The morning sun filtered through the windows of my prison, casting long shadows across the Luna quarters. I'd barely slept, my body still weak from months of spiritual warfare, my heart shattered by Thatcher's rejection. The door burst open without warning, and two Delta guards entered.

"The Alpha commands your presence," one announced, his eyes carefully avoiding mine.

I straightened my spine, refusing to show weakness. "On what grounds?"

"Pack assembly," the second guard replied, his voice flat. "All members are required to attend."

Something in his tone made my wolf stir uneasily within me. We'd been back in control of our body for less than a day, and already Thatcher was making his move.

The walk to the great hall felt like a march to execution. Pack members lined the corridors, their expressions ranging from pity to morbid curiosity. No one spoke to me—no one dared. I caught glimpses of Lily in the crowd, her face tight with worry, but she was powerless to intervene.

The great hall was filled to capacity, every member of the Moonveil Pack present. At the front stood Thatcher, his Alpha aura pulsing with barely contained rage. Beside him stood a young omega girl—Megan—who had joined our pack only months ago.

"Bring her forward," Thatcher commanded.

The guards escorted me to the center of the hall, where I stood alone before my pack—before my people who had once looked to me as their Luna.

"Members of Moonveil," Thatcher's voice boomed across the silent hall. "Today we witness a transfer of power."

My heart sank as I realized what was happening.

"Ella Hamilton has proven herself unworthy of the Luna title," he continued, each word a dagger to my soul. "She has failed in her duties, failed in her loyalty, and failed as my mate."

The pack's collective gasp rippled through the hall. Some looked shocked, others confused. None dared speak.

"From this moment forward," Thatcher declared, "Megan will assume all ceremonial duties of the Luna position."

Megan stepped forward, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and excitement. She was young—too young—and clearly unprepared for such responsibility.

"Thatcher," I whispered, using our private name in public—a desperate appeal to whatever remained of our bond. "Please don't do this."

His eyes flashed dangerously. "Address me as Alpha Hamilton."

The formal title cut deeper than any insult. This man who had once loved me since childhood now couldn't bear to hear his name on my lips.

"The transfer is effective immediately," he announced, ignoring my plea. "Ella Hamilton will retain her basic pack privileges, but all Luna responsibilities are hereby revoked."

The ceremony that followed was a blur of humiliation. Megan received the ceremonial Luna pendant—the very one I had worn with such pride since our mating. She took my place beside the Alpha throne, while I was relegated to standing among the regular pack members.

Throughout it all, the pack watched in stunned silence. No one challenged their Alpha's decision. No one defended me.

---

Hours later, still reeling from public disgrace, I found myself dragged into Thatcher's office. The door slammed behind us, and his Alpha aura pressed against me like a physical weight.

"You still haven't brought her back," he snarled, circling me like prey.

"Thatcher, please," I begged, my voice breaking. "Navy's gone. I'm trying to be what you need—"

"What I need is HER!" he roared, grabbing my shoulders. "Navy was everything you pretended to be but never were."

Before I could respond, he shoved me against the wall. His eyes had gone wild, desperate in a way I'd never seen before.

"This will bring her back," he muttered, more to himself than to me. "This will force your wolf to retreat."

I felt his intention before he acted—a marking ceremony, but twisted into something cruel and unnatural.

"Thatcher, don't—" My words cut off as his teeth sank into the existing mate mark on my neck.

Pain exploded through me—not just physical pain, but something deeper, more primal. His Alpha venom flooded the mark, not to strengthen our bond but to burn through it, to scar it from within.

I screamed as my wolf howled in agony. The mate mark—our sacred connection—felt like it was being torn apart from the inside.

"Stop fighting it!" Thatcher growled against my skin. "Let her come back!"

But there was no "her" to come back. Navy was gone, and I was here—the real me, the Ella he had once loved.

The venom continued to burn through my veins as my wolf writhed in torment. I felt her retreating, not because Navy was returning, but because the pain was too great to bear.

"Please," I whispered, tears streaming down my face. "You're killing us both."

Thatcher finally pulled away, his eyes wild with disappointment. The mark on my neck pulsed with toxic heat, and I could feel my wolf curling into herself, trying to escape the agony.

"Navy," he whispered, reaching for something that wasn't there. "Come back to me."

But there was only silence—and the sound of my breaking heart.

The door to Thatcher's office burst open with such force that it slammed against the wall. Lily stood in the doorway, her chest heaving, eyes wild with a fury I'd never seen before.

"Stop this!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the haze of pain that had enveloped me. "You can't do this to her!"

Thatcher's head snapped up, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You dare interrupt me?"

"I dare stop you from destroying yourself," Lily countered, stepping into the room. Her gaze fell on me, taking in my torn clothes and the burning mate mark on my neck. Horror dawned across her face. "What have you done to her?"

I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. "Lily..."

Thatcher's Alpha aura exploded outward, filling the room with suffocating pressure. "You forget your place, Beta."

Lily staggered but remained standing. "My place is protecting my Luna—my friend—from a mate who's lost his mind!"

"KNEEL!" Thatcher roared, his Alpha command slamming into Lily with such force that her knees hit the floor hard. She gasped, struggling against the invisible weight pressing down on her.

"Please," I begged, reaching for Lily. "Don't hurt her. She's all I have left."

"All you have left," Thatcher repeated, his voice dangerously soft. "You think she's loyal to you? She's pack first. Always pack."

He stalked toward Lily, who remained frozen by his command. "One more word from you, and I'll exile you. Is that what you want? To be cast out as a rogue?"

Lily's eyes met mine, and I saw something break in them—not fear, but heartbreak. For me. For what I was enduring.

"Leave us," Thatcher ordered, his voice slightly calmer. "Now."

Lily struggled to her feet, her movements slow and painful against the Alpha command. As she passed me, she whispered so softly that only I could hear: "Be ready tonight."

Then she was gone, and the door closed behind her.

---

The moonless night provided perfect cover as I slipped through the shadows of the pack house. Lily had created a diversion at the southern border—something about rogue wolves being spotted—and the majority of the pack's warriors had rushed to investigate.

My body still ached from Thatcher's marking ceremony, but adrenaline pushed the pain aside. I moved silently through the corridors, avoiding the few guards who remained.

At the entrance to the Luna's quarters—my prison—I paused. There, on the dresser, lay my Luna crown and my wedding ring. Symbols of everything I'd once been. Everything I'd lost.

I took one last look at them before turning away. They weren't mine anymore. Nothing here was mine anymore.

Outside, the night air hit my face like a blessing. I ran, my wolf lending me strength, pushing me faster through the territory I'd once called home.

The Moonveil forests loomed ahead—dangerous, forbidden territory where even pack wolves rarely ventured. But tonight, they offered my only hope.

I plunged into the darkness, letting my wolf guide me. The trees closed in around me, ancient and watchful. Somewhere in this wilderness lived Elena Moonweaver—if Lily's information was correct.

"You need to find the healer," Lily had whispered earlier, when she'd managed to slip me a note during dinner. "She can help you sever the bond."

"Severance is forbidden," I'd replied, shocked.

"Less forbidden than watching you die," had been her answer.

Now, as I moved deeper into the forest, I clutched that note in my pocket. It contained directions to Elena's hidden cabin—directions that would have been impossible to follow without Lily's help.

The forest grew denser, the path more treacherous. I stumbled over roots and ducked under low-hanging branches, my senses alert for any sign of danger. Rogues were known to hunt in these woods. But tonight, I almost welcomed the thought of danger. Anything would be better than returning to what waited for me at the pack house.

Finally, after hours of walking, I spotted a faint light through the trees. A small cabin, nearly invisible among the shadows, its windows glowing with warm light.

I approached slowly, cautiously. This was my last hope—my only chance at freedom.

The door opened before I could knock.

"You're the Luna who seeks severance," said an old woman's voice. Not a question—a statement.

I fell to my knees on the rough wooden porch.

"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Help me cut the bond that ties me to him."

Elena Moonweaver stood in the doorway, her ancient eyes seeing far more than just my physical form. In her gaze, I felt exposed—all my pain, all my desperation laid bare.

"Child," she said softly, "do you know what you ask? To sever a mate bond is to sever part of your soul."

"I know," I replied, tears streaming down my face. "But he will destroy me—destroy us both—just to get Navy back."

Something shifted in her expression then—a decision made.

"Enter," she said, stepping aside. "The ritual must be performed before dawn."

As I crossed the threshold into Elena's cabin, I felt the weight of my decision settle over me. There would be no going back from this. But as the door closed behind me, I realized that going back was no longer an option I could bear to consider.