The freezing water of the pool rushed into my nose and lungs, choking me instantly. I flailed my arms against the surface and shouted toward the balcony above.

"Zael! Help me!"

I saw Zael rush down the stone stairs in a panic, but he stopped at the very edge of the water. Instead of reaching for me, he pulled Moira into his arms.

"You have suffered enough because of Aletta. Now it is her turn to be taught a lesson by the spirits."

He looked down at me as I struggled. My eyes were full of despair, but he did not move a muscle. I stared at him in shock as my heart sank deeper than my body. Soon, everything went dark as I grew weaker from the lack of air.

Right before I lost consciousness, Zael finally shed his heavy coat, jumped in and pulled me onto the stone. His eyes were like ice. "Aletta, this is just a small warning. If you ever strike Moira again, I do not know what my wolf will do to you."

When I woke up, the sound of loud arguing from the great hall pulled me back to the world. I opened the chamber door and saw Zael and Moira in a heated clash. Moira held a travel bag in one hand and gripped Aelin’s arm with the other, pretending to be on the verge of tears.

"Zael, let go of me. Instead of waiting for Aletta to exile us from the pack, I would rather take our pup and leave this territory now."

With those words, she shook off Zael’s hand and turned toward the door. Zael’s eyes were full of pity and agony. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Moira’s waist.

"No, as long as I am the Alpha here, no one will dare chase you away. You and Aelin can stay in this den forever. What happened yesterday was Aletta’s failure. I have already punished her. She will not touch you again."

I slowly walked down the stairs, glaring at Moira with a cold smile.

"If you truly wanted to leave these lands, you would not have waited until today. You should have fled last night while Zael was deep in sleep."

Seeing Zael hesitate at my words, Moira bit her lip and suddenly dropped to her knees on the cold floor.

"Aletta, all of this is my fault. I should not have come between you and your mate. If you two can find peace, I will go."

She stood up and opened the heavy villa door. She was about to walk out when Zael grabbed her arm and roared, "Enough!"

He turned to me, his eyes burning with rage. "Aletta, do you not think this pack is chaotic enough? Moira has never done anything to harm your soul, so why do you keep hunting her?"

His voice was thick with disappointment. "Aletta, we have been bonded for three years. When did you become such a jealous creature? I barely recognize the wolf you have become."

I lowered my head and sneered, stepping closer to him. "You do not recognize me because your heart was never mine to hold. All you care about is Moira."

"Since you have chosen to let her stay in my home, I will go."

Everything in the villa was covered in Zael’s scent. I did not want any of it anymore, so I left every possession behind. As I stepped out into the air, Zael’s angry voice followed me.

"Aletta, there is a limit to my patience. If you walk out of these gates today, do not bother returning to this pack!"

I did not turn around. I simply whispered to myself that I would never come back. After leaving the villa, I took out my crystal communicator and sent a message to the Shadow Alpha.

[When will the heart source be found?]

The reply came quickly. [We have news. Just wait two more days.]

In two days, I would be able to leave this territory for good.

The following night, I arrived at the Great Hall in my ceremonial robes. This feast was held to celebrate the coming of age for the Alpha Wildbriar's eldest daughter. It was a promise made moons ago, so I was bound by honor to attend. I sat in a quiet corner of the hall, sipping my tonic.

As I expected, it was not long before Zael and Moira made their entrance. Moira clung to Zael’s arm, wearing a humble smile. The guests from other packs believed Moira was his true Luna and began to shower them with praise.

"Zael and his mate share such a beautiful bond! We are truly envious."

Zael smiled softly, accepting every compliment as if they were truly the destined pair. Unable to watch them any longer, I took my goblet and stepped onto the stone balcony for some fresh air. My drink was finished and just as I moved to go back inside, Moira stepped beside me.

"Aletta, you have already been defeated. Zael’s soul belongs to me now. Can you really leave Aelin without a father?"

I gave her a cold, hard smile. "What is your true intent?"

"I want you to leave this kingdom now. I want the title of Luna Stormridge."

I nodded slowly. "Do not worry, I will depart. I gave up on Zael many suns ago."

I turned to walk away, but Moira seized my arm. Before I could ask what she was doing, someone came up behind me and pressed a cloth soaked in sleeping herbs over my nose. Just before the darkness took me, I saw Moira’s mocking grin.

"But I do not trust your word."

When my eyes opened, I found myself bound to a wooden chair, unable to move my limbs. Beside me sat Moira, also tied with ropes. She looked at me with a smug expression. "Aletta, if Zael knew we were both taken by rogues and he could only rescue one, who do you think his wolf would choose?"

I stared at her in shock. "This was your plan?"

She laughed loudly. "What if it was? I only want Zael for myself. Is that a crime?"

I was about to answer when a scout rushed in and spoke to the rogue leader. "Boss, the Alpha Zael is here."

Moments later, two men in dark armor stood behind us, each holding a silver blade. As Zael walked into the chamber, my heart hammered against my ribs. The leader smirked at him.

"Zael, you are a lucky male. Two beautiful females, but the law of the rogue says you can only take one. Choose now, or both will be sacrificed to the moon."

"Three..."

"Two..."

Before the rogue reached one, Zael suddenly raised his hand and pointed at Moira. "Her. Release her."

The rogue grinned. "Zael does not hesitate. Very well, let us deal with the other one."

He signaled someone to cut my ropes. But immediately after I was free, he shoved me violently to the floor. In seconds, heavy blows began to strike me from all sides. I curled into a ball, holding my stomach to protect my pup.

Then, a rogue kicked me hard in the womb. The man laughed when he saw my agony. "Zael, you should leave this place now. If I change my mind and decide not to let her live, it will not end well for you."

Through the gaps in the crowd, I looked at Zael and begged with my last bit of strength. "Please... save me... save our pup..."

But Zael acted as if my voice was nothing but wind. He took Moira’s hand and walked out of the den without looking back.

Tears rolled down my face and hit the dusty stone. I clutched my stomach, feeling the tiny life force inside me begin to fade and slip away.

I closed my eyes, consumed by pain and the end of all hope.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a bed in the healers' sanctuary. The high priestess entered with a look of deep sorrow. "Forgive me... the pup’s spirit has returned to the Moon."

Tears flooded my eyes before I could find my voice. Because of Moira and Zael, my pup had been stolen from me once again.

Outside in the corridor, I heard the young apprentices whispering.

"Have you heard? The Alpha’s mate scratched her skin with a silk rope and he has cleared the entire sanctuary wing for her comfort."

"Which Alpha?"

"Who else but Zael Stormridge, Alpha of the Stormridge territories. I wish I had a mate who loved me with such devotion."

From the moment the rogues took me to the moment my baby died, Zael had not sent a single mental link or message. But because Moira had a tiny scratch, he claimed an entire temple floor for her.

I smiled with a bitter heart as more tears fell. It was clear now that love and hate cannot be hidden.

The communication stone on the table glowed and I answered the call.

"We have secured the heart source for your sire. Can you cross the border now?"

I nodded toward the stone. "I have already prepared my passage."

Just then, Zael stepped into the chamber. "What passage? Where do you intend to go?"

I did not look at him and spoke with a flat voice. "I was helping a pack friend. His travel papers were not accepted."

He nodded and placed a bouquet of white lilies on the table. Those were Moira’s favorite blooms, not mine.

"I am sorry for the events at the rogue camp. Things moved quickly and I had to make a choice."

I looked at him with eyes like flint. "So your choice was Moira? You abandoned your bonded mate of three years to those monsters?"

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but his stone buzzed in his tunic. It was a link from Moira. I did not hear her words, but his expression shifted instantly to anger.

"Did I not choose Moira because you staged the entire kidnapping? Aletta, are you not just playing these games to get my attention? Have you even considered how much pain this is causing Moira?"

"She requires my strength right now. Tend to yourself."

He slammed the heavy wooden door and walked away without looking back. So Moira had convinced him that I had planned my own suffering. His trust in her was absolute.

My stone glowed twice. It was a command from Zael.

[Come to the eighth level of the sanctuary and beg for Moira’s forgiveness this instant, or I shall never forgive you!]

I let out a cold laugh and severed our connection. What Moira did not realize was that I had activated a recording spell the moment she approached me at the feast. Every word she spoke was captured by the magic.

Before I departed, I placed the recording crystal and the healer’s report of my lost pup on the table. Then I walked away without a single glance behind me, taking my father into the safety of the new kingdom.