ASTERIA’S POV

Back when my mate was still an unknown Alpha of a small pack, I rejected our mate bond. Years passed, and he became a strong and powerful Alpha, forcing me to accept my role as his Luna. Everyone admired him for bringing his mate back, for his genuine love for me.

But then he started bringing she-wolves to our pack house every night, and I became a laughingstock in the Snowriver pack. Despite the humiliation, I never confronted him. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I simply retreated to my quarters, living a quiet life and turning a blind eye to his betrayals.

One day, in a fit of rage, he kissed me fiercely and demanded, “Why aren’t you jealous?” Little did he know that I was enduring the curse I received from a full-fledged war years ago. As he took his anger out on me, I silently counted how many days I had left.

---

The sound of the wind whistling outside the Snowriver Packhouse never used to bother me. Now, each gust feels like a reminder of the choices I made, the ones that led me here—trapped in a bond I never wanted.

I glance at the silver-framed mirror, the Luna crown on my head a symbol of a title that means little to the pack I’m supposed to lead. The reflection staring back at me seems foreign. My face is paler than it was when I was in Glasswood, my eyes duller, hollowed by sleepless nights and constant worry. Every time I step into the pack meeting hall, they look at me as if I don’t belong. And perhaps, I don’t.

Claude made sure of that.

The door creaks open behind me. His scent hits me before I even turn around—pine and frost. It used to make my heart race. Now it only makes my chest tighten. I don’t bother to look at him. I know who’s with him by the faint laugh that follows. Mara.

I force myself to stand taller.

“Mara," I acknowledge, keeping my voice steady. The longest she-wolf who stated by his side. She’s draped over Claude like a leech, her hand possessively trailing down his arm.

“Luna.” Mara sneers, though the title sounds like a joke on her lips. “We were just talking about the full moon run. You’ll join us, won’t you?”

I don’t answer immediately. Claude’s piercing gaze burns into me, daring me to challenge him. To refuse.

“I don’t think it’s necessary,” I say quietly, folding my hands in front of me, keeping my composure. “I’ll stay here and ensure preparations for the pack run are complete.”

Her laugh is venomous, slashing through the room. “Always the dutiful one, Luna. You really do know your place.”

Claude’s silence is heavier than any words. This has become routine—his games, his punishment. My rejection of the bond years ago didn’t just wound him; it forged his cruelty. He vowed to make me regret it every day, and he’s held true to that promise.

Still, I say nothing. I refuse to give them the satisfaction of my pain.

Claude finally speaks, his voice cold and indifferent. “Suit yourself. Mara and I have more important things to attend to.”

They leave, and the sound of the door shutting feels final, suffocating.

I collapse onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as my body trembles. How did it come to this? I used to be strong—an Alpha’s daughter, trained to lead, to fight. I was supposed to protect my pack, not be a prisoner in someone else’s. But here I am, Luna in name only, stripped of any real power, surrounded by wolves who either pity or despise me.

But I chose this, didn’t I? When Claude came to my father with his offer, I accepted it. My father had been gravely injured, the Glasswood Pack on the verge of destruction. Malakai’s forces were too strong, too relentless. Claude could’ve crushed them too if he wanted. Instead, he offered an alliance—with a price.

I had chosen to save them. And now, I’m the one who needs saving.

The sharp pain in my chest pulls me from my thoughts. It’s been happening more frequently—deep, gnawing aches that come from nowhere. I press my hand against my ribs, trying to steady my breathing. Every time it happens, I wonder if it’s my bond punishing me, if my soul is tearing itself apart from the inside.

ASTERIA’S POV

The pain hits me again, sharp and sudden, like claws tearing at my insides. I grip the edge of the dresser to steady myself, forcing my breathing to slow. It feels like fire burning through my veins, something darker and more insidious than any wound from battle. But I’ve grown used to it. It’s been like this for years, creeping in slowly at first, but now... now it’s unbearable.

I glance at my reflection. Pale skin, sunken eyes, a shadow of the Luna I’m supposed to be. I’ve told myself the lie for so long—that these are just the effects of war, remnants of the battle with Malakai’s forces. But deep down, I know better.

This is no ordinary wound.

I bite down on my lip, suppressing the groan threatening to escape. I can’t let anyone hear me, especially not Claude. He wouldn’t care. In fact, knowing him, he might enjoy seeing me broken. The thought alone tightens the knot in my stomach.

The door swings open, and I scramble to compose myself, straightening up with a sharp intake of breath. Claude enters the room without so much as a glance in my direction. Mara trails behind him, of course.

“Luna,” Mara sneers, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. “You look pale. Perhaps you should sit this one out. Again.”

I swallow the bile rising in my throat. “I’m fine,” I say through clenched teeth. The words are almost mechanical now, automatic. I’ve repeated them so often they’ve lost meaning.

Claude, as always, remains silent. His cold indifference is far more cutting than anything Mara could say. He steps past me, heading toward the large window that overlooks the training grounds. His back is turned to me, but I can feel the weight of his unspoken judgment.

“You don’t look fine, Luna,” Mara continues, her voice playful as she perches herself on the edge of Claude’s desk. “You’re slipping, you know. The pack’s starting to notice.”

I meet her gaze, forcing my voice to stay calm. “I’m still Luna of this pack, Mara. Don’t forget that.”

She smiles, a wicked curl of her lips. “For now.”

The taunt hits harder than I’d like to admit. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. The curse has been eating away at me, slowly draining my strength, my power—everything that once made me who I am. I can barely shift anymore without feeling like my body is being ripped apart from the inside.

But I can’t let them see that. Not Mara, not Claude, not anyone.

The truth is, I’m running out of time.

When the door finally clicks shut behind them, I allow myself a single moment of weakness. I lean against the dresser again, gasping for air, my body trembling from the strain of holding everything in. Blood pools in my mouth, and I spit it into the handkerchief I keep hidden in my sleeve. The sight of it—dark, thick—makes my stomach churn, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.

The curse is doing exactly what Malakai intended. It’s breaking me, bit by bit, day by day. I remember the moment he cast it, the glint of his red eyes as he whispered ancient words, the feel of cold magic wrapping around me like a chain. He wanted to make sure that Glasswood, my home, would never rise again. And by weakening me, he’s succeeding.

Claude doesn’t even know. He thinks my deterioration is due to my own weakness, not some malicious spell cast by our greatest enemy. And why would he care? In his mind, I deserve this for rejecting our bond, for choosing my pack over him all those years ago.

I wipe the blood from my lips, straightening my spine. I can’t afford to wallow in despair. I’m still the daughter of an Alpha, even if that title means nothing here. I owe it to my pack, to my father’s memory, to fight—no matter the cost. I won’t let Malakai’s curse steal my birthright.

ASTERIA’S POV

Days passed, I sat in the Luna’s office, staring at the stack of reports I hadn’t touched all morning. The words blurred together on the page, my mind too clouded to focus. Mara had been relentless lately, finding every possible way to undercut my authority in front of the pack. And Claude… he didn’t care. Why would he? He never did.

The familiar creak of the door opening caught my attention. I didn’t need to look up to know it was Mara. Her scent, sickly sweet and overwhelming, filled the room before she even spoke.

“Luna,” she purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

I gritted my teeth. The title she used was meant to mock me, not respect me. She knew just as well as I did that Claude had stripped me of any real power in this pack.

“What do you want, Mara?” I asked, keeping my voice steady, though my patience was hanging by a thread.

She slithered closer, her fingers grazing the edge of the desk. “I just thought you should know... some of the pack members are questioning your leadership. You’ve been... distant.” Her eyes glinted with malice, though she pretended to be concerned. “And we can’t have a Luna who’s too weak to perform her duties, can we?”

I set the report down, my hands tightening into fists in my lap. She was baiting me, as usual. I should’ve ignored her, but the constant jabs were becoming unbearable. Mara had spent months planting seeds of doubt among the pack, whispering that I wasn’t fit to lead, that I wasn’t worthy of the title of Luna. All while flaunting her closeness with Claude.

“Is there something specific you’re getting at?” I asked coldly.

Mara gave a dramatic sigh, pacing around the room like a predator circling its prey. “It’s just that the pack needs a strong leader—someone they can look up to. Someone who’s always present. You’ve been… absent lately. Perhaps it’s time you stepped aside.”

There it was, the real reason she was here. She wanted me out of the way. And she was getting bolder by the day.

I stood from my chair, my body shaking with suppressed rage. “You’ve made it clear you think you’d be a better Luna, Mara. But that’s not your choice to make.”

She smirked, taking another step closer. “Maybe not mine. But Alpha Claude’s?”

That name—his name—was like a trigger. The man who was supposed to be my mate, the Alpha I had once rejected, now took pleasure in my misery. I had sacrificed everything for my pack, and yet here I was, mocked and belittled in my own home. And Claude—he—allowed it.

Before I could respond, Mara suddenly gasped, stumbling back as if I had struck her. Her hand flew to her cheek, eyes wide in mock horror.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, her voice high-pitched and trembling. “How could you, Luna?”

I blinked, completely taken aback. “What?”

“You… you hit me!” she cried, her hand still clutching her face, as if nursing an invisible wound.

A cold chill ran down my spine. I hadn’t even moved. I hadn’t laid a finger on her.

“Mara, I didn’t—”

The door flew open, and Claude stormed in, his face set in stone. His eyes flicked between me and Mara, narrowing as they settled on me.

“What’s going on here?” he demanded, his voice sharp.

Mara immediately ran to him, throwing herself into his arms. “Luna,” she whimpered, “she hit me. I only came to help, and she—she attacked me!”

I stood frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest. “That’s not true. I didn’t touch her.”

Claude’s gaze turned icy as he looked at me, disbelief and disgust swirling in his eyes. “Again, Asteria?”

I felt the ground shift beneath me, the weight of his accusation crashing down like a hammer. “Alpha, I swear, she’s lying.”

But his expression didn’t change. He pulled Mara closer, his fingers brushing her hair as if comforting her. “Why would she lie, Asteria? Mara has never caused trouble in this pack. You, on the other hand…”

The knot in my chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. Of course, he’d believe her. He always did. It didn’t matter what I said or did; in Claude’s eyes, I was always the villain. Always wrong.

“I didn’t touch her,” I repeated, my voice quieter this time, though the rage simmered beneath the surface. “You know I wouldn’t.”

His eyes flicked to mine, and for a split second, I thought I saw hesitation, a flicker of doubt. But it vanished as quickly as it came.

“Apologize to Mara,” he said flatly.

I stared at him, the room spinning around me. Apologize? To her? After everything she’d done to me? After all the nights I spent in this pack, alone and abandoned by my own mate while Mara flaunted herself around him? Now he wanted me to apologize?

“No,” I said, the word slipping from my mouth before I could stop it.

Claude’s face hardened. “What did you say?”

“I said no,” I repeated, louder this time. “I won’t apologize for something I didn’t do. And I won’t let you humiliate me any longer.”

The air in the room crackled with tension, the final barrier between us shattered. For the first time, I stood tall, refusing to back down.

I’d rather leave than lower myself to that woman.