For years, I’ve meticulously orchestrated a plan for Francisco to sever his bond with Arielle and choose me as his mate. She has no idea that my private practice, set up within the pack’s territory, was designed with her as the primary target. My ultimate ambition has always been to stand beside Francisco as his Luna, to claim the position I’ve long believed I deserved.

The scars on Arielle’s body are impossible to ignore, but the horror I witnessed seven years ago was far worse. That young she-wolf, whose name I still whisper in my darkest thoughts, endured a nightmare that defies description. Her internal organs were severely damaged, and she vomited copious amounts of blood. Despite the healers’ best efforts, she survived the initial treatment but at a tremendous cost—part of her intestine was removed, leaving a hideous scar across her abdomen like a monstrous centipede. Her entire body was a map of pain and suffering.

Her arm bore severe burns, a result of that monster’s cruelty when he lit a fire to see if high-proof whiskey would burn. The scars tormented her with relentless pain until her final breath. Francisco was in exile when she passed. Though the healers saved her life, her internal injuries were so profound that she only managed to survive for three more years.

At her funeral, Francisco’s family sent a grand wreath with a mocking congratulatory message. Despite her efforts, the harshest punishment she managed was getting Francisco exiled for nine years, because they were mates, and she survived the assault. Francisco was released after six years. His first act upon returning was to visit her grave and kick it repeatedly, sneering, “Stupid cow, you dared die before me. I said when I got back, I’d make you pay! Made me rot in exile. Serves you right.”

The second thing he did was enter a forced bond with Arielle, orchestrated by his family. Arielle told me Francisco had changed his name, and after so many years, who would remember what he had done? With all the focus on the victim, nobody remembered the perpetrator. Francisco’s family, wealthy and influential within the pack, expertly concealed his past, and Arielle’s family, unaware of the monster she was binding herself to, agreed to the union.

The abuse began almost immediately—escalating from slaps to brutal assaults with tables, chairs, and even the hilt of a ceremonial dagger. She pleaded with Francisco’s parents for help, but they defended him, while Francisco punished her more severely for daring to complain. No wonder, with parents like his, he turned out this way.

Arielle tried seeking aid from her own parents, but Francisco would grab her by the throat and mock, “Sure, bring them over, and I’ll beat them too. Is your sister still in training? Didn’t she visit us last Moon Festival?”

Arielle said the most despairing moment was when she sought the council’s intervention. But when the enforcers arrived, it was Francisco’s childhood friend, Zeke, who responded. Everyone advised reconciliation over severing the bond, prioritizing the preservation of pack harmony over her suffering.

Following that incident, Francisco knocked out two of Arielle’s teeth and broke one of her legs, claiming she had defamed him, then later saying she fell during a pack run. She attempted to flee, but even when she escaped to another pack’s territory, Francisco would somehow track her down. Once he found her, he made her life a living hell, declaring, “As long as you’re my mate, you’ll never escape me.”

Fortunately, Arielle was smarter than the young she-wolf I mentioned earlier. She found me. My practice specializes in navigating the complexities of broken bonds and severed ties within the pack, and I knew exactly how to handle Francisco.

Even though Francisco and I quickly confirmed our mate bond with a marking ceremony, his parents barred me from entering their den, claiming I wasn’t worthy of their attention. They didn’t even acknowledge Francisco’s infidelity as a problem. Mikael, the former Alpha, glared at me with contempt, while Kamari, the former Luna, rolled her eyes and lobbed insults in my direction.

“Look at how your standards have slipped,” Kamari chastised Francisco, her tone sharp and condescending. “We found you Arielle—a she-wolf from a respectable family, and everyone thought your bond was solid for over a year—and you left her for this… this siren!”

I chuckled to myself. The she-wolf they picked for Francisco was someone they could easily manipulate. Arielle, with no powerful lineage to back her, was easy prey for them. They knew what kind of male their son was. When Arielle pleaded for their help, Mikael and Kamari merely advised Francisco, “Be careful where you strike her; don’t leave visible marks. It wouldn’t look good if the pack found out.”

These hypocrites were far from innocent bystanders; they were complicit. Francisco boasted that even if he stirred up trouble, his parents would have his back. And they did. Even during the council hearings, they sent ominous messages to the victims: “If you don’t accept the settlement, we won’t spare you. We’ll ruin your entire family.”

Under Mikael and Kamari’s false concern, I portrayed a demure and obedient demeanor. Francisco quickly defended us, “Mother, Father, Leila and I are genuinely fated. I’ve visited her family; her parents are ordinary pack members, but Leila is their only daughter. She’s exceptional and has lived in other territories, with more progressive views; she doesn’t mind that I’ve been marked before.”

Mikael’s eyes showed a hint of calculation, while Kamari couldn’t hide her disdain, letting out a contemptuous snort. “She looks suitable enough; at least she won’t embarrass you. But there won’t be a public mating ceremony. Marking her with no ceremony isn’t being modern; it’s being reckless.”

With loving, tearful eyes, I looked at Francisco, “I understand my entrance wasn’t dazzling. I just love you so much. Maybe we should heed Mother’s advice and not have a ceremony to avoid ridicule.”

Francisco’s expression shifted, his Alpha aura flaring slightly. “Who would dare ridicule me? We’re going to have an extravagant ceremony. Arielle’s was low-key because we’d just moved out—no, because Mother and Father orchestrated it. But I want a grand ceremony. I’ve been marked before, but for Leila, it’s her first bond; she shouldn’t have to compromise. Besides, she’s pregnant…”

Of course, I needed a ceremony, to legitimize my place and ensure the entire pack knew I was his Luna. Hearing that, Mikael and Kamari’s faces shifted. Mikael, always looking down his nose at me, glanced at my belly. The real reason they wanted Francisco to mark quickly was because he hadn’t sired a pup yet.

Arielle once confided in me that in the early stages of her pregnancy, Francisco beat her so severely that she bled profusely, only realizing then that she had miscarried. Kamari eyed my stomach with a sideways glance, her voice dripping with thinly veiled disdain, “Then have it quickly, before the bump shows.”

I clenched my fists, scorning them internally. Did the Roberts bloodline truly deserve to continue? My wolf stirred faintly in the back of my mind, a low growl of agreement. The Roberts family’s cruelty and entitlement were a stain on the pack, and I would make sure they paid for their sins—every last one of them.