For five years, my fated mate, Alpha Killian, has used my body to survive his ruts. He’s never marked me.

For five years, I’ve choked down suppressants to hide our bond from the world.

Until tonight. Tonight, when he was finished, he told me to be at the full moon ceremony.

I thought he was finally ready to claim me. To make me his Luna.

But he just smirked and told me he was mating Vivian.

The daughter of an Alpha. A pureblood.

And me? I was nothing more than his dirty little secret. The cure for his rut.

He walked away. I wiped my tears, went back to my apartment, and threw out all my suppressants.

My best friend thought I’d lost my mind. She asked if I was declaring war on the Alpha.

I shook my head.

No. I'm erasing him.

Then, I accepted Alpha Adrian’s invitation. Alpha Adrian. A rival from Europe.

In seven days, I would leave forever.

My fated mate slept with me for five years. I thought he was finally going to mark me, but instead, he chose to mate with another powerful she-wolf.

I lay on the tangled sheets, my body aching.

Killian sat on the edge of the bed, his back to me. Red scratches covered his broad shoulders. I'd put them there.

His long fingers brushed the back of my neck. Right over my scent gland.

My breath hitched.

Five years.

Every time he lost control during his rut, he took me. He used our bond to soothe his inner beast.

But he never bit down. Never gave me the mark that should be mine.

Today felt different. His fingers lingered there.

"Be at the full moon ceremony tomorrow," Killian commanded, his hand dropping away.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

The full moon ceremony was the pack’s most sacred ritual. Was he inviting me to finally make me his Luna?

Hope surged through me. This was it. Everything I had ever wanted.

But the passion in his eyes was gone.

Killian stood and walked to the closet, pulling on an expensive, tailor-made suit.

When he turned back, the wild desire was gone. All that was left was the cold, calculating Alpha.

"I need you to manage the press," he said, his back still to me. "I'm announcing my mating to Vivian."

Ice flooded my veins.

A mating? Vivian?

She was the daughter of an Alpha. A pureblood. Everything I wasn't.

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

He looked at me like I was a stranger, a cruel smirk on his lips.

"Freya," he scoffed. "You didn't actually think I'd make you my Luna just because of some twist of fate, did you?"

His words were a silver knife twisting in my heart.

"This," he gestured to our ruined bed, "is all we are. You're a convenience. A warm body for when the rut takes me."

I wanted to scream, but the words were stuck in my throat.

"Vivian is the right choice. She has the bloodline, the connections. She brings power to the pack."

"What about all these years…?"

"You?" He paused, a cruel sneer twisting his lips. "Just do your job. You'll be well compensated."

The door slammed shut.

The room was filled with our mingled scents, and I was all alone.

I sat on the bed and stared at myself in the mirror.

The skin on my neck was still smooth.

He was right. I was just a tool to satisfy his instincts.

Rain began to patter against the window.

I got dressed and walked out into the stormy night.

Back in my apartment, I ripped open the drawer and stared at the bottle of suppressants.

Fifty thousand dollars a bottle, designed to mask the connection between Mates.

For five years, I’ve used it to hide his scent on me. To hide him.

Not anymore.

"God, are you crazy?" my best friend, Maya, stared as I tossed the bottle into the trash. "Do you know how much that costs?"

"I don't need it anymore."

My voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Freya, are you sure? Are you declaring war on the Alpha? Without the suppressants, everyone in the pack will smell the bond between you and…"

"I'm not just leaving him," I cut her off. "I'm rejecting the Bond."

Maya gasped, her eyes wide with shock. "You're what?"

I pulled out my phone and found an email buried in my spam folder.

From a pack in Lyon, France. An Alpha named Adrian.

He’d been trying to hire me as his personal consultant for a long time.

I hit reply.

"Alpha Adrian, I accept your offer."

Sent.

Maya gasped. "You're leaving?"

"I am." I locked my phone, the screen going black. "Get my passport," I said, my voice ice. "In seven days, this pack will be a memory."

The next morning, a voice slammed into my mind.

Rose Blackwood—Killian's mother, the former Luna.

In this pack, no one refused her command.

“Freya, you will attend the pack alliance dinner tonight.” Her voice was elegant but firm. “Vivian has not arrived yet. Killian needs someone by his side who knows the rules.”

Someone who knows the rules.

Not a mate, not family.

Just a well-behaved servant.

...

That evening, I stood at the entrance to the manor.

I once thought this was my home.

For five years, I’d run this place like its mistress, even without the title.

Now I knew the truth.

This wasn't my home. It was just where he kept his tool.

The head housekeeper led me to a side room to change.

"Miss, your gown is in…" She stopped.

The closet was empty.

Where my custom gowns used to hang, there was now a row of pink dresses. Vivian’s favorite color.

"I'm sorry, Madam said to have it reorganized," the housekeeper explained, embarrassed. "Perhaps you could wear this?"

She handed me a plain black dress.

The kind the staff wore.

"It's perfect," I said, taking it. "Thank you."

The dining hall was buzzing.

Vivian sat at Killian's right hand, in the Luna’s seat, wearing a custom Chanel gown. Her smile was picture-perfect.

Killian looked up, his eyes sweeping over me without a hint of guilt.

"What are you standing there for?" He pointed to the far end of the long table, to a seat for the staff. "Sit. And don't say a word tonight."

Just then, an elder Alpha from a northern pack sniffed the air. His cloudy eyes locked onto me.

“That scent…” the elder murmured, his gaze flicking between Killian and me. “Alpha Killian, this Omega… she reeks of you. The scent of a Fated pair.”

The air in the room froze.

Everyone stopped.

Dozens of eyes turned on me like searchlights.

Hiding a Fated Mate was the ultimate sin. A desecration of our most sacred law.

My heart pounded. I automatically looked at Killian.

All he had to do was nod.

Just admit it once.

Killian set down his wine glass.

He didn't even look at me. He just smiled at the elder.

"You're mistaken, Elder."

His voice was smooth, without a ripple of emotion.

"Freya is my assistant," he said smoothly. "My scent is on everyone who works in my inner circle. It's unavoidable."

The elder was clearly unconvinced. "But this is more than just rubbing off…"

"Enough." Killian's voice turned cold, laced with an Alpha's undeniable command. "I think we are all clear that Vivian is my only choice for Luna."

He shot me a dismissive glance, as if looking at a piece of furniture.

"As for any other scent you're picking up," he shot me a dismissive glance, "I can't speak for her private life. But I assure you, we are nothing more than colleagues."

No connection beyond a professional one.

The words were a slap across my face, so hard my soul left my body.

He would rather slander me than risk Vivian’s position.

Under the table, my hand clenched the solid silver fork.

The silver fork hissed against my palm. Searing pain. The smell of my own burning flesh filled my nostrils, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart.

Only this pain could stop me from screaming.

"Miss Freya?" the elder pressed.

I unclenched my burnt hand. I looked up and gave the most perfect, practiced smile of my career.

"Mr. Blackwood is right."

I looked at the man I had loved for five years, my voice dead calm.

"I have nothing but a subordinate's loyalty for Mr. Blackwood. No other feelings. The only one worthy of being the Blackwood pack's Luna is Miss Vivian."

Killian’s tense shoulders visibly relaxed.

He shot me a look of cool approval. The same look he’d give a dog that had successfully played dead.

...

The dinner ended. The guests left.

I was putting on my coat in the foyer when Killian walked over.

He smelled of wine. As he got closer, that familiar, oppressive feeling washed over me.

He leaned in, his lips almost brushing my ear, his warm breath on my neck.

How ironic. An hour ago he was denying me, and now he was being intimate in the shadows.

"You did well tonight," he murmured, his voice a low rumble. "Very... obedient."

"Don't mind what those old fools say. After Vivian and I are mated, you'll still be the one by my side, handling my affairs."

He pulled a black card from his jacket and slid it down the collar of my dress, his fingers brushing my collarbone suggestively.

"A little bonus," he murmured, his voice a low rumble. "For your performance."

I took a step back, putting distance between us.

The card fell to the floor.

Killian frowned, annoyed by my retreat.

I looked at him, and the last shred of hope in my heart died.

"Thank you, Mr. Blackwood," I said softly, a mocking curve to my lips.

Keep it, I thought, my heart turning to ice. Consider it my severance pay.

In six days, we’ll never see each other again.

The next morning, I officially submitted my resignation to the elders, waiting only for my passport to leave.

Killian appeared.

"One last time," he ordered, buckling his seatbelt. "You've been in charge of the new East District development. Come with me for one final inspection, and then you can take your vacation."

In the back seat, Vivian was touching up her makeup in a compact mirror, her smile fake.

"Freya, thank you for everything," she said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "I heard Killian had your things cleared out. I feel awful, but he can be so… possessive when he wants something."

My knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

I was their chauffeur. Brought along to watch his future Luna gloat.

The car entered a desolate mountain road.

Suddenly, a loud bang tore through the air.

The front left tire blew. The car swerved violently, spinning out of control.

I fought the wheel, but the impact sent us crashing toward the guardrail.

"Watch out!"

In the split second before we rolled, I saw Killian in the rearview mirror. He had already half-shifted into his wolf form.

Instinct took over.

He lunged, becoming a living shield for Vivian.

And me? I was nothing. A toy, forgotten in the driver's seat. Left to be crushed.

Glass shattered like a rainstorm.

Agony.

Something sharp pierced my abdomen.

A piece of the broken guardrail, plated in silver.

The metallic scent of blood filled the car.

"Killian… I'm so scared…" Vivian's voice was tearful.

She was completely unharmed, held like a precious jewel in Killian's arms.

"It's okay. I'm here." Killian's voice was so gentle it was alien to me.

He kicked the door open and jumped out, carrying Vivian.

I was trapped in the mangled driver's seat. The silver in my stomach was burning through my organs. Every breath was like swallowing lava.

Blood poured down my thighs, staining the seat red.

"Help… me…" I choked out.

Killian turned.

He saw me.

He saw the gruesome wound in my stomach, my pale face, my desperate eyes.

In the distance, the excited howls of Rogues echoed.

This was a planned ambush.

The roar of the rescue helicopter sounded overhead.

A rope ladder dropped down. It could only hold two people.

Killian grabbed the ladder, holding Vivian tight.

"Killian! What about Freya!" the rescue captain yelled. "She's badly wounded! That's silver poisoning!"

Killian looked down at a trembling Vivian, then back at me, covered in blood.

That single second of hesitation felt like a century.

Then he made his choice.

"Take Vivian first!" he roared, his voice cold and hard against the wind. "She's in shock!"

"But Freya is dying!"

"She's a warrior!" Killian roared. "Her healing factor is strong! She can take it! The next team will get her!"

The next team?

The sound of Rogue claws scraping on asphalt was already just feet away.

The helicopter slowly began to rise.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, my vision blurring.

I watched Killian hold Vivian, his most precious treasure in the world.

And I was just a disposable tool, a meat shield to be left behind.

In that moment, something inside me shattered.

Not a bone.

It was the golden thread that tied my soul to his. Our Mate Bond.

It was screaming.

The pain was worse than the wound in my stomach.

A Rogue’s claw rested on the edge of the broken window.

I closed my eyes.

If I live, I vowed to the darkness, I curse you, Killian Blackwood. You will be haunted by this. Forever.

————

In the helicopter, a violent tremor shot through Killian.

He snapped his head around, staring down at the fragile figure on the ground.

In the air, the scent that was Freya was turning into suffocating despair.

A wave of panic seized his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"Killian?" Vivian whimpered in his arms. "Your eyes… they're red…"

Killian’s hands were shaking.

His wolf was screaming. Go back. Go back to our Mate.

But a second later, he clenched his jaw, violently suppressing the insane urge.

She's strong. She'll be fine. She has to be.

He turned away and pressed a kiss to Vivian's forehead.

"Don't be scared," he said, his voice raspy. "We're going home."