My boyfriend, Tom, promised a grand mating ceremony for my twentieth birthday.

But at my banquet, he publicly requested a mate link with my stepsister, Lily.

While the whole pack roared and cheered, I just stood there like a fool.

The betrayal hit hard.

Before I could even breathe, Sam—the Obsidian Pack's Alpha heir—said he'd secretly loved me all along and asked to claim me.

I said yes.

For five years, he spoiled me. Memorized my favorite runs, my wolf's quirks.

Then I overheard him with his Beta:

"Sam, Lily's Luna of White Rose Pack now, just like she wanted. You still gonna fake it with Any?"

"I can't have Lily. Doesn't even matter who my mate is anymore. As long as I'm with Any, Lily's safe and happy."

Later that night, I found his safe in the study.

Inside?

Every single thing she ever gave him.

Handmade wolf fang pendants.

Letters sealed with her paw print.

His prized silver-scaled chest armor, every single scale etched with her name:

[Lily, my dearest love. I'd shred through every thorn for your smile.]

[Lily, rip out my wolf heart if you needed it. ]

[Lily! Hell, I'd steal the whole damn world if you asked.]

Five years.

Five years of lies, shattered in seconds.

I filed my request to leave the pack.

In two days, I'd be out of Sam's life for good.

After finalizing the last details of my departure, I hung up.

My request to leave the pack would kick in two days later. By then, I'd be long gone, starting over where no one knew my name.

Sam's scent — fresh like cut grass — floated through the door.

I looked up and met his soft gaze.

"Who were you talking to?"

"A friend. Just random stuff," I said, forcing a smile.

He kissed my forehead, voice sweet like always. "Caught a moose in Dark Forest this morning. Saved the best part — the heart — for you. Wanna try it?"

For five years, Sam had treated me like I was everything.

Everyone said the Obsidian Pack's Alpha heir was the most devoted wolf around.

They didn't know the truth.

Sam only gave me a grand mating ceremony.

He never marked me.

I never cared. Until now.

Now it was obvious — he saved the mark for Lily.

I thought I lived in love.

Turned out, it was just a fake dream Sam built to shield her.

Sam brushed his hand down my back.

"White Rose Pack's throwing a banquet tomorrow for Lily. She's pregnant with a pup and got picked as a Chief Healer candidate. You don't have to go. I'll take your gift."

I opened my mouth. "The Chief Healer election—"

Sam cut me off, voice soft but solid.

"The election will wear you out. Don't join. You said you wanted a pup, right? Better to stay home and get your body ready."

I shut my mouth, choking down the bitterness crawling up my throat.

We'd been together for years, and I'd never carried his pup.

I used to think it was fate.

Now I knew better — Sam never wanted it.

He didn't want me running in that election because he didn't want me in Lily's way. Again.

He pulled me into his arms, clueless that my heart had already hit rock bottom.

"Day after tomorrow's our five-year anniversary," he said. "Got a gift for you. But here's an early one."

He handed me a bouquet of lilies.

"Your favorite lilies. Happy early birthday!"

I stared at the flowers.

The sweet smell I used to love now felt like a noose tightening around my throat.

Every celebration, he'd given me lilies.

Only now did it hit me — lilies weren't for me.

They were Lily's favorite.

His blessings were never mine.

"Will you be with me on my birthday?" I asked, careful.

He nodded.

"Of course. My Any's the most important."

I looked up and smiled, meeting his adoring eyes.

His act was flawless. Five years, and he never once slipped.

All for Lily.

That night, I couldn't sleep.

When I rolled over, I accidentally knocked his wolf fang bracelet off the nightstand.

I picked it up, something catching my eye.

I held it closer.

Each bead was carved with Lily's name.

In that moment, whatever was left of my hope for Sam disappeared.

The next morning, I told Sam, "Let's hit White Rose Pack together."

His face tightened, but he smoothed it out fast. "Fine. We drop the gift and bounce."

Yeah, he was freaking out I'd mess up Lily's big moment.

I didn't care about her. I just needed to see my family one last time. After tomorrow, I was gone for good.

At White Rose Pack, the place buzzed. Lily, draped in a ceremonial gown, soaked up the praise—pregnant with pup, flaunting it, and somehow up for Chief Healer.

The pack elders beamed at her like she hung the freaking moon.

"Lily made the wolfsbane antidote. No question—she's the next Chief Healer."

"Amazing! Usually takes the council labs forever to crack stuff like that."

"They even slapped a certificate on her. Total prodigy!"

I froze at the banquet hall entrance, feet glued to the floor.

Not that long ago, I'd been busting my ass with my mentor, Master Healer David, building an antidote for wolfsbane.

No way this was some random fluke.

My gaze locked on the certificate dead center in the hall.

The formula, the research notes—every line of it stabbed like a knife.

It was mine. Two years of blood, sweat, and sleepless nights.

And somehow, it had her name on it.

Lily spotted me. Her smile cracked for a second, then morphed into something sugar-sweet and fake. She drifted over, voice dripping with smugness.

"Any, cute of you to show up. Like the formula? Too bad for you. It's mine now."

I shot her a glare, ready to fire back—

But Lily gasped, staggering like I'd punched her, clutching her belly like it might shatter.

The whole hall exploded into chaos.

"What happened?!"

"She's carrying a pup! How could you push her?!"

Through the noise, one voice cut through—tight, desperate.

"Lily!"

I knew that voice. I could pick it out anywhere.

Sam.

The heartbreak dripping from it crushed the last tiny shred of hope I was stupid enough to hold onto.

He caught me looking and wiped the panic off his face, fast.

Then he leveled a calm, almost cold stare at me—just a flicker of blame tucked in.

"No matter what happened, Lily's carrying a pup. You shouldn't have pushed her."

I stared back at the wolf I'd lived with for five freaking years.

His worry was raw. Real. Nothing like the fake affection he used to toss at me like scraps.

Then someone shouted new news over the madness—Lily had crushed four other competitors and officially snagged the Chief Healer title, all thanks to that stolen formula.

Sam's face lit up.

Pure, unfiltered joy—something I'd never once seen aimed at me.

I asked him, voice barely a whisper, "Why's Lily's formula the same as mine?"

Sam stiffened, but covered it quick, playing dumb.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence. Her research was kinda like yours..."

I didn't bother answering. Just sneered.

Only three people knew about my wolfsbane antidote research—me, my mentor, and Sam.

And the formula? Locked up in our study at home.

Didn't take a genius to figure out how it got leaked—or who handed it over.

I originally built that formula for Sam, after he OD'd on wolfsbane by mistake and went full berserker.

It neutralized the toxin, sure—but the dosage always needed tweaking depending on how bad the hit was.

Didn't matter anymore.

I wasn't doing it for him ever again.

I smiled, calm on the outside, bleeding on the inside.

Sam must've felt something shift. He hesitated, then said real soft, like he could fix it,

"Why don't we head out now? Find somewhere to chill?"

I looked up, slapped on a bitter smile.

"Let's go yachting. Night cruise. Catch the sunrise."

On the drive, he kept talking like nothing was wrong.

"I've got your birthday surprise all set. After this mess settles, let's start trying for a pup, yeah?"

I didn't say a word. Just stared out the window, watching the city lights smear past like a bad memory.

We pulled up to the beach just as Sam's phone lit up.

He answered, voice all soft and glowing with quiet happiness.

But a few seconds later, his brows pinched, and his tone slipped into something unsure.

I barely glanced at him. My heart had been numb for a while now.

"If you need to go, just go," I said.

He wavered. "Any, I—"

"Go," I cut in, voice steady. "I'll wait on the yacht."

Didn't even have to check his phone screen.

Only Lily could make him look like that.

Alone on the yacht, I pulled out my phone and scrolled to Lily's page.

A brand-new photo popped up, bright and smug.

The caption screamed at me:

[Look, the one who loves me will always come to me first, no matter what. Tonight's late-night snack—grilled venison he cooked just for me!]

The comments were already blowing up.

[Your Alpha mate spoils you like crazy! Midnight snacks? Goals!]

[You guys are literally the perfect couple in our pack.]

But my eyes locked onto one thing—the man's wrist in the shot.

The bracelet.

The one Sam never took off. The one hiding everything he never said out loud.

I hit call.

Lily answered instead.

"What is it, Any? Looking for Sam?"

She didn't wait for an answer, just kept going, pure venom.

"Don't bother. Sam's not coming back. You're nothing but a sad little stray. Even if I tossed him into your bed, you still couldn't make him stay.

"You couldn't hold onto your boyfriend before. Now you can't even keep your mate."

I didn't say a word.

After hanging up, I found the crew and asked for the yacht keys.

"You want me to drive?" the guy offered.

"No need," I said quietly. "I'll go alone."

I steered the yacht straight into the open sea.

The cold wind ripped across my face, but it was nothing compared to the freeze in my chest.

I sat on the deck, alone, watching the moon slowly sink behind the black waves.

He never showed.

Five years of memories slammed into me like breakers.

His fake tenderness. His fake promises. His fake forever.

Every sweet word, every soft look—just lies, dressed up pretty.

Right before dawn, I called him one last time.

Straight to voicemail.

I stared at the screen, breathing slow, then set two files to post:

A goodbye in my own voice.

And a full video—every second of my wolfsbane antidote research, every time-stamped log, proof it was mine.

By the time I hit post, the sun was breaking over the horizon.

I wiped everything—contacts, photos, messages.

Every lie. Every fake memory.

Gone.

***

Meanwhile, Sam yanked himself away from Lily.

"I have to go. It's Any's birthday. I promised her we'd watch the sunrise."

Lily grabbed his arm, desperate.

"Sam, I need you too..."

He shook her off. "I'll come back after."

Just as he turned to leave, his Beta's voice slammed into his head through the mind-link, pure panic.

"Sam! It's Any—something happened! She took the yacht out, and there's a tsunami!"