Chapter 1My Alpha mate sent our autistic son to a nightmare facility for his mistress.
I begged him: "That's YOUR son!"
Dorian looked at me with cold eyes. "Maybe if you'd raised him better, he wouldn't act like a rogue."
Hours later? I found my baby dying on the floor.
That's when my "dead" wolf ROARED back to life with terrifying power.
Funny how fast lies fall apart when you've got claws.
The mistress who swore I poisoned her kid?
The mate who believed her without question?
Turns out they BOTH had secrets that didn't age well.
They thought breaking me would end the story.
Turns out it was just the prologue.
The real fun? I'm just warming up.
---
This wasn't the first time I'd been a fool.
My fingers trembled as I pulled up the Mate Bond Dissolution Form on my phone.
My mother's voice rang clear in my head: "Once a cheater, always a cheater."
A tear splashed onto the screen. I didn't bother wiping it away.
My phone buzzed. Dorian Blackthorn, my Alpha mate.
"Hey, Sera." His voice carried that same tired excuse he'd been recycling for months. "Something came up at the pack. I won't make it home tonight."
Every muscle in my body still ached from the gym, but the physical pain was nothing. Nothing compared to the way my wolf whimpered every time he lied.
"Okay."
The word came out flat. Calm.
There was a pause on the other end—like he didn't know what to do with that.
Good.
I hung up before he could say anything else.
Then I opened the photo I'd kept buried in my phone for three months—Cassandra Lock's face, smiling up at the camera, wearing Dorian's shirt. I sent it to him with one line:
"Let's sever our mate bond."
I didn't wait for his response. I walked home.
When I walked through the front door, Dorian was already there—sitting on the floor with Orion, surrounded by toy trucks and building blocks.
The second Orion saw me, he dropped everything and bolted toward me.
"Mommy!"
Dorian looked up. Not a flicker of guilt crossed his face. He smiled—that easy, confident Alpha smile that used to make my heart race. Now it just made me tired.
"Orion, buddy—" he said casually, not to me, "how'd you like to go on a trip with Mommy? Maybe spend a month out at the lake house?"
Orion went stiff in my arms.
He pulled back, frowning, and immediately returned to his toys without a word.
My stomach dropped.
Dorian knew exactly what he was doing.
He wasn't suggesting a vacation. He was holding a knife to everything I loved, wrapped in a smile.
Orion was diagnosed with autism when he was three. Routine was everything to him—same plate, same bedtime, same everything. A different brand of juice could send him spiraling for days.
A sudden trip? A change in the house? It would wreck him.
Severing my bond with Dorian? I couldn't even imagine what that would do to him.
I stood there, staring at my son in silence, my throat tight.
And then the front door slammed open.
Cassandra stumbled inside, gripping the hand of a little girl who looked about Orion's age.
Before I could say a word, she dropped to her knees in front of me. Tears streamed down her perfect face, theatrical and practiced.
"Seraphina, please—just give him back to me. It's Lily's birthday today. She needs her father."
The little girl looked up at Dorian with wide, glassy eyes.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Daddy.
Orion's head snapped toward her, confusion flickering across his face. He clutched his toy truck tighter, staring at me like he was trying to make sense of why another child was calling his father that word.
Dorian's composure cracked. Just a fraction. He hadn't expected this ambush.
"Cassandra, what the hell are you doing? Sera, she's—she's not—"
The next second, Cassandra swayed.
"Cassandra!"
Dorian shoved past me and caught her before she hit the floor.
She collapsed against his chest, breathing hard, her face buried in his shirt.
And just for a second—so brief I almost missed it—I saw it.
The faint curl of a triumphant smile on her lips.
Chapter 2
I hit the ground hard.
My forehead cracked against the corner of the coffee table, and everything went white for a second.
When the world came back into focus, I felt warmth running down my face.
Blood.
Orion was at my side in an instant, wrapping his small arms around me. Then he turned—his whole body rigid—and glared at Dorian.
Dorian froze.
For one heartbeat, I saw something flicker across his face. Shame? Doubt?
He was still holding Cassandra, her weight limp against his chest. He didn't move toward me.
Lily stood there, wide-eyed and confused. She took a hesitant step toward us.
"Stay away!" Orion shouted, his voice cracking.
Lily stumbled backward, tripped over her own feet, and hit the floor. She immediately started sobbing.
Cassandra's head snapped up. She pointed a shaking finger at Orion, her voice trembling with fury.
"Did you see that? He pushed her! What kind of monster pushes a little girl? What do you people want from us? Do we have to die before you're satisfied?"
She shoved Dorian away and scooped Lily into her arms, rocking her as she wailed dramatically.
Something shifted in Dorian's expression.
He turned toward Orion—and before I could even process what was happening, he raised his hand and slapped him across the face.
CRACK!
The sound echoed through the room.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Dorian snapped. "God knows what you'll grow up to be."
Orion stood there, frozen, one hand pressed to his reddening cheek. His eyes were wide, disbelieving.
He'd never hit him before.
Not once.
I stared at Dorian, my vision swimming.
Cassandra glanced over, her tone carefully measured. "Orion is on the spectrum, after all. Maybe it'd be better if he went somewhere more... equipped to handle him?"
Dorian nodded slowly, like he was seriously considering it.
Then he turned to the security team standing near the door.
"Take him to Blackridge House. Now."
No.
No.
Not Blackridge House.
Blackridge House wasn't a treatment facility—it was a nightmare dressed up in medical paperwork. The staff were undertrained and overworked. Pips got hurt there. Some didn't make it out.
I'd reported it to Dorian multiple times. Every single time, he brushed it off.
"Don't be dramatic, Sera. It's just a care facility."
Orion had been doing better. He was making progress. Ripping him out of his routine, throwing him into that place—it would destroy him.
I wasn't going to let them break my son.
I forced myself to my feet, ignoring the dizziness, the blood still dripping down my face. I stepped in front of Orion and spread my arms.
"Nobody is taking my son."
Dorian hesitated. For just a second, his eyes flicked to the blood on my face, and something in his expression wavered.
"Sera, he needs help. You're only making this worse for him."
Cassandra's voice drifted over, soft and sweet—and laced with poison.
"The Luna's not thinking clearly, Dorian. You have to do what's best for him."
Dorian's jaw tightened. His eyes went cold again.
"Restrain the Luna. Don't let her near him."
The warriors moved fast.
Two of them grabbed Orion, and he immediately started screaming—raw, guttural sounds that tore through the air. He thrashed against their grip, kicking and twisting, but they didn't let go.
Orion didn't know how to process grief. He didn't have the words for it. All he had were the basics—scared, angry, okay.
Right now, he was terrified.
Dorian's face twisted in disgust. He looked at Orion like he was a wild rogue—not his son.
I was pinned to the floor by another guard, my arms wrenched behind my back.
I called for my wolf.
Come on. Please. He needs me. I need you.
Silence.
All I could do was watch as they dragged Orion toward the door.
Watch as they shoved him into the car.
Watch as the door slammed shut.
And then the car pulled away.
The pain in my chest was unbearable.
I clawed at the floor until my nails split and bled.
I looked up at Dorian through the haze of tears and blood.
The man standing in front of me was a stranger.
"That's your son," I whispered, my voice breaking. "You know exactly what that place is."
For a moment—just a moment—regret flickered across his face.
"It's for his own good," he said quietly. "Cassandra told me the care at Blackridge House is excellent. He'll get proper treatment there."
Cassandra.
Always fucking Cassandra.
I shook my head, too exhausted to argue anymore.
I turned and staggered toward the stairs, gripping the railing to keep myself upright.
I didn't have time to waste on him.
I had to get Orion out.
Behind me, I heard Dorian take a few steps forward—like he was going to follow.
Then Cassandra's voice, soft and weak.
"Dorian... I feel so dizzy."
I didn't turn around.
I already knew what was coming.
"Get the car," Dorian said. "We're going to the pack hospital."
And just like that, he scooped her up in his arms and walked out the door.
He didn't look back.
Not once.
Chapter 3
The second I got back to my room, I called the Werewolf Alliance's lawyer.
"I need to get my son out of Blackridge House. Now."
There was a pause on the other end, then a measured voice replied:
"Dorian might be Alpha, but the Council Elders won't look kindly on a child sent to Blackridge House. He'll have to answer for it. That said, priority one is getting Orion out. We can deal with consequences after."
Those last words were the only thing keeping me from completely falling apart.
I had to get him out.
Now.
I heard the front door unlock downstairs.
Dorian was back.
I could still smell her on him—Cassandra's sickly-sweet perfume clinging to his clothes.
Didn't expect him home tonight.
Well. Good.
Perfect timing.
I grabbed the Mate Bond Dissolution Agreement off the desk and walked downstairs. I slapped it onto the kitchen counter in front of him.
"Sign it."
Dorian glanced down at the papers, looking exhausted—like I was being unreasonable.
"Seraphina, please, enough. I don't get why you're so hung up on Cassandra."
He rubbed his face, exhaling slowly.
"Look—I know I messed up. I should've told you about Lily from the start. But she's just a kid, Sera. And you're still the Luna. Cassandra's not a threat to you."
The Luna title.
I didn't give a damn about a title.
I wanted a mate who kept his vows.
And Dorian had let me down. Again. And again.
Five years ago, he at least tried to convince me he'd cut things off with her.
Now he didn't even bother pretending.
He'd sent our son away without a second thought.
When I didn't respond, Dorian softened his tone. He stepped closer, sliding an arm around my waist.
"Cassandra's raising Lily on her own," he murmured. "It's hard. So yeah, I help out. But Sera—you're the one I love."
His hand slipped under the hem of my shirt, fingertips brushing against my skin.
I shoved him off and slapped him hard across the face.
"You make me sick."
I took a breath, forcing my voice steady.
"Sign. Now."
That did it.
His eyes flared red—full Alpha—and the look he gave me was terrifying.
I didn't flinch.
"FINE," he snarled. "Fine. Don't come crying to me later."
He grabbed a pen and scrawled his signature across the agreement, the paper tearing slightly under the pressure.
"I'll be waiting for the day you come crawling back."
I didn't say a word.
I just grabbed the petition, my bag, and walked out the door.
Next morning, I pulled an emergency Council order and got Orion released.
He didn't say a word when he came out.
Just held onto me tight and wouldn't let go.
I didn't know what they'd done to him in there.
The priority now was getting him to a therapist before things got worse.
The fear in his eyes broke something deep inside me.
Then Dorian and Cassandra showed up—blocking my path to the car.
I took a breath, trying to stay calm.
"Move. I need to get Orion to the pack hospital—"
Before I could finish, Cassandra threw herself at my feet, sobbing.
"Luna, I was WRONG. I shouldn't have tried to take Dorian from you. But Lily's just a child—she's INNOCENT! Please, leave her alone!"
She dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the pavement, tears streaming down her face.
What the hell was she playing at?
Before I could react, Dorian pointed at me, his voice sharp and cold.
"You poisoned an innocent pup with wolfsbane. Hand over the antidote. Now."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"What does Lily being poisoned have to do with me?"
"Seraphina! Don't play dumb!" Dorian roared. Dorian roared. "You're the Luna of this pack. Even if you hate Cassandra and Lily, they're STILL part of the pack. How could you DO this?"
He stepped closer, his voice going bitter and sharp.
"I never should've made you Luna."
My heart stopped.
Seven years ago, his voice had been so certain:
"If my Luna isn't Seraphina, then I don't want to be Alpha."
And now, for her, he was telling me he regretted being with me.
But I couldn't break down right now.
Orion needed to get to the hospital.
Now.
I tried to step around them toward the car, but Dorian grabbed Orion and ripped him out of my arms.
"Last chance. Antidote. Or else."
My fists clenched.
I was done.
"If Lily's poisoned, then get her to a HOSPITAL! Why are you coming after ME?"
Dorian faltered.
Cassandra immediately shrieked.
"Lily ate the pastries YOU sent over! You poisoned her! She told me herself—would a child LIE?"
She sobbed like I'd actually done it.
But a mother who was really worried about her child would be at the hospital right now—not here.
Cassandra's screaming had already sent Dorian completely over the edge.
He waved over the Blackridge House staff.
"Lock Orion back up. If Seraphina insists on lying, make sure he's the one who pays for it. He stays there until she confesses."
