The next day, my fever finally broke.

My healing had finally clawed its way back, granting me a sliver of strength. But the silver poison remained, a cold fire in my veins.

I pushed open my door and left the East Wing. The castle was alive with light and decorations for a celebration.

It was the day of Aria's Blood Moon Christening.

Even if she wasn't the true heir, as a princess of the coven, she had to receive the family's blessing after her first birthday.

I followed the crowd to the family's sacred chamber, a vast stone room carved with the likenesses of Valkyrie ancestors.

At the central altar, Elder Viktor held a glittering necklace.

It was the coven's greatest treasure, the "Tear of Night," a massive black diamond cradled by a silver chain, radiating a dark power.

"Today, we witness the Blood Moon Christening of the princess, Aria," Viktor's voice echoed through the chamber. "And we also bless the lady Liliana, who will soon be our queen."

The entire coven applauded.

I stood in a dark corner, watching as Dorian led Liliana to the altar.

She was radiant in a magnificent crimson gown, her pregnant belly proudly on display. She looked like a goddess.

Viktor himself placed the Tear of Night around her neck.

"May the Night Mother bless you, our future queen."

Dorian gazed at her tenderly, adjusting the necklace for her.

He leaned in, his voice a low whisper for her ears only. "You have given me a future."

Liliana smiled shyly as their perfect little family accepted the coven's blessing.

I watched the scene, my heart twisting like a knife.

I used to dream of a moment like this.

As my grief threatened to overwhelm me, I heard Liliana's voice behind me.

She had Aria in her arms and pulled me into a secluded corner of the chamber.

"You see?" she said, smugly stroking the necklace. "This is how a true queen is treated."

I said nothing.

"You know," she whispered in my ear, "Dorian comes to me every night."

My body went rigid.

"He can't get enough of me, even while I'm pregnant," Liliana boasted. "Every night, he presses me into the bed, whispering that I'm the most beautiful woman he's ever seen."

"Enough," my voice trembled.

"He wants a dynasty with me. And you?" She leaned closer, her voice a venomous whisper. "You're just the loose end he hasn't figured out how to tie off. Yet."

Tears blurred my vision.

I tried to pull away, but just then, a loud crack echoed through the chamber.

The sacred vessel containing the blood of the Valkyrie ancestors had fractured.

It was an ancient crystal container, filled with the pure blood of their progenitors, pulsing with immense power.

And now, that power was about to break free.

"Everyone, back!" Viktor roared.

But it was too late.

The vessel exploded, sending a massive wave of energy ripping through the room.

In that split second, a blur of black mist wrapped around me.

Dorian had shifted, teleporting me to safety.

But Liliana wasn't so lucky.

She was hit by a shard from the explosion. Blood bloomed across her crimson dress.

"LILIANA!" Dorian's scream was torn from his soul.

He dropped me instantly, rushing to where she lay in a pool of blood.

"Liliana, stay with me!" he cried, gathering her into his arms.

I stood frozen, watching him cradle her as they vanished in a dark cloud.

A moment later, we were all in the clinic.

The blood-healer rushed to examine Liliana, his face growing grim.

"Her system is rejecting everything," the healer said, his face grim. "She needs a transfusion of pure life force. Something only a werewolf can provide." He looked directly at me.

Dorian's eyes snapped to mine, cold and hard as chips of ice.

"Freya. Your blood. Now."

I looked at his frantic face, a bitter taste filling my mouth.

"And what if I don't?"

"If she dies, we will never leave this place," his voice was ice. "Can't you think of anyone but yourself? Do you have any idea what this puts me through? You are so selfish!"

Selfish?

If I were truly selfish, I would have rejected this forbidden love from the start.

I would have joined the Healer's Guild and lived a quiet life.

"I refuse," I said, tears streaming down my face.

Dorian's face turned to stone.

"Do you regret it?" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat. "Do you regret saving me instead of her? Do you wish it was me bleeding out on that floor?!"

"You're being irrational!" he snarled, turning to the guards. "Take her to the bloodletting room!"

Two guards seized me, dragging me away.

"Dorian!" I screamed his name, my voice breaking.

But he didn't turn around. He just stood vigil by Liliana's bed.

In the bloodletting room, a thick needle pierced my vein.

I watched my own life force drain into the collection bag, drop by drop.

"Four hundred milliliters," the nurse reported to Dorian outside the door. "For a werewolf recently wounded by silver, this is already dangerous."

I heard Dorian's voice from outside, chillingly detached. "Keep going."

The needle stayed in.

Five hundred milliliters. I started to feel dizzy.

Six hundred. My vision blurred. My consciousness began to slip away.

I thought of the first time we met, how Dorian had looked at me with those clear blue eyes and smiled. "So, you're the one who saved me, little wolf."

Now he was hurting me without a second thought...

Just before I passed out, I heard the nurse exclaim, "We have to stop, she's going into shock!"

But I heard Dorian's voice, devoid of all emotion. "It's enough. Take it to Liliana."

When I woke, he was there. A silhouette in the shadows by my bed, radiating a chilling authority.

And when he spoke, his voice was a razor's edge.

"Did you do it?"

A sharp pain shot through my chest. The wolf inside me cried out.

"It wasn't me!" I screamed, sitting bolt upright. "Use the bond! If I'm lying, you can kill me right now!"

The blood bond was our most sacred connection. No lie could hide within it.

He finally looked up, his deep blue eyes bloodshot, swimming with pain and conflict.

"Everyone saw you. How am I supposed to believe you over my entire coven?" he snarled. "How can I protect you when you make it impossible? I have sacrificed everything for our 'forever'—for this damned eternity!"

This damned eternity.

That’s what our love had become to him.

"If our eternity is a curse," I said, my voice dangerously quiet as I met his furious gaze, "then I don't want it."

"What?"

"I want to break our bond."

The words hit the room like a bomb.

Dorian's face went white with rage. He slammed his fist into the stone table beside him.

The solid marble shattered.

"What did you just say?" His voice was a low growl. He lunged, his hands gripping my shoulders like steel bands. "Say. It. Again."

"I said," I repeated, each word clear and sharp, "I want. To break. The bond."

"No!" His roar shook the room. "You can't leave me!"

"Why not?" I laughed, a cold, broken sound. "You already have your perfect family, don't you? You have your heir. What use is there for this 'outsider' anymore?"

"Because I love you!" he roared, his eyes wild with desperation. "It has only ever been you!"

We stood there, locked in a standoff.

His hands were shaking. His eyes were a storm of pain, madness, and despair.

Finally, he pulled me into a crushing embrace.

"Don't you ever talk about leaving again," he rasped, holding me so tight I thought I would break. "Ever."

I didn't fight him.

I had no fight left.

"Liliana has forgiven you," he said against my ear. "But on one condition."

I closed my eyes, waiting for the final blow.

"I have to perform the Blood Moon Vow with her," he finally said, his voice hollow. "It's the only way to legitimize the heir."

The Blood Moon Vows.

The most sacred union for vampires, a pledge of eternal fidelity.

I smiled, but it was a smile of pure heartbreak.

"When?"

"In three days."

I nodded, unable to speak.

For the next few days, Dorian was a model of devotion.

He fed me, changed my bandages, and took me for walks in the garden.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But after I was discharged, everything was different.

The castle was buzzing with servants preparing for a wedding.

Red carpets, silver decorations, and massive bouquets of blood-red roses.

Dorian confiscated my communication device.

"To prevent any accidents," he explained.

Blood servants began to watch me twenty-four hours a day.

"For your safety," he said.

I was a prisoner in his castle.

On the day of the Blood Moon Vow ceremony, I sat in my room, listening to the noise outside.

The guests were arriving, their laughter and congratulations echoing through the halls.

Just then, a soft knock came at my door.

It was Elder Viktor.

Right. This was the day we agreed I would leave.

"A flight ticket to the Crimson Port," he said, handing me an envelope. "And a new identity."

I took the envelope, my face calm as I fought back the pain.

Then I stood and picked up the suitcase I'd already packed.

"Freya," Viktor called out. "Don't you want to watch the ceremony? Hear the vows he makes to her?"

I shook my head.

"No."

I walked out the door with my suitcase, the sound of ceremony bells ringing through the night air.

I didn't look back at the lavish ceremony. I didn't stay to hear Dorian's vows of eternity to Liliana.

I just sat in the back of the car, watching the castle shrink in the distance until it was gone.

Let the past, and the love that was never meant to be, fade away.

Goodbye, Dorian. May you enjoy your new eternity.

The one without me.