Avelyn’s POV

The next morning, I woke to the sound of footsteps — heavy, deliberate, filled with fury.

The door burst open, slamming against the stone wall.

Zayne stood there, his aura cold as frost, flanked by two enforcers of the Silvercrest Pack.

“Take her,” he said flatly.

My heart pounded. “Zayne, what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. The guards seized me, their grips iron-tight, dragging me across the corridor. I cried his name, but he never looked back.

They threw me into an old moonstone cellar deep within the manor — a place long unused since the wars. Dust and the scent of rust filled the air. My knees hit the cold ground.

“This is your punishment,” Zayne said, his voice cutting like winter steel. “For what you did to Vionne during her pup-blessing.”

“I didn’t do anything!” I shouted. “She’s lying—”

“Enough!” he snapped, his power crackling through the air, making my wolf recoil in fear. “You’ll stay here until you learn obedience.”

He tossed something into the room. My heart froze — a cluster of lunar lilies. Their silvery petals shimmered under faint light. My throat closed instantly. He knew I was fatally allergic to their scent.

“Zayne, please,” I gasped, my chest tightening. “Not that… you know I can’t breathe—”

“You should’ve thought about that before endangering Vionne,” he said coldly. “Maybe the Moon will teach you manners.”

Then he slammed the door.

I clawed at it, my breath coming short. The air grew heavy, each inhale burning my lungs. I pounded until my hands went numb. My wolf whimpered weakly inside me, fading as I gasped for air.

After what felt like an eternity, the door creaked open. I collapsed into the corridor, coughing violently.

Zayne stood over me, his eyes emotionless. “If you ever touch Vionne again,” he said slowly, “I swear on the Moon’s name, you’ll regret it.”

Then he turned and left.

I lay there trembling, the scent of lilies still haunting my skin. Then my crystal communicator buzzed beside me. My mother’s voice echoed softly through the rune-etched stone.

“Sweetheart… your father has arranged passage to the Crescent Isles in two days. Come home, Avelyn. Please.”

Tears filled my eyes. “I’ll come,” I whispered. “I promise.”

When the call ended, I stared at the wall until my body stopped shaking. Something inside me — something human, something wolf — broke completely.

I went to my chamber and pulled out the cedar box hidden beneath the bed. Inside were fragments of a life that no longer belonged to me — a moonstone pendant from Zayne, our mating vows sealed in silver wax, the tiny blue pelt I’d woven for our lost pup.

One by one, I tossed them into the fireplace.

The flames devoured them greedily, curling photographs and parchments into ash.

The scent of burning memories filled the air.

I packed my clothes and the signed bond-severance scrolls into my travel chest.

When I turned around, Zayne stood by the doorway, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

“So,” he said coldly, “you’re finally packing. Good. When Vionne returns from the healer’s den, she’ll move into the Alpha chamber. You can take the servant’s quarters.”

I said nothing.

He smirked. “I’m glad you’re finally learning your place. Perhaps you’re not completely useless.”

I turned back to my chest. “Is that all, Alpha?”

He ignored the bite in my tone. “Vionne’s healer says she needs a blood infusion. You’ll come with me.”

I froze. “No. I’m not giving her my blood again.”

His jaw tightened. “You will do as I command.”

When I didn’t move, he seized my arm. “You owe her for what she’s suffered because of you.”

***

The healer’s chamber was filled with silver mist, moonlight filtering through enchanted glass. The pack physician looked alarmed the moment he saw me.

“Alpha Valloren,” he began carefully, “your Luna isn’t fit for a life draw. Her essence is already weak — she might not survive another.”

Zayne’s glare silenced him. “Vionne’s life matters more. Do it.”

The healer hesitated. “If I extract more spirit blood, her wolf may—”

“DO IT!” Zayne’s roar shook the chamber.

The healer’s hands trembled as he inserted the silver needle into my arm. The chill spread instantly through my veins, and the faint red glow of my life-force began to fill the vial.

The sound of the dripping essence echoed in my ears.

Zayne stood by the wall, arms crossed, his eyes on Vionne — never on me. “Hurry it up.”

Minutes dragged by. My vision blurred. The room began to tilt, and the healer’s voice became distant. “Alpha, she’s at her limit—”

Vionne’s pitiful whimper cut through the air. “Zayne… it hurts…”

“There’s nothing—” the healer started, but Zayne’s shout drowned him out.

“Take more!”

“Alpha, she’ll—”

“I said TAKE MORE!”

The healer paled but obeyed. The needle dug deeper. Pain tore through me. My body shook violently.

“Zayne…” I whispered weakly. “Please… stop…”

He didn’t turn. He brushed Vionne’s hair from her face, whispering softly, “It’s all right, love. You’ll be fine.”

Each drop of blood felt like my soul slipping away. My skin turned cold, my heartbeat faint.

“Alpha!” the healer cried. “She’s going into shock!”

“She’s faking it,” Zayne said coldly. “She always does this when she wants pity.”

My vision dimmed. The beeping from the rune monitor quickened. I could barely breathe.

Finally, the healer shoved Zayne aside and yanked the needle free. “That’s enough! You’ll kill her!”

Crimson splattered across the sheets. My body went limp.

“Stabilize her!” the healer barked to his assistants.

As the world darkened, I saw Zayne holding Vionne, murmuring, “It’s not your fault, my love. Avelyn just wants attention.”

I stared at the man who once promised to protect me — my mate, my Alpha — until the world faded into black.

Avelyn’s POV

When I opened my eyes, I thought I had crossed into the Moon’s afterrealm. Everything around me was glowing white — soft, weightless, otherworldly.

Then I saw Zayne sitting beside the healer’s cot. His head was bowed, his hands tangled in his hair. His aura — once bright and commanding — now flickered weakly, like a dying ember.

“You’re awake,” he said quietly, his voice rough with fatigue. “You were unconscious for two nights. The healers said your wolf almost slipped into stasis.”

I stared at him in silence.

He exhaled shakily and turned away. “I didn’t mean for it to go that far. I panicked. Vionne needed a blood offering to stabilize her wolf essence, and I... I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean for you to suffer.”

His words were hollow — drifting like smoke in a cold wind.

“I realize I’ve neglected you lately,” he continued. “I forgot our Binding Moon anniversary, and I’ve been... distant. I want to make it up to you.”

He reached for a parcel beside him and placed it on the bed. “There’s a gown inside. When you’re discharged, my driver will take you to the Silverfang Hall. I’ve reserved the Alpha’s table.”

I looked at the parcel without expression.

He forced a small smile. “Try to look radiant again, Avelyn.” Then he leaned in, brushed his lips against my forehead, and walked out.

The door shut behind him with a dull thud. The chamber felt colder. I slowly sat up, the ache in my body pulsing through every nerve. My wolf whimpered faintly inside me.

When I reached for my moonstone communicator, there was a message from my father:

“Your flight rune activates at the ninth bell. My sentinels will come for you. We’re tracking your scent signature. Come home, Avelyn.”

Two hours after dinner with Zayne. I almost laughed — but the sound came out broken.

The healer returned shortly after. “You’re being discharged, Luna Valloren,” he said softly, avoiding my eyes. “Alpha Zayne has already cleared the moon dues.”

“Of course he has,” I murmured bitterly.

He handed me the release scroll and left. Two handmaidens followed, carrying a crimson gown woven with lunar silk and a bouquet of white moonlilies — my favorite flowers.

“Alpha said these are your favorites,” one of them whispered nervously.

I looked at the bouquet. The petals shimmered faintly under the healer’s lantern — a cruel reminder of what love once felt like.

I dressed quietly. The gown fit perfectly, molded to every curve, as if Zayne still remembered the shape of my body — but not the weight of my heart.

When the driver came, I followed wordlessly. The carriage glided through Lunaris City, its crystal towers catching the dying light of dusk.

At the Silverfang Hall, the attendant led me to a secluded table overlooking the river of stars.

When I reached it, Zayne stood to greet me — and beside him sat… Vionne.

She looked luminous, her aura calm and smug. Her hands rested gently on her rounded belly, her wolf essence glowing softly beneath her skin.

Zayne’s smile faltered when he saw my face, but he masked it quickly.

“Avelyn, I’m sorry,” he began. “Vionne didn’t want to dine alone. Her pup stirs when she’s anxious, and I... couldn’t refuse her.”

“Of course,” I said flatly. “You never could.”

He cleared his throat and tried to soften his tone. “Let’s not argue tonight.”

From a small velvet box, he lifted two necklaces — crystal pendants shaped like crescent moons. He handed me one.

Inside shimmered an ethereal glow — the image of our lost son, sealed within a drop of moonlight.

“I had it crafted for you,” he said quietly. “So you’ll always have him close.”

For a fleeting moment, my heart ached. Then he turned and lifted the other pendant — brighter, rimmed with diamonds — and clasped it around Vionne’s neck.

Vionne smiled sweetly. “It’s beautiful, Zayne. You always know what suits me best.”

My fingers tightened around my pendant before I set it on the table. “I don’t need reminders of something I’ll never have again.”

“Avelyn—”

“I said I don’t need it.”

He fell silent. The rest of the meal passed in dull conversation — Zayne asking meaningless questions, Vionne filling the air with tales of their shared youth: running through moonlit meadows, playing the pack’s hymn together, sneaking into the training grounds.

Each word was meant to cut — and it did.

Then, before I could even stand, a sharp tang filled the air.

The ground trembled. A deafening roar split the night — BOOM!

The Silverfang Hall exploded.

The walls shattered in bursts of light, shards of enchanted crystal raining down. A wave of heat threw me backward, my body crashing into a marble pillar.

“AVELYN!” Zayne’s voice cut through the chaos.

“Zayne!” I gasped, coughing through the smoke. “Help me!”

Vionne clutched at him, fake tears glistening. “Zayne! The pup — I can’t move! Please!”

But she wasn’t hurt. Not a single scratch marked her skin.

Zayne hesitated — his eyes flickering between me and her. For one brief heartbeat, hope sparked in me. Then his face hardened.

“Hold on, Avelyn! I’ll come back for you!”

He turned — and carried Vionne away.

Through the smoke, I saw her look back, a small smile curving her lips before the flames swallowed her.

The heat seared my lungs. I tried to crawl, but rubble pinned my legs. My wolf whimpered weakly, her strength fading.

So this is how it ends, I thought faintly. Even at the end, he still chose her.

My head slumped forward as darkness spread.

Then — faintly — voices broke through the roaring flames.

“Lady Avelyn! Hold on! Your father sent us from the Wynclaw Pack!”

Four silhouettes pushed through the smoke — wolves cloaked in silver sigils.

“Please hang on, my lady!” one shouted.

And then everything went black.