My chest felt like it had been slammed by a giant rock, so tight I could barely breathe.

But strangely, it didn't hurt with that tearing, heart-wrenching pain like before.

I closed my eyes and took a long, slow breath.

When I opened them again, all the turmoil in my eyes had calmed.

I hitched the small bag on my shoulder, the one holding all my belongings, a little higher, then raised my hand and gently pushed open the heavy fur curtain.

The Beta wolves, supporting an almost-collapsing Damien, came out of the cave.

When they saw me, their faces showed a mix of embarrassment and pity.

After a few brief pleasantries, they clumsily helped get the dead-drunk Damien onto the back of my gentle moon-deer mount.

Then, they bowed to me and quickly left.

I silently led the moon-deer, carrying the unconscious Damien, slowly towards the Alpha's cave.

Along the way, the moonlight was bright, the night wind cool.

Only Damien's intermittent mumbles echoed in the quiet night sky.

"Lyra... Lyra... My Lyra..."

Finally, we reached the Alpha's cave, a place that once filled me with longing, but now only held despair.

It took all my strength to get him off the moon-deer and onto the huge stone bed in the center of the cave.

He was so incredibly drunk, his body as heavy as a rock. The moment he touched the bed, he couldn't hold himself up anymore, collapsing downwards and pulling me down with him.

Then, like an octopus, he wrapped his arms tightly around me, his aggressive male scent instantly enveloping me.

His face was buried in the crook of my neck, his hot breath on my skin sending unsettling shivers down my spine.

Like a child who’d done something wrong, he kept calling Lyra's name in that deeply affectionate tone.

"Lyra, my precious Lyra. Don't be angry with me, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have drunk so much, shouldn't have let them see me so vulnerable. But... but I really feel awful. I think about you every day. I crave to hold you, to possess you fiercely, every single moment. Lyra, don't leave me..."

His arms tightened, almost crushing my bones.

I tried to break free from his suffocating embrace, my voice carrying a stubbornness I hadn't even realized I possessed.

"Look clearly! I'm not your Lyra!"

Damien seemed startled by my voice. He slowly opened his eyes, which were hazy from alcohol, and stared at me for a long time.

Then his eyes suddenly became unusually bright. He tightened his grip, pressing me closer to his scorching chest, full of an undeniable dominance.

"I know you're my Lyra... I know you're angry with me. Because I... because I let that Selena... take the place that should have been yours..."

His lips, hot and smelling strongly of alcohol, rained down frantic, tiny kisses on my sensitive neck, earlobe, and cheek.

"I'm really not Lyra!" My voice trembled as I screamed.

But Damien seemed not to hear me at all. He gently stroked my hair.

Then, he pulled out that communication crystal, glowing with a faint bloody light, from his pouch, held it up in front of me, his tone proud, like a child eagerly showing his most precious treasure to his beloved.

"My little moon, don't be angry. Look at the surprise I prepared for you. This is a one-of-a-kind Luna gown I designed myself. It's made from the rarest starlight flower petals, which only bloom on the night of the full moon, and the tail feathers of the legendary ice phoenix. And this claw ring, it's set with the purest blood soul stone, representing eternity and loyalty."

"I've been preparing all this for you since the day we first met under the moonlight. Every time I see you, I imagine what you'd look like wearing this gown, becoming my Luna, standing by my side, receiving the worship of all the packs. When I put this claw ring on your finger, would you cry tears of joy, just like now..."

Looking at that incredibly ornate, dark red gown and that strangely shaped claw ring, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly sick.

It took all my strength to argue back, my voice choked with tears.

"You... you love her so much... then... then what am I, Selena... what am I?"

"Selena?" Damien seemed annoyed by my question. He frowned, as if talking about an object that could be casually discarded. "Her? She's nothing."

"If it weren't for the Moon Goddess's ridiculous joke... if it weren't for you, my Lyra, needing me to accept her, I wouldn't even have given her a second glance!"

After saying that, he seemed to have exhausted all his energy from the alcohol. He held me tightly, buried his face deep in my chest, and over and over again, with a heartbreaking tenderness, he kept murmuring.

"Lyra... My Lyra... I love you... I only love you..."

"Lyra... I miss you so much... I want... I want you right now..."

His body, hot and hard as iron from suppressed desire.

His hands also began to wander, roughly and urgently trying to tear off the thin layer of clothing on my body.

I laughed.

Laughed until tears streamed down my face.

So, in his heart, I wasn't even a replacement.

I was just a joke, nothing at all.

Until the first ray of dawn peeked through the cracks in the cave, illuminating the absurdity of the room.

Damien finally, from drunkenness and exhaustion, fell into a deep sleep. His even breaths rose and fell in his solid chest.

I lay perfectly still, letting him hold me tight.

I looked at him for a long time.

His handsome, almost perfect sleeping face now looked a bit pale from the hangover.

After a while, I carefully slipped out of his embrace.

Then I leaned down and placed the Moonstone, which had long since completed the severing ritual, by his pillow.

Damien, in his sleep, seemed to sense my departure.

His thick eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he didn't open his eyes, just unconsciously mumbled,

"Selena... don't go... get me... some sobering... spring water..."

This was the first time he’d called my name in his sleep.

It was also the last thing he ever said to me.

This time, I didn't humbly reply "Okay" like I used to.

Instead, I slowly stood up straight and took one last, long look at the man I had loved for seven years.

I turned and left with my baggage, without looking back.

I had no lingering attachment to this pack full of deceit and betrayal.

I walked out of the Alpha's cave, out of the Blood Moon Pack's territory.

With the last of my savings, I traded for a travel token to a distant southern human city at the border market.

They said it was spring there all year round.

Sitting in the merchant caravan's wagon, I watched the familiar forest and mountains behind me rapidly recede in the dawn light, eventually disappearing beyond the horizon.

I took out the communication crystal I’d always kept close to me and completely deleted all mental link imprints of Damien and Lyra.

When the wagon stopped before the ancient city gates of the southern city, the first ray of morning sun, warm and brilliant, fell upon me, dispelling all the gloom and cold.

I tilted my head up, took a deep breath of air filled with the scent of flowers and freedom, and took one last look in the direction I’d come from.

Goodbye, northern snow and ice.

Goodbye, Blood Moon Pack.

Goodbye, Damien.

From now on, I, Selena, will live for myself.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

(Third Person POV)

When Damien finally woke up from his drunken haze, the sun was already high in the sky.

A throbbing headache made his vision blur.

He instinctively wanted to call for Selena, to ask her to fetch some ice-crystal grass dew to ease his headache. But when he opened his eyes, he saw the cracked Moonstone.

He froze for a second, then frowned impatiently and picked up the stone.

"Selena, what kind of trick are you playing now? So I had a few too many drinks yesterday, is that any reason to scare me with this thing?"

He grumbled, turning the unremarkable stone over in his hand, ready to get out of bed.

But his movement stopped abruptly when he saw the ancient rune on the Moonstone, the one symbolizing a completely severed bond.

This Moonstone... the separation ritual was actually complete!

The color drained from his face. Forgetting his killer headache, he leaped out of bed, not even bothering to put on a robe, and rushed out of the cave bare-chested.

But he searched the entire Alpha cave, even all the places nearby he could think of where Selena might be, and found no trace of her.

What made him even more uneasy was that all the items in the cave that once carried Selena's unique lunar energy signature, things he’d once scorned but now made him feel strangely empty, had vanished completely, as if Selena had never existed in his life.

His mind went blank. A very bad feeling crept over him.

After a long moment, Damien took out his communication crystal from his storage pouch, intending to contact Selena, only to find their mental link had been completely severed.

Selena... had actually left?

Why?

Hadn't he been "good enough" to her lately? He’d given her gifts, taken her hunting.

And... and she loved him so much, loved him enough to give up everything for him. How could she bear to leave him?

He slumped onto the bed, his headache worsening, almost splitting his skull.

Suddenly, another communication crystal on his belt flashed urgently with a new message.

He quickly lit up the crystal screen.

It was a message from Lyra.

[Damien, are you busy? I suddenly really want to eat those sweet rainbow berries we found in Moon-shadow Valley last time. Can you go pick some for me now? Please?]

The moment he saw Lyra's message, all thoughts of Selena vanished from Damien's mind.

He got up and sped off towards Moon-shadow Valley.

In his mind, Selena's current departure was just her playing hard to get.

He was sick of having to pretend to be a good mate.

Since Selena dared to throw this "running away from home" tantrum, let her taste what it was like to lose his protection.

He'd see who came crying and begging him to restore that ridiculous bond in the end!

Damien sneered, no longer thinking about Selena, nor did he send any wolf guards to search for her.

He raced through the treacherous forest at full speed for a good two hours, then carefully searched a hidden valley filled with poisonous insects and miasma for most of the day before finally finding the rare rainbow berries Lyra wanted.

By the time he arrived at Lyra's dwelling with a small bag full of berries, it was already sunset.

His precious sister looked like she had just woken up, stretching lazily. The moment she saw him, she shrieked and threw herself into his arms.

"Damien!"

Damien caught her steadily, drowning in the faint, intoxicating scent of her hair.

"I got the rainbow berries you wanted. Eat them while they're fresh."

He took the berries, still warm from his body heat, from the small pouch in his pocket, successfully earning Lyra's sweet smile.

"Thank you, Damien! You're the best to me!"

She cheered, taking the small bag of berries. Then she took out her own communication crystal and carefully took several photos from various angles, seemingly preparing to show off to someone.

After taking the photos, she picked up the biggest, juiciest berry, took a small bite, then pouted her pink, alluring lips and complained, "Oh, Damien, why did you only pick such a small bag? I remember Selena seems to like these rainbow berries too. If you don't give her any, she'll definitely be upset when she finds out. How about... I give half of this to Selena? Remember to send it over to her later, okay?"

As she spoke, she habitually found Selena's mental link window, preparing to share one of the prettiest photos with her.

But the photo filled with a show-off failed to send.

"Damien! Selena... Selena cut off my mental link! Did... did she find out something? Or did you... did you do something to make her angry again?"

Lyra panicked, looking at Damien.

Hearing his precious sister's question, Damien snorted coldly, his tone dismissive. "I didn't do anything. She's the one who wanted to leave."

With that, Damien took out the Moonstone from his pouch and tossed it in front of Lyra.

Back in his own cave, he hadn't thought much about it, nor had he felt anything was wrong.

But now, facing the beloved he cherished so carefully, Damien could no longer suppress it. He gently took Lyra's small hand, his voice low, "Lyra, my little moon, isn't this good? It was Selena, that woman, who wanted to break the fated bond with me. She's completely gone now. We finally have a chance to be together, just like those days when we hunted together in Moon-shadow Valley, openly..."

As he spoke, he moved closer to Lyra.

Lyra's body involuntarily retreated until Damien cornered her against the cave wall, with no escape.

"Damien. We... we are... siblings, after all... The council of elders, and Father and Mother, they'll never agree to this..."

Her voice trembled as she tried to use her last shred of reason to stop Damien's potentially reckless actions.

However, her weak resistance was utterly futile against Damien's determined pursuit and possession.

Just like during those precious times they had spent alone together, they had long behaved like a true couple, sleeping in each other's arms every night, kissing and caressing without restraint, and even... even crossing that final line long ago, driven by desire, completing the most intimate union among wolves.

Damien reached out, grabbed Lyra's slender wrists, and pinned her fiercely against the rock wall.

Like a beast driven only by desire, he lowered his head and viciously kissed Lyra's soft, sweet lips.

"I told you! For you, my Lyra! Even if it means becoming an enemy of the entire Blood Moon Pack, even if it means completely cutting ties with my parents, I don't care!"

####CHAPTER-NAME:

Lyra only struggled symbolically for a moment before quickly surrendering completely, letting Damien do as he pleased with her.

Her beautiful, captivating face turned bright red from shyness and excitement, as tempting as a ripe apple.

She was kissed by her "brother" in name until she almost suffocated, only able to let out soft, broken moans.

And those rainbow berries she’d been craving earlier were now crushed underfoot, completely forgotten.

Damien seemed very pleased with her current submissiveness. He let out a low growl full of possessiveness, then suddenly swept Lyra up into a bridal carry, strode to the deepest of the cave, and gently placed her on the bed.

Then, like a famished beast that had finally caught its beloved prey, he eagerly tore off Lyra's silk clothes, revealing her exquisite, tender body.

He planted one fiery kiss after another on her jade-like skin, from her sensitive neck to her slightly rounded breasts, then to her flat, soft belly, and finally to that mysterious and alluring valley…

After a night of wild indulgence, Damien was finally satisfied.

He held Lyra tightly in his arms, feeling the warmth of her skin, and whispered seductively in her ear, "Lyra, my little moon, shall we... shall we ask for the elders' blessing and officially become mates? Even if other pack members find out our true relationship, it doesn't matter. For you, I can do anything, give up anything..."

The man's scorching vows made Lyra's earlobes tingle and her face flush with shyness.

Lyra shook her head slightly, her beautiful face full of conflict.

"But Selena loves you so much... If we really do this, she'll be heartbroken. Damien, can you go find her? We can apologize to her together, ask for her forgiveness. Selena is my best sister, she's so kind-hearted, she'll definitely forgive us. Then you two can make up, have your pups peacefully, and you can inherit your Alpha position..."

"Enough!"

Before she could finish, Damien cut her off abruptly.

The man's face instantly filled with the anger of being fooled, his once gentle and doting eyes turning sharp.

"I listened to you and performed the fated bond ceremony with that woman, tolerated her by my side for three whole years! Now, she's the one who initiated the breaking of the bond, she's the one who chose to leave! Lyra! You know perfectly well that the person I love, from beginning to end, has only ever been you! If I'm with Selena, neither of us will be happy! Can't we just be brave and fight for it once? Just once, please?"

This was the first time he had ever so firmly refused Lyra's request.

In the past, no matter how willful or unreasonable Lyra's demands were, he would always find a way to satisfy her.

But now, just when he finally saw a glimmer of hope to be with Lyra openly, he was once again rejected by Lyra with such a ridiculous excuse. He could no longer suppress his inner frustration.

Lyra, looking pitiful, shrank back and leaned into Damien's embrace like a frightened little animal.

"Damien... just... just this once... please? Selena really is my best sister. I really don't want her to be sad because of me. And if we really get together, Father, Mother, and those strict elders will definitely punish us severely. As long as... as long as you and Selena are still together, we can still see each other often, like before, can't we?"

She cried a river of tears. Damien sighed heavily and finally, helplessly, pulled her into his arms, gently rubbing his chin against the top of her soft hair.

"Alright... I understand... I promise you, I'll go find that woman, Selena, and bring her back. But, Lyra, this is the last time. If that woman dares to be so ungrateful again, I won't care about her life or death anymore."

At these words, Lyra immediately broke into a brilliant smile. She nodded vigorously, her voice as sweet as honey.

"Mhm! I knew it, Damien, you're the best to me!"

Damien smiled, his well-defined hand uncontrollably stroking Lyra's waist, feeling her captivating curves.

"But... let's wait a couple more days. It took so much to get rid of that troublesome woman. I want to enjoy a few more days of this carefree world, just the two of us, with you."

Lyra didn't speak. She shyly lowered her head and nodded gently, tacitly agreeing to Damien's proposal.

Immediately, the man flipped over, once again pressing the delectable, beautiful body beneath him firmly under his own.

"Enjoy tonight, my dear, little moon."

To fulfill Lyra's wish as soon as possible, Damien, starting the very next day, took Lyra everywhere with him, indulging in pleasure within the Blood Moon Pack's territory.

The ordinary pack members, unaware of the truth, saw their intimate behavior and thought it was just the Alpha doting on his most beloved sister.

But Damien's trusted subordinates and the pack elders knew the truth.

After Selena left, the two of them could finally, without any scruples, expose their forbidden love to the light of day.

Damien even, under the pretext of "celebrating the successful hunt of a thousand-year-old Shadow Demon Wolf," hosted a grand victory banquet in his Alpha cave, inviting all his close Beta wolf leaders and promising young pack warriors.

At the banquet, Lyra sat intimately beside Damien, like a true Luna, held tightly in his embrace, enjoying his meticulous care and affection. Damien wouldn't even let her drink more than a sip of the lightest fruit wine, afraid it would harm her delicate constitution.

The Beta wolves who usually called Damien brother, seeing this, though outwardly congratulatory, had eyes full of worry.

Finally, one Beta wolf leader, who was closest to Damien, couldn't help but ask, "Damien, where's Miss Selena? Why isn't she with you at such an important celebration today? You and Miss Lyra are so close now, aren't you afraid Miss Selena will be heartbroken if she finds out?"

"Yeah, Damien," another Beta wolf chimed in, "although we all know you and Miss Lyra grew up together and have a deep bond, and you've loved Miss Lyra for so many years. But, on an occasion like today, if Miss Selena found out, it might... not end well, right?"

Damien had already drunk several jars of strong moon-wine by then, and his eyes were a bit hazy. Hearing them mention Selena's name, he just scoffed dismissively, his tone contemptuous.

"Her? That ridiculous fated bond between us has long been completely broken!"

####CHAPTER-NAME: