In the fifth year of my sacred bond with Alpha Theodore Vaughn, I found out I was carrying our pup. The news hit me like a warm ray of sunlight.

I headed to the healer's clinic to set up my file, clutching the documents that marked me as Alpha Theodore's mate.

But when the nurse scanned my bonding certificate, her brow furrowed.

"This is fake," she said, her voice flat but not unkind. She tapped the parchment sharply. "The ink's faded unevenly. And the crest is backwards."

I froze, my heart stumbling. "Fake? That's impossible."

She didn't budge, just slid the paper back to me like it was tainted.

Desperate to prove her wrong, I drove to the pack's family court, my pulse hammering in my ears.

The clerk there delivered the same gut-punch verdict, her words slicing through me like a silver blade.

"Alpha Theodore is already bound," she said, glancing at her screen. "His mate is listed as Isabelle Hart."

Isabelle.

The name struck me like lightning, leaving my mind blank and my chest hollow. Isabelle-my half-sister, Alpha Theodore's first love. The she-wolf who'd abandoned him at their binding ceremony years ago. And now, somehow, she was his mate in the eyes of the pack's law.

I stumbled out of the family court, my legs heavy, my vision blurred, like I was a ghost drifting through a world that no longer made sense.

I barely noticed the taxi pulling up until I was inside, the dam breaking as silent tears streamed down my face.

Five years ago, I'd stepped into Isabelle's place to preserve our families' honor after she fled.

I became Alpha Theodore's mate, a substitute she-wolf bound to a wolf who barely looked at me.

At first, he was cold, distant, like a winter storm I couldn't thaw.

I poured my heart into caring for him-cooking his favorite meals, keeping his den spotless, learning his habits like they were my own.

Slowly, he softened.

He stopped growling when I adjusted his moonrise patrol routes, even when I swapped his favored midnight slot for dawn. He'd huff, but his ears would twitch with amusement as I babbled about silly lunar myths that only made sense to me. He let me handle the pack's moonblossom harvest logs-records so sensitive they'd never left his den before-a trust I held tighter than a sacred vow.

Over time, Alpha Theodore's warmth grew. He handed me a golden card with no spending limit, took me to every Michelin-starred restaurant in the town.

Once, when I craved honey-glazed chestnuts  from a shop across town at midnight, he drove through the night to get it, chuckling as he pinched my cheek. "Never met a she-wolf with such a sweet tooth, you little glutton."

I thought I'd finally reached him, melted the ice around his heart. I thought we were building something real.

Then, three months ago, Isabelle came back.

Afflicted with a slow-acting silver poisoning , she returned to our pack, her presence like a storm cloud over my fragile happiness.

That night, my father, Frederick Hart, called a family meeting. His face was stone as he laid out his decree.

"Your sister's got six months at most," he said, his voice unyielding. "Her greatest regret is not binding with Alpha Theodore. So, you'll step aside, Evelyn. Let her have her ceremony. When she's gone, Alpha Theodore will be yours again."

My stepmother, Lorraine, clasped her hands, pleading. "She's your blood, Evelyn. Just this once, make the sacrifice."

Isabelle sobbed, her voice breaking. "It's my final wish before I die. Please, let me have this."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My eyes burned, my voice raw as I snapped back, "You pushed me into this bond like a pawn to save face, and now you want Alpha Theodore to bind with her? What am I to you? I won't do it!"

My father ignored my cries, locking me in my room like a prisoner, vowing to keep me there until I agreed.

On the third day, I heard Alpha Theodore had smashed a vase in front of Frederick, his fury shaking the walls.

By the fifteenth day, news broke that he'd publicly declared, "Evelyn is my only mate."

On the thirties day, he froze all pack business with the Harts, forcing them to release me.

A month later, when the door to my room finally swung open, I ran to him, barefoot and breathless, throwing myself into his arms.

My eyes stung with gratitude for everything he'd done. But then he spoke, his voice rough with guilt.

"Evelyn, I'm sorry," he said, holding me tight.

"Your parents wouldn't budge. They begged on their knees, citing our families' history. I have to play along with Isabelle, just for show. But it's not real. You're my only mate."

My heart plummeted, each word a jagged wound.

But I swallowed my tears, touching his gaunt face. "You've done enough," I whispered, forcing a smile.

I watched as he placed a diamond ring on Isabelle's finger in a lavish binding ceremony, the pack cheering around them.

Afterward, he was still good to me-too good, like he was trying to make up for something. But he spent more and more time with Isabelle.

What started as short visits turned into nights he didn't come home.

When I confronted him, hurt and angry, he'd sigh, his patience thin but steady.

"It's not devotion, Clara. I'm merely standing by her side, easing the weight of her fading days."

I believed him

Until the truth slapped me hard enough to leave a mark.

The taxi stopped in front of pack office, and I forced myself to pull it together, my fake bonding certificate crumpled in my fist.

I marched to the top floor, ignoring the uneasy look on Alpha Theodore's secretary's face.

"Evelyn, you're here?" she stammered.

"Alpha Theodore's overseeing the moonlit patrol"

"I need to see him," I said, brushing past her.

I reached his office door, my hand on the knob, when I heard Isabelle's voice inside.

"Look me in the eyes, Alpha Theodore," she said, her tone sharp and intimate.

"Confess your breath doesn't catch when I'm near."

I stiffened, my fingers curling into fists as the image flashed through my mind-her palm sliding up his arm, nails grazing his bicep like a slow, deliberate caress. He let out a laugh, but it sounded forced, hollow. "You really think I'd let that happen?"

Isabelle laughed softly.

"You bound yourself to Evelyn in a fake ceremony just to wait for me. The second I came back, you made me your mate for real. And those things you wrote in your journal-how you let Evelyn take my place to make me jealous, to bring me back."

Her words cut off with a muffled gasp. I heard a scuffle, then Alpha Theodore's voice, raw and fierce. "Yes, I never let you go. So tell me, Isabelle, how are you going to make this right?"

The air left my lungs. My body went cold, like I'd been plunged into icy water. I remembered Alpha Theodore holding me just days ago, kissing my hair, promising,

"Lila was a mistake, Clara. You're the one who matters now."

What a joke. His "care" was nothing but lies.

Our bond-the one I'd poured my soul into-was fake from the start.

I closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to spill.

Hannah.

If this was Alpha Theodore's choice, then so be it.

I'd set him free to be with the she-wolf he truly loved. It was time to sever the bond and let them run together, as mates should.

With a trembling breath, I turned away from the door, my heart breaking but resolute. I'd walk away and never look back.

I stumbled into the elevator, my mind a fog of betrayal and heartbreak.

When I snapped out of it, the doors were opening to the basement level.

A young intern, all smiles and energy, approached me. "You're here for Isabelle's art exhibit, right? Follow me!"

It hit me then-I'd forgotten to press a floor.

Dazed, I let myself be led into the gallery, my feet moving like they had a mind of their own.

The intern chattered away, oblivious to the storm inside me. "This exhibit was funded by Alpha Theodore himself. It's going pack-wide next!"

My eyes landed on an watercolor painting, and my breath caught.

It was a wolf's bare back, muscles sharp and defined, a distinctive scar curling along his lower waist.

I'd traced that scar in the dark too many times to mistake it. That was Alpha Theodore.

Isabelle had painted him over and over, each canvas marked with dates that stabbed at my heart like claws.

May 19th: Alpha Theodore by the laundry room, his frame outlined by the soft glow of the overhead lamp, folding clothes with meticulous attention. That was the fifth day of my confinement, when I'd been refusing all sustenance in defiance, my vision blurring until I crumpled to the floor. He'd been sorting her dresses.

May 1st: A pair of strong hands folding an iris-embroidered silk nightgown, his bonding ring glinting coldly on his finger. That was the thirteenth day, when I'd sliced my wrist in desperation, blood soaking half my bedsheets. Meanwhile, he was tenderly arranging her clothes.

May 15th:

Alpha Theodore kneeling by a garden bench, tucking a blanket around someone's shoulders, their laughter drifting through the rain. That was the fourteenth day, when I lay chained to the wall, throat raw from screaming, fever spiking until I slipped into delirium. He was tending to Lila, wiping rain from her cheeks.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms, but the pain didn't register.

I couldn't bear to look anymore. I turned and walked out.

---

I booked an appointment to end my pregnancy a week from now, then headed to the old family den to collect my mother's keepsakes.

The moment I stepped inside, my father shoved a plane ticket into my hands.

"Lorraine and I talked it over," he said, his tone clipped. "We want Isabelle to spend her final days with Alpha Theodore, living as mates."

The ticket was for ten days out.

"Go on a trip, clear your head," he added, like it was a favor.

I gripped the ticket, my lips pressed tight.

I knew what this was-banishing me so Alpha Theodore and Isabelle could have their precious time alone, free of the she-wolf who'd been fool enough to believe in their bond.

"Evelyn, don't get the wrong idea," Lorraine chimed in, her eyes red with crocodile tears. "We just want Isabelle to go peacefully."

I cut her off, my voice flat. "I get it. I'll go."

Alpha Theodore? I was done with him. This family? I didn't need them either.

My father blinked, surprised I'd caved so quickly.

He probably thought he'd finally broken my spirit.

His tone softened.

"We're holding a farewell ceremony for Isabelle. Be there."

"Fine," I said.

I stiffened, my fingers curling into fists as the image flashed through my mind-her palm sliding up his arm, nails grazing his bicep like a slow, deliberate caress. He let out a laugh, but it sounded forced, hollow. "You really think I'd let that happen?"

Isabelle laughed softly.

"You bound yourself to Evelyn in a fake ceremony just to wait for me. The second I came back, you made me your mate for real. And those things you wrote in your journal-how you let Evelyn take my place to make me jealous, to bring me back."

Her words cut off with a muffled gasp. I heard a scuffle, then Alpha Theodore's voice, raw and fierce. "Yes, I never let you go. So tell me, Isabelle, how are you going to make this right?"

The air left my lungs. My body went cold, like I'd been plunged into icy water. I remembered Alpha Theodore holding me just days ago, kissing my hair, promising,

"Lila was a mistake, Clara. You're the one who matters now."

What a joke. His "care" was nothing but lies.

Our bond-the one I'd poured my soul into-was fake from the start.

I closed my eyes, fighting the tears that threatened to spill.

Hannah.

If this was Alpha Theodore's choice, then so be it.

I'd set him free to be with the she-wolf he truly loved. It was time to sever the bond and let them run together, as mates should.

With a trembling breath, I turned away from the door, my heart breaking but resolute. I'd walk away and never look back.

I stumbled into the elevator, my mind a fog of betrayal and heartbreak.

When I snapped out of it, the doors were opening to the basement level.

A young intern, all smiles and energy, approached me. "You're here for Isabelle's art exhibit, right? Follow me!"

It hit me then-I'd forgotten to press a floor.

Dazed, I let myself be led into the gallery, my feet moving like they had a mind of their own.

The intern chattered away, oblivious to the storm inside me. "This exhibit was funded by Alpha Theodore himself. It's going pack-wide next!"

My eyes landed on an watercolor painting, and my breath caught.

It was a wolf's bare back, muscles sharp and defined, a distinctive scar curling along his lower waist.

I'd traced that scar in the dark too many times to mistake it. That was Alpha Theodore.

Isabelle had painted him over and over, each canvas marked with dates that stabbed at my heart like claws.

May 19th: Alpha Theodore by the laundry room, his frame outlined by the soft glow of the overhead lamp, folding clothes with meticulous attention. That was the fifth day of my confinement, when I'd been refusing all sustenance in defiance, my vision blurring until I crumpled to the floor. He'd been sorting her dresses.

May 1st: A pair of strong hands folding an iris-embroidered silk nightgown, his bonding ring glinting coldly on his finger. That was the thirteenth day, when I'd sliced my wrist in desperation, blood soaking half my bedsheets. Meanwhile, he was tenderly arranging her clothes.

May 15th:

Alpha Theodore kneeling by a garden bench, tucking a blanket around someone's shoulders, their laughter drifting through the rain. That was the fourteenth day, when I lay chained to the wall, throat raw from screaming, fever spiking until I slipped into delirium. He was tending to Lila, wiping rain from her cheeks.

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms, but the pain didn't register.

I couldn't bear to look anymore. I turned and walked out.

---

I booked an appointment to end my pregnancy a week from now, then headed to the old family den to collect my mother's keepsakes.

The moment I stepped inside, my father shoved a plane ticket into my hands.

"Lorraine and I talked it over," he said, his tone clipped. "We want Isabelle to spend her final days with Alpha Theodore, living as mates."

The ticket was for ten days out.

"Go on a trip, clear your head," he added, like it was a favor.

I gripped the ticket, my lips pressed tight.

I knew what this was-banishing me so Alpha Theodore and Isabelle could have their precious time alone, free of the she-wolf who'd been fool enough to believe in their bond.

"Evelyn, don't get the wrong idea," Lorraine chimed in, her eyes red with crocodile tears. "We just want Isabelle to go peacefully."

I cut her off, my voice flat. "I get it. I'll go."

Alpha Theodore? I was done with him. This family? I didn't need them either.

My father blinked, surprised I'd caved so quickly.

He probably thought he'd finally broken my spirit.

His tone softened.

"We're holding a farewell ceremony for Isabelle. Be there."

"Fine," I said.