At the mating announcement ceremony that night, all of high society was there.

I stood in a corner of the ballroom, wearing a simple black dress.

The Alpha’s command was a cage, and my body was its prisoner. I had to smile. I had to stand tall. I had to play my part.

Vivian was the star of the night.

She wore a custom champagne-colored gown, her diamond necklace sparkling under the lights.

Killian stood beside her, a dark king in his tailored suit.

"My friends!" The old Alpha raised his glass. "Tonight, we witness a momentous occasion!"

Thunderous applause.

"My son, Killian, will unite with the lovely Miss Vivian!"

More applause.

Vivian leaned shyly into Killian's embrace.

The moment they kissed, my heart clenched violently.

"You look like you need a distraction," a smooth voice said beside me. "Care for a dance?"

I turned to see a handsome Beta male. Dark brown hair, a gentle smile.

"I'm not a very good dancer."

"That's alright, I'll lead." He offered his hand. "I'm Marcus, from the Seattle pack."

I glanced at the dance floor.

Killian and Vivian were sharing the first dance. They spun together, a perfect picture.

"Alright."

I took Marcus's hand.

We moved slowly onto the dance floor.

Marcus was a gentleman, his movements smooth and light.

"You're very beautiful," he whispered in my ear. "But you look very sad."

"It's a happy occasion."

"For some, yes," he said, twirling me. "But your eyes tell me you have a story here."

I didn't answer.

But for some reason, dancing with a stranger felt… freeing.

No pressure. No pain. No complicated emotions.

Just then, I felt a burning gaze on me.

From across the floor, Killian was staring right at me.

Vivian was still talking to him, but he wasn't listening.

His eyes were murderous.

"Your ex?" Marcus noticed.

"My ex-boss."

"He doesn't look happy."

"He doesn't like his... assets... having a life of their own."

Marcus laughed. "Then he should be thrilled. You're not on the clock tonight."

The music played on. We kept spinning. Killian's gaze followed my every move.

The ballroom doors exploded inward. Chaos erupted.

A dozen men in black rushed in.

Rogues.

"Everyone on the ground!" the lead Rogue shouted.

Screams erupted.

Guests scattered in panic.

"Protect the Alpha!" The guards sprang into action.

In the chaos, a huge decorative pillar started to tilt.

The crystal chandelier above swayed violently.

"Look out!" Marcus shoved me out of the way, getting hit by falling debris himself.

The pillar came crashing down, right where I had been standing.

I closed my eyes, waiting for death.

I blinked, the dust clearing. And then I saw it.

I saw Killian's broad back. He hadn't moved toward me. He had thrown himself in the opposite direction, shielding Vivian with his own body.

And me… a sharp piece of silver-plated debris sliced across my back.

Blood gushed out. Pain seared through my body.

I collapsed to the floor, the fire in my back spreading.

Blood soaked through my black dress.

"Vivian, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Killian was already checking Vivian, his hands frantically moving over her.

"I-I'm fine, just scared," Vivian whimpered against his chest.

"It's okay, I'm here." He stroked her hair. "I won't let anyone hurt you."

I forced myself to walk, one painful step at a time, toward the exit. No one noticed me.

All eyes were on Vivian.

Blood ran down my legs, leaving a red trail on the marble floor.

"Freya!"

Marcus's voice called from behind.

I turned. His forehead was bleeding.

"You're hurt."

"So are you."

"Let me take you to a hospital."

I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine."

"But…"

"Thank you for the dance tonight," I gave him a small smile. "It was the first time I've felt happy in years."

I took one last look back through the shattered doors. Killian was murmuring to Vivian, stroking her hair. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead—a display of tenderness he had never once shown me.

I turned and disappeared into the night.

Killian’s eyes locked onto the crimson trail I left on the marble. An icy fist squeezed his heart. His wolf screamed at him. Follow her. Follow our Mate.

But he didn't move.

He just stood there as the doors swung shut, erasing me from his sight.

Two days later, the wound on my back had just started to heal.

Maya was throwing me a farewell party at the Nightfall Club.

"You've changed your flight three times. Tomorrow, you are getting on that plane to France." She raised her glass. "To freedom!"

"To freedom."

We clinked glasses and I downed the drink. The alcohol made my head spin.

"I'm going to the restroom."

On my way, I passed the VIP booths.

A familiar laugh came from Booth 101.

I stopped.

It was Killian's voice.

"Alpha Killian, you finally got away," a man laughed. "Is that Freya girl finally gone?"

"She should have known her place and left sooner," another voice chimed in. It was Vivian’s brother. "A half-breed wolf like her doesn't deserve to be Killian's Luna. Only my sister is worthy."

Then, I heard Killian's voice.

"A wolf of her breeding?" I heard Killian's cold, sharp voice. "She's good for one thing: warming a bed. To mate her would be to poison the pack's bloodline."

The booth erupted in laughter.

"Hahaha! Alpha, you're brutal!"

"Still, five years is a hell of a run for a plaything, right?"

I leaned against the wall, blood rushing to my head.

Five years.

For five years, that’s all I was. A tool. A body to use for his pleasure. A toy to be humiliated.

So all his attempts to stop me from leaving… were they just so he could sleep with me one more time?

I turned and walked away. I couldn't listen to another word.

Outside the club, the night air hit my face.

I took a deep breath.

It was almost over.

Tomorrow, I'd be on a plane to France.

"Hey, miss. Wait up."

A group of ragged, filthy men stepped out of the shadows.

Rogues. The lowest of the low.

"Well, well, if it isn't Alpha Killian's little leftover," the leader said, showing a row of yellow teeth. He twirled a dagger in his hand. "Heard you're an unmarked prize."

I instantly tensed, taking a step back. "Who sent you?"

"So, you wanted to be a Luna?" he sneered, closing in. "We'll make you a rogue's whore. Let's see if your precious Alpha still wants you after a dozen of us have left our scent all over you."

Vivian. This was her doing.

Fear coiled around me like a snake, but I was out of options.

When his grimy hand reached for my collar, I was no longer the meek secretary.

I am a wolf. Even with a tainted bloodline, I will not be prey.

"Get off!"

I pulled the silver knife I always carried from my purse and plunged it into his shoulder.

"Aaargh!" His scream tore through the night.

I used a moment of chaos to break free, running for the light at the end of the alley.

Just as I burst out of the alley, a figure blocked my path.

Vivian.

She saw me, covered in blood, holding a bloody silver knife. A flicker of panic crossed her face before it vanished.

The next second, she let out a bloodcurdling scream, then crumpled to the ground.

"Freya, no! Please! I didn't mean to make you angry!"

She crumpled to the ground, clutching her perfectly fine stomach, tears instantly welling in her eyes.

Killian was there in a flash, summoned by her cry.

He caught Vivian, then his head snapped up to look at me.

He saw the bloody knife in my hand, my torn clothes, my wild eyes. In a single, damning heartbeat, he chose his side.

"Freya!"

His roar was like thunder.

I tried desperately to explain. "Killian, it's not what you think! She sent them—"

"Shut up!"

He wouldn't listen. He didn't want to listen.

He only trusted what he saw: his fragile fiancée, trembling on the ground, and me, looking like a crazed killer with a weapon.

"Jealousy has made you a monster!" he roared, his voice thick with rage. "You dare attack your future Luna? You tried to KILL her?!"

I stared at the face so close to mine.

The face I had once loved, once worshipped. Now it was twisted into a monster's snarl.

I stopped struggling.

I stopped explaining. I stopped crying.

I just stared at him, like he was a complete stranger.

"Killian," I said softly, my voice holding a dead quiet that startled him. "Is this really how you see me?"

He flinched, his grip loosening for a second.

But then, from behind him, came Vivian's weak moan. "Killian… I'm in so much pain… My spirit is about to shatter… Call my brother…"

The last trace of doubt in Killian's eyes vanished.

He shoved me away, and I fell hard onto the ground.

Then he turned, scooped Vivian into his arms, and gave me his back.

"Get out," he snarled, without turning around. "You are banished. If I see your face in this territory again, I will kill you myself."

The rain started to pour.

Cold water washed over the blood and grime on my body, washing away my last bit of attachment to this city.

I climbed to my feet and watched Killian carry Vivian to his stretch limousine.

The taillights disappeared quickly into the rain.

This time, he didn't look back. Not once.

...

Three hours later, at the international airport.

I had changed into a clean black trench coat and sunglasses, hiding my swollen eyes and bruised face.

The final boarding call for a flight to a neutral European country echoed through the terminal.

I stood by a trash can, holding a phone and a necklace.

The necklace was simple: a silver ring on a chain. A casual birthday gift from him five years ago. I had worn it like a promise. Now I saw it for what it was. A leash.

It was just a joke.

I unclasped the necklace. The cedar scent that I had been so careful not to wash off, his scent, still lingered.

"Goodbye."

My fingers uncurled.

The silver ring glinted one last time under the harsh airport lights, then disappeared into the trash. Gone.

Next, the phone.

I opened my contacts and my finger hovered over the pinned name: "My Alpha."

Without hesitating, I hit delete.

Then the entire contact list. Everyone connected to the Blackwood family. Wiped clean.

I pulled out the SIM card, snapped it in two, and dropped the pieces into the trash.

After all that, I felt the massive weight that had been crushing my chest for five years finally lift.

It left a hollow ache, a gaping wound where my heart used to be. But for the first time in five years, I could breathe. The air was mine. My life was my own.

"Miss, it's time to board," a gate agent said.

I nodded, grabbed my single suitcase, and walked toward the security gate.

It was a gateway to a new life.

The plane taxied down the runway and took off into the clouds.

I sat by the window.

I watched the glittering city shrink below me, becoming a cluster of tiny lights before being swallowed by the clouds.

My youth, my love, my blood, and my tears were all buried there.

And so was the man named Killian Blackwood.

Tears streamed silently down my face, but I didn't wipe them away.

This was the last time I would ever cry for him.

Then the words rose from deep within my soul, a final, severing vow.

"I, Freya, do hereby reject you, Killian Blackwood, as my mate. The bond between us is broken. From this day forward, you are nothing to me."