My Alpha mate took our pup Lyra, his former lover Morgana Thorne and her pup, into the wilderness for the Pack's Full Moon Festival.

On the way, he abandoned our pup. It was to soothe Morgana's pup, whose so-called ‘mana depletion’ was a lie crafted from black magic. He left Lyra alone in a car protected by only a basic ward.

I sensed Lyra’s raw terror—she was surrounded by Hellhounds. I tore through the woods, desperate to reach her.

All that remained was a car ripped to shreds by sharp claws and a shattered ward.

And a blood-stained moonstone talisman.

As I drowned in the agony of losing my daughter, Caleb finally answered my mind-link.

He was celebrating the Full Moon Festival with Morgana. He accused me of overreacting and ruining the Pack's festive mood.

Listening to his heartless accusations, a sneer twisted my lips.

Fine. A happy festival, indeed.

I would make him taste this bloody moonstone and let him feel the festival’s “blessing” for himself.

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1

I burst into the Pack's celebration hall, and my heart stopped. The room was aglow with energy crystals, filled with the boisterous laughter of werewolves. Long tables groaned under the weight of a feast prepared for the Full Moon Festival, the air thick with the aroma of roasted meat and moonlit wine.

A bitter cold flooded my veins, and my stomach dropped to the floor.

My mate, Caleb Blackwood, was cozied up with his former lover, Morgana Thorne, on a fur-covered sofa near the bonfire. They both wore sickeningly content smiles. And right across from them sat my mother-in-law, Jocasta.

Jocasta was holding Morgana’s son, Damian.

She cooed, feeding him an energy-infused fruit puree with a spoon. His chubby little face was smeared with shimmering flecks as he giggled. The sight was a dagger in my heart—a haunting echo of me doing the same for Lyra when she was a toddler.

I stared at the cozy scene, my breath catching in my throat. Lyra. The sound of her name was a crushing weight on my chest. My vision swam, and the floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet.

“Well, if it isn’t Selene. Why the grim face? You’re ruining the mood on this festive day,” Morgana spotted me at the door, her voice dripping with undisguised mockery. She snuggled deeper into Caleb's arms, staking her claim.

Caleb glanced up, and a scowl immediately darkened his handsome features. “Can’t you at least try to feign some cheer for the Full Moon Festival? I’ve told you countless times to mind your appearance. You should take a page from Morgana’s book.”

My disheveled, mud-stained clothes were a stark contrast to the surrounding splendor. But he didn’t care why I was in such a state; his eyes held only contempt and disgust.

I took a deep breath, trying to cage the wolf clawing at the inside of my ribs. I looked at them, my voice cold. “Caleb, where is Lyra?”

When Jocasta heard my question, she protectively patted Damian. “The nerve of you to ask! Your pup is just as wild and thoughtless as you are, running off on the day of the Full Moon Festival! Nothing like our sweet Damian…”

“Say that again,” I snarled, my voice a low, guttural sound I barely recognized. The hall fell silent. They had never seen me like this.

Caleb was the first to react. He shot up from the sofa, pointing an accusatory finger at me. “Selene! Have you lost your mind?”

I ignored him, stalking toward Jocasta, my eyes locked on the child in her arms.

“Don’t you dare talk about Lyra! None of you have the right!” I shouted, my voice cracking with rage.

Rage coiled in my gut, threatening to consume me whole.

My outburst stunned him.

He stared at me, his eyes a mixture of disbelief, disgust, and anger.

He said coldly, “Selene, what do you think you’re doing? Look at yourself. Is this how an Alpha’s mate and a mother should behave?”

My lips trembled. “A mother? Do you have any idea what happened to Lyra—”

But before I could finish, Morgana’s delicate voice cut in. She turned to Caleb, her eyes welling with tears.

“Caleb, don’t be angry. Selene is clearly upset to see me here. Perhaps Damian and I should leave so we don’t spoil her evening…”

“Morgana, you’re not going anywhere. She’s the one who should leave.”

Caleb cut her off without a second thought. He turned his fury on me. “Selene, have you made enough of a scene? Go and reflect on your behavior. I’ll deal with you later!”

“I…” I opened my mouth, but the words caught in my throat.

Despair washed over me. The man who had sworn his life to me was now a stranger, his heart a block of ice.

I turned, my feet like lead, and trudged upstairs to Lyra’s room.

“Caleb, you should have listened to me and never married that woman! Look at her, acting like a lunatic and bringing shame to the Blackwood Pack!”

“Mom, don’t be angry. Let’s just enjoy the celebration with Morgana. Ignore her.”

Their words followed me up the stairs, each one a fresh stab of pain. I staggered into Lyra's room and collapsed onto her bed. Sobs wracked my body, but no tears came. The pain was too deep, a cold hollowness that had settled in my bones.

The room still carried Lyra’s unique, sweet scent of moonlit grass. But my world had turned bitter.

I blamed myself for being so weak.

If I had just insisted on staying with Lyra, if I hadn’t compromised, if I hadn’t been so quick to trust Caleb… Lyra would still…

I covered my face, a dry, ragged gasp escaping my lips. Regret and self-blame were a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs.

A soft thump startled me. Lyra’s favorite Moon Bear doll had fallen from the bed to the floor. It lay there, its button eyes seeming to accuse fate of its cruelty.

My hands trembling, I picked up the doll and hugged it tightly to my chest, desperate to feel the last trace of Lyra’s warmth.

“What the hell are you freaking out about?” Caleb’s impatient voice sliced through my grief.

I looked up at him, and disgust settled in my heart like a shard of ice. He was once my whole world; now, he was a stranger.

“What do you think?” I asked, my voice like ice.

“What’s with that tone?” Caleb frowned, his voice sharp with displeasure. “I’m asking you a question. Don’t you dare look at me like that.”

“And I have a question for you,” I said, meeting his gaze, enunciating every word with chilling clarity. “Why did you leave Lyra alone in the car?”

“Why?” Caleb let out a derisive laugh. “What a ridiculous question. Are you serious, Selene? The portal malfunctioned, and Damian had a sudden mana depletion attack. We had to use the emergency transport, but it has a three-person capacity. We had to leave Lyra behind for a bit.”

“The emergency portal has a three-person capacity?” I repeated, the words like ash in my mouth.

“Yeah, what else were we supposed to do?” Caleb snapped. “Leave Morgana and her sick child in the middle of nowhere? Besides, I arranged for someone to pick Lyra up. It was only for a little while. What’s the big deal?”

“Arranged for someone? For a little while?” I shot up from the bed, my eyes burning. “Caleb, do you even know? Because of your damned ‘little while,’ Lyra… she…”

My voice broke, the terrible truth catching in my throat.

Caleb’s brow furrowed. “What are you trying to say? Spit it out.”

“Lyra…” I took a shuddering breath. “She was mauled to death by Hellhounds!”

The words hung in the air, and I felt my world shatter. A chilling cold enveloped me, and darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

Caleb froze for a beat, then his expression twisted into rage. “Selene, you’ve finally lost it! I can’t believe you’d stoop to fabricating such a vicious lie about your own daughter just to get my attention! You’re despicable!”

His contemptuous gaze was like a physical blow. I stared at him, incredulous. “What are you saying? You don’t believe me?”

He pointed at me, his tone scathing. “Selene, I can’t believe how wrong I was about you. That you would sink this low! My mother was right; you're not fit to be a mother!”

“Caleb, don’t be angry. Selene probably just wanted to get your attention, so she lied…”

Morgana rushed in, grabbing Caleb’s arm with a show of feigned concern.

A triumphant smirk flashed across her face, so quick I almost missed it. Caleb, of course, was oblivious. He patted Morgana’s hand affectionately before glaring back at me.

“You disappoint me, Selene. Look at what a wonderful mother Morgana is, and then look at yourself. You don’t deserve to be a mother.”

He took a deep breath, his tone glacial. “I’ve made a decision. Effective immediately, Morgana will be Lyra's magic tutor. Let her guide our daughter properly, and maybe you can learn from her how to be a real mate and mother!”

“No problem, I’ll take good care of Lyra,” Morgana purred, a victorious smile blooming on her face.

I glared at her, my blood boiling. “You’re a homewrecker. You have no right to be near any child, let alone guide one. You’re raising a little liar yourself!”

“How dare you!” Stung, Morgana’s mask of concern dropped. She leaned in close, whispering maliciously, “Putting on a brave face, are we? I wonder if you were this tough when you got the news about Lyra.”

Before she could say more, I slapped her. The sharp crack echoed through the room.

It was her. It had to be. In that instant, I knew this vicious woman was behind Lyra’s fate.

Rage and terror obliterated my reason. I lunged at her, my only thought to tear her limb from limb.

Caleb saw Morgana clutching her cheek and me advancing like a wild animal. His anger, already simmering, exploded.

“Selene, what are you doing?!” he roared.

Before I could answer, Morgana threw herself into Caleb’s arms, sobbing. “Caleb, I was just trying to tell her the plan for picking up Lyra, since it was getting late. I didn’t want her to worry, and she just went crazy and hit me!”

Through her false tears, she shot me a venomous look, casting me as the villain.

Caleb held Morgana protectively, his eyes blazing at me.

“Selene, I see it now. You’ve completely lost your mind. Get out! I don’t want to see your face again!”

I pointed a trembling finger at Morgana. “You still want her to teach Lyra? This woman killed Lyra! You don't get to choose a mother for my daughter!”

I took a deep breath, pulled out the bond dissolution papers I’d already prepared, and threw them at his chest. “Sign them! I’m severing our mate bond!”

Tears streamed down my face. “We’ve been mates for years. Even if you don’t love me anymore, do you really think I would lie about our daughter’s life and death?”

Caleb stared at me, a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. Then, he bent down and picked up the papers.

“Selene, I know your game. You’re trying to force my hand. Too bad for you. If I hadn’t just gotten an update from Lyra, I might have actually fallen for your little performance.”

He pulled out a communication crystal and projected two magical images.

“Daddy, Uncle Silas is here! He came to get me, so I’m safe now!”

“Daddy, I’m staying at my friend Mia’s treehouse tonight. Don’t worry!”

I knew instantly. The girl in the image looked like Lyra, but it wasn’t her. Something was terribly wrong.

I stared at Caleb, my voice low and urgent. “Caleb, look closer at that image of Lyra. Sense it. Don’t you feel that the mana fluctuations are all wrong?”

But he refused to listen. He scowled. “Selene, what are you getting at? Are you still trying to sell this lie?”

I took a ragged breath, fighting for control. “I’m not lying! Please, just believe me! Lyra is really…”

Before I could finish, Morgana interjected sharply, “Selene, have you no shame? You’ve been caught in your lie, and you’re still making a scene. What more do you want? Do you think Caleb is a fool?”

Caleb and Morgana stormed out, slamming the door behind them. The sound echoed in the room, a final, mocking punctuation to their departure.

I collapsed onto the cold floor, staring blankly at the ceiling as despair swallowed me whole.

Caleb had changed so much I couldn’t recognize him. He would rather believe a manipulative outsider than his own mate. Had he ever truly cared about me? About Lyra?

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet and made my way to Lyra's closet. With trembling hands, I opened the doors. Her clothes were all neatly folded inside. I ran my fingers over each tiny garment, as if I could still feel her warmth, and my vision blurred.

I packed all of it—her clothes, her toys, her magic books, everything she ever loved—into a suitcase. I would take her home. I would leave this cold, heartless Pack behind.

As I dragged the heavy suitcase out of the room, I found Morgana waiting for me in the living room, lounging on the sofa and flipping through a magic magazine.

She set the magazine down when she saw me, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

I tried to walk past her, desperate to escape that suffocating house. But she stood, blocking my path, crossing her arms and fixing me with a provocative gaze.

“Leaving so soon? I thought you’d be shameless enough to stick around,” Morgana sneered.

I stared at her, saying nothing.

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” she gloated at my silence. “I told you a long time ago, you’re not good enough for Caleb. Look at you now, so pathetic and broken.”

I took a deep breath, clamping down on my anger. I wouldn't sink to her level.

But Morgana wasn’t finished. “Just so you know, Caleb loves me now. There’s only room in his heart for me and Damian. You’d be wise to disappear from our lives for good.”

She went on, her tone sharp and cruel. “He’s been so good to me lately. He just branded my wrist with this—a secondary rune, for the Alpha's Protection. Look!”

She held up her wrist, showing off a complex, faintly glowing rune. Then, she smiled smugly, her gaze falling to the back of my neck—to my sacred mate mark.

The mark was dull and faded, and it pulsed with a searing pain that mirrored the one in my heart.

“Did you really think an Alpha’s mate mark was eternal?” she whispered, her voice laced with malicious glee. “Caleb allowed me to attach a parasite rune to it using black magic. Now, it’s nothing but a conduit to siphon your energy and feed my own. You were only ever a stepping stone.”