Catherine POV:

"Seventy-two hours," Kaden had said.

I was staying in a flea-bag motel on the edge of the territory. I was staring at the water stains on the ceiling when the door rattled.

Derek filled the frame. He smelled of rain and pine, but underneath, there was a sour note. Like he hadn't slept in a week.

He brought a briefcase.

"I didn't think you'd end up here," he said, grimacing.

"It's all a 'Rogue' can afford," I said. "Why are you here, Derek?"

He flinched. "The Council... they need this finalized. A pack needs a Luna who can shift. Who can produce strong heirs. You... you are broken."

"I broke myself saving your life," I said quietly.

He looked away, a muscle feathering in his jaw. He looked like a man trying to remember a nightmare. "I know. That is why I brought this."

He opened the briefcase. Cash. And a velvet box containing a diamond the size of a quail egg.

"It's a settlement," he said. "And this ring. To show that I will still provide for you."

I took the ring. I tried to slide it onto my ring finger. It slid right off.

"It doesn't fit," I said.

Derek frowned. "I had it sized..."

"You had it sized for Anjelica," I dropped the ring onto the table. It clattered like loose change. "You didn't buy this for me. You bought this for her, felt guilty, and decided to regift it."

His face flushed. "Anjelica has stepped up! She has been a mother to Errol! She organizes the patrols, she manages the finances!"

"Does she manage my husband, too?"

"We are not married anymore!" Derek shouted. "The Council annulled it three years ago on grounds of incapacity!"

The words hit like a slap.

"And the Bond?" I stepped closer. "Can the Council annul the Moon Goddess? Do you not feel it, Derek? Or has her fake perfume burned out your nose?"

Derek growled. His eyes flashed gold.

"Stop it," he commanded. "Sit down, Catherine. Alpha Command."

The power rolled over me. But without a wolf to submit, it felt like a stiff breeze against a brick wall. I didn't move.

Derek's eyes widened. He was staring at a woman he couldn't control.

"You can't order me anymore," I said softly.

I picked up the diamond ring and dropped it into the trash can. Clunk.

"Take your money," I pointed to the door. "And get out."

Derek stared at the trash can, clutching his chest. He looked like he was in physical pain, his hand clawing at his shirt.

His phone buzzed. Mind-Link. His eyes glazed over. The pain in his face smoothed out into a weird, blank obedience.

"I have to go," he said abruptly. "Keep the money."

He stormed out.

I sank onto the floor. He wasn't just acting like a jerk. He was acting like a junkie.

Catherine POV:

I should have left. But the invitation had been slipped under my door. A summons to the Alpha's Birthday.

It was a trap. But a stupid part of me needed to see him one last time.

I wore a black dress from a thrift store.

The Pack House was a palace of light and noise. When I entered the ballroom, the music died.

I walked toward the head table. Derek sat there like a king. Beside him, in shimmering gold, sat Anjelica.

"Catherine!" she exclaimed, standing up. The scent of synthetic vanilla rolled off her in waves. "We didn't think you'd come! We don't have a seat... maybe near the kitchen?"

"I'm just here to wish the Alpha a happy birthday," I said.

Errol darted out from under the table. He stopped three feet away, wrinkling his nose.

"You smell like the sick room!" he shouted.

He pointed at Anjelica. "She smells like flowers! She smells like a Mommy!"

Anjelica placed a hand on Errol's shoulder, her nails digging in slightly. "Be nice, Errol. The poor woman can't help being empty."

My mother stood up. "Errol is right. The nose of a pup never lies. Catherine... bow to the future Luna."

The room went silent.

I looked at Derek. He was gripping his wine glass, his knuckles white. He looked at me, then at Anjelica, his expression confused.

"No," I said.

Anjelica gasped. She released a pulse of pheromones. It was so strong I could taste it—metallic and chemical.

Derek stood up abruptly, his eyes dilating. "Catherine. Apologize."

"She is wearing a scent bought from a witch, Derek!" I laughed. "Can you not smell the sulfur?"

"Enough!" Derek slammed his fist on the table. "Guards! Escort her out!"

As the guards grabbed me, Anjelica suddenly swayed. She collapsed into her chair.

"My baby!" she cried. "The stress... oh, Derek!"

"She's pregnant!"

"The future heir!"

My parents rushed to her. Derek scooped Anjelica up. He didn't look angry anymore. He looked terrified.

"I wish," I whispered into the chaos, "that all the lies wrapped in wolf skin would rot away."

I walked out. The bond in my chest didn't break. It just started to fester.

I walked to the old pier. The place Derek and I had our first date.

My phone pinged. A tracking app I'd installed in the Alpha's car years ago for security.

The dot was moving toward the pier.

A black SUV pulled up. I stepped into the shadows.

Derek got out. He looked disheveled. He paced, running hands through his hair. He was shaking.

"This isn't right," he muttered. "Catherine... she looked so broken. And the bond... it's screaming at me."

Anjelica got out. She didn't look like a woman who had nearly miscarried an hour ago.

She walked up to Derek. She pulled a small vial from her dress and dabbed something on her neck.

"The bond is a ghost, Derek," she purred, pressing against him.

I saw Derek's nostrils flare. His pupils blew wide, swallowing the iris.

"I need you to calm down," she whispered.

Derek groaned, a sound of surrender. "Make the noise stop. Just make it stop."

"I will," she promised.

They fell into the backseat.

I watched the windows fog up. I heard him growl her name.

The Mate Bond didn't just snap. It imploded.

It felt like a physical blow to the solar plexus. I doubled over, gasping. A burning sensation seared through my veins. He was mating with another while I was still alive.

I fell to my knees.

My phone buzzed. A text from Derek.

Handling a Rogue issue at the border. Don't wait up.

Sent by Anjelica from his phone while he was busy betraying me.

The pain peaked, then vanished.

I stood up. I wiped the dirt from my knees.

I didn't cry. Catherine died in that car crash five years ago.

"Enjoy her," I whispered. "She is your addiction now."

Catherine POV:

I had to go back to the Manor for my passport and research drive, hidden in Errol's nursery floorboards.

I crept into Errol's room. He was sitting on the bed, clutching a spray bottle.

"You came back," Errol said. His voice wasn't angry; it was trembling.

"I just need something of mine, Errol."

"Anjelica says you're a monster," Errol whispered. "She says you want to hurt me."

"That's a lie."

"She gave me the holy water!" Errol shouted, raising the bottle. "She said it burns the monsters!"

"Errol, no—"

He squeezed the trigger.

Liquid sprayed across my chest and neck. It hissed.

I gasped, clawing at my skin. Wolfsbane. Diluted, but potent.

"It burns!" Errol screamed, dropping the bottle. "See? You are a monster! Mommy said it only hurts monsters!"

I fell to my knees, the chemical burn radiating down to my bones. He didn't know. He was a child holding a loaded gun he thought was a toy.

"I hate you!" he sobbed, curling into a ball. "Go away!"

I looked at him. My skin was blistering. But I saw the terror in his eyes. He wasn't evil. He was weaponized.

I stood up, using the pain as a focus. I wiped the wolfsbane off with a towel.

I pried open the floorboard, took my waterproof bag.

"Errol," I said, my voice calm.

He looked up, tear-streaked.

"One day you'll know the truth," I said. "And I hope you can forgive yourself."

I walked out.

I was scrubbing the wolfsbane from my skin in the motel shower when the door banged open.

"Get dressed," Anjelica said. She stood there with two guards. "Derek wants you at the track. He thinks a 'family outing' will clear the air."

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"You are if you want your passport back," she held up the document I thought was safe in my bag. "I swiped it while you were bleeding in the nursery."

I had no choice.

At the track, Derek was pacing. He looked agitated.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"Anjelica thought it would be good for us," Derek mumbled. "My wolf needs the speed. You used to love racing, Catherine."

"I was a wolf then, Derek."

"Just one lap," Anjelica tossed me the keys to a stock car. "Unless you're scared?"

I got in. I needed to get close enough to snatch the passport from her bag on the pit wall.

The flag dropped.

I drove with precision, relying on physics where I used to rely on instinct. I was winning.

Then I saw Anjelica in my mirror. Her eyes were glowing neon yellow. She wasn't racing. She was hunting.

She swerved, slamming her heavy sports car into my rear quarter panel. A PIT maneuver.

My car spun. The world turned into a blur.

Impact.

The car flipped. Metal screamed.

I hung upside down, blood dripping into my eyes.

Through the shattered windshield, I saw Anjelica get out. She checked a scratch on her bumper, then threw herself onto the grass.

"Derek!" she screamed. "My baby! She tried to kill me!"

Derek ran past my smoking wreckage. He didn't even look.

"Is the baby okay?" I heard him shout.

I let out a breath that rattled. Blackness took me.