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.

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

The Alpha’s command slammed into my mind like iron shackles.

“No,” I growled, wrenching my arm free from Alpha Sebastian’s grip, my wolf’s heartbeat thrumming fiercely beneath my skin. “I will not give her my blood.”

Alpha Sebastian’s amber eyes darkened, glowing faintly as his wolf stirred. “Amara, don’t start this again. She carries blood-sickness. The healers cannot save her without you. You are her match.”

“That is not my fault,” I snapped, planting my feet as though I stood in front of a rival Alpha. “She is not the only one who bleeds in this family. She is not the only one who suffers.”

Erol stepped forward, his dominance pressing against me like an unwanted weight. “Why are you always so selfish? She is dying!”

“She is not dying,” I hissed, my wolf clawing at my chest, demanding release. “She has been faking weakness her entire life. Even as children, she played at being fragile just to escape her duties. And you all still coddle her like she is the Moon’s chosen.”

Luis’s voice cut through the air, sharp as steel. “Enough. You are embarrassing yourself.”

Before I could shift my stance, before I could draw on what little strength remained, the three of them lunged as one. Hands gripped my arms, their combined dominance suffocating my wolf. I struggled, teeth bared, nails clawing against flesh, but I was weak from weeks of manipulation and hunger, still recovering from wounds no one bothered to heal. They dragged me like a criminal, forced me into the steel confines of the car, ignoring my growls, ignoring the fury that thundered inside me.

They hauled me to the pack infirmary.

Within the hour, I was strapped down like a rogue, silver buckles biting into my wrists, the sterile reek of the room smothering the wild in me. My pleas meant nothing. They silenced me as the healers drained me, vial after vial, blood filling bag after bag. I watched my life seep out of me, feeding a lie, while nurses shook their heads at the unnatural quantity demanded by my own kin.

The world dimmed, shadows closing in, until everything was swallowed by darkness.

When I woke, my body felt hollow, my wolf curled deep within me, snarling weakly, starved and betrayed. My veins felt like ice. My vision cleared only enough to see the one face I least wished to behold.

Vera.

She sat perched at the edge of the bed, fragile as a wilting flower, a tray balanced in her lap. “You’re awake,” she said softly, her voice wrapped in false honey. “I brought you food.”

For the briefest flicker of a heartbeat, my chest ached to believe her. That perhaps she cared, perhaps she wanted me whole.

Then memory struck, sharp as claws to flesh.

I shoved the tray aside, porcelain shattering as the plate clattered to the floor.

The door burst open. Alpha Sebastian. Erol. Luis. Their scents rolled in like smoke and ash, oppressive and suffocating.

“What in the Moon’s name is wrong with you?” Erol barked. “She brought you food!”

“You’re unbelievable,” Alpha Sebastian snarled. “She is trying to make peace, and you spit on her kindness?”

“She forced me!” My voice cracked into a scream, fury spilling out like blood from a wound. “You all forced me! You strapped me down like a traitor to my own pack!”

“Amara…” Vera’s voice softened, sweetened, a serpent coiling in silk. “Please. Don’t be like this. You are my sister. I only wanted to heal what is broken.”

She leaned closer, her lips brushing my ear, her breath warm against my skin.

“You see now?” she whispered. “They do not want you anymore. So behave.”

I froze, a shiver of rage sparking through me.

Alpha Sebastian’s gaze burned into me. “Apologize. Now.”

“I did nothing wrong,” I spat, but my voice trembled with exhaustion.

“Amara.” Luis’s tone carried the warning of an Alpha command.

I swallowed back every scream, every howl clawing at my throat. “Fine,” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Not out of guilt. Not out of surrender. But because I was too weary to fight all of them at once.

They nodded, satisfied, as though I were some disobedient pup who had finally learned obedience. I turned my face away, closing my eyes, feigning sleep while they comforted Vera, soothing her crocodile tears. I remained that way until their scents faded from the room.

Later that night, the vibration of my phone broke the silence.

Xavier Moonveil: Tomorrow is the day. Still ready?

My breath steadied. My fingers trembled, then moved with resolve.

Me: Yes.

The morning came with dread. My body ached, hollowed by loss, but my heart ached more. I longed to stay in the infirmary, to vanish into shadow, but Alpha Sebastian’s command had been absolute.

“We need this,” he had said, voice flat, Alpha command threaded through his words. “You owe it to Vera, and to us, to stop behaving like a child. You promised me a date. You will go.”

And so I went. Not because my heart longed for him. Not because hope lived in me anymore. But because saying no meant more chains, more blame, more voices pressing guilt into my skull until even my wolf was silenced.

I wore the dress I had worn on our first night together, back when I believed in things like mates and forever. Back when his hand had felt like a vow, not a shackle. Back when I thought I was chosen.

He said we would meet at the restaurant, just the two of us, to begin again. So I waited.

I arrived early. I sat. The waitress brought water. Time dripped like poison. Minutes turned to hours. My phone remained silent. My heart remained still.

Until it buzzed.

Vera: Oops. Seems they can’t see you today, sister. They are occupied with me. Enjoy your meal. Alone.

Attached was a photograph of them together. Smiling. Radiant. Whole.

Once, I might have wept. But my wolf was stirring now, no longer lulled to sleep by their chains.

I rose, steady, head high. I called for the manager and left behind a bundle wrapped in worn parchment and quiet finality, a copy of the false marriage certificate, the report of the pup I lost, and the ring he had pressed into my hand five years ago.

“If they ever come searching,” I told him, “tell them Amara is gone. That she belongs to them no more.”

The bell above the door chimed as I stepped into the night air.

Xavier Moonveil was waiting at the curb, his presence calm yet fierce, his hand outstretched. “Ready?”

“More than ever,” I said, my wolf lifting her head within me, restless at last.

Together we drove, the city lights fading into the distance. At the airport, I removed the SIM card from my phone, a lifetime of chains condensed into a sliver of plastic. I tossed it into the bin without hesitation.

As I boarded the plane beside Xavier, calm spread through me like the first breath of a storm. Tomorrow, when they search for me, when they finally realize I am gone, they may call me.

But the Moon had heard my vow.

And I swear they would never find me again.