Arminda POV:

"Did you hear me?" Coleton demanded, stepping closer to the bed. His Alpha presence filled the small room, usually enough to make me cower.

Today, I just stared at his neck.

"I am not a nurse anymore, Coleton," I said, my voice raspy but steady. I lifted my arm, showing him the fresh bandages from the fire. "And my ankle is broken. I cannot walk, let alone mix sedatives for your girlfriend."

Coleton frowned, looking at my injuries as if noticing them for the first time. A flicker of guilt crossed his face-quickly suppressed.

"I... I intend to compensate you for the accident," he muttered. "I will pay your hospital bills."

"How generous," I said dryly. "Considering you left me in a burning building."

"I had to ensure the future Luna was safe!" he snapped defensively. "It was a tactical decision."

"Tactical," I repeated. "Is that what you call it?"

Before he could answer, a high-pitched howl echoed from outside the hospital. It was a fake, melodramatic sound.

"That's Charly," Coleton said, instantly distracted. "She must be having a panic attack."

He turned on his heel and left without another word.

I leaned back against the pillows. I closed my eyes and focused on that golden thread again. I visualized a pair of shears. Snip.

I didn't sever it completely-that required a ritual-but I blocked it. I visualized a heavy, lead door slamming shut between our souls. The constant background noise of his emotions-his arrogance, his lust for Charly, his confusion-suddenly cut off.

Silence. Blessed silence.

Two days later, my ankle was bound in a walking cast. Coleton appeared again.

"Get up," he said. "We are going to the Charity Auction tonight."

"I can barely walk," I said.

"You don't need to walk much. You just need to sit there. People are talking. They say I mistreat my staff. If you are seen with us, it will quell the rumors."

So, I was a prop.

I wore a simple black dress I had salvaged. We took the limo. Charly sat in the front passenger seat next to the driver, laughing, while Coleton sat in the back. He made me sit on the jump seat, facing him, like a child.

The auction was held in a grand ballroom in the city. Humans and wolves mingled, sipping champagne.

When we entered, Coleton linked arms with Charly. I trailed behind, limping.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Coleton announced to a group of visiting Alphas. "May I present Charly Mack. My Chosen Mate."

The term "Chosen Mate" implies a rejection of the Moon Goddess's will. It means the wolf is choosing their partner based on politics or preference, ignoring destiny. It is an insult to tradition.

The other Alphas exchanged awkward glances. They could smell me. They could smell the faint, lingering bond between Coleton and me. They knew he was parading a mistress while his True Mate limped behind him.

"Congratulations," one Alpha said stiffly.

The auction began. Coleton bought Charly everything she pointed at. A diamond necklace. A vintage fur coat. A trip to the Maldives.

Then, a painting came up. It was an oil painting of a wolf howling at a massive, silver moon. The artist had captured the spiritual longing of our kind perfectly.

I gasped. It was beautiful. For a second, I forgot my misery. I leaned forward, entranced.

Coleton noticed.

"Five thousand," I whispered, reading the starting bid. It was more money than I had ever seen.

"Ten thousand!" Coleton shouted, raising his paddle.

My heart leaped. Did he see me? Was he buying it for me?

"Sold to Alpha Barron!" the auctioneer banged his gavel.

Coleton turned to me with a smug smile. He picked up the receipt and handed it... to Charly.

"For the guest room," Coleton said. "It matches the curtains."

Charly glanced at the painting with boredom. "It's a bit gloomy, isn't it? But thanks, babe."

I felt the blood drain from my face.

Coleton turned back to me, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket. He tossed it into my lap.

"Here," he said. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

I opened it. It was a pair of cubic zirconia earrings. Cheap costume jewelry. The kind you buy at a gas station.

"Put them on," he ordered. "Smile for the cameras."

I looked at the earrings, then at him. I closed the box and set it gently on the table.

"No," I said.

"Excuse me?" His eyes darkened.

"I don't want your charity, Coleton. And I certainly don't want your pity."

I stood up, grabbing my cane.

"Sit down!" he commanded.

"No." I walked away. For the first time, his Alpha Command didn't freeze me. My wall was holding. I walked out of the ballroom, leaving him staring at my back, confused why his power was slipping.

Arminda POV:

The mansion was quiet when we returned. I went straight to the stairs, intending to grab my bag and leave forever. I didn't care about the forty-eight hours anymore. I would sleep in the woods if I had to.

"Hey, mutt."

Charly was waiting for me at the top of the landing.

She blocked my path. The hallway was narrow. She reeked of hostility-her pheromones were spiking, a sour, acrid smell meant to intimidate.

"You embarrassed him tonight," Charly hissed. "Walking out like that."

"Move, Charly," I said tiredly. "I'm leaving."

"Not before I teach you a lesson."

She stepped closer. "You think you're special because you healed him? You're nothing. You're a battery. A disposable battery that we drained dry."

She put her hands on my chest and shoved.

I grabbed the railing to steady myself. "Don't touch me."

Charly's eyes flashed. She suddenly let out a scream that shook the walls.

"Help! She's attacking me!"

Then, she threw herself backward.

It was theatrical and absurd. She literally jumped back, flailing her arms, and rolled down the carpeted stairs. She landed at the bottom with a thud, sprawling out in a pose of agony.

"My baby!" she screamed, clutching her stomach. She wasn't pregnant, but it was a great line.

The front door slammed open. Coleton rushed in.

He saw Charly at the bottom of the stairs. He saw me at the top, my hand still gripping the railing.

"Arminda!" he roared.

He didn't ask what happened. He didn't smell the air to detect Charly's lie. He just reacted.

He released his Alpha Pressure.

It wasn't just a voice this time. It was a physical wave of gravity. It slammed into me like a freight train.

"Ugh!"

I collapsed. The pressure was crushing my internal organs. My already weakened body couldn't handle it. I felt a rib crack. I coughed, and hot blood splattered onto the pristine white carpet.

"You dare touch her?" Coleton snarled, his eyes glowing red. He marched up the stairs, the pressure increasing with every step.

I couldn't breathe. I was pinned to the floor, gasping like a fish out of water.

"I... didn't..." I wheezed.

He stepped over me, looking down with pure disgust. "You are a monster. Jealousy has made you rabid."

He went down to Charly, scooping her up gently. "I've got you. I've got you."

"She pushed me, Coleton," Charly sobbed into his shirt. "She tried to kill me."

Coleton looked back up at me. "Get out of my house. If I see you on my territory by sunrise, I will strip you of your rank entirely. You won't be a Rogue. You will be a Slave Wolf. You will be hunted for sport."

He carried Charly away into the living room.

I lay there for a long time, listening to the rain start to pound against the roof.

Slowly, painfully, I dragged myself up. I didn't go to my room. I didn't get my bag. I just limped to the back door and opened it.

The storm was raging. Cold rain lashed against my face, mixing with the blood on my lips.

I stepped out into the night.

The water soaked me instantly. It stung my burns, it chilled my bones, but it felt... clean.

I walked toward the territory border. Every step was agony, but with every step, the scent of the Blood Moon Pack washed off me. The scent of Coleton-pine and rain-faded from my skin.

I reached the tall iron gates of the estate. I was almost free.

"Hold it right there."

Two pack enforcers stepped out of the guard booth, blocking my path.

"Alpha's orders," the guard grunted, not meeting my eyes. "No one leaves without exit papers signed by the Alpha himself. Bureaucracy, Arminda. You know the drill."

"He told me to leave!" I shouted over the thunder.

"He told us you can't leave until you're processed," the guard said, grabbing my arm roughly. "You're going back to the holding area until morning."

I struggled, but I was too weak. They dragged me back toward the mansion, not to the servants' quarters, but to the administrative wing. I was a prisoner in the place I used to call home.

Arminda POV:

The holding room was basically a glorified closet with a chair. I sat there shivering in my wet clothes until dawn broke. My ankle throbbed in time with my heartbeat.

Finally, the door opened. It wasn't Coleton. It was Charly.

She leaned against the doorframe, munching on an apple. Her "injured" leg seemed perfectly fine.

"Still here?" she smirked. "Coleton is busy with the lawyers. He wants to make sure you don't steal any pack secrets before he kicks you out."

"Just give me the papers, Charly," I said, standing up. "I want to go."

"In a minute. First, I need to check something in the library. You're coming with me. Coleton doesn't want you left unsupervised."

She grabbed my wrist and yanked me down the hall.

Inside the library, Charly walked straight to the display case that held the Pack's most prized possession: the Sacred Totem.

It was a delicate carving made from the bone of the First Alpha, inlaid with moonstones. It hummed with ancient magic, protecting the pack's borders.

Charly opened the case. She tossed the relic in the air and caught it like a tennis ball.

"Put that down," I said, my voice low. "That is not a toy. It connects us to the ancestors."

Charly turned, a wicked grin on her face. "Oh, look who's lecturing me. You're lucky you aren't in a cage right now."

"Put the Totem back, Charly."

"Make me."

She threw it high in the air. She made a show of trying to catch it, but her hands "slipped."

Crash.

The ancient bone hit the hardwood floor. It didn't just break; it shattered into a hundred pieces. The hum of magic in the room died instantly.

My breath caught in my throat. This was sacrilege. It was a crime against the pack's history.

Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway.

"What was that noise?" Coleton burst into the room.

He saw the shards. His face went pale. "The Totem..."

"She did it!" Charly screamed immediately, pointing a manicured finger at me. "I caught her trying to steal it! We struggled, and she threw it on the ground! She said if she can't be part of the pack, she'll destroy it!"

Coleton turned to me slowly. His eyes were darkening, his wolf surfacing in a blind rage. A low growl vibrated in his chest-a sound that usually makes submissive wolves drop to their knees.

"You..." Coleton stepped toward me. "You destroyed my father's legacy out of spite?"

"I did not," I said calmly.

"Don't lie to me!" He roared. He grabbed me by the throat, pinning me against the bookshelf.

His grip was tight, cutting off my air. I could smell his fury-it smelled like burnt wood and ozone.

"I should kill you," he hissed. "For treason."

I clawed at his hand, but he was immovable. I looked into his eyes, searching for the man I saved. He wasn't there.

"Check..." I choked out.

"What?"

"Check... the crystal," I gasped, pointing to the corner of the ceiling.

In every room of the Alpha's mansion, there are Magic Recording Crystals. They are like security cameras, but they record essence and intent as well as image.

Coleton froze. He looked at the crystal, which was glowing faintly blue.

Charly's face dropped. "Coleton, wait, don't-"

Coleton released me. I slid to the floor, coughing. He walked to the wall and placed his hand on the activation rune.

A holographic projection flickered into the air. It showed Charly clearly tossing the relic, laughing, and letting it smash. It showed me standing by the door, horrified.

Silence filled the room.

Coleton stared at the image of his "Chosen Mate" desecrating his heritage.

I waited for the explosion. I waited for him to banish her.

Coleton turned to Charly. She was trembling, squeezing out fake tears.

"I... I was just curious," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to! My hands were slippery from the lotion! And Arminda scared me!"

Coleton's shoulders slumped. The rage vanished from his scent, replaced by weary resignation.

He walked over to Charly and took her hands.

"Are you hurt?" he asked softly. "Did the shards cut you?"

I stared at them, disbelief washing over me.

"No," Charly sniffled. "I'm just so sorry."

"It's okay," Coleton murmured, kissing her forehead. "It's just an object. We can get the Elders to repair it. Stop crying, Charly. It breaks my heart."

He looked over her shoulder at me. "Clean this mess up, Arminda. And be careful not to leave any dust."

He led Charly out of the room.

I sat on the floor among the ruins of the pack's history. I picked up a piece of the moonstone. It was cold and dead.

Just like my love for him.