Cassian sat quietly in their chamber, absentmindedly turning a small communication crystal over in his hand while the room settled into an uneasy silence. Without another word, Rosalie rose and disappeared into the bathing room.

When she emerged some time later, her hair still damp from the scented herbs she had washed it with, she found him sitting at the edge of their bed, the crystal resting in his palm.

"Freya reached out," he said. "She told me she found the legal elder you were looking for. She said she'll pass the name along soon."

For the briefest moment, the color left Rosalie's face.

She could only wonder whether Freya had revealed anything else.

Suppressing the unease in her heart, she gave a quiet nod and sat before the dressing table, rubbing a few drops of moonflower oil through the ends of her hair.

Cassian watched her reflection in the polished mirror, his gaze lingering longer than usual.

"What do you need a legal elder for?"

Rosalie lowered her eyes, pretending to concentrate on her hair.

"I'm helping a friend."

"You could have sought Elder Hodge instead," Cassian replied. "Why trouble Freya with something so simple?"

His voice remained even, but she recognized the suspicion hidden beneath it.

"I'm not familiar with Elder Hodge," she answered without hesitation. "Besides, I'd rather not involve anyone connected to this pack."

The explanation came so naturally that even Rosalie was surprised by how effortlessly the lie left her lips.

Neither of them spoke again.

By the time she finished, Cassian had already gone to bathe.

When he returned, the candles had been dimmed, and Rosalie was already lying beneath the blankets.

She did not read.

She did not reach for another communication crystal.

She simply turned her back toward him and closed her eyes.

The distance between them felt heavier than the stone walls surrounding the manor.

Ever since returning from Arabella's side, Cassian had sensed something had changed.

Rosalie was quieter than before.

Calmer.

As though she had quietly stepped farther away from him without ever leaving the room.

Unable to ignore the feeling any longer, he shifted closer and slipped an arm gently around her waist, drawing her toward him.

"Rosalie," he murmured. "What's wrong?"

Her body stiffened beneath his touch.

Cassian felt it immediately.

Only then did he realize how long it had been since they had shared even the smallest moment of intimacy.

He leaned closer, but before he could close the distance between them, Rosalie turned and placed a gentle hand against his chest, stopping him.

"I'm tired," she said softly. "Let's sleep."

Cassian released her without protest, though the question weighing on his mind refused to disappear.

"Are you upset because of Arabella?"

Rosalie smiled faintly.

It was a smile that never reached her eyes.

"Why would I be?"

She paused before continuing in the same quiet voice.

"What right do I have to be angry?"

The answer unsettled him more than any accusation could have.

By all rights, she should have questioned him.

She should have been hurt that he had remained by Arabella's side for an entire week before bringing her back to live only a short walk from their own home.

She should have demanded an explanation.

Instead...

She accepted everything with unbearable calm.

Cassian frowned.

He no longer knew what she was thinking.

After a long silence, he finally spoke again.

"Arabella is well known among the packs. Rumors like these could ruin her standing. There is nothing between us. Don't believe everything you hear."

Rosalie remembered the message Arabella had shared through the territories' communication crystals.

She also knew Cassian must have seen it.

Yet he had done nothing to deny it.

When wolves accused Rosalie of stealing Cassian away years ago, he had remained just as silent.

Now his silence carried the same meaning.

Keeping her voice perfectly steady, she asked,

"What rumors?"

She looked at him without the slightest trace of emotion.

"I've been occupied these past few days. I haven't paid much attention to what the pack has been saying."

Relief flickered across Cassian's face before disappearing almost as quickly.

"It's nothing important," he said quietly. "Get some rest."

Rosalie closed her eyes.

Before long, her breathing became slow and even.

Beside her, however, Cassian remained awake.

An unfamiliar restlessness refused to leave him.

Long after the manor had fallen silent, he slipped from the bed and made his way downstairs.

As he passed the study, something caught his attention.

The door stood slightly ajar.

He pushed it open.

In the corner of the room rested several wooden crates, each one carefully packed and sealed.

Cassian stopped where he stood.

The books Rosalie had claimed she merely wanted to air beneath the moonlight had all been packed away.

His eyes slowly drifted lower.

Resting inside one of the open crates was the carved frame that had once displayed their mating portrait.

The frame remained.

The portrait itself was gone.

A strange unease settled over him as he stood motionless in the quiet study.

After what felt like an eternity, he reached for his communication crystal and infused it with a thread of his aura.

Though the hour was well past midnight, he did not hesitate.

When his Beta finally answered, Cassian spoke without preamble.

"Did the Moon Healer ever send over Luna Rosalie's examination records?"

The communication crystal glowed faintly before Colton Riggs' sleepy voice emerged from within.

"Yes, Alpha. I still have the healer's records."

"Bring them to me."

"At once."

The connection faded.

Not long afterward, another pulse of spiritual energy flowed into the crystal. Cassian unfolded the healer's message and carefully read every line.

The examination recorded nothing alarming.

Rosalie's wolf was slightly weakened from lack of sunlight, and the Moon Healer had advised more time beneath the full moon along with a few restorative herbs, but there was nothing to suggest a life-threatening illness.

Only then did the tightness in Cassian's chest finally ease.

**

The following morning, Rosalie was surprised to find Cassian still at the manor.

He had always devoted himself entirely to pack affairs. Even after bringing Arabella back, he had rarely remained home once dawn broke. Seeing him waiting in the great hall instead of leaving before sunrise felt strangely unfamiliar.

The moment she descended the staircase, Cassian dismissed the warrior he had been speaking with and rose to his feet.

"I've arranged everything," he said. "We'll leave for the Sacred Moon Temple this afternoon. Go prepare your things. We'll set out before sunset."

Rosalie stopped halfway across the hall, unable to hide her surprise.

Seeing the question in her eyes, Cassian explained,

"Our mating anniversary is only a few days away. We can make the pilgrimage together and return before the Winter Moon Festival."

For a brief moment, Rosalie almost asked about Arabella.

If he left...

Who would remain by her side?

The question lingered on the tip of her tongue before she quietly swallowed it.

Throughout their marriage, every celebration had always been arranged by her. Whether it was their anniversary, the changing of the seasons, or the smallest festival beneath the full moon, she had been the one to prepare everything while Cassian simply appeared whenever time allowed.

Now, hearing him suggest the journey himself felt almost unreal.

Was it guilt?

Or had something changed after their conversation the previous night?

Rosalie could not tell.

In the end, she simply nodded.

If this truly became their final journey together...

...then she wished to remember it without bitterness.

After breakfast, she returned to their chamber and packed only what she needed. The northern mountains surrounding the Sacred Moon Temple were cold throughout the year, so she chose several heavy cloaks along with the medicinal herbs commonly used to ease the dizziness brought on by the high peaks.

By midday, they departed the territory.

The journey to the temple required passing through several allied packs before reaching the sacred mountain where the first Moonstone was said to have descended from the heavens.

Upon arriving at the final resting lodge before the ascent, pilgrims were required to register their names with the temple guardians before continuing on foot.

While Cassian remained behind to complete the formalities, Rosalie wandered toward a nearby spring to warm her hands with a cup of herbal tea.

When she returned...

Cassian was gone.

At first, she assumed he had merely stepped away to speak with the temple elders.

She waited patiently.

As more pilgrims began climbing toward the mountain while Cassian still failed to appear, unease slowly settled into her heart.

She reached for the mate bond.

This time, he answered almost immediately.

"Rosalie..."

His breathing was uneven.

"I can't make the pilgrimage."

Her fingers tightened around the warm cup in her hands.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

There was a long silence before he finally answered.

"It's Arabella... she attempted to sever her own wolf."

Rosalie stood perfectly still.

The bustling voices surrounding the temple faded into silence.

Without another word, the connection between them disappeared.

A long while later, she quietly joined the line of pilgrims climbing toward the Sacred Moon Temple.

Alone.

Beneath the towering Moonstone, wolves from every territory offered prayers to the Moon Goddess, turning the ancient prayer wheel with hopeful hearts.

For years, Rosalie had imagined standing there beside Cassian, praying that they would grow old together beneath the Goddess's blessing.

Instead...

She closed her eyes and whispered a different prayer.

She prayed only that she might survive.

That her wolf would endure.

That she would live long enough to return home.

During the days that followed, neither of them reached for the mate bond again.

Cassian had promised to meet her after two days.

He never came.

When the night of their fifth mating anniversary arrived, followed closely by the Winter Moon Festival, the bond between them remained painfully silent.

No greeting.

No explanation.

Nothing.

By then, Rosalie no longer felt surprised.

She had expected so little that disappointment should have been impossible.

Yet five years of loving the same man still left wounds that refused to stop bleeding. It felt as though countless silver blades had pierced her heart all at once, leaving behind a pain so suffocating that even breathing became difficult.

After returning from the Sacred Moon Temple, Rosalie sought out the legal elder Freya had recommended.

Once he had listened to everything she wished to do, the elder nodded thoughtfully.

"If you truly intend to dissolve your mate bond as quickly as possible," he said, "your Alpha must first agree before the Moonstone. Once he gives his consent, we can petition the Council of Elders to witness the severing ritual. Matters concerning estates, territory, and other possessions may be settled afterward."

Rosalie remained silent for a long while.

Was now truly the right time to dissolve their mate bond?

It was not Cassian she feared facing.

It was the rest of the Ironclaw Pack.

Alpha Rowan and Luna Adelaide had always loved her as though she were their own daughter. They had never once made her feel like an outsider after she entered the family. If they pleaded with her to reconsider... if they asked her to remain by Cassian's side...

She did not know whether she possessed the strength to refuse them.

She was simply too tired.

Too tired to explain.

Too tired to defend a marriage that had already died in her heart.

At last, she lifted her eyes toward Belinda.

"What if I entrust everything to you?" she asked quietly. "Speak to Cassian on my behalf and obtain his agreement before the Moonstone. Once that is done, I'll return to complete the severing ritual myself. Would that be acceptable?"

Belinda regarded her thoughtfully.

After a moment, she inclined her head.

"It can be arranged," she replied. "You'll need to grant me authority before the Council of Elders and sign the necessary documents."

Rosalie accepted the parchment without another word.

Though her fingers trembled ever so slightly as she pressed her name into the agreement with her wolf's aura, she never allowed the weakness to show upon her face.

When everything had been completed, Belinda accompanied her toward the entrance.

The moment they stepped outside, a crowd surged forward.

No warning.

No chance to react.

Clay cups filled with bitter herbal tea, bowls of cooled broth, and handfuls of mud came flying toward her from every direction.

The foul liquid soaked through her cloak and hair, dripping down her face before splattering across the stone road beneath her feet.

For a heartbeat, Rosalie simply stood there.

Too stunned to move.

"You shameless thief!"

One young she-wolf pointed at her with undisguised hatred.

"You stole Lady Arabella's mate!"

"The Moon Goddess will punish you!"

"Stay away from our future Luna!"

The accusations came one after another, sharper than claws.

Before Rosalie could gather herself, someone shoved her violently from behind.

Already weakened by the darkness consuming her wolf, she failed to steady herself.

She stumbled backward.

Then fell hard onto the stone pavement.

Pain shot through her side, forcing the air from her lungs.

"Enough!"

Belinda's voice rang through the courtyard with unmistakable authority.

Without hesitation, she pushed through the furious crowd and hurried toward Rosalie.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded coldly. "Do you understand that assaulting another wolf before witnesses is a crime under pack law?"

The young she-wolf leading the group folded her arms across her chest.

"A crime?" she scoffed. "We're only giving her what she deserves after everything she's done to Lady Arabella."

Belinda's expression did not change.

"Lady Arabella?"

"Who else?" another she-wolf snapped.

Belinda regarded them calmly.

"Did Lady Arabella order you to come here?"

The leader immediately shook her head.

"Lady Arabella would never do something like that. She's too kind. She's suffered because of this woman for years, so we're simply seeking justice for her."

"That's right!"

"Our Lady Arabella has endured enough because of this witch!"

Belinda gave a faint, humorless smile.

"Very well."

Her gaze swept over every face before her.

"I hope that same devotion remains when each of you stands before the Council of Elders to answer for today's actions."

Almost as if summoned by those words, several pack warriors arrived at a run.

The furious crowd scattered immediately.

Many fled before the warriors could seize them, though several were caught before they escaped.

Belinda helped Rosalie to her feet.

Her clothing was soaked, her silver hair clung messily to her face, and her complexion had turned frighteningly pale.

Without another word, Belinda guided her back inside.

After helping Rosalie clean herself as best they could, they made their way to the Hall of Judgment to report the assault.

During the journey, Belinda received several urgent messages through her communication crystal.

Someone had preserved the entire incident inside a memory crystal.

By then, it had already spread across countless packs through the shared communication network.

The comments beneath it overflowed with ridicule and condemnation.

Rosalie quietly read them all.

With every cruel remark...

The last trace of hesitation inside her disappeared.

She looked toward Belinda, her voice calm enough to send a chill through the room.

"Elder Sawyer."

Belinda lifted her eyes.

"I wish to entrust another matter to you."

"Go on."

"I want every wolf who deliberately spread false accusations against me to answer before the Council of Elders. As for those who assaulted me today..."

She paused briefly.

"...I will accept no private settlement."

"I intend to pursue every charge permitted under pack law."

Belinda nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"I understand."

"I'll see to it personally."

By the time Rosalie finished giving her statement at the Hall of Judgment, the little strength she had been clinging to had nearly vanished.

The corruption within her wolf had been worsening by the day, and the ordeal had drained what little remained.

She leaned back in her chair, her face almost devoid of color.

Belinda watched her with growing concern.

"Lady Rosalie," she said gently, "shall I escort you back to the Alpha Manor?"

Rosalie slowly shook her head.

"Thank you... but I'd rather walk for a while."

"I need the quiet."

Belinda hesitated before finally nodding.

"As you wish. Please take care of yourself."

She waited until Rosalie disappeared beyond the stone gates before taking out her communication crystal and reaching through the mindlink to Freya.

"Rosalie just left my chambers. She doesn't look well. I offered to accompany her, but she refused. Go after her."

Freya was in the middle of a council meeting when the message reached her.

She answered almost immediately.

"I'm on my way."