Aria released a slow breath as her eyes settled on the leather folder resting in her hands.

The thin stack of parchment inside felt far heavier than ordinary pages. It was as if the truth written across them carried a weight her heart could barely withstand.

For seven days she had kept it hidden inside the packhouse, carrying the secret like a stone in her chest. More than once she had tried to tell her mate. The words would rise to her lips… only to die there as fear tightened around her throat.

She could not hide it forever.

Within a werewolf pack, secrets rarely remained buried. The Moon Goddess had a way of dragging hidden truths into the light.

“Little moon…”

Her mate’s voice sounded from the doorway.

Aria startled so violently that her wolf stirred beneath her skin. In a quick motion she slid the folder beneath the pillows on their bed just as Caleb stepped into the room.

By the time he approached her, she had already forced a calm smile onto her face.

Caleb closed the distance easily and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He lowered his head to the crook of her neck, where the faint silver glow of their mate mark rested against her skin.

“Something troubles you,” he murmured quietly.

The deep rumble of the Alpha wolf within him vibrated through his voice. It was a sound that once brought her comfort.

He pressed several lazy kisses along the back of her neck, his breath brushing against the mark the Moon Goddess had given them.

Aria chuckled softly and pushed him away after a moment.

Caleb immediately frowned, looking almost like a sulking pup whose playtime had been cut short.

Amused despite herself, Aria pointed toward the bathing room.

“Go clean yourself first. You smell like you’ve been sparring with half the warriors.”

Caleb grumbled under his breath but obeyed, disappearing behind the wooden door.

The moment it shut, Aria rushed back to the bed and pulled the hidden folder free.

Without hesitation, she shoved it deep inside the cupboard.

Sooner or later she would tell him.

The truth inside that file could not remain hidden forever.

---

Later that evening, Aria stood in the kitchen of the packhouse, reheating the stew over the fire.

The scent slowly filled the room just as Caleb returned, his hair still damp from washing.

He sat at the long wooden table and began eating.

He had barely taken a few bites when his head lifted slightly, his gaze turning distant.

Aria knew the look immediately.

Someone was mindlinking him.

Caleb listened silently for a moment before his expression hardened.

“Alright,” he said aloud to the unseen voice in his mind. “I’m coming.”

Aria raised a questioning eyebrow as he stood.

“Clara called through the mindlink,” Caleb said quickly as he grabbed his cloak from the chair. “She’s upset. I could hear her crying.”

His jaw tightened.

“I should go see what happened.”

Aria nodded slowly, though an uneasy feeling stirred deep inside her chest.

Caleb leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead before striding out of the packhouse.

The door had barely closed when Aria groaned and smacked her forehead lightly.

Marcus.

She had completely forgotten she was supposed to meet her brother tonight.

She grabbed her cloak quickly, but before she could leave, a voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

Aria, come here right now.

It was Sophia.

Aria frowned.

Sophia was not the type to send urgent mindlinks without reason. If she was calling her like this, something serious must have happened.

Without wasting another moment, Aria headed toward the place Sophia had directed her to.

---

But the moment she arrived, her steps stopped cold.

Standing there were Clara… Caleb’s mother… Marcus… Sophia…

And Caleb himself.

Aria’s heart dropped the instant she saw Marcus’s face.

Dark bruises covered it.

She rushed toward him immediately.

“Moon Goddess, Marcus!” she gasped, gently touching his injured cheek. “What happened to you? Who did this?”

Marcus looked at her with exhausted, sorrowful eyes.

But before he could speak, Caleb’s voice sliced through the air.

“Don’t bother touching that bastard, Aria. Your hands will only get dirty.”

Aria froze.

Slowly, she turned toward her mate.

Sophia looked ready to explode with rage, but Aria subtly shook her head, stopping her.

“Caleb,” Aria said sharply. “What is wrong with you? How dare you speak about my brother like that?”

Caleb scoffed.

Clara clung to his arm while crying softly, and Caleb’s mother—the former Luna of the pack—glared coldly at Aria and Marcus.

“This scumbag tried to force himself on my sister,” Caleb growled. “He tried to assault Clara.”

The accusation struck Aria like a thunderclap.

She turned to Marcus instantly.

Marcus shook his head desperately.

“Aria,” he said hoarsely, “I swear on the Moon Goddess and on our parents’ graves—I didn’t do that. She’s lying. I would never do something like that. Please believe me.”

Caleb looked ready to attack him again.

But Aria spoke first.

“I believe you.”

The words stunned everyone.

Aria did feel terrible for Clara—if the accusation were true.

But she knew her brother better than anyone.

Marcus loved Sophia with all his heart. He had never even looked at another woman.

Not even during the rowdiest full-moon celebrations.

“Aria, have you lost your mind?” Caleb shouted. “Look at Clara! Her body is covered in bruises! You’re a woman too—are you saying she’s lying?”

“I never said that,” Aria replied calmly, though her voice trembled slightly. “But I won’t condemn my brother without proof.”

She drew a slow breath.

“This is a serious accusation, Caleb. The council of elders should investigate. If Marcus is guilty, he will face the pack’s judgment. But if he isn’t—”

“Then my daughter will be branded a liar!” Caleb’s mother snapped. “I will not allow that.”

Her gaze turned icy.

“There is only one solution. Marcus will take Clara as his mate. That way our families avoid disgrace.”

Marcus’s eyes blazed with fury.

“I would never claim her as my mate!” he shouted. “I didn’t even touch her! She’s framing me! I love Sophia—only Sophia!”

Caleb punched him again.

Aria shoved Caleb away instantly.

“Marcus!”

“Aria, I’m telling the truth,” Marcus pleaded. “She’s setting me up.”

He turned toward Sophia.

“Sophia… I swear to you. I would never betray you.”

Sophia nodded firmly and wrapped her arms around him protectively.

“Enough, Caleb,” Aria said coldly. “I will not tolerate you striking my brother again. Until his guilt is proven, he is innocent.”

Caleb glared at her.

“Fine,” he said darkly. “Then we’ll bring this before the Alpha Council tomorrow. And when the truth comes out, you’ll regret siding with him.”

Clara trembled beside him while Caleb’s mother suddenly looked uneasy.

“Caleb… perhaps bringing this before the council isn’t wise,” she murmured. “What will the pack think?”

“I don’t care what the pack thinks,” Caleb snapped. “My sister deserves justice.”

Then he turned toward Aria.

“Choose, Aria.”

His voice dropped dangerously low.

“Your brother… or me.”

For a moment, his eyes softened slightly.

Silently begging her to choose him.

But Aria already knew her answer.

“I will never abandon my brother when he needs me most,” she said quietly.

Caleb let out a hollow laugh.

“Very well,” he said bitterly. “Then tomorrow we present this before the council. And after that… the mate bond between us will be severed.”

“Caleb—” Marcus tried to speak, but Aria stopped him.

“If your sister’s accusation means more to you than our five years together… and the three years we’ve been bound by the Moon Goddess,” Aria said softly, tears filling her eyes, “then do what you must.”

She stepped closer to him.

“But understand this… once the bond between us is broken, it can never be restored.”

Caleb nodded stiffly before turning away, pulling Clara with him.

His mother followed behind them, avoiding Aria’s gaze.

Marcus wrapped his arms around his sister.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Aria smiled gently and patted his back.

Deep inside her heart, she already knew the truth.

Marcus was not the one who destroyed everything that night.

It was Caleb’s pride.

His blind trust in his sister.

And his refusal to stand beside the woman who had once been destined to be his Luna.

And though he didn’t realize it yet—

One day Caleb would desperately try to gather the shattered pieces of the life he had destroyed.

Only to discover there was nothing left for him to hold.

Aria's POV

My chest ached so badly it felt as if my wolf was clawing desperately inside my ribcage.

Tears blurred my vision as I pressed a trembling hand over my heart, trying to steady the frantic pounding beneath my palm. Inside my mind, my wolf paced restlessly, whining in pain as though she could feel the mate bond between us stretching thinner with every passing heartbeat.

How could Caleb do this to us?

How could the man who once stood beside me beneath the sacred moonlight—swearing before the Moon Goddess that I was his destined Luna—decide to sever our bond in the span of a few moments?

Years of love.

Years of trust.

And he was ready to throw it all away as if it had never meant anything.

What had gone wrong between us?

Had I truly done something so terrible that my Alpha—my mate—would cast me aside like an unwanted omega?

No.

This could not be how our story ended.

Our bond had been forged beneath countless full moons. The Moon Goddess herself had blessed it. It could not crumble simply because of a single accusation.

Just because his stepsister claimed something had happened and my brother had become the accused did not mean Caleb could simply destroy our marriage… or the sacred bond tying our wolves together.

I needed to speak with him.

I had to make him understand.

I remained seated in the quiet chamber of the packhouse for a long time, my thoughts spiraling endlessly. Finally, gathering the last of my courage, I closed my eyes and reached out through the mate mindlink that still connected us.

My wolf stirred anxiously.

Caleb…

For a moment, there was nothing but silence.

Then the link opened.

He had heard me.

But neither of us spoke.

Silence stretched between our minds like thick fog drifting through a dark forest—heavy, suffocating, impossible to escape.

I squeezed my eyes shut as tears slipped down my cheeks.

Through the bond, I could feel his presence.

His emotions were turbulent.

Rough.

Unsteady.

Like a wolf barely holding itself back from losing control.

Caleb… I whispered again.

A long breath echoed faintly through the link.

Aria.

His voice sounded hoarse, raw with emotion. Beneath it, I sensed the bitter taste of strong liquor dulling his senses.

My chest tightened painfully.

Please don’t do this, I pleaded softly. We can resolve everything else first. Let the truth come out before we make a decision like this. Breaking our bond does not have to happen now.

Caleb… please.

For several heartbeats, the mindlink remained silent.

Then he spoke again.

I don’t want this either, Aria.

His voice cracked.

Believe me, I hate this. I still love you. The Moon Goddess knows I do.

My wolf whimpered softly at his confession.

Then come back to me, he continued, desperation creeping into his voice. Stop defending him. Leave your brother out of this and stand beside me instead.

Please.

The desperation in his voice twisted painfully around my heart.

I closed my eyes, fighting another wave of tears.

I can’t do that, I whispered.

Marcus is my brother. He’s the only family I have left. How can you ask me to abandon him?

A sharp scoff echoed through the link.

And Clara is my sister, Caleb snapped.

Before my father returned to the Moon Goddess, I promised him I would always protect her. I swore it as his son and as the future Alpha of this pack. I cannot betray that promise.

His voice hardened.

If you continue defending your brother, Clara will forever see you as the sister of the wolf who harmed her. Every time she looks at you, she will remember that night.

Then his tone softened again.

Almost pleading.

But if you come back to us… if you stand beside her and show her you believe her, we can still fix this.

The pack will see their Luna standing beside her Alpha.

You can still save our bond, Aria.

My fingers trembled as I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

I felt completely helpless.

So that’s what you want? I asked quietly.

You want me to choose between you… and my own brother.

Caleb didn’t answer.

The silence spoke louder than any words.

I inhaled slowly before speaking again.

Then listen to me carefully, Caleb.

My thoughts trembled, but I forced the words forward.

You stand with your sister, and I will stand with my brother. If it turns out Marcus truly committed something unforgivable, I will kneel before Clara myself and beg for her forgiveness in front of the entire pack.

I swallowed the painful lump in my throat.

But until the truth is revealed… I will not abandon him.

The silence that followed felt colder than the longest winter night.

Finally Caleb spoke again.

His voice sounded distant.

Bitter.

Fine.

Do whatever you want. If you’re determined to destroy what we have, then go ahead.

He paused.

I… I don’t even recognize you anymore, Aria.

His words cut deeper than claws.

I don’t know who you’ve become.

Before I could respond, the mindlink snapped shut.

But not before I felt the echo of his broken sob through the fading bond.

My hand slowly fell to my lap.

Fresh tears slid down my pale cheeks as quiet whimpers escaped my throat, soon turning into uncontrollable sobs.

Why, Caleb?

Why couldn’t he wait for the truth?

Why was he so determined to end our bond like this?

“Aria…”

Marcus’s voice broke through my thoughts.

I hurriedly wiped my face, not wanting him to see me like this. I didn’t want him blaming himself for my pain.

But the more I wiped my tears, the more they fell.

When I finally looked up at him, my eyes were swollen and burning.

“I’m sorry,” Marcus whispered.

His voice was heavy with guilt.

“I’m so sorry, sis.”

He wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I could feel his body trembling as he cried as well.

I immediately shook my head and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“No,” I said firmly.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

I pulled back slightly so he could see the truth in my eyes.

“I believe you, Marcus.”

My voice softened.

“I know the kind of wolf you are.”

Even if the whole pack turned against us…

Even if I lost more than I already had…

“I will stand beside you.”

My grief slowly hardened into determination.

“We’re going to fight this together,” I said.

“We will prove your innocence before the pack council.”

I squeezed his shoulders.

“I promise you something right now.”

I met his gaze firmly.

“Your sister will never abandon you. No matter what happens.”

Marcus nodded quietly.

He reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

I did the same for him.

Then we hugged each other again, holding on tightly.

Drawing strength from the bond that had kept us together since the day our parents returned to the Moon Goddess.

Because even if the pack rejected us…

Even if my Alpha chose to walk away from me…

I would never turn my back on the only family I had left.

Third Person's POV

Aria had always believed that protecting Marcus was the purpose the Moon Goddess had given her.

She was five years older than her younger brother, and from the time they were pups, she had quietly taken responsibility for him. Even as children running through the forested lands of their pack territory, she had always walked a step behind him—watching, guarding, making sure nothing would harm him.

But when tragedy struck their family, Aria had been only sixteen, while Marcus was still an eleven-year-old boy who barely understood what death truly meant.

Their parents—both loyal warriors of the pack—had died during a brutal attack by rogues along the border of their territory. The battle had been sudden and merciless, and by the time the pack arrived to drive the rogues away, it was already too late.

From that moment on, the siblings were left alone beneath the watchful eyes of the pack.

Yet long before that tragedy, Aria’s future had already been quietly tied to another.

From the day she was born, the elders of two influential families within the pack had agreed that one day she and Caleb would be joined as mates.

Such arrangements were not uncommon among powerful pack bloodlines. They were meant to strengthen alliances, preserve stability within the territory, and ensure unity among the wolves who carried the pack’s future.

It had never been meant to force two wolves into a loveless bond—only to guide the paths their lives would take.

Fortunately, what had begun as a promise between families slowly blossomed into something genuine.

Aria and Caleb had grown up within the same territory, training under the same elders and learning the ancient traditions of their kind together.

From a young age, their wolves had always been comfortable around one another. Even before their mate bond awakened, there had been an unspoken pull between them—something deeper than simple friendship.

Their personalities were remarkably alike.

Both were stubborn.

Both fiercely loyal.

Both willing to protect the people they loved with tooth and claw if necessary.

Because of those similarities, affection had grown between them naturally over the years.

By the time they reached adulthood, what had once been nothing more than an agreement between two families had become something far more powerful.

It had become love.

When Caleb turned twenty-one, his father—who had served as one of the pack’s leading Alphas in the council—passed away after a long illness.

With his death, Caleb inherited both his father’s responsibilities and the heavy expectations that came with them.

Leadership was never an easy burden.

And yet Caleb carried it with determination.

Clara, his younger stepsister, was the daughter Caleb’s father had with his second mate later in life. Though Caleb had never truly felt comfortable around the woman his father had chosen as his second Luna, he cared deeply for Clara.

On his father’s final night, beneath the pale glow of the Moon Goddess, Caleb had made a promise.

He would always protect his younger sister.

No matter the cost.

Clara and her mother had always treated Aria kindly as well, and for many years their relationship appeared peaceful and harmonious within the pack.

Meanwhile, Marcus grew into a cheerful and hardworking young wolf.

Despite losing their parents so young, he never allowed bitterness to take root in his heart.

When he turned eighteen, he met Sophia during their final year of training at the pack’s warrior academy—a place where young wolves learned to control their transformations, hone their strength, and understand the ancient laws that governed their kind.

What began as a simple friendship soon deepened into genuine love.

Two years later, beneath the light of the full moon, Marcus asked Sophia to become his future Luna.

She accepted without hesitation.

Their engagement was celebrated warmly throughout the pack. The elders blessed their union, and many believed the two young wolves would bring prosperity and happiness to the territory in the years to come.

Everything seemed perfect.

But while Marcus was happily building his future, someone else had already begun watching him with growing resentment.

And that person’s jealousy would soon destroy everything.

Among werewolves, jealousy was often described as the most poisonous sickness that could infect a wolf’s heart.

Once it took root, it spread like wildfire—devouring reason, loyalty, and love until nothing remained.

And when that fire burned long enough, it destroyed everything in its path.

Even the one who carried it.

---

Weeks passed beneath the watchful gaze of the Moon Goddess.

Just as Caleb had declared during their final argument, a formal mate rejection decree was delivered to Aria at the packhouse. The parchment bore the Alpha seal of his family and the mark of the pack council, leaving no doubt that the process had already been set into motion.

Along with it came the official accusation against Marcus—an allegation that he had attempted to dishonor Clara.

Not long after, several pack warriors arrived at Aria’s home.

Under the authority of the elders and the Alpha council, Marcus was taken into custody to await judgment before the pack.

Neither Aria nor Marcus were surprised by the arrest.

They had known this moment would come.

The Wolfhart they had long feared—the formal trial where the truth of a wolf’s crime was judged beneath the law of the pack—had finally been called.

Even so, deep inside Aria’s heart, a fragile thread of hope still remained.

She believed her marriage could survive this storm.

In her mind, severing a mate bond was never meant to be the answer. A bond blessed beneath the sacred light of the Moon Goddess was not something to discard lightly. It was a sacred tie between two wolves—one that should never be broken without absolute certainty.

She believed she and Caleb should wait until the elders uncovered the truth before making a decision that could never be undone.

But Caleb refused to listen.

---

The mate rejection decree felt unusually heavy in Aria’s hands as she stood before the house that had once been her home.

The Alpha’s residence.

For a long moment, she simply stood there, staring at the familiar wooden doors carved with the ancient symbols of the pack. This place had once been filled with warmth, laughter, and the quiet comfort that only bonded mates could share.

Now it felt cold.

Distant.

Unfamiliar.

Slowly, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The air smelled the same—cedarwood, fire smoke, and the lingering scent of Caleb’s wolf—but the warmth that once lived in those walls had vanished.

Even though everything between them had already begun to crumble, Aria still wanted to speak with him one last time.

Ending a relationship was painful enough.

But ending a mate bond blessed beneath the Moon Goddess was far more serious. It was not something wolves treated lightly. A bond tied by fate and sealed by the Moon was sacred.

It should never be broken without a final conversation.

She opened her mouth to call his name.

But before the sound could leave her lips, something else reached her ears.

A faint groan.

Low.

Breathy.

It came from the bedroom.

Aria froze instantly.

Her wolf stirred uneasily inside her mind, lifting its head in alarm as she listened more carefully.

She recognized that voice.

It was Caleb.

But the soft moan that followed did not belong to her.

The realization struck her like lightning.

Blood roared in her ears as her heart seemed to stop beating entirely.

Moments later, the bedroom door swung open.

Caleb stepped into the hallway.

He was half dressed, his shirt hanging loose and his hair disheveled, completely unaware of her presence.

He walked forward casually—

Until his eyes suddenly landed on the pale feet standing before him.

His steps stopped.

Slowly, his gaze lifted.

Up her legs.

Up to her trembling hands.

Until it finally met her eyes.

Electric gray.

Aria’s expression was empty.

Hollow.

She looked as though her soul had already left her body.

Caleb’s face drained of all color.

Shock and guilt flashed across his features as the truth dawned on him.

She had seen everything.

Neither of them moved.

She stared at him in silent disappointment.

He stood frozen in horror.

Then footsteps sounded from the doorway behind them.

Lupas entered the house.

He was one of the pack scribes, a wolf tasked by the elders to witness important legal rites—especially those involving the breaking of sacred bonds.

When he noticed the tense silence in the room, his brows furrowed slightly.

Without saying a word, Aria calmly reached into her satchel and pulled out the parchment bearing the mate rejection decree.

Beside it was a small ceremonial blade used during rejection rites.

To Caleb’s complete disbelief, she signed the parchment immediately with steady hands, then pricked her finger with the blade. A drop of her blood stained the document, sealing her consent to the severing of their bond.

She handed the parchment to Lupas.

The scribe accepted it slowly, his expression filled with pity.

“My Luna…” he began gently. “You still have time to reconsider. A bond blessed by the Moon Goddess is not easily broken. Both of you may still speak before this becomes permanent.”

Aria let out a faint, humorless laugh.

“Every bond has its limits, Lupas,” she said quietly.

“Once those limits are crossed… there is nothing left to repair.”

She turned her gaze toward Caleb.

Tears shimmered in his eyes.

“Our bond crossed that limit today.”

Just then, a voice called from the bedroom.

“Caleb… where are—”

A young woman stepped out of the room, wrapped only in a blanket.

The moment she noticed Lupas standing there—and Aria beside him—her eyes widened in shock. Embarrassment flooded her face before she hurriedly retreated back inside the room.

The scribe grimaced slightly in disgust.

Aria, however, did not react at all.

Her expression remained eerily calm.

“Once the rejection rite is complete, send me a copy of the council record,” she said quietly.

Lupas nodded.

Without waiting for a reply, Aria walked past Caleb and toward the door.

He remained rooted to the spot.

His heart screamed at him to chase after her.

To beg for forgiveness.

To stop her from leaving.

But his feet refused to move.

Because deep down, he already knew the truth.

He was the one who had destroyed everything.

After a long moment, Caleb slowly reached for the parchment with trembling hands.

His chest tightened painfully as he pricked his own finger and let his blood fall onto the document beside hers.

The rejection rite was complete.

The mate bond between them shattered.

Far away from the house, as Aria walked beneath the fading evening sky, she felt the invisible thread connecting their souls finally snap.

Her wolf let out a long, mournful howl inside her mind.

But Aria did not stop walking.

Because in that moment, she realized something with absolute clarity.

From this day forward, her only goal was to fight for her brother’s justice.

She would do whatever it took to prove Marcus’s innocence—

Even if it meant standing against the entire pack alone.