The pain had become unbearable.

I huddled in the corner of Healer Margaret Stone's office, trying to make myself as small as possible while she examined me. The burning sensation inside my chest had intensified over the past weeks, like something alive was trying to claw its way out.

"Edith, please stop fidgeting," Margaret said, her brow furrowed as she pressed her palm against my sternum. "This will help me determine what's causing the discomfort."

I nodded, biting my lip to keep from crying out as her fingers traced patterns across my skin. The healer's touch was gentle, but even the slightest pressure sent waves of agony through my body.

"I need to run some tests," she muttered, stepping away to prepare her equipment. "This could be related to your... condition."

My condition. The polite way of saying I was wolfless. Cursed.

Margaret's hands trembled slightly as she returned with a syringe filled with clear liquid. "This will help us see what's happening inside you."

I closed my eyes as the needle slid into my arm. The liquid burned worse than anything I'd felt before, and I couldn't suppress a gasp.

"I'm sorry," Margaret whispered, her eyes filled with something that looked suspiciously like pity. "But we need to know what we're dealing with."

Minutes later, she studied the results with growing horror. Her face had gone pale, lips pressed into a thin line.

"Edith," she said finally, not meeting my eyes. "I need to be honest with you."

Something in her tone made my heart stutter. "What is it?"

"You have Mana Corruption. Late stage." She looked up at me, her expression grave. "Your dormant wolf is consuming your human body because it cannot shift."

The words hit me like physical blows. "What does that mean?"

"It means..." Margaret hesitated, then sighed. "I'm so sorry, Edith. You have three months. Maybe less."

Three months. The words echoed in my mind as I stumbled back to the pack house. Three months to live. And no one who cared.

---

The next morning, I gathered my courage and headed to breakfast. My hands shook as I clutched the medical report Margaret had given me. This was my chance to tell them—to make them understand.

My biological parents sat at the head table, Marina perched beside them like a well-manicured accessory. Her golden hair caught the morning light, making her look like the perfect Luna-in-training.

"Alpha Nelson," I began, my voice barely above a whisper. "Luna Nelson. I need to speak with you about something important."

My father's eyes flicked up from his plate, irritation evident in his expression. "What is it, Edith? Can't you see we're busy?"

"It's about my health," I said, extending the report. "I saw Healer Stone yesterday, and—"

Before I could finish, Marina snatched the paper from my hands. Her eyes scanned the document, and then she burst into laughter.

"Oh, this is rich," she said, passing the report to my mother. "Look at this, Luna. Edith's forged a medical report claiming she's dying."

I shook my head frantically. "No, I didn't—"

"Always so dramatic," Marina interrupted, her voice dripping with false concern. "Especially right before my engagement party. What a coincidence."

My mother's eyes widened as she read the report, but my father snatched it from her hands.

"Enough of this nonsense," he growled. "Mana Corruption? We all know that's impossible without a wolf."

"But I—" I tried again, desperation clawing at my throat.

"Edith will be serving the guests during the ceremony," my father announced, effectively silencing me. "Not wasting everyone's time with these ridiculous stories."

---

The engagement party preparations were in full swing when I collided with a wall of muscle in the hallway.

Strong hands steadied me, and I looked up into eyes that flashed gold with surprise.

"You're..." he breathed, his nostrils flaring as he caught my scent.

I knew him instantly. Alpha Damien Elliott of the Blood River Pack. My fated mate.

The air between us crackled with electricity. His scent—rain and ozone—filled my senses, making my heart race with recognition.

"Alpha Elliott," I whispered, unable to tear my gaze away from his.

For one breathless moment, something flickered in his eyes—something that made hope bloom painfully in my chest.

Then his gaze dropped to my ragged maid uniform, and his expression changed.

"Disgusting," he murmured, stepping back as though I'd burned him. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I don't understand," I said, confusion replacing hope.

"A 'broken thing' like you?" His voice was hushed, urgent. "You could never be Luna."

The words cut deeper than any knife. "But the mate bond—"

"There is no bond," he snapped, glancing nervously down the hall. "Do you think I would allow myself to be tied to someone like you? Someone without a wolf?"

His denial felt like a physical blow, leaving me gasping for air.

"Stay out of sight during the ceremony," he ordered, straightening his jacket. "I don't want you embarrassing me or your... family."

As he walked away, I pressed my hand against the wall to keep from falling. Three months to live, and now this.

What more could the Moon Goddess take from me?

The orphanage library had always been my sanctuary. Tucked away in the far corner of the Silver Moon territory, it was the one place where I could escape the whispers and stares. Where I could hold the small, worn photograph of Elder Caretaker Ruth—the only mother I'd ever known.

I sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by dusty books and the faint scent of old paper. My fingers traced the edges of Ruth's smile in the photograph.

"I wish you were here," I whispered to her image. "You'd know what to do."

The diagnosis still echoed in my mind: three months to live. And now Damien's rejection had stripped away what little dignity I had left.

The library door creaked open, and I quickly tucked the photograph into my pocket. But it was only Marina, her golden hair gleaming in the afternoon light.

"Still hiding in your little rat nest?" she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "I heard you had quite the conversation with Damien earlier."

My stomach clenched. "It was nothing."

"Nothing?" She laughed, stepping closer. "I could smell your pathetic scent all over him. Did you really think you could seduce an Alpha?"

Before I could respond, heavy footsteps approached. Damien appeared in the doorway, his imposing figure filling the space.

"What's this place?" he asked, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

Marina slipped her arm through his. "The orphanage library. Where all the bad luck started."

I watched in horror as she pressed herself against him, whispering something in his ear.

Damien's eyes hardened as he looked around the room. "This place is a breeding ground for curses."

"No!" I protested, rising to my feet. "This is just an old library—"

"Silence!" he commanded, his Alpha tone making me flinch. "Marina's right. This place needs to be cleansed."

Within minutes, pack members arrived with torches. I watched in disbelief as they surrounded the building.

"You can't do this!" I screamed, lunging forward only to be restrained by Beta Braxton's strong grip.

"Edith, stop it," my brother hissed in my ear. "You're being hysterical."

"My things are in there!" I struggled against him. "Ruth's photo—"

"The photo of that old Omega?" He shook his head. "Let it go."

The first torch hit the dry wood of the library's exterior. Flames licked up the sides of the building, hungry and merciless.

"No!" I fought harder, but Braxton held firm.

"Edith, stop," he repeated, his voice softening slightly. "It's just an old building."

"It's all I had left!" I sobbed as the roof collapsed, sending a shower of sparks into the sky.

The photograph in my pocket seemed to burn against my thigh. I knew what it contained—not just Ruth's image, but the last vestige of love I'd ever known.

---

Night fell, bringing with it a bone-deep chill that matched the emptiness inside me. I moved through the pack grounds like a ghost, unnoticed and unwanted.

The Pack Border Bridge loomed ahead, its wooden planks stretching across the deep ravine that marked the boundary between pack territory and the Rogue Lands beyond.

I climbed onto the railing, the wind whipping my hair around my face. Below, darkness promised an end to pain.

"Goodbye, Ruth," I whispered, clutching the charred remains of her photograph in my palm.

I let go.

For one breathless moment, I was flying—free from pain, from rejection, from the curse that had marked my entire life.

Then strong fingers wrapped around my wrist, yanking me backward with such force that I slammed against a solid chest.

"Don't," a deep voice rumbled against my ear.

I looked up into eyes that glowed silver in the darkness—eyes I recognized from childhood.

"Mikael?" I gasped.

He wrapped a heavy cloak around my shoulders, his touch unexpectedly gentle despite the power I could feel radiating from him.

"Your life is not theirs to take," he said, his voice low and intense.

The aura surrounding him was terrifying—dark and ancient and powerful. But against my skin, it felt warm. Protective.

"You're a rogue," I whispered, though it wasn't a question.

He smiled, a flash of white teeth in the moonlight. "And you're still the girl who used to hide behind books when the others teased you."

"How did you find me?"

His eyes flickered to the ravine below. "I've been watching over you for longer than you know."

"Why?"

Instead of answering, he pulled me closer to his side. "Come with me, Edith. There's still time for you to see the northern lights."

The promise in his voice was impossible to resist. As he led me away from the bridge, I couldn't help wondering who this man really was—and why he seemed to care more about me than my own family ever had.

The night air bit at my skin as Mikael led me away from the bridge, his hand firm but gentle around mine. I couldn't stop shivering—whether from the cold or the shock of what had almost happened, I couldn't tell.

"We need to move quickly," he said, his silver eyes scanning the darkness. "They'll realize you're missing soon."

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the wind.

Mikael paused, studying my face. His expression softened as he brushed a strand of hair from my cheek. "You're dying, Edith."

The words hung between us, stark and undeniable.

"How did you know?" I whispered.

"I can sense it." His fingers moved to my wrist, pressing against my pulse. "Your life force is... fading. And I know what that means for someone without a wolf."

I looked away, ashamed somehow. "Three months. Maybe less."

Something fierce flashed in his eyes. "Then we'll make those months count."

He pulled me closer, his warmth enveloping me. "I'm taking you north, Edith. To the Neutral Territories. There's something there I think you've always wanted to see."

"The Aurora Borealis," I breathed, the words catching in my throat.

He nodded, understanding in his gaze. "The Moon Goddess's smile."

I hesitated only briefly before slipping my communication crystal from my pocket—the small stone that connected me to the pack's mind-link. Without ceremony, I tossed it into the mud beside the path.

"Good riddance," Mikael said with a small smile.

---

We traveled through the night, moving silently through territories I'd never seen before. Mikael seemed to know the land intimately, guiding us through hidden paths and across streams that would mask our scent.

"Rest now," he said as dawn broke over the horizon. "We'll be safe here until nightfall."

I nodded, exhausted beyond words. But as I sank to the ground, pain exploded through my chest—sharp, burning, and unstoppable.

"Edith!" Mikael caught me as I collapsed, his strong arms cradling me against his chest.

I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. My vision blurred as darkness crept in from the edges.

"Stay with me," Mikael commanded, his voice urgent. He pressed his palm to my forehead, and suddenly I felt it—a surge of energy flowing from him into me.

The pain receded, replaced by a strange warmth that spread through my veins.

"How did you...?" I gasped, looking up at him.

His eyes glowed silver in the dim light—not just a reflection of the moon, but an inner light that pulsed with ancient power.

"What are you?" I whispered.

"Not just a rogue," he admitted, helping me sit up. "But I can't explain everything now. Just know that I won't let you die if I can help it."

---

Days blurred together as we continued north. Mikael never left my side, his strength becoming my strength as my own faded. When we finally crested the last hill and saw the valley below, I understood why he'd brought me here.

A small cabin sat nestled among towering pines, smoke curling from its chimney. Snow blanketed the ground around it, pristine and untouched.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

"It was my mother's," Mikael said quietly. "No one knows about it except me."

The cabin was simple but warm inside—a fireplace, a small kitchen, a bedroom with a window facing north. Mikael showed me around, explaining that this would be our home until...

He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.

That first evening, as I sat wrapped in furs by the fire, Mikael moved around the kitchen with surprising grace for someone so powerful. The scent of soup filled the cabin, making my stomach growl embarrassingly loud.

"Here," he said, placing a steaming bowl in my hands. "Eat slowly."

I took a spoonful, closing my eyes at the rich flavor. "This is amazing."

"I learned to cook when I was alone," he explained, settling beside me with his own bowl. "Nothing fancy, but it keeps you alive."

Later, as night fell and the first stars appeared through the window, Mikael found an old book on the shelf and began to read aloud. His deep voice filled the cabin, bringing the words to life.

"Why are you doing all this for me?" I finally asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us.

He looked up from the book, his silver eyes meeting mine. "Because you deserve to be treated like a queen, not a servant."

Something warm unfurled in my chest—something I thought had died long ago.

"I never wanted power," I admitted softly. "I just wanted to be loved."

Mikael set the book aside and moved closer, his expression solemn. "I am Mikael Willis, son of the late Lycan Queen Elena. I was exiled after a coup attempt on my father's throne."

"A prince?" I whispered.

"A title that means nothing now," he said with a sad smile. "But there's something else you should know, Edith."

He took my hand in his, his touch sending warmth through my chilled fingers.

"I've loved you since we were children in that orphanage. Even then, I knew you were special—not cursed, but blessed."

The words hung in the air between us, impossible and wonderful and terrifying all at once.