbook when I felt arms circle me from behind.

“Amara,” Alpha Sebastian murmured against my ear, his breath hot, his wolf pressing close. “I did not mean for it to go this far. Forgive me. Just… do this for her. She is sick. You are stronger.”

I stood motionless, the fire’s glow flickering in my eyes.

“How about this?” he whispered. “Tomorrow, I will take you out. Just the two of us. I will make it up to you. I promise.”

I had no strength to argue. “…Fine,” I breathed.

“Thank you.” His lips grazed the top of my head, but I felt nothing.

Later, when darkness wrapped me in its false comfort, sleep began to take me.

Until his voice shattered it.

“AMARA! WAKE UP!”

My eyes flew open. Alpha Sebastian Mooncrest loomed above me, frantic, his eyes wild. “We need your blood. Now. Vera needs a transfusion. You are her only match.”

“What?” My heart pounded.

“She is fading. Do not be selfish. Be useful for once. Be her blood bank.”

The command hit me like a blow. My wolf screamed inside me, not with fear, but with rage.