Seven days into our mate bond, Chandler Freeman, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, was suddenly diagnosed with a terminal illness.

He claimed he was part of some bizarre system that required him to complete certain tasks to stay alive, including winning over Esme Burke, a Delta in our pack. He brought Esme into our den and insisted I wash their sheets as part of this so-called system's demands. For his sake, I chose to endure.

But his tasks grew increasingly outrageous. He took my competition sketches and handed them to Esme. She won a prestigious award with my work, while I was accused of plagiarism. He even forced me to kneel and apologize to Esme at the award ceremony.

"Luna," he said, using my title to remind me of my duty, "is my life worth less than a painting?"

I yielded again. At the apology event, Esme's fervent admirers attacked me, breaking my fingers so I could never paint again. Chandler cried, promising to treat me better in the future.

But then I overheard him talking to his Beta.

"Luna Harmony's hands are wrecked now. If she knew you don’t actually have a terminal illness, she’d lose it," his Beta said.

"Was it really necessary to ruin her for Esme’s gold award?" Chandler's voice dripped with disdain.

"Absolutely. Only by destroying Luna Harmony can Esme’s path to fame be made clear," Chandler replied nonchalantly. "As for Harmony, she loves me so much that even if she found out, she'd just be relieved I'm not sick. I could charm her, and she'd be putty in my hands."

My heart broke. I wiped my tears and walked away. Chandler Freeman, I don’t love you anymore.

The pain in my fingers gripped the doorknob, reminding me of everything I had just heard. I staggered backward in disbelief, peering through the crack in the door at Chandler's dismissive expression, my chest tightening painfully. No illness, no system—Chandler had been deceiving me from the start, exploiting my feelings for him. And I had trusted him.

Suddenly, Chandler opened the door. He was momentarily shocked to see me but quickly gave the same reassuring smile he always did and stretched his hand toward me.

"Luna, did you get the right kind? It needs to be strawberry-flavored and ribbed, or else the system will penalize me."

I looked at him with disappointment, searching for one last chance.

"Alpha, can't you stop these tasks?"

His smile faded. "Luna, do you want me to die?"

I moved my lips, my throat tight. Since I believed Chandler had a terminal illness and this system, he and Esme had been indulging shamelessly. Using the system’s tasks as an excuse, they entwined themselves everywhere from the living room to our den, day and night.

Occasionally, when they remembered I existed, they would ask me to buy condoms or clean their dirty sheets. I endured the heartbreak, watching my mate possessed by someone else, meekly asking Chandler if his condition had improved after all I did for him. But, flushed and marked with Esme's love bites, he would casually reply, "Not enough yet, Luna. Next time, get strawberry. Bring them back when you shop."

I was a complete fool. Broken, I turned to leave, but then I saw Esme smirking at me. She held a steaming cup of coffee, her gaze shifting past me to Chandler.

"Alpha, I brought you some coffee..."

She bumped into me, and when I tried to step aside, my wrist was pulled into the hot cup, scalding my hand. Chandler pushed me away, holding Esme's hand tenderly while glaring at me.

"Luna Harmony! You knew Esme was preparing for the exhibit, and you couldn’t even move aside when she was holding hot coffee? If anything happens to her hand, I won't forgive you!"

Esme feigned sympathy, softly saying, "It's okay, Alpha. Luna Harmony wouldn’t do that intentionally."

Then she looked at me, sighing softly. "Luna, I understand you don't like me being with Alpha Chandler. But you can't ruin my painting. It’s for tomorrow’s exhibition, and now with my hand hurt, I can’t create another one in time."

Hearing her consider giving up, Chandler immediately objected, anxious. "No! Esme, you’ve waited so long for this shot. You can't back out now!"

"It's just a painting. I'll think of something." Chandler's gaze fixed on me, and I cradled my scalded hand, a sinking feeling rising within me.

"Luna, weren’t you preparing for this exhibition too?" Chandler continued. "Since you caused Esme’s injury, make it up by giving her your painting."

He spoke with such self-assurance; I trembled with rage and refused. "Alpha, you know how important this exhibition is for me. I can't give it to her."

Chandler smirked, confident. "If you don't, I'll expose that ivy-covered gazebo piece. Do you care enough to stop me?"

My eyes widened in disbelief. The gazebo was my first piece, drawn for Chandler when he was eighteen—a testament to our love. He swore to cherish it forever, and now it was a bargaining chip.

"Fine." I forced a bitter smile and looked at him steadily. "The gazebo was always for you; you can do as you please with it."

Ignoring his stunned expression, I turned to leave and called my mentor overseas.

"Professor, I’ve decided to accept your offer. When do we start?"

My mentor sounded thrilled. "Flight in three days. I’m glad you’ve decided, but has your Alpha agreed?"

I glanced back at Chandler. He was consumed with Esme—there was no room left for me.

Without looking back, I stepped out of our den. "We're preparing for a rejection."

The next morning, the roads were clogged with traffic as I made my way to the pack’s art exhibit. By the time I arrived, a crowd of pack members had already gathered around Chandler and Esme, their murmurs blending into a low hum of anticipation.

With a practiced smile, Chandler linked arms with Esme, his Alpha aura radiating confidence as he addressed the onlookers. “Yes, this painting was created by Esme for me. It’s a symbol of our journey into the vast universe.”

My steps faltered as I turned to look. The painting displayed next to Esme wasn’t the autumn landscape she’d promised—it was *Star Path*, the piece I had completed just two days ago. My heart slammed against my ribs, and a deafening buzz filled my mind. How could this be happening?

Ignoring the curious glances of the pack members, I pushed through the crowd, my hands trembling as I faced Chandler. “Why?” My voice was barely above a whisper, but it carried the weight of my shock. “Why does she have *Star Path*?”

Chandler’s lips pressed into a thin line, discomfort flickering across his features before he straightened, his Alpha tone cutting through the air. “If Esme’s work isn’t here, would it be with you? Harmony, you’re always trying to claim Esme’s paintings as your own, aren’t you?”

His words were met with a ripple of whispers from the pack members, their eyes shifting between me and Esme with growing suspicion.

“Isn’t that Alpha Chandler’s mate? Didn’t she get accused of copying recently?” one voice murmured.

“Seems so,” another replied. “She even took credit for one of Esme’s works last time. How shameless.”

With Chandler standing firmly beside Esme, my protests felt hollow, futile. “No, *Star Path* is mine. It bears my signature—”

“Harmony!” Chandler’s voice was sharp, his Alpha tone silencing me instantly. His expression twisted with disdain. “With your hands nearly ruined, how could you hold a brush? Stop lying to yourself before you deceive others!”

The pain in my chest was suffocating, as though my heart were being slowly torn apart. This was his way of manipulating me, forcing me into submission, into admitting to plagiarism I hadn’t committed. Esme’s fans had once crushed my fingers, leaving lasting damage. Chandler had promised to find the best healer for me, but he’d delayed until my discharge, disappearing entirely.

Back then, he’d still pretended to care, shedding crocodile tears for me.

“Harmony, I need to ensure Esme’s career is prosperous, so I can secure her loyalty to the pack.”

“Harmony, you don’t want me to suffer, do you?”

He’d looked at me with pleading eyes, full of fake tears, and I’d been fooled by them, believing him time and again. But to think he’d even try to take *Star Path* from me.

My face paled as I almost pleaded, “Chandler, you know what *Star Path* means to me. It’s my—”

“Enough.” His voice was cold, his Alpha tone brooking no argument. He effortlessly twisted the truth, his words slicing through me like a blade. “I know you want to sever our mate bond, and that’s why you keep creating trouble for Esme. I’ll sign the rejection papers, but I have one condition.”

He paused, his gaze locking onto mine, unyielding. “Stop claiming Esme’s work as your own.”

The weight of his words crushed me, and I nodded numbly, too overwhelmed to fight back. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, and for a moment, it seemed he wanted to say something more.

But then, a tremendous crash shattered the air. The massive glass wall beside us exploded, shards raining down as the pack members screamed in panic. Instinctively, I reached for Chandler, only to see him pull Esme into his arms, shielding her protectively.

The chandelier above us swayed dangerously before crashing down. I hit the floor, pain searing through my body as blood blurred my vision. Through the chaos, I thought I saw Chandler take a step toward me, but when Esme let out a soft cry over a shallow cut on her finger, he turned away without a second glance.

I woke up two days later, my forehead wrapped in a thick bandage. The sterile scent of the infirmary filled my nose, and the soft hum of pack healers moving about reached my ears. According to Keilani, the Healer tending to me, the scene had been chaotic. Witnesses had called for immediate help, and I was the one most severely hurt.

"Oh, you’re awake," Esme Burke’s voice drifted in from the doorway, her tone dripping with mock sweetness.

"Don’t bother looking around, Alpha Chandler isn’t here," she said, stepping into the room with a predatory grace. Her eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she gazed down at me, her lips curling into a cruel smile.

"Thanks to your 'Star Path,' Thatcher Gomez, the renowned Alpha in the art world, has decided to take me on as his protégé," she said, her voice laced with triumph. She glanced at my bandaged head and chuckled, the sound cold and cutting.

"Does it hurt a lot? I wonder if it’s worse than when your sister was being bullied? Which one stings more, I wonder?"

"That brainless fool, always grinning stupidly even when being hit. Perhaps it’s better she’s gone, don’t you think?"

My chest tightened, a sharp pain slicing through me. Esme tossed a piece of paper onto the bed, her movements careless, as if she were discarding trash.

"When you have a moment, go see her. Leave some flowers, wish her peace."

My hands trembled as I reached for the paper, my fingers brushing against the cool surface. I unfolded it slowly, my vision blurring as I read the address. It led to a cemetery.

My breath hitched, and my wolf stirred within me, a low growl of anguish rising in my mind. I turned to Esme, my rage boiling over, and in one swift motion, I grabbed her by the collar, slamming her against the wall.

"What did you do to her?" I demanded, my voice trembling with fury.

Esme didn’t flinch. Her smile only widened, her eyes glinting with malice as she spoke, her voice light, almost amused.

"She’s dead."

"A dim-witted fool like her couldn’t survive long in a care center."

"The photos and videos you received every month were taken ahead of time. With me around, Alpha Chandler had no time to visit some idiot."

"But we did go through a lot of trouble to select this burial plot... no need to thank us."

My vision blurred with tears, but I didn’t let go. My wolf snarled in my mind, urging me to tear her apart, to make her pay. I slammed her against the wall again, my voice a raw growl.

"What did you do to her?"

Before Esme could answer, a sharp voice cut through the room.

"Harmony Freeman! Are you out of your mind?"

Chandler stood in the doorway, his presence commanding, his dark eyes blazing with anger. His aura, that oppressive force that came with being an Alpha, filled the room, making it hard to breathe. He strode forward, his expression a mix of shock and fury.

"Let her go! Do you want to be cast out of the pack?"

His words barely registered. My grip on Esme tightened, my wolf howling in my mind, demanding justice. But before I could react further, Chandler’s hand shot out, his grip like iron as he yanked me away from Esme. His other hand swung, and the heavy bag he carried struck my forehead with a sickening thud.

I stumbled back, pain exploding in my head, but I didn’t fall. My wolf growled, a deep, guttural sound that echoed in my chest, but Chandler’s alpha tone cut through it like a knife.

"Enough!"

His voice was a command, one I couldn’t ignore. My body froze, the weight of his authority pressing down on me. The pack guards moved in, pinning me to the floor, their hands rough against my skin.

Chandler loomed over me, his expression cold, his voice bitter as he spoke.

"Harmony, I didn’t want it to come to this, but when have you ever cared about my illness?"

His words cut deeper than any physical pain. My wolf whimpered in my mind, the bond between us trembling with the weight of his betrayal. I looked up at him, my eyes burning with tears, my voice a ragged whisper.

"Alpha Chandler, you’d better really have cancer."

For a moment, he hesitated, his eyes flickering with something—uncertainty, perhaps, or guilt. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by a cold, hard disgust.

"Harmony, do you think I would joke about my life? It’s you who doesn’t trust me, who wants to stop me from living."

"And what about Avianna? Did she interfere with your plans?"

The mention of my sister tore through me, and my wolf howled in anguish. My voice rose, sharp and filled with pain.

"She didn’t understand much, but she knew you were a brother who loved her!"

"You said you’d arrange for Avianna to attend the best special needs school. Why did she end up dying from bullying in a care center?"

"No wonder you always found excuses to prevent me from going abroad to see Avianna. Now it all makes sense."

My voice broke, the weight of his betrayal crushing me. My wolf growled, a low, mournful sound, as I stared up at Chandler, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces.