A dreadful premonition drove me to the Moonrise Chamber, the sacred suite Kael had prepared for me.

I never should have gone.

Kael had told me he would be patrolling the eastern territories, but I found him there instead.

He was with Lyra.

They were tangled together in the bed that belonged to Kael and me. The bell on Lyra’s ankle chimed, each ring piercing my soul.

Lyra. I recognized her instantly. Twenty years ago, we had found this starving, freezing wolf on the edge of our territory, and I had begged Kael to spare her life.

In her desperate eyes, I had seen the humanity I once lost.

I took her in, gave her food and clothes, and called her my sister. In the castle, whatever was mine was hers.

Kael used to joke with an indulgent smile that I spoiled her too much.

Now, my "sister" was curled up in my husband's arms.

Lyra was wearing a pure white gown—the ceremonial dress for the Luna's Ascension.

The exquisite silver wolves and crescent moons embroidered on the fabric were burned into my memory.

I had spent months stitching that gown, pouring all my love and hope into every needle and thread.

It was my wedding dress. My human wedding dress. I had dreamed of the day I would wear it, dreamed of the look on Kael's face when he saw me.

Lyra had once said, "Luna Elara will be the most beautiful bride in all the realms."

Her words now echoed in my mind, a cruel, twisted mockery.

I stood frozen in the doorway, my hands clenched into fists so tight that my nails drew blood. I couldn't feel the pain. I tried to step back, to flee this nightmare.

A deliberately raised voice shattered the silence.

"They say the Alpha loves his Luna more than his own life," Lyra whispered softly, tracing idle circles on Kael's chest. "So why do you still come to me?"

I stopped, feeling as if my breath had been snatched from my lungs.

After a long, agonizing moment, I finally heard Kael's voice. It was low, husky, and ruthlessly cold.

"She is... kind and pure. But in the bedroom, beneath the burning moonlight... she is cold. She lacks your fire. She doesn't have even a tenth of your passion."

Those words flooded my veins like ice water, freezing me from the inside out.

Lyra's sweet laughter rang through the room like shattering glass.

She tilted her head, her gaze shifting over Kael's shoulder to meet mine dead-on. Her eyes were sharp and triumphant, gleaming with a predatory thrill.

"Then," she murmured, "give her the ceremony. Give her the vows, the flowers, and the adoration of the pack. But the night of the Ascension... the night of blood and the mating bond... save that for me. Will you?"

The world seemed to stand still. My heart stopped beating.

The next second, Kael dipped his head and kissed Lyra fiercely.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but I couldn't block out the sounds.

The wet, hungry kisses. Lyra's soft moans. The rustle of expensive fabric being shoved aside.

I figured this was what being flayed alive felt like. This was what it felt like to watch your own heart being ripped from your chest.

The soul pact had been forged.

In seven days, Elara would cease to exist.

I wandered back to the castle in a daze. A freezing rain began to pour. Kael hadn't returned. He never came back that night.

I stood by the window, watching the raindrops trace paths down the glass, blurring the outside world into a gray watercolor painting. My vision blurred right along with it.

I thought back. When did all of this begin?

I remembered Lyra bending over to pick up a dropped handkerchief, her neckline dipping low.

I saw Kael's gaze trace the line of her collarbone. A flicker of heat flashed in his eyes before he snapped them shut and abruptly turned away.

After that, he was restless for days, snapping at everyone.

"Elara," he finally said, his voice a bit rough. "Perhaps Lyra should have her own room in the East Wing... I know you adore her. But she's young, and she needs her own space."

Was that when the thorns first took root? I wondered, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

A biting gust of wind sliced through the old window frame, piercing right through me. My body began to tremble uncontrollably, and the world seemed to tilt. I felt myself falling, collapsing silently onto the cold stone floor.

When I opened my eyes again, Kael was there.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, holding me.

His face was pale, his features drawn with worry. There was a faint trace of blood on his lips. I realized he had just fed me. He had mixed his blood with a sleeping draught and passed it from his mouth to mine.

The moment he saw my eyes flutter open, he crushed me to his chest.

So tightly. So desperately.

"Elara. My Elara, you're awake." His voice was choked, tears shining in his eyes as he trembled. "When you collapsed... I thought... I was so scared. I thought I lost you."

He was terrified. He looked exactly like a man who loved me more than anything in the world.

But he smelled like her. That sickly-sweet perfume Lyra wore. Catching that scent now made my stomach churn with sickening nausea.

My voice was perfectly flat, so hollow it sounded like an echo of myself. "Where were you last night?"

I saw it. A barely perceptible shift of emotion flickered in his eyes.

For a split second, he seemed to want to look away, but he quickly reassembled his mask of concern.

"There was an urgent matter to handle over in Thornwood. I couldn't make it back, I am so sorry."

I said nothing.

His voice softened, taking on a pleading edge. "My Elara, are you mad at me? I swear, this is the first and last time. For forgive me, please."

My gaze was drawn involuntarily to his neck. Right there. A stark, unmistakably clear bite mark, resting just above his throat, right beneath his jaw.

It was completely unhidden—a brand, a flag of conquest.

I could picture the scene with vivid clarity: Lyra boldly declaring her desire, sinking her teeth into him. And Kael throwing his head back, letting her claim him, a low, indulgent growl rumbling in his chest.

I fought to keep my voice steady. "What is that?"

He caught his reflection in the window glass and froze.

Only for a second. Then he let out a helpless little chuckle, brushing it off. "A training accident. One of the pups got too overexcited."

I met his eyes. "A wolf got near your throat and took a bite?"

He paused, a flash of irritation crossing his face before he masked it again. "It was my fault. I was distracted. I was worried about you. It's nothing. Let me make you a cup of that honey tea you love."

Back when I was human, I had a massive sweet tooth. And Kael, the formidable Alpha wolf, had always loved making sweets for me.

Even amidst the harsh reality of the pack, he kept that tradition alive. The other wolves always envied my Alpha's tenderness.

Now, that precious memory was just another lie, another shattered fragment of the illusion I had been living in.

I heard my own voice say, "Alright."

It wasn't Kael who brought the tea, but a handmaiden. She kept her head bowed, her demeanor respectful. "Luna, Alpha Kael was called away. There's an issue at the Crimson Creek border. He asked me to tell you to rest well and drink this tea. It will help you sleep."

I didn't care if there was actual trouble or not. I accepted the warm cup mechanically, my movements stiff.

As I drank, I failed to notice the triumphant smirk ghosting across the maid's lips.

An unnatural exhaustion swallowed me instantly. It wasn't a gentle slumber, but a suffocating darkness.

Just before I completely lost consciousness, the maid's face shimmered, morphing back into Lyra's breathtaking features.

"Hello, sister," her voice hissed in my mind, as sharp as a viper's fangs. "Long time no see."

A wave of terror washed over me, and then the darkness claimed me entirely.

I woke up paralyzed, feeling as though a crushing weight had pinned me down.

I couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even fully open my eyes. My consciousness was trapped, a prisoner inside my own flesh and blood.

But I could see. Through the narrow slits of my lashes, my gaze fell upon the room beyond the sheer bed curtains. The master bedroom was brightly lit by the fire.

There were two figures out there.

Kael had Lyra by the throat, his face twisted in cold, murderous rage.

"How dare you!" he snarled, his voice guttural and menacing. "How dare you use sleeping powder on her? If she comes to any harm, I will make you suffer for a thousand years!"

Lyra choked, her face turning crimson as her legs kicked wildly.

He held her there, letting her suffer for a long moment before violently tossing her aside.

She collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I only did it because I missed you!" she sobbed, playing the role of the pathetic, innocent victim. "The dust won't hurt her! It just makes her sleep! So she can't see, can't hear..."

Kael remained silent.

Seeing this, Lyra seized the opportunity to crawl toward him, sliding her hands up his legs as she stood. She pressed her body flush against his.

"You can kill me, Alpha," she whispered, her voice trembling with feigned fear, "but I would rather die than live without your touch."

She was wearing a sheer silk robe. With a flick of her fingers, the sash at her waist came undone. The robe pooled on the floor, leaving her standing naked before him. She looped her arms around his neck, bringing her lips to his ear.

"Kael, don't you want me?" she murmured. "Don't you want to feel alive? If you don't, I'll leave."

For one heart-stopping second, nothing happened.

Then, Kael let out a dark growl, his hands shooting out to yank her back against him.

"You little vixen..." he growled, his voice thick with a raw lust I had never heard before.

That sound hit me like a physical blow. I wanted to scream, to run.

But I was trapped, like a living statue, forced to watch it all unfold.

The clothes I had made for him, the tunics I had carefully stitched while imagining his warmth wearing them, were cast to the floor one by one until they were nothing but a meaningless pile of fabric.

The night was dead silent, save for the sounds of their passionate entanglement.

Every rustle of the sheets, every heavy breath from Kael, every soft, euphoric moan from Lyra twisted like a knife in my gut.

I felt like I was being skinned alive, piece by piece.

And then, there was a sound. A faint chime. It was the bell on Lyra's ankle.

Her voice snaked into my mind, dripping with venomous whispers. "The show is just beginning, sister. Did you think that was just a sleeping draught? It was a key. It unlocked the door to your soul, letting my little toy inside."

"This bell... it's called the Bell of Shattering. It will tear you apart, piece by piece. Watching you die will be my greatest joy. Just you wait."

She turned her head, flashing me a triumphant smirk.

Then she turned back, wrapping her legs around Kael like a snake.

His movements grew faster, more frantic, as if driven by some primal urge.

Lyra's moans grew louder. And with every moan, the chiming of the bell became sharper, more urgent.

An invisible force, like a thousand searing hot needles, pierced the very depths of my soul. Pure, excruciating agony tore through my body.

"Alpha," Lyra gasped, nipping at his shoulder. "This bell... it only rings when I'm... pleased. Do you like the sound?"

Kael, lost in a haze of frenzy, groaned in response, his hands gripping her ankles tightly, making the bell chime even faster.

"Louder," he rasped. "Make it ring faster."

An explosive wave of agony hit me.

The red glow emanating from the chimes became almost tangible, manifesting as ghostly vipers that burrowed into my ears, my eyes, my chest.

In that moment, I could almost see it in my mind's eye.

My soul. My fractured, incomplete soul.

I saw the fissures widening, spreading like cracks across a frozen lake.

The pain was so intense I felt it would snuff out my life right then and there.

But then, a soft blue light pulsed from the center of my chest. It wasn't warm or comforting; it was as cold and clinical as a binding contract.

The Arbiter's voice echoed through the void of my consciousness.

"The Soul Contract is binding. In the face of lethal spiritual damage, the contract's power will intervene to protect its property."

The spectral vipers hissed, recoiling under the blue light before dissolving into wisps of smoke.

The pain gradually receded, and with it, my consciousness faded. The world plunged into absolute darkness.