I wiped my identity clean from every pack record. Like I never existed.

I re-entered the dancing contest under a new name.

Two years ago, when Madeline broke my leg and threw it into the fire, she didn't just take my flesh-she stole my future.

No healer could reattach what was gone.

Maxwell lost his mind with grief, pouring billions into crafting me a prosthetic leg so lifelike it fooled everyone.

It worked for daily life, but the delicate precision of movement? That was dead.

My dreams were shredded, and I unraveled with them- times I tried to end it, countless nights I sobbed until dawn.

But I clawed my way back, teaching my left leg to be strong again.

Over a thousand grueling days, calluses built up, and I earned my spot in the Belvaria contest. I'd kept it secret from Maxwell, planning to surprise him, to show my mate that I'd never bowed to fate.

Now, I was just glad I'd kept my mouth shut.

If I'd told him, I might've lost my left leg too.

My phone rang.​

"It's about your identity erasure request," a staff member's voice came through, "we've received it. The processing will be completed in two weeks."

I'd be on my way to Belvaria, never looking back.

Even Maxwell's suffocating control couldn't track a she-wolf who didn't exist.

I returned to the villa.

Maxwell had the staff tied up, his voice like ice as he demanded to know where I was.

The moment he saw me, relief flooded his face.

The staff looked like they'd been spared execution.

His sharp, cold eyes softened, and he pulled me into a tight embrace.

"Sophie, why did you keep your phone shut? I was losing it."

I forced my voice to stay steady.

"Ran into an old friend on the way, ended up chatting for ages."​

He smiled, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.​

"Guess I'll have to tag along next time-can't let old friends steal all your time, right?"

"Today's our Seventh anniversary," he said, his voice warm.

"Come see what I got you."

"Got held up watching a drone show in the square, it was so amazing I couldn't tear myself away."​

He grinned, taking my hand and giving it a light squeeze.

Maxwell leaned close, his breath warm against my ear.

"I love you, Sophie. Always will."

He drove me to a sprawling estate in the suburbs.

A mystery wolf had bought it for Seven billion, and now its ornate gates declared it Love Sophie Manor.

The architecture was the Gothic style I'd casually mentioned loving.

The gardens overflowed with my favorite orchids, each worth figures.

Nearby, a dreamlike amusement park sparkled-bumper cars, haunted house, swing ride-all my favorites.

There was even a pet sanctuary filled with adorable dogs, just because I'd once pitied a stray.

My chest ached, my eyes stinging.

For Seven years, he'd loved me fiercely, granting every whim, big or small.

That was real. But so was the truth-he'd split his heart in two.

Maxwell brushed a tear from my cheek.

"It's only right for a mate to spoil his she-wolf. Cry any more, and you'll break my heart."

Under a sky full of stars, he dropped to one knee, opening a velvet box.

"From the first sniff of your scent, I was undone. My wolf growls if you're out of sight-don't make me chain myself to your side to stop the ache."

He revealed two rings.

"The she-wolf's ring has a tracker. This way, I'll always know what you're doing. No more worrying."

His eyes burned with possessive, consuming love.

But before he could slide the ring onto my finger, his phone chimed-Madeline's custom tone. He glanced at the screen, his face unreadable, then slipped the ring onto my finger anyway.

"Important matter from the pack," he said smoothly. "I'll be right back."

He was already climbing into the car, leaving me alone.

Clink.

The ring slipped from my finger, hitting the ground.

Maxwell was so wrapped up in Madeline that he didn't even notice he'd given me the wrong one.

He took the she-wolf's ring with the tracker.

"I'm so sorry, my mate," Madeline's voice sobbed through the ring.

"I don't crave despair, but this cage-my claws are splitting my palms from scraping at the bars. The wolf inside's howling to tear free, and I swear it'll take me with it if it can't."​

"Don't talk nonsense,"

Maxwell's deep, commanding growl cut in.

"I'm your wolf. You're sick, and I'm not about to ignore that. Come on, let's get out of here for a bit."

"Really?" Madeline's voice lit up, trembling with hope. "I'm not dreaming? I can actually leave this place?"

"When has your mate ever lied to you? We're going now."

"Madeline, you haven't had a chance to leave the villa before, but I've had your anniversary gift ready for a while. This is your manor. I'm staying here with you today."

Madeline's joyous laughter rang out, and then my phone buzzed with a text from Maxwell.

Sophie, got a big client meeting.

Back tomorrow night. Have fun, and tell me if you need anything. Love you.

I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles whitened.

A tear fell, smearing the word "mate" on the screen.

He could buy two identical manors, one for each of us.

But he could only be a true mate to one she-wolf.

I felt like some dirty secret, a shadow in their light.

But not for long.

I wiped my tears and left the manor, heading home to throw myself into my dance.

I'd only passed the first round of the Belvaria contest. If I wanted my left leg to carry me further, I had to work harder than any wolf out there.

Maybe the shock of betrayal sparked something, because ideas started flowing.When I practiced, my hand brushed the ring.

The switch clicked, and Madeline's tear-choked voice spilled out.

"One day's a scrap of moon in a dark sky. I'll slink back to that villa. Sophie gets to walk beside you in the light... but me?" A low growl rumbled . "I'm just a shadow that howls for a place at your side."

Silence followed.

My breath caught, my arm trembling.

The memory of my leg being severed, the unbearable agony, roared back to life.

Maxwell knew how much I hurt, how much I hated her.

That's why he kept her hidden, locked away.

He'd never let her parade in public.

But then, after a long pause, his voice came, low and final. "Alright."

Maxwell materialized at the threshold,clutched in one hand, a moonstone pendant that glowed like captured moonlight; in the other, a gown . "For my mate," he rumbled. "Fit for the she-wolf who owns my pack... and my throat."

"Sophie, tonight we're making up for our Seventh anniversary," he said, his voice soft but firm, the kind that didn't take no for an answer.

"I want the whole pack to see our bond shine."

I said nothing, slipping into the gown as his eyes lit up with awe.

He led me out, and I let him.

The gala was held at a -star hotel owned by the Sinclair pack.

The ballroom glittered with opulence.

Every server wore a skirt and a mask.

Maxwell's gaze swept over them, cold as ever.

"Sophie, you're the star tonight," he said.

"The masks keep the background wolves from stealing your spotlight."

I had a sick feeling.

My face paled, but before I could speak, the crowd's flattery drowned me out.

"Maxwell's devotion burns brighter than a full moon-Sophie, no she-wolf in the pack's ever been so cherished," one wolf snarled.​

"I heard he carved her a territory of silver pines, bounded by moonlit streams, for their seventh turn of the moon," another hissed.​

"Maxwell swore his love gnaws deeper each yea?" a third rumbled.

Then, a sharp rip of fabric cut through the chatter.

"I-I'm so sorry," a masked server stammered, scrambling up from the floor. Her skirt had torn clear to her thigh, revealing long, tempting legs.

The room went dead silent.

Everyone knew Maxwell's reputation as a mate-obsessed alpha.

Anyone who disrupted his perfect night was asking for trouble.

In their minds, they were already lighting candles for this poor she-wolf.

Maxwell's voice was ice. "Come with me."

He softened for me, though. "Sophie, rules are rules. I'll handle this and be right back."

He grabbed the server's wrist and dragged her upstairs.

I followed.

At the corner, the meeting room door was ajar.

The server sat on the conference table, her legs wrapped around Maxwell's waist.

Her mask lay discarded, revealing a tear-streaked, pitifully beautiful face.

Madeline.

My heart clenched. This whole night, his so-called celebration for us, was just a ploy to grant her wish.

But she wasn't satisfied.

"I'm sorry, my mate," Madeline whined.

"You dragged me out, and I should be howling with joy-but watching you and Sophie tangled up like that? It's like claws in my gut." A low whine escaped her, claws scoring the dirt. "I lost it. Collapsed without even noticing. Did I make you snarl? Ruin your moonlit night with her?"

"No," Maxwell said, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"I'm just worried about you. I'll have my assistant take you back soon. We'll get a healer to check on you."

"No, I won't go," she whimpered, claws digging lightly into his arm as she pressed close. "Others can't mend this ache-only your scent, your touch. I'm yours to fix, alpha. Taste it-you'll feel it too."

He chuckled, cupping the back of her head and pulling her into a deep, lingering kiss. "Better?"

"A little," she purred, her hands roaming his body, teasing. "But I need more. intensive treatment."

Maxwell let out a low growl.

"My mate, are you sick or just insatiable?"

She giggled, blowing softly against his ear. "Both."

In a flash, he pinned her to the stone wall, one hand fisting her hair to tilt her neck back as he ripped her skirt clean from hip to thigh.Her breath hitched when his thumb brushed the lace of her undergarment.In a flash, he pinned her to the wooden banister, her back arching as he shredded her skirt with a low growl.

I flashed back to years ago.

Madeline had snuck into Maxwell's car, sprawled naked on his seat, begging,

"Maxwell, touch me, just once."

He didn't even glance at her, calling the enforcers to drag her away.

He'd covered my eyes, growling,

"Don't look at that filth. You're the only she-wolf I'll ever touch."

Now, his hands roamed her body, his eyes burning not with disgust but with raw desire.

I couldn't watch anymore.

My legs shook as I stumbled away.

When Maxwell returned, he held a gift box.

"Sophie, this is the deed to this hotel. It witnessed our love tonight, so it's yours."

A hundred-billion-dollar hotel, gifted like it was nothing. The crowd's envious stares burned into me.

Madeline reappeared downstairs, her new skirt hiding her face's expression behind a mask, but her clenched fists screamed her displeasure.

Moments later, she unclenched, playing the meek server as she prepped the champagne tower. She tiptoed to pour into the top glass, but her ankle twisted.

In a panic, she yanked the tablecloth, and the whole tower crashed down.

Shards of glass flew toward her-and me, standing just behind.

Gasps erupted.

Maxwell's face twisted with panic as he sprinted forward, pulling Madeline into his arms, shielding her.

I'd already dodged, but his rush knocked me hard to the ground.

My head cracked against the floor, warm blood trickling down.

Glass shards sliced into my skin, each cut like a blade flaying me alive.

Pain screamed through me, but I laughed, hollow and broken.