The next morning, I walked to the Elders' Council.

The whispers on the street, the mockery about me being a "has-been" or "lucky," no longer bothered me.

Fools.

The clerk at the council office took my document.

He glanced at the title, gave me a look like I was insane, and then let out a contemptuous snort.

"Luna, don't be ridiculous. Alpha Clark adores you. If anything, you're the one who doesn't deserve him. Instead of making trouble, you should focus on improving your pathetic alchemy skills."

I stared at him, my face blank. "When will it be approved?"

"I suggest you reconsider—"

"I don't need to."

I turned and left, heading straight for Clark's office.

As I approached the door, I heard a familiar laugh.

Layla's voice.

"Oh, Clark, you're too good to me," she cooed, her voice sickeningly sweet. "But this is so precious. I couldn't possibly accept."

"Take it," Clark's voice was so gentle I barely recognized it. "You deserve it. No one deserves it more."

I peeked through a crack in the door.

Clark was handing Layla a stone that glowed with a purple light.

It was a Soul Stone containing my latest breakthrough—a project that took me three months to complete.

"But Myrna..." Layla took the stone, pretending to hesitate. "Does she know you're giving this to me? Won't she be heartbroken?"

"She won't know," Clark said, stroking Layla's cheek. "And it wouldn't matter if she did. You're the only one who can unlock its true potential."

"She is your mate, after all," Layla said, looking down. "I don't want to ruin your relationship."

"Layla," Clark tilted her chin up. "You will always be the most important person to me. Nothing will ever change that."

My nails dug into my palms.

Just then, the Soul Stone slipped from Layla's hand, clattering on the floor.

They both whipped their heads around and saw me in the doorway.

"Myrna!" Clark's face went white. "When did you—"

"Just now," I said, pushing the door open and walking in casually. "I heard Layla's coronation is tomorrow. I came to congratulate her."

Layla quickly bent down to pick up the stone. She tried to look apologetic, but her eyes were full of defiance.

"Myrna, I—"

"Don't explain," I cut her off, a placid smile on my face. "I support whatever Clark chooses to do."

Clark looked at me, his eyes a mix of confusion and guilt.

"Myrna, it's not what you think—"

"And what do I think?" I tilted my head. "I think Layla is incredibly talented. She deserves the best."

Layla clutched the Soul Stone, looking at me as if I were an idiot.

"You're too kind, sister," she said with a sweet smile. "I'll be sure to treasure it."

"Good," I said, turning to Clark. "I have things to do, so I'll be going. You two have fun."

As I left the office, I heard Clark start to follow, but Layla stopped him.

"Let her go, Clark. She needs time to accept that the genius is gone."

Genius?

If I'm not, is a thief like Layla?

That night, I sat alone in my room, organizing what I would need for the next day.

Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through me.

The mental link between mates had been forced open.

Layla's voice echoed in my mind.

"Look at this, Myrna."

An image formed before my eyes. By a moonlit lake, Clark was gently kissing Layla's wrist. On her pale skin was a freshly drawn alchemy rune—a complex pattern of moonlight and mercury that glowed with an eternal light.

It was the rune of "Eternal Bonding."

It should have been mine.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Layla's voice was dripping with malice. "Clark drew it for me himself. He said it represents a true, pure love."

She paused, her tone growing even more venomous.

"Oh, by the way, the rune is in just the right spot to cover that ugly scar you got saving him. Clark said he was sick of looking at it, that it was a constant reminder of his weakness. Now, it's covered forever by our love. Isn't that perfect?"

The vision faded.

I wiped a trickle of blood from my lip.

Forcing a mental link hurts both parties, but clearly, Layla didn't care.

Fine.

Tomorrow was judgment day.

The next morning, I put on my most formal gown and went to the Temple.

But two guards blocked my path at the main gate.

"Apologies, Luna Myrna," one of them said. "You are not permitted to enter."

"Why not?"

"Alpha Clark's orders," the guard said, his face a mask. "Your spirit is tainted by failure. You are not worthy of entering the sacred grounds of the Temple."

The gathered guests began to point and whisper.

"Even her own mate doesn't trust her."

"She really has fallen."

"How disgraceful."

I stood outside the gates, enduring the scornful stares of everyone.

This was Clark's final "gift" to me.

"Step aside! How dare you be so rude to the Luna!"

One of the guards was about to shove me when a voice stopped him.

Layla, dressed in a magnificent silver gown, glided over, her face a mask of concern. "Sister Myrna? What are you doing out here?"

She turned to the guards. "Let her in." Then, in a soft voice loud enough for everyone to hear, she said to me, "Myrna, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately. All the failures... you've even started to suspect someone is sabotaging your work…"

A ripple of suppressed laughter went through the crowd.

Layla pretended not to hear. "I even wonder if Myrna thinks I've been 'borrowing' her ideas. But a genius's inspiration never runs dry, does it?"

She put extra emphasis on the word "borrowing."

Jealous. Delusional. Crazy. I had become a laughingstock.

Just then, Clark appeared. "What's going on?" he asked, striding over.

"Clark!" Layla immediately ran to him.

Clark glanced at me, a flash of irritation in his eyes.

He then turned to the crowd and announced in a placating tone, "Everyone, my apologies for the disturbance. This is Myrna. She's been… mentally unstable recently, imagining conspiracies against her. Layla has a kind heart and insisted on bringing her inside. Please, bear with her. Just think of her as… a charity case."

A charity case.

In front of all the nobles, he personally stripped me of my last shred of dignity and ground it into the dirt.

Inside the golden temple, Layla stood at the altar, basking in everyone's praise.

Halfway through the ceremony, I slipped out of the main hall.

Layla followed me into the corridor, her eyes glinting with undisguised malice.

"Congratulations," I said calmly.

"This isn't all I want," Layla sneered, her eyes wild. "I want to destroy you. Because you have something I can never have. Why? Why were you born with everything while I had to claw my way out of the mud?"

"So you stole my research."

"Stole?" Layla laughed. "That's nothing compared to what your parents left you. Without their ancient legacy, you're nothing!"

She suddenly leaned in close, her voice a low hiss.

"Aren't you curious? About how your 'genius' parents died in an 'accidental' alchemy explosion?"

My blood froze.

Layla's smile turned monstrous. "I'm the one who planted the unstable catalyst that caused that 'accidental' explosion! I'm the one who ended the Walker family line! As they died, they were screaming your name! 'Myrna, save us! Myrna!'"

Rage, hot as lava, erupted inside me.

My wolf broke free. Claws shot from my fingertips as I lunged for her face.

"You monster!"

Layla was ready. She stumbled back, deliberately tripping on her own dress.

"Ahhh!" she shrieked. "Help! Myrna is trying to kill me!"

The bloody scratches I'd left on her face made her look utterly pathetic.

Clark rushed in with a squad of guards.

His eyes landed on Layla on the floor, and he exploded with fury.

"She killed my parents!" I screamed. "She admitted it! She used a Blood-scent Catalyst—"

"Nonsense!" Clark shoved me away so hard I staggered back. "You've gone insane! Your jealousy has finally broken you!"

He knelt, gently helping Layla up, then stood and glared at me.

"Guards, remove her from these sacred grounds! From this day forward, she is banished from all holy sites!"

"Get her out of here!" Clark's command was a blade to my heart.

Two tall guards grabbed me roughly, dragging me toward the Temple doors like a dead dog.

My knees scraped raw on the cold marble, my beautiful gown tearing.

Behind me, I could hear Layla's triumphant sobs and see Clark's cold, retreating back.

Around me, I saw the scorn, pity, and smug satisfaction in the eyes of the guests.

They threw me onto the stone steps outside the Temple like a piece of trash.

Was I in despair?

No.

I pushed myself up from the ground, slowly, inch by inch.

I dusted myself off and straightened my ruined dress.

I didn't cry. Instead, I laughed.

As everyone stared in shock, I lifted my head.

My laughter echoed across the plaza, drowning out the hypocritical hymns from inside.

"Clark Drake!" I yelled for all to hear. "Your biggest mistake wasn't betraying me. It's that you have no idea what—or who—you've just thrown away!"

The moment the words left my lips—

BOOM!

With a deafening roar, the grand doors of the Temple were blown inward off their hinges!

Shrapnel flew everywhere.

And from the smoke and chaos, the Lord of the North, Logan Stone, strode forward.