Lucian Heights Hospital glittered against the morning skyline, but Sloane Veyra didn't wake to its sterile white walls.

For the first time in six years, she woke to silence, no Alpha orders, no son tugging her sleeve, no family obligations binding her down. Just the soft hum of birds far from the Blackthorn estate.

She had always been afraid of being a lone wolf, but today she felt free. She could smell freedom in the corner.

"Just a day and you will be free again," she smiled to herself.

On the dining table, a neat breakfast waited, croissants, fresh juice, and a note from Rhea, her oldest friend.

"Babe, everything passes. Sunny days ahead."

Beside the plate, Rhea had drawn a ketchup smiley face like they used to do in high school. Sloane's chest warmed despite herself. She hadn't felt this light in years.

At the Blackthorn estate, chaos reigned.

Alpha Damon sat at the head of the long glass table, frowning down at the breakfast spread. He was throwing daggers at the spread. The housekeeper had prepared it, not Sloane, and though the food was flawless, it tasted like ash on his tongue.

A loud commotion came toward him, making his head hurt more.

Caleb stumbled out, rubbing his eyes. One glance at the time, and he panicked.

"Dad! I'm late for school! Why didn't Mom wake me up?"

Silence greeted him, damon greeted his teeths, unable to answer his questions.

Caleb stomped toward the kitchen, only to bump into Mrs. Ellie, the housekeeper.

"Careful, Little wolf!" she scolded gently.

Caleb blinked, annoyed. "Where's Mom?"

"She. probably left early for work," Ellie replied, unsure of what to answer. She had never faced this kind of situation before.

His face brightened instantly. "Great! If she's not here, I don't have to go to school and won't have to do any homework! Mrs. Ellie, make me a feast for lunch."

Mrs. Ellie hesitated. "But Mrs. Sloane always said."

"I don't care what she said! She is not here, that means you do what I say." Caleb cut her off, puffing out his chest like a spoiled young Alpha.

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose, patience fraying.

Ellie shook her head in annoyance, wondering what kind of Alpha he would become once he grew up.

Then Ellie remembered something. She hurried over with a file she'd found on the marble counter.

"Alpha, this was left on the table earlier. I thought it was one of your contracts."

Damon frowned, taking the folder. He didn't usually leave business outside his office.

But the moment he flipped it open, his face darkened.

Mate Rejection Agreement.

The bold crimson letters stared back at him.

Sloane had dissolved their bond.

Across the city, Sloane sipped her coffee in peace, the taste brighter than any feast she'd cooked in the Blackthorn penthouse.

Her phone buzzed.

"Mrs. Blackthorne, we didn't see you drop Caleb off today. Is everything alright?" It was his kindergarten teacher.

Sloane's lips curved in a cool, almost amused smile. "I'm not Mrs. Blackthorne anymore. Please contact Alpha Damon Blackthorne for anything about Caleb."

"But you're still his mother." The teacher's voice felt annoyed.

"He'll have a new one soon." Sloane sing-songed.

Her voice was mild, detached. She could feel that the teacher was stunned, but it didn't concern her.

No bitterness. No regret. Only freedom.

Meanwhile, in the Blackthorn penthouse, Damon's grip tightened around the papers, veins bulging against his skin. The air around him thickened, power surging unconsciously, enough to make Mrs. Ellie bow her head, trembling under the weight of his Alpha aura.

Three days ago, Sloane had been his shadow-wife. A Luna in name only, but his nonetheless. His mate.

And now?

She'd walked away like their bond meant nothing.

**

The feeling of freedom was something Sloane was missing a lot. But today she felt that her future was no longer bleak but full of radiant moonlight. She could feel happiness waiting for her at the end.

"By the grace of the moon goddess," she smiled as she once again looked at the entrance of the hospital where she works.

This was her bread and butter, but this place makes her wolf, Ava happy. She was meant to be a healer from the very beginning. The moon goddess has blessed her with the boon of healing. But it came with conditions. She will have to learn and practice to hone her skills.

Even in her darkest time, she never let her forget the blessing, and now that she was a lone wolf. Her blessing would be her sole priority.

When she entered her cabin, she felt something was off.

She could feel the overwhelming Alpha aura, and Ava knew what was waiting behind the doors.

Sloane kept her head high, entered the cabin, and softly closed the door behind her.

Her heart was thundering in her chest, Ava was growling in anger.

Keeping her emotions under wraps, she met Damon's thundering gaze. She could feel his wolf was in control, but as soon as he came, Damon was back.

"May I know Mr. Blackthorn, what are you doing here in my cabin?" She asked.

"You may not." he growled.

"Very well then. I guess you are here for Miss Lyra's reports. A nurse can help you with that. If there is nothing else you can leave."

Damon was sitting on her chair, commanding the room with his Alpha aura. His aura was overwhelming, trying to make Sloane's knees buckle.

But she was not going to let that happen. Ava willed to stay in place, never backing down.

"What was that thing that you left for me?" He narrowed his eyes.

"You are well aware what that was," she answered unapologetically.

"Let me guess." Damon Blackthorn leaned back in a leather chair, lips twisting into a humorless smile.

"You're still jealous. Over a little incident? Over Lyra? An Omega?"

Not just any Omega.

Sloane stood across from him, spine straight, expression unreadable. "I'm not jealous, Damon. I'm done."

His golden eyes sharpened, Alpha aura rolling off him like a storm. "You think you can sever the bond and walk away? You're Luna Blackthorn. My mate. Without me, you're nothing."

Sloane's lips curved in a faint, icy smile. "Even the strongest leash can't hold a wolf that chooses to run. And frankly? I'd rather cut the chain myself than wait for it to choke me."

"You!" He surged to his feet, jaw clenched, standing up and taking steps toward her, hand gripping her chin with punishing force. "Sloane, you've grown a spine, haven't you?"

Sloane's eyes glittered with golden blaze, her wolf in charge, something colder than fear. "Are we done here, Alpha Blackthorn? Or would you like to keep proving how little our bond means?"

"You will be nothing without me. I will cut you off and will make sure that you stay a lone wolf. And you know what happens to lone wolves, they become rogues. I am giving you a chance, so stop throwing tantrums. Come back home and I will consider forgiving you."

Ava growled, Solene's eyes glowed golden, "What forgiveness. I will happily become a rogue if that means I get a break from you and your toxic relationship. Keep your paws out of my life. You might be an Alpha, but remember, I am not an Omega who will whimper. Your Alpha bark does nothing to me."

Damon's nostrils flared. A beat passed. Then, with a frustrated growl, he shoved her back.

"Fine. This afternoon. At the Council of Bonds. We'll see if you're brave enough to go through with it."

Sloane smoothed her blouse, utterly composed. "I'll be there."

That afternoon, the gleaming lobby of the Council headquarters was a stage for humiliation.

Damon arrived in his obsidian Bentley, Lyra on his arm, her beauty camera-ready even with a cast around her hand. Caleb followed close behind, small hand clinging to Lyra's skirt.

"If there's going to be a bond severance," Damon said smoothly, "my son deserves to know why his mother is destroying our family."

Reporters caught them, circling them like bloodhounds bombarding them with questions. They were already there, Solane was sure that Lyra tipped them. She wanted this to be a nationwide spectacle.

"The more the merrier." she smiled.

The reporters kept on questioning them.

"Is it true that you married your wife only because of your son?"

"What is the reason behind this tragic incident?"

"Is Miss Lyra the homewrecker?"

"Is she the reason Luna is leaving the family behind?"

Damon gritted his teeth, and Lyra became a little rigid. They were escorted inside the council chambers.

Sloane, already waiting by the marble steps, lifted her chin. The flashing cameras never caught her, she was there like a shadow, her calm smile cutting sharper than any dagger.

She joined them.

Caleb's voice rang out, trembling. "I don't want Mom. I want Aunt Lyra to be my real mother!"

The words should have gutted her. Instead, they set her free.

"Relax," Sloane said evenly. "I won't fight for custody. I'm giving you both exactly what you wanted. Caleb will get a new mom, the one he really likes, and Damon will get the love of his life."

Lyra's eyes glistened as she played her part, voice syrupy with false pity. "Sloane, please don't do this. Damon never meant to hurt you. He."

Sloane tilted her head, smile sharp as glass. "Are you a mind reader, or a witch well-versed in magical craft? How do you know what he meant, or both of you know each other so intimately that."

Lyra's facade cracked, her lips twitching.

Damon snarled, his Alpha aura whipping through the room, sending weaker wolves trembling to their knees. "Sloane, enough! You want to dissolve the mate bond? Fine. But don't crawl back later."

Sloane's voice cut through the chaos, calm and clear. "Oh please, if I ever regret this, I would swallow the whole silver bar."

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Damon froze, disbelief flickering in his eyes. He thought she'd beg, as she always had. Instead, she walked past him into the Council chamber, heels clicking like war drums.

Behind her, Lyra's whisper hissed like venom. "In the end, Damon still chose me."

Sloane paused, her smile never faltering. "Is that a compliment? Just think, Alpha, who can betray his own mate, will ever remain loyal to a weakling Omega. Count your days, darling."

Lyra's face paled.

And with that, Sloane walked inside to sign away her bond, her freedom blazing brighter with every step.

**

They all were sitting before the council member ready to file the agreement.

"Are you both sure about this?" the officer asked.

"If you want to apologize." Damon started to speak.

"Yes." Sloane answered with a smile.

"You!" he growled. "You will regret this."

Sloane snorted. "Who do you think you are? Alpha like you comes in dozens and costs nothing."

"Be ready for the consequences." He snapped.

"Sloane, please it's." Lyra started crying.

"I wish I was on the jury Lyra. I would have given you a best actress award. What a shame." Sloane chuckled.

"Sloane!" Damon barked.

The room felt silent. His Alpha aura filling the room, making every wolf bow in pressure.

Sloane's eyes snapped.

"We. Are. Done." She growled.

Damon was startled for a moment but he nodded nonetheless.

"Ok then, if you are so adamant about it. So let's break the bond." He said, "But don't come back crawling after." His voice was smug as getting a reaction out of her was his endgame.

"Whoever regrets has to whimper like a rabid dog. And we all know who the dog is." Sloane warned.

Damon gritted his teeth but they signed the papers.

Damon was furious, he did not know where Sloane was getting this confidence. He wanted to make her pay and wanted to make her regret her decision.

Damon looked like he was about to shift right there, rage pulsing under his skin, the Alpha's aura filling the room like a storm.

Sloane was radiating a different aura, one that would make one tremble to the core.

This woman used to bow her head, keep quiet, obey her Alpha's every order. But now? Sloane Veyra, his Luna, stood tall with fire in her eyes. She didn't lower her gaze, didn't flinch under his dominance.

For a moment, he felt like the Luna he thought he knew had been replaced by a stranger.

And that shook him more than claws ever could.

Lyra hurried between them, wringing her hands. Her voice trembled, soft but insistent.

"Sloane, thank the Moon for the thirty-day cooling period. You frightened me just now! Don't worry, I'll find another to care for Alpha Damon. And Caleb, he's just a pup. He didn't mean what he said. Don't hold it against him. Kids don't know how to hide their feelings."

Sloane knew Lyra was a manipulative creature, she tried to act timid, but from inside she was a feral cat.

Damon's snarl faded into a cold, bitter laugh. So that was it. Sloane dared to challenge him because the Council's law gave her thirty days. If she vanished before then, the bond wouldn't sever. The thought that she might slip free sent a ripple of unease through his chest.

But unease turned to irritation, then to fury.

"This woman tried to trick me, a fool." Damon growled internally.

She hadn't learned a damn thing after all these years, still playing her games, still testing his patience.

"Fine!" His voice cracked like thunder, laced with Alpha command. "Bring it on. But you know the deal, there is no coming back from this. And if it is, then it will have to go through my way."

"Who do you think you are?" Sloane's lips curved into a sharp, humorless smile.

"Whoever breaks first, loses. And I don't lose, Damon."

The ancient law chafed her like silver chains, if not for it, she'd already be free of him. But if the Moon wanted her patience tested, then she'd endure it.

She turned on her heel, tossing one last look at the trio.

Caleb immediately darted behind Lyra, his little body trembling. He thought his mother was coming to snatch him away.

But Sloane only smirked, a cold edge in her eyes, and walked off.

Lyra looked nervously at Damon. "Alpha. aren't you going to stop her?"

"She's just in a mood," Damon said with a dismissive wave, though his jaw tightened. "I am not going to give her attention. She does these kinds of things to gain attention, and I have none to spare. Once she realises that there is nothing I will do, then she will come crawling back to me. That would be a scene to behold."

"You're the Alpha," Lyra urged softly. "Sometimes even you must bow a little."

Damon let out a low, mocking chuckle. His claws half-formed, curling against his palms.

"Me? Chase after her? No. I am Alpha Blackthorn. I don't do such things. She will come back, and I can guarantee you that."

But even as he said it, the echo of her defiance burned through him like a challenge in the blood.

**

Back at the hospital, Sloane threw herself into work.

Her research on moon-healing, the way lunar cycles affected shifter recovery, was nearly finished, so she passed it along to her mentor.

Not long after, the head of the department summoned her.

The woman had guided generations of wolves in both medicine and spirit.

She adjusted her spectacles, looking at Sloane with quiet warmth.

"This paper's strong. It ties perfectly to the aid mission the High Council is sending abroad." She sighed. "Too bad your family situation complicates things."

Sloane's eyes lit up. "Doctor, do you mean. there's an opportunity to train overseas?"

She nodded. "Right in your field of study. But you've always turned down the summons, haven't you? Seven, eight times by now. I almost stopped offering, assuming you have better things to do. I am really sorry."

Shame flickered across Sloane's face. She'd always hurried home to cook for Damon and tend to Caleb. She had become a mere shadow of those two.

And truth be told. she had considered it.

But it was her heart that was linked to Blackthorne's.

No more.

"Doctor," she said, voice steady, "I want to accept your proposal this time."

"You're saying, you're actually leaving?" The doctor was stunned.

Sloane took a deep breath. "I've disappointed you before. But give me this chance, and I'll prove myself worthy. I won't let you down."

She frowned. "And what of your Alpha? Your pup?"

She didn't know much of the Alpha beyond whispers of his coldness. To her, it seemed like Sloane was forever weighed down by a husband and child too heavy for her spirit.

"I can help you with them." she whispered.

Sloane blinked.

She sighed. "No need to hide it, child. If your Alpha or your son suffer some. mental issues, there's no shame in seeking help."

Sloane thought back to the Hall that morning, the severed bond papers, the look on Damon's face. A bitter smile touched her lips.

"They're. yes, you could say their minds aren't well."

The doctor's eyes softened with even deeper sympathy.

"But I severed the bond today."

She froze. "You. what?"

For a heartbeat, she seemed conflicted, then nodded firmly. Life was forward motion, not chains.

"Then don't worry about anything else. Pack your satchel. At dawn, you leave for Shadowcrane territory."

Relief and fire lit Sloane's chest. "Thank you so much. I'll never be able to repay you for this."

The doctor blinked again. Was it just her imagination, or did Sloane's aura gleam brighter now, like a Luna bathed in moonlight, finally remembering her own power?

**

Sloane boarded the plane the next morning, feeling a little lighter than usual. There was nothing holding her back. This was her new beginning.

No Damon, no Lyra, and no Caleb.

Her favorite smell was of freedom, and she was never going to get bored of it.

As soon as she settled into her seat, she pulled out her notes of case studies on lunar healing patterns, already preparing for the work ahead.

But an hour into the flight, the speakers crackled with urgency:

"Emergency in the Alpha's cabin. If there are any Healers or Doctors onboard, please assist immediately."

The cabin erupted in a ripple of panic. Human passengers thought something had gone wrong with the vessel itself, but Sloane knew better, the scent of fear rolled thick through the air, sharp as iron.

A flight attendant rushed down the aisle. Sloane rose at once, her Luna's aura steady. "I'm a healer from the Blackthorn territory. I'll help."

Relief washed over the attendant's face as she led Sloane toward the front.

But the moment they entered the business-class section, Ava bristled. The air was suffocating with dominance.

Bodyguards in black stood like statues along the walls, their silver eyes glinting. Their stares were blades, warning her that one wrong step could mean blood.

Sloane kept her head lowered, respecting their rank, and followed the attendant deeper inside.

At the center, a boy no older than eight clutched his throat, gasping, his cheeks flushed crimson. His small claws scratched at his skin in panic, his shift threatening to break loose under the stress.

This was unusual. Shifting happens once the wolf turns eighteen.

Sloane's heart clenched. He was not ready for the pain of shifting. Without hesitation, she darted forward, scooping him into her arms with the speed of instinct.

She laid him flat, murmuring low in the old tongue, her palms glowing faintly with the Moon's blessing. A quick spray of her herbal mist cleared his throat passage, and then she pressed firm against his belly to help force the blockage out.

Immediately, a growl ripped through the room.

One of the bodyguards bared his teeth, his voice a snarl. "What do you think you're doing? If anything happens to Master Volkov, you'll answer with your life!"