When I was nineteen, during a scorching summer, I left everything behind to run away with Amazon. Through tears, the young Beta of the Blue Moon Pack promised he’d never let me down. Seven years later, in the heart of winter, I was diagnosed with a rare illness while Amazon celebrated Vienna’s birthday, his childhood friend and a Delta in the pack.

Leaving the pack’s healing center, I stepped into the season’s first snowfall, clutching the thin paper with my diagnosis in one hand and my phone in the other, debating whether to call Amazon. Our last conversation was still on the screen, dated a week ago. After Vienna returned from a neighboring pack’s territory, we had a big argument and had been giving each other the silent treatment. He barely came home anymore, his duties as Beta seemingly overshadowing everything else. Staring at my empty contact list, I realized I had no one to turn to. The healer’s words echoed in my mind—I had only a few months left to live.

After a long pause, I dialed Amazon’s number. The phone rang endlessly; unsurprisingly, no one picked up. Cold wind mixed with snowflakes hit my face, chilling me to the bone. I quickly pulled out a scarf to wrap around my neck. Maybe it was psychological, but ever since I got sick, I was much more sensitive to the cold. The scarf was a simple white one, with a cute little teddy bear carefully stitched at the end. Amazon had knitted it himself as a special gift for my eighteenth birthday. That winter, it was all the rage in our pack for mates to knit scarves for each other. I was hopeless with my hands, my fingers pricked red with every attempt. Amazon, worried, wouldn’t let me continue knitting. But on my birthday, he wrapped his own handmade scarf around my neck, marking it as a symbol of our mate bond.

The warmth from the scarf surrounded my neck, and suddenly, I felt an intense longing to see him. My wolf stirred within me, a quiet whimper of pain that I quickly silenced. I didn’t need her reminding me of the bond that still tied us together, even as it frayed at the edges.

I glanced back at the healing center, where Ashton, the pack’s Gamma, had been overseeing my treatment. His broad frame stood out even from a distance, his protective aura unmistakable. He had been a constant presence since my diagnosis, offering support in ways Amazon no longer did. But I couldn’t bring myself to burden him further. Not now.

The snow continued to fall, blanketing the pack territory in a soft white silence. I tightened the scarf around my neck, the familiar scent of Amazon—sandalwood and pine—lingering faintly on the fabric. It was a scent that had once brought me comfort, a reminder of the mate bond we had sworn to uphold. But now, it only deepened the ache in my chest.

I turned away from the healing center and began walking, my boots crunching against the snow. The path led toward the heart of the pack territory, where the grand hall stood as a testament to our hierarchy. I avoided it, knowing that inside, Amazon was likely celebrating with Vienna and the others, his role as Beta demanding his presence. The thought twisted something inside me, but I pushed it down, focusing instead on the quiet of the winter night.

As I walked, I couldn’t help but think of the life we had once dreamed of—the life we had promised each other when we were young and foolishly in love. The life that now felt like a distant memory, buried beneath the weight of his duties and my illness. The scarf around my neck was the only tangible reminder of what we had once been, and even that felt fragile, like it might unravel at any moment.

I stopped at the edge of the forest, where the trees stretched tall and dark against the snowy sky. Somewhere in the distance, I heard the faint howl of a wolf, a sound that once would have stirred my heart. Now, it only reminded me of what I had lost—and what I was about to lose.

My wolf stirred again, a soft, pleading whine that I ignored. I didn’t need her to tell me what I already knew. The bond between us was still there, a thread of connection that refused to break, even as it grew weaker with every passing day.

I wrapped the scarf tighter around me, the warmth of it a small comfort in the cold. And for a moment, I let myself imagine that Amazon was still the young Beta who had promised me the moon and stars. That he was still the mate who had vowed never to let me down.

But the snow kept falling, and the howl in the distance faded into silence. And I knew, deep down, that the life we had once dreamed of was gone, buried beneath the weight of our choices and the relentless march of time.

Amazon’s office was near the pack’s private healing center, where I had been undergoing treatment. When I arrived, it was late afternoon, but the building was eerily quiet, with no one at the reception desk. The elevator took me to the top floor, directly to the Beta’s office.

The usual stark, utilitarian decor of the pack’s headquarters had been transformed with pastel balloons and flower petals. Strings of multicolored fairy lights hung everywhere. Pack members gathered, cheering, with Amazon and Vienna at the center, both smiling. Vienna wore a pink, Victorian-style dress topped with a hat shaped like a birthday cake, beaming with joy. They looked so perfect together, like a fairy-tale prince and princess from the Lycan Kingdom.

Vienna glanced up and noticed me, then looked at Amazon, her expression one of surprise. I stepped inside, breaking the celebratory atmosphere like an uninvited guest.

“Happy birthday, Vienna,” I said, my voice steady despite the tightness in my chest. Then I turned to Amazon. “Why didn’t you tell me it was Vienna’s birthday? I didn’t bring a gift.”

Before Amazon could respond, Vienna spoke up, her voice sweet and light, as she pulled out a pink scarf adorned with little teddy bears from behind her back.

“No need, Luna,” she said, her smile widening. “The Beta already gave me the best birthday present.”

I looked at the scarf, which was identical to the one around my neck, except for the color.

A chill swept over me, and I gazed at Amazon, a sense of melancholy settling in my chest. But Amazon merely gave Vienna a resigned smile.

“Don’t be upset, Mikayla,” he said, his tone dismissive. “Vienna saw your scarf last time and found out that I had knitted it, so she begged me for a long time.”

“I figured her birthday was coming up, so I made it for her.”

Vienna looked at me with wide, innocent eyes, the scarf clutched in her hands.

“Luna, you won’t be angry, right? I just thought this scarf suited me so well.” She wrapped the scarf around her neck, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Amazon.

Suppressing the nausea swirling in my stomach, I forced a smile. “Why would I be angry?”

I yanked the scarf from my neck, the fabric leaving a faint red mark, and casually walked over to Amazon. Carefully, I draped the scarf around his neck.

I then smiled at him, my voice soft but laced with bitterness. “See? You both wearing it together looks just right.”

Amazon frowned, his expression disapproving, and removed the scarf, handing it back to me.

“Mikayla, don’t make a scene. It’s Vienna’s birthday.”

I didn’t reach out to take it. It wasn’t special anymore, just like me.

With a steady gaze, I looked at Amazon, my voice calm but final. “I’m not making a scene, Beta. Congratulations to you both for a lifetime of happiness together.”

Without waiting for his response, I turned and left.

Funny, even though the first snowfall had stopped, I felt colder than ever. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a quiet echo of the pain I refused to let surface. The scarf around my neck had once been a symbol of our mate bond, a promise of forever. Now, it felt like nothing more than a frayed piece of fabric, as fragile and fleeting as the happiness we had once shared.

When Amazon returned to our den that evening, he brought me a necklace. It was the latest design from a high-end brand, expensive and elegant, but not my style. There was a lingering scent of spiced honey cake clinging to him, sickly-sweet and unfamiliar.

"Don't be upset, my Luna," he said, his voice soft but insistent. "I've only ever thought of Vienna as a sister."

Amazon had grown up in the pack’s orphanage, and Vienna’s mother had been its caretaker. They’d been inseparable until Vienna’s father took her abroad when she was fifteen. Now, she was back, a Delta in the Blue Moon Pack, and Amazon’s childhood bond with her seemed to have only deepened.

"Mikayla, you’re my mate," he said, pulling me into a hug from behind. His warm chest pressed against my back, his alpha aura wrapping around me like a blanket. "You’re the one I’m bound to. Please, believe me, won’t you?"

So many times, I had believed him without hesitation. But now, I paused. The weight of his words felt hollow, as if the mate bond between us had been stretched thin, frayed by secrets and silences.

I took the necklace from him and went to wash up, saying nothing. When I returned, I found Amazon lounging on the couch, looking at ease as he chatted on the phone.

"You women just get each other, Vienna," he said, his voice light and amused. "The Luna really didn’t get upset."

"Yeah, Mikayla is amazing in every way," he continued, "just a bit prone to jealousy. Go easy on her."

I stood frozen, listening to their conversation. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms until they went pale. When had things between us changed like this? When had our relationship become a game of deception, where my feelings were dismissed as mere jealousy?

I didn’t know the answer. I glanced at the necklace resting on the vanity, its silver chain gleaming under the soft light of the den. Without a second thought, I walked over and tossed it into the trash.

That night, my stomach ached, the pain sharp and unrelenting. I lay in bed, trying to stifle my groans as Amazon’s steady breathing filled the room. From the corner of my eye, I saw something gleaming in the darkness. The necklace lay in the trash, its faint silver light mocking me, just like my silent tears.

My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of pain and betrayal echoing in the depths of my mind. *He doesn’t see it,* she whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow. *He doesn’t see what he’s doing to you.*

I closed my eyes, letting the tears fall. The mate bond between us, once a source of strength and unity, now felt like a chain, binding me to a man who no longer saw me as his equal. And in the silence of the night, I wondered how much longer I could bear it.