Ian ghosted all night. Me? Eyes wide to the dawn, no shut-eye.

Our history flickered by like old reels-sweet snapshots souring to venom. Each memory a fresh bruise. My chest seized, his fake fire peeling away layer by layer. I squeezed my eyes shut, let the tears carve tracks down my cheeks.

Next morning, dark circles like bruises, I hauled ass to the office to quit. Perfect timing: there they were, spilling out of the same sleek ride.

Ian still in yesterday's suit, shirt rumpled like he'd slept in it-wait, no. He looked wrecked in the best way, that frosty mask cracked with a lazy grin.

Clara chattered on; he hung on every word, head tilted her way, firing back easy laughs.

That softness? He'd fed it to me once, like it was ours alone. Now? Bitter ash in my throat.

Copy-paste love. That's all I'd been.

Suck it up, Tina. I strode forward. Ian clocked me-face flickering, just a twitch-then bam, eyes slid away.

Like I was a stranger. He kept joshing with her, all charm and ease.

Ice flooded my veins. Heart clenching, fresh agony.

I slowed, locked eyes on him. Pinned him.

They brushed past-Clara halted dead, turning with this smug curl. "You. The new intern pup, right? Ian, doesn't she kinda... echo me?"

His brow furrowed. Silent.

"No? C'mon, the eyes, the whole vibe. And check it-we both rock that tear-spot..." She raked me head to toe, queen-bitch stance locked in.

My face drained cold. Nails gouging my palms. Humiliation burned- that mark? Ian's doing. Back when we first bound, lost in the heat, he'd traced it there. "My claim," he'd whispered, "so the moon knows you're mine..."

He'd inked it to match hers. On purpose.

Air thinned; my lungs fought for scraps. Some invisible paw squeezed my heart, pain crashing like waves. I was drowning, fast.

"Aw, pup's sulking." Clara arched a brow, looping Ian's arm. "Just messing. Don't take it to heart."

I whipped to Ian, voice cracking despite the steel I poured in. "You see it too, don't you? The resemblance?"

He paused mid-step. "Clara's a prime she-wolf. If she says you echo her? Take the win."

My body locked up. I lunged after. "Spell it out!"

Clara planted herself, wall of frost. "This is work, pup. Not your tantrum zone."

"Shut it!" I snarled at her, then bored into Ian. "You chased me... bound with me... 'cause I look like her?"

"You got some nerve, yapping at me like that! Never had a pup raise her voice." Clara's face darkened, hand flashing-a stinging slap that rang my ears.

World spun. Fury lit me up. I swung back, cracking her cheek solid.

She exploded. "Grab her!" To the shadows-bodyguards lunging. "You hit me? Being my double offends you that bad? Fine. I'll fix it for you."

She flicked a glance at the muscle. "Scar that tear-spot off her face."

"Don't!" I thrashed, but paws clamped my arms, legs-slammed me to the cold floor. Fingers vise'd my skull. A blade glinted, dancing inches from my eye. "Let go! Ian-you're just gonna watch her shred me?"

His face rippled, a hairline fracture in the calm.

"Ian," Clara cooed, twisting into him, all sweet poison, "she worth a scrap with me over?"

His scowl deepened. Eyes flicked off me, voice flat as slate. "I don't meddle in she-wolf squabbles."

Clara's smirk bloomed. "Smart wolf. Wouldn't torch our pack for some stray."

"Drag her somewhere quiet. Gag the bitch."

Ian's gaze shadowed, snagging back on me. Unbidden.

I was trussed like prey, zero give-but my stare? Laser-locked on him. It rattled something in those depths.

Still. Silent. No save.

They scraped me over tile, hauling rough into the stairwell. I gawked at him, disbelieving-tears spilling hot.

The edge bit skin, fire lancing across my cheek. Black spots bloomed; cloth jammed my mouth, muffling the sobs to whimpers.

I bucked wilder-the weight crushed harder, squeezing my ribs till stars burst. Breath? Gone.

The dark swallowed me whole.

I came to in a dim haze, the sky outside the healer's room swallowed whole by night. The room echoed empty-just me and the sterile hum of machines. My chest clenched, a raw ache I couldn't shove down.

I fished out my phone, squinting at the time. A friend request pinged up: Clara.

I swiped it away, thumb heavy.

Then a text buzzed in-a video clip.

Backdrop was that chem lab wing Ian had bankrolled in my name. There I sat on the steps, him crouched low, paws gentle on my ankle, kneading out the twist like I was spun glass.

Clara leaned in sudden, lips crashing his. His shoulders locked rigid... but he didn't shove her off. Not right away.

I thumbed delete, gut twisting. But the messages kept flooding, a wall of venom.

"Tina, you really buy that Ian's moonstruck over you? Face it-you're my echo. I dig biotech? That's why he shoved you into that dual-track program, built you a whole lab tower. I'm all about extreme thrills but too chicken to chase 'em? Boom-he drags you skydiving, paragliding. Thank me later for the taste of the high life, pup. But game's over now that I'm back. No slipping away clean-I'm not done clawing. That scar on your cheek? Starter warning. I pulled strings to get you in the door, remember? Drag your tail back to work tomorrow. Can't wait."

I froze on the screen, heart slamming like a trapped beast. Clara was unhinged, full feral.

The door creaked. Ian slipped in, all casual storm. "Headed to the pack office without a heads-up?" He eased to the bed's edge, voice smooth as ever, like the world's still spinning right. "Need that internship sign-off?"

His scent hit-familiar musk tangled with some sharp, alien perfume. My stomach lurched, bile rising hot.

I didn't fight it. Just yanked two blank sheets from my bag, shoved 'em his way. "Sign here."

He didn't blink-scrawled his name like it was nothing.

My breath hitched, a sour twist in my throat. Damn, he looked at her like she hung the moon. How could it all be smoke?

He set the papers aside, reaching to cup my cheek, that soft indulgence in his eyes.

My gaze snagged on the lipstick smear at his collar-fresh, taunting. Face draining cold, I jerked away. "Ian... you remember what you swore when you chased me down?"

His mask flickered, just a hairline crack.

I went ice. "You vowed it'd be me, eternal-betray that, and the moon strike you down."

His face shadowed hard, eyes dropping to that damn mark. A flash of guilt, buried quick under cool. "You know how I spoil you. Joravia Town pups barely weaned know better than to cross a Quinn she-wolf. You charged in anyway-call this a hard lesson. Steer clear from now on."

I gaped, the sting blooming fast-hurt crashing in waves, bitter and thick.

Rip him open, call the bluff? He dragged me into this snarl, cast me as her stand-in-how dare he flip the blame?

But I swallowed it. Pointless now. No teeth in the bite.

Fine. He'd play blind? I'd match him, scene for scene.

My payback-slow burn, make 'em bleed for it. Ian and Clara, both.

I dropped my gaze, voice scraping raw. "Ian... if it's Clara you burn for, we can shatter the bond. Clean."

"Don't be ridiculous!" His calm splintered, voice cracking wild.

His phone shattered the beat. He snatched it, face storming dark. "Pup's missing? Easy-on my way."

Lips say no fire for her, but paws don't lie.

He bolted, not a backward glance.

I tracked his shadow out, then cracked a laugh-wet, broken, tears spilling hot.

That panic in him? Undeniable. In his world, Clara's pup outranked me every time.

True mate versus echo? Stark as moonlight on blood.

I looped in a pack scribe to draft the unbound papers. Holed up in the healer's room three days, then bailed.

Ian? Ghosted. No visits, no tracks home.

His study still a warzone-shards and spite.

Queen back on throne; no need to pine in shadows anymore.

I called in a fixer for the door, slid the signed unbound sheets inside.

Curiosity gnawed: When'd he sniff it out? What'd crack that mask?

Door sealed tight, I palmed the paw extra-haul out every "gift" he'd pawned off, lies wrapped in shine. Dump the lot.

Trash for trash. Him included.

Morning bled away unnoticed. I figured lunch out, then pack my scraps and ghost. But at the threshold? Them-Ian and Clara, thick as thieves.

She'd gone soft in a white sundress, all dewy edges, cradling this butter-yellow fluffball pup. Her eyes hit mine-face curdling sour. "You slinking around here?"

"My house." I stepped back, clapping a paw to my muzzle.

Fur allergy hits like lightning-nose itching fierce already.

"Afraid of pups? Perfect-you mind this one." No asking, she jammed the squirming bundle my way.

I yelped, twisting clear. Claws raked deep-arm split open, blood hot and quick.

The little terror yipped wild, hit dirt, latched onto my pant leg-teeth grinding.

Panic spiked; I lunged for Ian's chest on instinct, that old safe harbor. He sidestepped cold, iron.

Paw hung stupid in the air. I met his stare-frostbite blue, shredding me clean.

Heart in shards.

Back when he hunted me, he'd clocked the allergy, the fear-ditched his three-year shadow pup without a blink. Street strays? He'd scoop me up, detour wide.

Now? Forgotten like yesterday's scraps.

Ankle fire-tiny jaws crunching skin. I hissed sharp, shaking free.

"Tina! You hurt my pup?" Clara's roar shook the air; she snatched it close, crooning. "Ian-rein her? Laying paws on it like that? Slap to my muzzle. Can't swallow this. She spooks easy? Lock her in with the pack-see if fear chokes her out!" Voice climbing, eyes pinned on him, all venom threat. "Side her? We're done-you don't hunt me down again."

Ian scowled, shadows pooling deep. Flicked me a flat glance, then melted for her. "Do your worst."

My world dropped, gut hollow. "You can't... not like this!"

Silence. A lazy paw wave.

They hauled me to the kennel pits-crammed in a chain-link hell, hundreds of snarling beasts rattling cages, foam-flecked fury.

Hackles rose; breath snagged, chest a vise.

I pounded iron, tears flooding, raw-throated screams. "Out! Ian-fur chokes me, you know the fear..."

Clara lounged at the gate, peeking the chaos, glee sharp.

She beamed, looping his arm, nestling close.

Ian paused, even keel. "Settle, pup. Hold tight-just a beat."

Then gone, her on his arm. That chill shrug? Severed my fire for him, clean cut.

"Ian... I hate you." Terror drowned me; sneezes racked, air turning sludge.

Black edged in, waves crushing. Last gasp-I hit enforcer lines.

Enforcer shadows loomed; I blacked, spent.

Next glimpse? Them, in the enforcer station. I dug claws in-intent to maul, charges filed.

"Babe, mix-up. Drop it." Ian moved first, urging withdraw. "Joravia Town rules, pup. You think you cage a Quinn?"

"Enforcers bend for no one?" I dodged his reach, glare arctic. "Blow this wide-Clara bleeds rep. You too, Ian. Pay up." No give.