Kacie POV:

I sat in the cold water of the shower, letting it run over the bruise on my hip. It wasn't healing. Normally, a werewolf would heal from a bruise in minutes. Mine was turning a dark, ugly purple.

I heard the front door slam. They were back.

I turned off the water, wrapped myself in a towel, and walked into the bedroom.

Cedric was there. But he wasn't alone. Jayden was standing in the middle of our bedroom, looking around with a critical eye.

"What is she doing here?" I asked, clutching the towel tighter.

"The doctor said Jayden needs constant monitoring tonight," Cedric said, not meeting my eyes. "The shock could trigger her heart condition."

"So she stays in the guest room," I said.

"The guest room is dusty. It aggravates her allergies," Jayden said, smirking.

"She will stay here," Cedric stated. "In the master bedroom."

"And where do I sleep?" I asked, my voice deadly quiet.

"There's a perfectly good sofa in the study," Cedric said.

Something inside me snapped. It wasn't a loud snap. It was the quiet sound of a tether finally breaking.

"No," I said.

Cedric looked at me, surprised. "What did you say?"

"I said no. This is my territory. This is my room. If you want to play nursemaid to your mistress, you do it somewhere else. Or better yet," I walked to the closet and pulled out a suitcase. "I'll leave."

"You aren't going anywhere," Cedric growled, stepping forward. "You are my Luna. You stay where I put you."

"I am not your Luna!" I screamed, throwing the suitcase onto the bed. "I am a prisoner! I am a punching bag! I am a broodmare!"

I pointed a shaking finger at Jayden. "And she? She reeks of Wolfsbane and deception. Can't you smell it, Cedric? Under that cheap perfume? She smells like a liar!"

Jayden's eyes went wide. She let out a gasp, clutching her chest. "Cedric... I can't breathe... she's scaring me..."

"Stop it, Kacie!" Cedric shouted.

"I want a divorce," I said. The words hung in the air, heavy and final. "I reject you, Cedric Moon."

The room went silent.

Rejection was painful. Even saying the words caused a sharp pain in my chest, like a hook tearing at my heart. Cedric flinched, his hand going to his chest.

"You don't mean that," he whispered.

"I do. I reject you as my Mate."

Jayden saw Cedric wavering. She knew she had to act. She let out a shriek and bolted for the balcony door.

"I can't take this! I'm causing too much trouble!" she cried, throwing the doors open and leaping off the second-story balcony into the night.

"Jayden!" Cedric yelled.

He looked at me, his eyes full of hate. "If anything happens to her in those woods... if the Rogues get her... I will never forgive you."

His body contorted. Bones cracked and reshaped. Fur sprouted from his skin. In seconds, a massive, midnight-black wolf stood where my husband had been. Shadow, his wolf, snarled at me, baring inch-long fangs.

Then, he leaped off the balcony, chasing after her.

I walked to the open doors. The night air was freezing. I watched the two shapes disappear into the dark forest line.

I looked up at the sky. The moon was a sliver of silver, indifferent to my pain.

I looked down at my chest. The rune was glowing brighter now, the heat uncomfortable.

22 Days.

"You can have him," I whispered to the empty night. "I don't have enough time left to fight for someone who doesn't want me."

Kacie POV:

The next morning, the house was silent. But it wasn't empty.

I walked into the kitchen to find my favorite mug-a yellow ceramic one with a painted sun-in the trash can, broken.

Jayden was at the stove, wearing Cedric's oversized dress shirt. It hung off her shoulders, exposing the fake bandage on her arm. She was humming.

The scent of the house had changed. My lavender detergent, my vanilla candles-they were gone. Replaced by that cloying peach scent. She had sprayed it on the curtains, the rugs, everywhere. She was scent-marking my territory.

A wave of nausea hit me, sharp and sudden. I grabbed the counter, swallowing back bile. It wasn't just Jayden's perfume. It was my body revolting against something. Or changing.

"Good morning, Kacie," she said cheerfully, flipping a pancake. "Cedric is in the shower. He was so exhausted after last night. The chase... really worked up his appetite."

She emphasized the word appetite with a suggestive lick of her lips.

I pressed a hand to my stomach. It felt... different. Tighter. But I ignored it, blaming the stress and the Wither.

"Where are my things?" I asked.

"Oh, Cedric had the maids move them to the guest wing," she said. "He agreed that I need the master suite's energy to heal. The Feng Shui is better."

She walked over to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You should just give up. He doesn't want you. He never did. You're just a placeholder until I'm ready to take the Luna title."

"He can't make you Luna," I said, my voice steady despite the shaking of my hands. "Not while I'm alive."

Jayden smiled, a cold, reptilian smile. "Exactly."

Cedric walked in then, hair wet, a towel around his waist. He walked right past me, went to Jayden, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Breakfast looks good," he said.

"Cedric," I said. "We need to talk about the divorce papers."

He slammed his hand on the counter. "Stop with the drama, Kacie. There will be no divorce. Tonight is the Alpha Summit Gala. You will attend. You will stand by my side. And you will smile."

"I can't pretend anymore," I said.

"You will," he said, his voice dropping into that dangerous Alpha tone. "Or I will cut funding to that orphanage you care so much about."

My blood ran cold. The orphanage where I grew up. The only family I had.

"You wouldn't," I whispered.

"Try me."

That evening, I stood in front of the mirror in the guest room. I wore a dress of deep midnight blue velvet. It was the traditional color of the Moon Pack Luna.

I picked up a framed photo from the dresser. It was a candid shot of Cedric and me from the day we signed the marriage certificate. He wasn't smiling, but I was looking at him with so much hope.

I took the photo out of the frame. I walked to the fireplace in the corner of the room.

I struck a match.

I watched the flame curl the edges of the paper. I watched my own smiling face turn to ash, then Cedric's.

"Kacie Moon is dead," I whispered to the flames. "There is only the White Wolf now."

I didn't feel sadness anymore. I felt a cold, hard resolve.

I finished getting dressed. I didn't put on the Moon family crest brooch. Instead, I put on a simple silver locket my mother had left me.

I walked downstairs. Cedric was waiting in his tuxedo. Jayden was there too, wearing a flashy red dress that clashed with the pack colors.

"That dress," Jayden whined, pointing at my blue velvet. "Cedric, I wanted to wear blue. It brings out my eyes."

Cedric sighed. "Kacie, change. Let Jayden wear the blue."

"This is the Luna's ceremonial dress," I said calmly. "Only the Luna can wear it. Unless you plan to announce my deposition tonight?"

Cedric hesitated. He knew the pack laws.

"Fine," he muttered. "Let's go."

As we walked to the car, I trailed behind them. I watched Cedric open the door for Jayden, helping her in with gentle hands. He let the door close, leaving me to open my own.

I looked at the moon hanging low in the sky.

18 Days.

I touched the locket at my throat. Inside was a small, folded piece of paper with a list of things I wanted to do before I died.

1. Find my Mate. (Crossed out)

2. Be kissed in the rain.

3. Ride the Ferris Wheel at midnight.

"Soon," I promised myself. "Just a little longer."

Kacie POV:

The Alpha Summit Gala was a sea of silk, diamonds, and power. The air was thick with the commingled scents of a dozen different packs-pine, musk, rain, and earth. It was a display of dominance, and I felt like a prey animal walking into a lion's den.

I stood near the entrance of the ballroom, smoothing the velvet of my midnight-blue gown. It was heavy, regal, and the only armor I had left. It signaled to everyone that despite the rumors, I was still the Luna of the Blood Moon Pack.

"Oh no!" A shrill cry pierced the low hum of conversation.

I turned to see Jayden standing by the cloakroom. She was clutching the hem of her red dress. A long, jagged tear ran up the side, exposing her thigh.

"My dress!" she wailed, tears instantly welling in her eyes. "I caught it on the doorframe! I can't go in like this, Cedric. Everyone will laugh at the Moon Pack."

Cedric was at her side in an instant, his brow furrowed. "It's ruined. We don't have time to go back to the estate."

Jayden looked up at me, her eyes gleaming with a predatory light. "Kacie... your dress. It's beautiful. And it's blue. You know blue is the color that calms my heart condition."

I took a step back. "No."

"Kacie," Cedric said, his voice warning.

"This is the Luna's ceremonial gown, Cedric," I said, my voice trembling but firm. "It has the pack crest embroidered on the lining. She cannot wear it. It is against the law."

"I am the Alpha!" Cedric snapped, the power in his voice making the nearby attendants flinch. "I am the law. Jayden represents the Moon family's honor. She cannot be seen in rags. You, however, are just..."

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to. Just a placeholder.

"Take it off," he ordered.

"Cedric, please," I whispered. "Don't strip me of my dignity here."

"Give her the dress."

The Alpha Command slammed into me like a physical blow to the stomach. My hands moved on their own, reaching for the zipper at my back. Tears burned my eyes as I was forced to undress in the semi-private cloakroom, handing the warm, heavy velvet to the woman who was stealing my life.

Minutes later, Jayden stood before the mirror, twirling in my gown. It fit her loosely, but she looked triumphant. I was left shivering in a spare, plain grey dress the attendant had found in the lost-and-found. It was tight in the wrong places and smelled of stale lavender.

"You look beautiful, Jay," Cedric said, his voice soft.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. My heart gave a painful thud. I recognized that box. It was the anniversary gift I had seen the receipt for on his desk weeks ago.

He opened it to reveal a necklace. A large, teardrop-shaped Bloodstone set in silver.

Bloodstones were rare. In our world, they weren't just jewelry. They were protective talismans, capable of deflecting minor hexes and physical blows. They were given by Alphas to their Mates to protect them when the Alpha couldn't be there.

"For me?" Jayden gasped.

"It has protective properties," Cedric said, fastening it around her neck. "With your weak health, you need it more than anyone."

He didn't even look at me. He didn't remember that he had bought it for me, for the wife he constantly put in danger.

Jayden fingered the red stone, smirking at me over Cedric's shoulder. "It matches the red in my eyes, don't you think, Kacie?"

I looked away, clutching the cheap fabric of my grey dress. My wolf, Serenity, didn't even growl. she was too weak, curled up in the dark recess of my mind, fading away.

"Let's go," Cedric said, offering his arm to Jayden.

They walked into the ballroom, the golden couple. I followed three steps behind, invisible, unwanted, and unprotected.

17 Days.