Reina Lawson’s marking ceremony with Alpha Dean Willis of the Silver Moon Pack was scheduled for the third of next month. The event was meant to be modest, a quiet affirmation of their mate bond without the pomp and spectacle often associated with such rituals. Reina had never mentioned her illness to Dean—a rare, incurable wolf-borne disease that left her with roughly six months to live. She also hadn’t told him that she had no intention of actually going through with the ceremony.

Reina could accept many things about Dean—his commanding presence as Alpha, his strength, his dedication to the pack—but his betrayal was something she couldn’t stomach. The thought of him embracing another woman, kissing her face, and searching for traces of a younger Reina in her made her insides churn with disgust. It was a violation of the mate bond, a sacred connection bestowed by the Moon Goddess, and it cut deeper than any physical wound.

Reina had been with Dean since her awakening at eighteen, their relationship spanning a decade. In the grand scheme of her life, which was now measured in months rather than years, she’d spent a significant portion of it on him. But in the time she had left, she wanted to reclaim herself, to live for something other than the expectations of a mate bond she no longer believed in.

She had booked a flight for a trip abroad, a journey to explore the world she loved but had never truly experienced while she still had the strength. Coincidentally, her departure was scheduled for the same day as the marking ceremony. As Reina packed her suitcase, she replaced the formal gowns she’d once imagined wearing for the ceremony with comfortable sundresses, practical for the adventures she planned. Instead of the elaborate feasts she’d once envisioned, she packed trays of spiced honey cake, perfect for sharing with fellow travelers she might meet along the way.

Her itinerary was filled with dreams she’d long postponed—visiting quaint cafes in quiet European towns, sipping coffee as the world passed by, hiking the stunning Alps, and losing herself in the pages of a book in cozy corners of bustling cafes reminiscent of those she’d read about in English novels. Through WhatsApp, she sent farewell messages to her friends, ensuring her memories were shared and cherished, even as her time dwindled.

Reina’s plan was simple yet daring: to leave behind the life she’d known, the mate bond she’d once cherished, and the man who had broken it. She would donate Dean’s fortune, a final act of defiance against the betrayal that had shattered her trust. Her flight, scheduled for the morning of the ceremony, would take her far from the Silver Moon Pack, far from the whispers and expectations that had defined her life for so long.

As she zipped up her suitcase, Reina glanced at the photo of her grandmother, Leighton, resting in the pack’s sacred burial ground. She had visited the grave the day before, speaking to the stone marker as if her grandmother could hear her. “I’ll be with you soon,” she had whispered, her voice trembling with both grief and resolve. “But first, I need to live.”

Whiskers, the stray wolf she’d taken in, nudged her leg, its usual aloofness replaced by an uncharacteristic tenderness. It was as if the creature sensed her imminent departure. Reina knelt, scratching behind its ears, her heart heavy but determined. She would leave this life behind, not with regret, but with the quiet strength of someone who had chosen to reclaim her own story, even in the face of the end.

Early in the morning, Reina Lawson ticked off another square on her calendar. Only ten days remained before she would leave the country. The faint scent of rosemary—Dean’s mate scent—still lingered in the air, a cruel reminder of the bond she was about to sever.

The creaking of the door behind her drew her attention. Alpha Dean Willis stepped inside, shaking off the snow from his jacket before approaching to embrace her. He still hadn’t warmed up to her short hair, a stark contrast to the long, flowing locks he’d once admired.

His eyes were drawn to the calendar, particularly to the heavily marked third day of the upcoming month—the day of their marking ceremony. Dean chuckled softly, playfully pinching her cheek. "Can’t wait to make you my Luna, huh?" he joked, his alpha tone softening into something almost affectionate.

He counted aloud, "Just ten days left."

Dean nestled his face against her neck, his warmth a sharp contrast to the cold air outside. "Maybe we should take some time in the next few days to dye your hair back to black and add some extensions?" he suggested, his voice carrying the subtle command of an Alpha. "You’ll look breathtaking on our marking day."

"No need," Reina replied, her expression unchanged, her gaze fixed on the calendar. "There’s not much time left."

Dean fell silent for a moment, his dominant aura flickering with uncertainty. "Right," he finally said, pulling back.

He grabbed his coat from the chair, his movements brisk. "There’s plenty to sort out for the ceremony. The Crimson Fang Pack’s warriors caused some trouble at our borders yesterday, so I’ll be caught up for a while. I won’t be back anytime soon."

As he spoke, he observed her, his piercing gaze searching for a reaction. Waiting for her to change her mind, to agree, to say, *Okay, Alpha, let’s go dye my hair, let’s extend it again.*

But she simply returned his gaze, her own resolve unwavering. The mate bond between them felt like a weight in her chest, a connection she was ready to break.

"Go ahead," she said. "After all, we only have ten days left."

Dean said nothing, his jaw tightening as he turned and slipped into the night, his broad frame disappearing into the darkness without a backward glance.

With just seven days left until the marking ceremony, Reina Lawson found herself in a tattoo parlor on the edge of the pack’s territory. The shop owner, Adelina Henderson, appeared to be in her thirties, well-kept but with a gaze that spoke of life’s challenges. She glanced at Reina and asked, "What do you want removed?"

Reina rolled up her sleeve, pointing to the "DW" on her wrist, then revealed the lily under her collarbone. "Get rid of them both," she said.

Adelina gave her a knowing look, "It'll hurt to remove them, and you might end up with scars."

Reina smiled, "I'm not worried."

Pain was the last thing Reina feared right now. As for scars—her body already carried so many, a couple more wouldn’t matter. Besides, in six months, this body might become nothing more than ashes.

"Breakup?" Adelina asked nonchalantly.

Reina chuckled, "Almost. In seven days."

Adelina shook her head, "Quite the ritual, a countdown to a breakup?"

Perhaps it was the quiet of the shop or the unexpected camaraderie she sensed with Adelina, but Reina found herself sharing her past.

Back when Dean Willis, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, was pursuing her, she had set a challenge: three hundred days. If he could last, she promised to be with him. Every morning, Dean would show up, counting down the days. "Countdown: 179 days," he'd say. "Reina, in 96 days, you'll my mate." "Just one more day, almost mate."

The same Alpha who fought for her heart over those three hundred days slowly became indifferent over the next decade.

As Reina and Adelina bonded while the tattoos were being removed, Reina shared their significance. The "DW" on her wrist was inked after she'd been with Dean for a year. She had been kidnapped by rogues from a rival pack as leverage. Dean, despite knowing it was a trap, had shifted into his wolf form and rushed to save her, nearly losing his life in the process. After his release from the pack’s healing center, Reina tattooed his initials on her wrist, a pledge to him. She naïvely thought she was committed to Dean forever.

But when she showed Dean her still-red wrist later that night, he looked surprised rather than appreciative. He frowned, asked why she'd do such a thing and whether it hurt. In the end, he hugged her and said, "Don’t do it again; I don't like it. I don't want you to hurt yourself. You're perfect just as you are, Reina. I love the pure, untouched Reina."

In her youth, she misread his words as affection. She didn't see then that Dean was expressing his true feelings.

The lily on her chest was inked when Dean promised to mark her by age twenty-eight. He adored lilies for their pure white beauty, so Reina had it inked over her heart, waiting for Dean's marking ceremony.

Now, as Dean finally scheduled the ceremony for when she was twenty-eight, he was preparing for a marking just days away, while she was planning her exit. Even though her body was weary from the rare wolf-borne disease slowly claiming her life, she didn't want to leave with any memory of him.

Pointing to the other side of her collarbone, Reina told Adelina, "Let's tattoo a rose here."

Dean loved lilies, but Reina preferred roses. He wanted her to be pure and flawless, but for the remaining days of her life, she wanted to be like the proud rose scaling lofty walls. She wanted to be herself, not the mate Dean thought she should be.