Time dragged on slowly.

The sensations from the other side of the bond quieted, leaving only a weary satisfaction.

That feeling kept seeping through, like a dull knife slicing my soul.

My wolf soul curled up and slipped into a deep slumber.

It shielded itself from the pain of my mate's betrayal this way.

I did not try to wake it.

I hurt too.

After what felt like forever, steady footsteps echoed outside.

It was Kael.

I smelled it.

That cloying human perfume clung to his scent, so vivid it made me nauseous.

The door swung open, and Kael's tall frame filled the doorway.

He wore a black combat uniform, his posture rigid and commanding.

When he saw me, surprise flickered in his dark eyes. "Elara? Why are you here?"

He stepped inside, his tone casual, as if he had truly just gone on a patrol.

"I waited for you," I said.

He smiled.

He approached me, arms outstretched, ready to pull me into an embrace. "Waiting for me? My little Luna, you're getting clingier by the day."

His voice was low and warm.

Once, that voice sent my heart racing.

Now, it only mocked me.

I stepped back.

His arms froze midair.

The smile vanished from his face.

"What's wrong?" He furrowed his brow.

A wave of potent Alpha energy pressed toward me.

Once, it would have rattled me.

Now, I only wanted to laugh.

"Where were you?" I locked eyes with him.

His gaze stayed steady, not a hint of evasion. "I told you, the border. Some rogue wolves were stirring trouble."

He lowered his hands, a trace of irritation creeping into his tone.

"What's with you today? Who upset you?"

"Your Beta and Gamma," I said, holding his gaze, "were at their posts an hour ago. You didn't hold a meeting."

Kael's pupils contracted.

He stared at me, his eyes sharpening.

"Are you having me followed?" His voice turned cold.

"I don't need to." I pointed to my chest. "Our mate bond tells me everything."

His face changed in an instant.

He finally remembered.

The mate bond worked both ways.

He sensed me, and I sensed him.

He forgot that our bond was his most fatal flaw.

"Elara, let me explain..." He stepped forward, reaching for my hand.

"Explain what?" I cut him off. "The perfume on you or the woman's voice in your mind?"

His body went rigid.

"You... heard it all?" For the first time, panic crept into his voice.

"Yes." I forced a smirk, my face devoid of any warmth.

"She said, 'Are all you werewolves this wild?'" I stared at him, each word deliberate. "Kael, tell me, are you a wild werewolf?"

Not a trace of color remained on his face.

Kael did not answer.

He stood there, the towering Alpha, the king of the Black Moon Pack, looking lost for the first time in my presence.

It was laughable.

If apologies held any weight, the pack's code would not exist.

"Elara…" His voice finally returned, hoarse and strained. "It's not what you think. It was an accident."

"An accident?" I sneered. "An accident that you slept with a human? Or an accident that you lied to your mate?"

"I…" He opened his mouth but found no words.

The council hall fell deathly silent.

I looked at him, the man I once thought I would lean on for life.

His face twisted with struggle and pain, but it stirred no sympathy in me.

The moment he chose betrayal, everything between us ended.

"Enough." I refused to hear more of his excuses. "I don't want to know who she was or what happened."

I turned toward the summoning circle.

"Elara, what are you doing!" Kael sensed my intent, his voice thick with panic.

He lunged to stop me.

But I was faster.

I poured my energy into the circle.

Silver light shot skyward, and an alarm blared through the entire pack.

It was the signal for an emergency gathering, used only for enemy invasions or major announcements by the Alpha.

Kael's face twisted with fury.

He roared, "You've lost your mind! Stop this now!"

I ignored him.

Pack members flooded in from all directions—warriors, healers, and ordinary folk.

They gathered in the square outside the council hall, their faces etched with confusion and unease.

Valerius burst in first, freezing at the sight of our standoff. "Alpha, Luna, what's happening?"

"Kael," I said, my eyes fixed on my husband, "don't you love holding meetings? Now, in front of the entire pack, explain the 'meeting' you had tonight."

Kael's fists clenched, veins bulging on his hands.

Rage in his eyes threatened to consume me.

But he could not lash out.

In front of the pack, he had to maintain his dignity as Alpha.

He took a deep breath, swallowing his anger, and turned to face the growing crowd in the square.

"It's nothing," he declared in his charismatic voice. "Just a small misunderstanding. Everyone, disperse."

The pack members exchanged glances, hesitating as they prepared to obey.

An Alpha's command was absolute.

"Wait." My icy voice cut through.

It was not loud, but it reached every ear clearly.

Everyone froze, their eyes turning back to me.

I stepped past Kael, ascending the platform overlooking the square, facing the entire pack.

Their faces showed confusion, worry, and some disdain.

I knew many of them looked down on me, an Omega-born Luna.

That was fine.

From this day forward, they would never forget me.

"I, Elara, Luna of the Black Moon Pack," I began, my voice amplified by energy, ringing across the square, "called you here to announce something."

I paused, my gaze shifting to Kael.

He stared at me, his eyes brimming with warning, pleading, and a trace of despair.

I looked away, my heart calm.

I placed a hand on my abdomen. Here rested his heir.

I had wanted to give him a complete family.

Now, I could only give him a future free of betrayal.

I took a deep breath and spoke the ancient, cruel incantation. "I, Elara, in the name of the Moon Goddess, reject you, Alpha Kael, as my mate for this lifetime."

The world fell silent in an instant.

Everyone held their breath.

Their expressions shifted from confusion to sheer horror.

Rejection.

In the world of werewolves, it was the cruelest punishment.

A fated mate was a gift from the Moon Goddess, the other half of one's soul.

Rejecting a mate meant tearing your own soul apart.

That kind of pain could break even the mightiest Alpha.

Kael's body shook violently.

The golden thread connecting us, the bond of our matehood, began to crack under my incantation.

"No… Elara… don't…" He reached out to me, his eyes filled with raw terror.

He was afraid.

The fearless Alpha was finally afraid.

I looked at him coldly.

I spoke the second and final line of the ritual. "I, Elara, accept your rejection, Kael."

Those words were meant for the rejected to say.

But I spoke them for him.

I wanted no further ties to him.

As the last word fell, the golden thread snapped with a sharp, clear sound.

"Ah—!" Kael let out a piercing scream and coughed up a spray of blood.

His body collapsed as if all strength had been drained, and he crumpled to the ground.

The severed mate bond dissolved into countless specks of light, lashing back into our bodies.

The agony of a torn soul hit me.

It felt like a blunt knife carved through my spirit, every inch screaming.

My wolf soul let out a mournful cry before falling silent.

My vision darkened, and I bit my lip hard, tasting blood.

I clamped down on my lip, the metallic tang filling my mouth.

I could not collapse.

Not in front of him.

I straightened my back, refusing to fall.

In the square, everyone stood stunned by the scene.

Valerius, the Beta, reacted first and rushed to Kael's side. "Alpha! Alpha!"

Kael lay curled on the ground, convulsing, blood streaming from his eyes, nose, and mouth.

His gaze locked on me, filled with pain, regret, and deep despair.

I looked away, refusing to meet his eyes.

I turned and walked toward the dark forest beyond the pack's borders.

"Stop!" It was Gideon, the pack's general.

He led a group of warriors to block my path.

"Luna… no, Elara, you cannot leave." Gideon's expression was conflicted. "You rejected the Alpha. According to the pack's code, you must be confined."

"Is that so?" I met his gaze, my eyes icy. "Does the code say what punishment an Alpha faces for betraying his Luna?"

Gideon's face froze, and he found no words.

I felt Kael's betrayal.

As his closest Beta and Gamma, they could not have been entirely unaware.

They simply chose silence.

"Move," I said.

"No." Gideon shook his head. "I can't let you leave. You're carrying…"

I cut him off before he could finish. "What I carry is none of your concern."

I spoke coldly. "The moment I rejected Kael, I became a rogue. The child in my womb is just a rogue's child. It does not belong to the Black Moon Pack."

With that, I ignored them and walked forward.

Gideon hesitated.

He did not give the order to attack.

He knew attacking a pregnant woman who had just rejected her mate would cause an uproar.

Especially when that woman was their former Luna.

"Gideon, what are you waiting for?" An elder stepped slowly from the crowd. "She's no longer Luna."

The elder issued a direct order to Gideon. "Gideon! Seize the pack's heir! If she resists, break her limbs and cage her like livestock until she gives birth!"

Gideon's hesitation vanished, replaced by absolute obedience.

They closed in, forming an impenetrable circle around me.

I had no escape.

In my despair, I placed a hand on my abdomen.

"Baby, don't be afraid," I whispered.

My voice carried a madness and resolve I hadn't even noticed in myself. "Even if Mommy has to die, I'll take you out of here!"