After I died, my wolf spirit drifted from my body.

My remains were unrecognizable, ravaged by the torment Everlee Peters had inflicted upon me.

Jayce Garcia would never see me like this.

Years ago, when Jayce’s power and aura grew too strong, his elder brother, Alan Garcia, the Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, began to suspect him of plotting against the pack.

I didn’t care about the boundaries of propriety then. I went to the pack house late at night, desperate to plead with Alan. I knelt outside his office for hours, my knees nearly giving out, until he finally agreed to see me.

“I’ll spare Jayce’s life,” Alan said, his alpha tone cold and commanding, “but it depends on what you’re willing to give in exchange.”

Without hesitation, I offered myself, trembling as I laid bare my dignity before him.

Alan’s lips curled into a cruel smirk. “They say the women of the Silver Claw Pack are proud and unyielding. Yet here you are, willing to debase yourself for him. How amusing.”

To ensure I wouldn’t communicate with Jayce, Alan took my family’s pack as hostages, threatening to destroy them if I didn’t obey. He forced me to become his Luna, demanding absolute loyalty.

Before Jayce was exiled from the pack, Alan made sure to taunt him. “You showered her with your affection, Jayce,” he sneered. “Yet the moment you were stripped of your title, she willingly climbed into my bed and became my Luna. Don’t you find that hilarious?”

“Luna! Luna!” Jayce’s voice echoed with anguish and hatred, his laughter bitter and broken.

That day, I hid in the shadows, my body marked by Alan’s cruelty, watching as Jayce was humiliated. My heart ached for him, but I told myself that as long as he lived, nothing else mattered.

Someday, I thought, we would meet again. Someday, I would explain my sacrifice and the choices I had made.

But after Jayce left, Alan’s torment only grew worse. He took perverse pleasure in mocking me. “You degraded yourself to save him,” he would sneer. “And yet, he hates you. He wants you dead. How does that feel?”

Jayce didn’t stay away for long. In the southern territories, he built a formidable force, his aura and influence growing rapidly. Alan, consumed by jealousy and rage, took out his frustration on me.

Those years were a living nightmare. I lived in constant fear, never knowing when Alan would lash out.

When Jayce finally returned, I had hoped for redemption, for understanding. But instead, he wanted me dead. He wouldn’t even look at me, wouldn’t uncover my face to see the woman he once loved.

My heart shattered, but I held onto the faint hope that someday, he would know the truth.

Now, as my wolf spirit lingers, I realize that hope was in vain. Jayce will never see me as I was—only as the broken shell Alan left behind.

And yet, I would do it all again. For him, I would endure it all.

Because even in death, my love for Jayce Garcia remains unshaken.

I knelt beside the bodies, unaware of how much time had passed.

The sound of voices outside reached me, sharp and cutting through the silence.

Everlee’s mocking tone carried into the room:

“The Alpha thought you might be lonely in here, so he sent me to bring you these—your parents, your brother, your nephew…”

“Oh, and your nephew was only a year old. Those warriors, they were so careless. Just threw him to the ground. Poor thing, didn’t stand a chance.”

“Your brother managed to escape, but your sister-in-law—she was pregnant. A girl, they said.”

In the darkness, I trembled uncontrollably.

Yet no tears came.

My chest felt heavy, as if a boulder had been lodged there.

I hadn’t imagined that Jayce’s hatred for me could run this deep.

“The Alpha said you needed to feel the pain of losing everyone you loved.”

Back then, when Alan had wanted to kill Jayce’s entire family, it was me who intervened.

I used my pack’s status to make a deal with Alan: if he spared them, the Silver Claw Pack would pledge loyalty to him, and I would become his Luna.

But Alan broke his promise. He only let Jayce live.

“If I spared them all, where’s the fun in that?”

“I had to kill them. Only then would Jayce believe you betrayed him out of cowardice and ambition.”

“He’d never believe you did it to save them all.”

If Alan could see this now, he’d be satisfied.

He’d laugh, wouldn’t he?

He’d grab my throat and force me to see: “Look, Ivey! You turned yourself into a traitor for him, and he’s already moved on. He’s even wiped out your entire family. Isn’t that hilarious?”

“What a pair you were, and what a pathetic ending!”

But Alan was dead.

There was no one left who knew the truth.

After his death, Jayce gave him a proper Alpha’s burial, honoring pack tradition.

He even built a memorial ground for fallen Alphas, ensuring Alan’s name would be remembered.

Then, as the younger brother of the late Alpha, Jayce took the position for himself.

After all, Alan had no heirs. It seemed only natural that his brother would step in.

I followed Everlee Peters back to the Blue Moon Pack’s headquarters, my wolf lingering unseen. The moment she stepped inside, Jayce Garcia turned to her, his Alpha aura heavy in the air. “Well? Has Ivey Nelson admitted her mistakes?”

Everlee smiled, her voice smooth as honey. “Alpha, Ivey is… managing. The guards reported hearing knocking and thuds from her confinement. It’s clear she’s struggling. If you’re truly concerned, perhaps it’s time to release her.”

Jayce’s lips curled into a sneer. “No. She won’t die so easily. They say the worst ones linger the longest. When she’s ready to kneel before me, to beg for my forgiveness, then I’ll consider letting her out.”

Everlee tilted her head, her eyes glinting with calculation. “Alpha, if I may… Ivey is stubborn. Waiting will only test your patience. I remember she’s terrified of rodents. Perhaps we could… encourage her submission by introducing some snakes and rats into her cell. Fear might break her spirit faster.”

I hovered nearby, my heart heavy with bitter amusement. How could I admit to anything now? Rodents and snakes were terrifying, but I was already gone. Yet, inexplicably, Jayce seemed restless that night. I watched as he took Everlee with a desperation that bordered on madness, his breaths ragged, his movements frantic.

He must truly care for her.

In the past, when our bond was still strong, he’d once pressed me against the wall, his desire palpable. But he’d stopped himself, his voice rough with restraint. “Your family values their reputation too much. I won’t tarnish it. We have time.”

We had time. Or so we thought. Now, I was dead, and he was here, entangled with Everlee, his mate bond with me shattered beyond repair. He believed I’d chosen Alan, that I’d betrayed him for the title of Luna. But the truth was, my heart had always been his.

Jayce, it was only ever you.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of crates filled with snakes, rats, and insects being brought to my confinement. The sight made my stomach churn. Would he really toss them into my resting place, letting them gnaw at my lifeless body? It didn’t matter anymore. I was already gone. What happened to my body was irrelevant.

Still, I felt a cold shiver as Jayce ordered a small hole to be drilled into the door of my confinement. One by one, the creatures were thrown inside. Rats scurried, snakes hissed, and cockroaches crawled over me, their tiny legs brushing against my skin. But Jayce didn’t step closer to look. He simply asked again, his voice sharp with authority. “Ivey, do you admit your mistakes? If you do, scream three times, ‘Ivey Nelson, I’ve wronged Jayce Garcia. I’m a traitor, and I beg for his mercy.’”

Everlee stood beside him, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “When I visited yesterday, she was still knocking, trying to get out. But now… she’s silent. Perhaps she’s too proud to even respond.”

Jayce laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. “Fine. If she wants to play stubborn, let her. I’ll give her half an hour. If she doesn’t admit her mistakes by then, she’ll stay there forever, rotting with those filthy creatures.”

But Jayce, my Alpha, I’m already dead. My mouth is filled with ants. How can I speak?