Chapter 1"Hey, you here for the Moon-Bond Ceremony?"
I sat in the pack council hall waiting area, my wolf curled up inside me, miserable.
Happy couples walked by, their wolves practically purring.
But as an omega, I was used to being invisible.
I checked my phone again. Freya’s taunting message burned in my head: "Don't waste your time at the council hall. Alpha Darren would never claim an omega publicly as his mate. He knows where he really belongs."
"The Sacred Circle closes soon..." The beta clerk’s voice pulled me back.
Then a searing pain ripped through my chest. I dropped to my knees out of nowhere.
Our fated mate bond - the one I’d shared with Darren for seven years - felt like a poison-tipped blade, tearing me apart from the inside.
No. This couldn’t be happening.
My wolf let out an anguished howl, then turned savage as we felt him marking someone else. The betrayal burned through our bond like poison, killing any last hope.
Darren was marking Freya. Finishing the sacred ritual that should have been mine.
Seven years of love. Countless promises whispered under the stars. Gone in a second.
I bit my lip hard and forced myself up. My hands curled into fists, nails digging into my palms - using that pain to stay clear.
I choked back a bitter laugh. "Don't worry about the ceremony. My... my mate's busy."
I ran out of the hall. I couldn't take all those pitying looks from the other wolves.
Just three months ago - hell, just yesterday, even this morning - he'd been so excited about our bonding ceremony.
He'd pulled me close at breakfast, nuzzled my neck, and whispered, "Tonight I can finally protect you out in the open. No more hiding in the shadows."
His kiss had been so tender. So full of promise.
Now his words just mocked me, bringing back every secret moment we'd shared. Each memory like salt in an open wound:
Darren teaching me to control my wolf during full moons.
Darren sneaking away from Alpha duties to run with me under silver-bright skies - just the two of us in the forbidden forests where we could be ourselves.
Darren secretly leaving frost fire lilies at my cottage door on my birthday. Those rare flowers that only grow along the frozen northern cliffs.
...
What a fool I was. It was all a mirage. A cruel joke. Leaving me standing here like an omega with no pack.
I can't believe seven years of love could end like this. Not without answers. Not without an explanation.
As twilight turned to night, I wiped my tears and tried to pull myself together.
I had to see Darren.
My wolf - wounded, but still there - pushed me forward, demanding answers.
I ran to his chambers, my heart slamming against my ribs. The door was cracked open. I could hear Darren's voice and his beta, Felix.
"So, Freya and I completed the marking today..."
My stomach dropped. The last shred of hope I'd been clinging to - that naive belief it was all a bad dream - vanished like morning mist.
"Freya? By the Moon Goddess, what did you do? I thought you and Stella were fated mates! Why the sudden bonding with Freya?" Felix's voice boomed through the room.
Darren sighed, heavy with resignation. "Freya told me she has the Blood Curse. She doesn't have much time unless a pure Alpha marks her. She broke down, begged me to save her."
"She pleaded with me. I couldn't say no. You know how much..."
"I've loved her since we were pups."
Those words pierced me like silver, stealing my breath. You've loved her since childhood?
What about our seven years, Darren? What about our fated bond?
Tears blurred my vision. My whole body shook from the cold sting of betrayal.
"Darren, you've lost your mind!" Felix's voice cut through, angry. Then, in a low growl: "Have you forgotten who Stella is to you? She's your fated mate! She's the real Luna of this pack!"
"By the Moon Goddess, do you even know what marking someone else does to a fated bond?"
I waited, barely breathing, hoping for a hint of remorse.
Instead, I heard Darren's self-righteous answer: "If I'm saving Freya's life, I'm going to do it right. She deserves a real mate bond, not some half-assed marking. I won't let her feel like second best - not when she's dying."
The words hit me like a tidal wave. Darren had loved Freya since they were pups.
Then why did you even bother with me?
"What about Stella? Did you even think what this would do to her? She's probably still at the council hall, waiting for you!" Felix's voice was tight with barely contained fury.
I held my breath, listening.
Darren's voice came out firm. Resolute. "I've protected her for seven years. She knew what it meant to be with the future Alpha. She promised to understand, no matter what."
"Besides, she's just an omega. Where else would she go?"
Chapter 2
The callousness in his voice shattered something inside me. I don't even remember leaving his chambers.
I stumbled across pack grounds, Darren's words echoing in my head: "I've loved Freya since we were pups."
Since you were pups? But you swore you'd never mark anyone else.
Seven years ago, you stood under my cottage window night after night, telling me to trust you, to be yours. You took me to every sacred site in the territory, whispering promises of forever. Did you think of Freya then? When you first felt our fated bond?
Every good memory turned into a blade, twisting inside me. And the one holding the knife? My destined mate.
The moon rose full and bright, washing the territory in silver.
My fingers went to my mother's ring - a habit from years of finding comfort in her last gift. The ring grew even colder, almost burning with the chill.
My mother's last words echoed in my head: "This ring will protect you, my darling. It'll bless you and your fated mate together. Forever."
Are you lying to me, Mom?
The sky opened up. Rain poured down like the Moon Goddess herself was crying over my broken bond.
I stood there, numb and defeated. I don't know how long.
Then I caught his scent on the wind - pine and winter, now tainted with honeysuckle. Strong arms wrapped around me from behind.
"What are you doing out here in the storm? You'll get sick!" His voice had that Alpha heir authority, but underneath it was worry.
I looked up. Darren's face was full of concern, his golden Alpha eyes scanning me. He pulled me closer, trying to shield me from the rain with his bigger frame. "Come on, let's get you inside. You're freezing."
I wanted nothing more than to turn back time, to pretend none of this happened.
Instead, I shoved him away. My wolf snarled under my skin.
"How dare you show your face here? Leave me alone!"
Hot tears streamed down my face. My wolf clawed at my insides, desperate to attack or submit. The rain was nothing compared to the icy emptiness where our mate bond used to be.
It was the first time I'd ever challenged him. My wolf fighting against years of ingrained submission.
He flinched. His Alpha presence wavered for a second. His golden eyes flickered with confusion and hurt. The scent of his distress hung heavy in the air.
Seeing him like that just fueled my anger. My hand connected with his face before I could stop myself. His Alpha instincts kicked in, and he grabbed my wrists, pulling me into a crushing embrace.
The familiar scent of pine and winter wind - the one that used to comfort me - now made my stomach turn. It was tainted with Freya's honeysuckle.
"Stella, please don't be angry. I'm so sorry, so sorry..." His voice was thick with unshed tears.
The storm raged around us. For the first time in seven years, I felt his iron control slip. His wolf pushing close to the surface.
His apology - laced with real pain - should've loosened the frozen knot in my chest. But the lingering scent of Freya's marking ceremony on his skin only made it worse.
I couldn't take another second. His voice. His scent. Him.
My feet carried me running back to my cottage. I collapsed on my bed, too exhausted to fight the grief anymore, too drained to even cry. Then I drifted into a restless sleep.
In my dream, I saw the man I fell in love with.
He wore the ceremonial white robes of an Alpha heir, looking at me with so much sincerity it hurt. "Trust me, Stella," he whispered. "When I take over as Alpha, I'll change everything. I promise. You'll never have to hide in the shadows again."
His ears had turned red then. A rare show of vulnerability from a future Alpha.
Seven years of believing those empty promises. Of letting my wolf bond deeper with his.
Then the scene shifted. His eyes turned cold, gleaming Alpha red, as he stood beside Freya.
"Please don't interfere. We've completed the mate bond. You're just an omega - I don't love you anymore, Stella."
His words tore my heart to shreds.
Then a soft knock at my door pulled me from the nightmare, leaving only the familiar ache of betrayal and the ghost of his red gaze.
Chapter 3
We stood on opposite sides of the door, talking low - our old way of making up after fights, back when we couldn't risk being seen together.
The bitter smell of wolfsbane cigarettes seeped through the cracks. Darren only smoked those when he was really stressed.
"Stella, I know I messed up. I hurt you. But please, try to understand..." His voice was hoarse, thick with emotion, but still carrying that stubborn Alpha edge.
"Freya and I... we grew up together in the Northern Packs. Our fathers always wanted us to mate, to unite our territories. We share a history."
"Even though we drifted apart, she's always been special to me. I can't let her die from the Blood Curse. Not when I can save her."
"She's cursed by the Goddess herself. The healers say she won't make it another full moon..."
His fist hit the wall. I jumped.
His wolf was right there at the surface - I could feel its pain through whatever was left of our bond.
"All she wants is to live. To feel a real mate bond before the curse takes her. How could I say no to that?"
"Stella, you've got the kindest heart of any wolf I know. I know you want to help save her, right?"
"I know this hurts. But I also know you understand. You always have."
"Once she's... gone... I'll make things right. We'll finish our bond. Have pups. I'll make you my Luna. Every promise I made, I'll keep."
That was the life we'd dreamed of. Me as his Luna. Raising our pups. Strengthening the pack while he led our territory.
My only wish was to be loved by him. To be his true mate, even as an omega.
Then his phone rang. Through the door, I could hear Freya's shaky voice.
"Freya? Why are you crying?" His voice changed completely. Alpha command gone, replaced by soft concern.
"The ceremonial robes? You want to try them on now? Of course, my love. Don't cry - I'm coming right now. I'll always be here for you."
"You'll be the most beautiful Luna this pack has ever seen. No one compares to you. You know that, right?"
He grabbed his leather jacket, ready to bolt. Then he stopped. Turned back to my door.
"Stella? Stella, you have to believe me. You're my fated mate. My true match. All of this... it's just for Freya. Just to keep her alive until the curse takes her, okay?"
"I'm terrified she'll lose hope. That she'll stop fighting. Please, Stella. Wait for me, okay? I'll come back. We'll complete our real bond. I promise."
Silence dropped between us like a wall of mountain ash.
I stared at the closed door and let out a humorless laugh.
He'd just sworn eternal love to two different mates. Broke every sacred law of our pack.
My lips curled into a bitter smile as my wolf whimpered inside me. The pain in my chest was almost unbearable. The severed mate bond - a raw, bleeding wound.
He said he loved me most. But he was still willing to break our fated bond just to make Freya happy.
I heard the front door slam. Felt him racing across pack grounds through our fading connection.
As the echo of his footsteps faded, something inside me shattered completely.
A wave of despair crashed through me so hard my legs gave out. I collapsed to the floor.
My wolf's anguish tore through my chest like molten silver.
The pain was like nothing I'd ever felt - not just emotional, but physical. Devastating.
My vision blurred. The agony ripped through my body. The rejection of our severed bond felt like my very soul was being shredded apart.
Seven years of love and trust crumbled to dust. The weight of betrayal crushed my lungs until I couldn't breathe. A metallic taste filled my mouth as blood spilled past my lips, dripping onto the wooden floor.
One crimson drop landed on my mother's ring. Slid down the silver band.
Then something strange happened.
My mother's ring blazed to life with an intense blue light that filled the whole room.
