Chapter 1I asked my Alpha mate to sever our bond right there at our pup's Naming Rite. In front of the whole pack.
He threw bloodwine in my face. His Beta wannabe screamed I was a traitor. My own parents, his parents, the elders—everyone looked at me like I was feral.
To them, he's the perfect mate. The devoted Alpha.
But they don't know what's inside that nest-bed he's obsessed with. The hidden hollow. The she-wolf who crawls out every night.
And the plan they made to swap my pup for hers while I was still bleeding after birth.
So I took the slap. Took the hate. Let them think I was breaking.
But I was planting crystals. Recording every whisper.
When I walk into that Elders' Court, he'll find out who he really married. He'll lose his title. His pack. Everything.
And I'll make damn sure EVERY WOLF hears that recording!
--
After my Alpha mate had a custom nest-bed built, he couldn't get enough of it.
He slept on it every night. Wouldn't let me touch it. His wolf had claimed that bed like fresh kill—scent-marked every corner, snarled if I came near.
I'd had enough.
At our daughter's Blood Moon Naming Rite, I came right out and asked to break our bond.
Every face in the room swung toward me. Eyes wide. Jaws slack.
Torin Grimshaw went further. He splashed his goblet of bloodwine right in my face.
"Briar, have you lost your mind? I never cheated. I never even looked at another she-wolf. You want to break the bond because I sleep on a nest-bed?"
"That's right," I shot back. No hesitation. My own wolf paced under my skin, claws scraping.
My answer hit him like a claw to the throat. His face darkened. A low growl rumbled from his chest.
Our son broke into terrified sobs. His grandparents rushed over, cooing, trying to calm the pup.
Then Vanessa Dusk stepped in. Her voice cut sharp as a blade.
"Luna Grimshaw! Do you even have a heart? Do you know what Alpha Grimshaw has sacrificed for you? For this pack?"
"Are you blind? All because he bought a nest-bed and slept apart from you, you're throwing a tantrum on purpose?"
Torin's father Corbin had been listening from the side. His hackles rose.
"So that's it! Torin slept on that bed because you'd just birthed a pup. Can you really not see he was thinking of you?"
Every wolf in that room glared at me. Heat like fire. Their eyes burned.
Gideon Dawnfield, my father, stood up and stepped in.
"Briar, we've all seen how good Torin's been to you. If something's wrong, hash it out. Why throw around 'break the bond' like that?"
My mother, Greta, rushed over too, trying to soothe Torin.
"Torin, don't let it get to you. Briar's just being stubborn. You're a grown Alpha—you don't need to be at odds with your Luna."
Then she turned to me. "Get over here and say sorry to Torin. So we can move past this."
Even the pack healers and other pack members in the healing den stared, frozen.
But my voice didn't soften.
"Mom, Dad, I haven't lost my mind. I meant every word. This bond is over."
I pulled out the bond-breaking petition I'd already prepared and slid it across to Torin.
"Sign it."
Seeing how firm I was, Corbin couldn't hold it anymore.
"Briar, you have no heart! Torin's broken his back working for you for years. Just when things are finally looking up, you ask to sever the bond? Is that fair to him? To this pack?"
Dad went pale. His hand shot up to strike me, but Mom grabbed his arm and held him back. He let out a choked growl, muscles straining.
He glared at me, breathing hard.
"Are you trying to tear this pack apart? Whatever the problem is, we can talk it out. Why bring this up now of all times?"
"Nothing to talk about." I turned to face Torin.
He let out a cold snort. "Briar, tell me. Why?"
"No reason," I said flatly. "It's over between us."
I had nothing more to say. I turned and started for the door.
Vanessa suddenly grabbed my arm.
"You're not going anywhere! You're going to explain yourself!"
I pried her hand off mine.
"You're his Beta candidate. What I do is none of your damn business."
She wouldn't back down. She grabbed my collar, her voice ringing.
"Sure, I'm just his assistant, but no one with any conscience could watch what you're doing and stay silent! What she-wolf could be as heartless as you?"
"Alpha's out there working his claws to the bone for you while you sit at home living the high life. Instead of being grateful, you turn around and ask to break the bond."
"Briar, you're a disgrace to she-wolves. You're nothing but a gold-digger."
I wrenched her hand off me. My fist swung before I could stop it. My wolf surged—full force.
The punch landed with a dull thud. Vanessa stumbled back and hit the floor, hand pressed to her cheek, eyes wide with shock. A thin whimper escaped her throat.
Torin rushed over to catch her, shouting at me.
"Whatever your problem is, take it out on me! Why drag innocent wolves into this?"
Chapter 2
Watching me throw that punch sent Corbin over the edge. His growl ripped through the room.
"I must have been blind back then to ever let Torin marry you!"
Torin's mom Helena rushed over and helped Vanessa to her feet. Vanessa's face crumpled. She looked wounded.
"Alpha Grimshaw, Luna Grimshaw, please don't blame Briar. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have spoken up. I shouldn't have jumped in like that and upset her."
"She must be hurting to act this way. The pup's right here. Please don't keep fighting because of me."
Watching Vanessa like that twisted something in Torin's chest. His wolf whined low. He moved to comfort her, hand on her shoulder, scenting her.
"Vanessa, this isn't on you. You did nothing wrong."
Then he rounded on me, voice rising.
"Briar, you really chose our pup's Naming Rite to ask to break the bond? You think because I love you, you can do whatever you damn well please?"
Corbin couldn't listen anymore. He stepped forward, hackles fully up, lips peeled back over yellowed fangs.
"Briar, are you really set on this? I bet you've got another wolf on the side! How else could you be cold enough to pull this at our grandpup's rite?"
Realization dawned on Vanessa. She turned on me.
"No wonder! I knew there had to be a reason you wanted out so badly. You've got another male! How can you face your pup? Or Alpha?"
Torin's temper snapped. A full-throated snarl ripped from him.
"Briar, don't tell me you actually have someone else."
Vanessa kept backing him up, but my face stayed blank. My wolf paced, calm and cold.
"Whether there's someone else or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Torin and I are breaking the bond."
My attitude finally pushed Corbin over the edge. He jabbed a claw at the door and roared.
"Fine! You ungrateful little thing, you're not welcome here! The rest of you, get out with her! You want to break the bond? You'll have it!"
"Five days from now, see you in the Elders' Court. I'll make you give back every ounce of pack coin you took from my son!"
My parents wanted to say more, but Corbin and Helena's vicious glares shut them down.
Once we stepped out of the healing den, Dad couldn't hold back. He grabbed my arm, confusion all over his face.
"Briar, what's going on with you? You and Torin used to be so good together. How can you just throw 'break the bond' out there at a time like this?"
He sighed, lost in memories.
"I remember when you two first got together. You were head over heels for Torin."
"You knew he worked hard, so you cooked his meals and waited up. You even taught yourself massage. How did we get here?"
His words drew two silent tears from the corners of my eyes. They burned hot.
I wiped my face with the back of my hand, my wolf whimpering deep inside. I lowered my voice.
"Dad, that's all in the past now."
I broke free from his grip and headed straight for the elevator.
Downstairs, my old packmate Maddox Vane was waiting by his car. I slid in. He caught my expression and tossed off a teasing line.
"Been crying? Looks like the Naming Rite was even more of a show than I thought."
I let out a bitter laugh, my scent sour. "Don't tease me. I'll need your help with the Elders' hearing in five days."
I slipped on my headphones, pulled up a recording, and listened to it again.
My wolf curled tight around the sound. Like punishing myself.
Every growl, every whisper—I made myself hear it all.
Chapter 3
I didn't want to put Maddox out, so I had him drop me at a neutral-ground wayfarer's den.
Checked in under a false scent. Lost track of how late it was when I finally drifted off.
Next day around noon, sharp knocks on the door jolted me awake. My wolf snapped to attention before my eyes opened.
The moment I cracked the door, a swarm of wolves pushed inside. Low-rank pack-less reporters.
One shoved a scent-recorder in my face.
"Luna Grimshaw, why did you ask Alpha Grimshaw to break the bond at the Naming Rite?"
"Rumor says you cheated during the bond. Is that true?"
"You've been by his side since he took over the pack. Now you're being this cold. Don't you feel any shame at all?"
Flash-crystals popped in my eyes. Recorders and mics jabbed inches from my snout. Phones held high, broadcasting everything live across the WolfNet.
Every one of them looked desperate to drag some juicy scandal out of me.
The commotion drew more onlookers in no time—wolves from nearby packs, ears swiveling, eyes hungry.
Once they caught up on the story, they turned disgusted looks on me too. A few bared their teeth.
One female reporter elbowed her way to the front, voice sharp.
"Luna Grimshaw, sources say Alpha Grimshaw slept on that nest-bed throughout your recovery after the birth."
"Were the cracks in your bond there long before today? Was bringing it up at the Naming Rite planned all along?"
Their questions made it clear that someone had recorded everything I'd done yesterday and posted it on the WolfNet.
The story had exploded across every pack's communication channels. In a single night, I'd become the villain every corner of the wolf world loved to hate.
I didn't need to guess who had done it. It could only be Vanessa.
I looked at the countless lenses and spoke in a level voice. "I have nothing to explain."
My answer sent the crowd into an uproar. Growls and yips of outrage.
A voice rang out from the back.
"Holy crap! If I hadn't seen this with my own eyes, I'd never believe a she-wolf like this existed. She stuck with him through the grind, and now that he's made it big, she wants out?"
Someone else jumped in.
"Not hard to guess. She's got another male for sure. Probably wanted more pups and Alpha couldn't keep up."
A third agreed.
"You know what? You might be right! I really feel bad for Alpha. When that pup grows up and finds out who his mother is, he'll be mortified."
Just as the chorus of insults was drowning me, my parents arrived on the scene behind Torin. His scent hit me before I saw him.
Gone was the fury from yesterday. Torin's face now showed only worry. He pushed through the crowd to my side and spoke softly.
"Briar, are you OK?"
I looked into the love in his eyes—too perfect, too staged. My wolf snarled inside. I shook my head and stayed silent.
Watching this, Dad couldn't hold back. His ears flattened, voice turned stern.
"Briar, your mother and I thought about this all night, and we still can't make sense of why you'd suddenly turn on Torin. I'm starting to wonder myself—is there actually someone else?"
"So last night, we rushed a bloodline verification through. Torin is the pup's biological sire. How could you even ask to break the bond?"
As he spoke, Dad dropped the moonstone report at my feet.
I bent down and picked it up. My claws punctured the edge.
Mom kept trying to reason with me, her scent thick with worry.
"Briar, Torin saw the live broadcast and the WolfNet attacks. He was so worried something would happen to you that he rushed straight over. Even Corbin and Helena couldn't stop him."
"He's always thinking of you. You can't keep hurting him like this. Be reasonable. Hurry up and apologize, admit you were wrong, and put this behind us."
But Mom and Dad's heartfelt pleas didn't move me at all. My wolf was stone cold.
Right there in front of the whole crowd—with cameras rolling, scents flying—I tore the bloodline verification to shreds.
I didn't say a word. Just let the silence do the talking.
