The hallway to the Alpha’s study used to be my sanctuary. It was where Maddox and I would review pack treaties late into the night, our legs tangled together under the heavy oak desk. Now, standing before the familiar mahogany door, I felt like a trespasser in my own life.

I reached for the handle, my fingers trembling slightly. I needed my personal documents—my birth certificate, the deed to the small cabin my grandmother left me. If I was going to leave, I needed a way out.

Locked.

The metal mechanism didn't budge. I jiggled it again, frustration rising in my throat. It had never been locked before.

"Looking for something?"

The voice was smooth, like velvet wrapped around a jagged rock. I turned to see Daphne leaning against the doorframe of the adjacent room—the nursery. My nursery.

She looked different than she had three years ago. Her posture was straighter, her chin held high with an arrogance that mimicked an Alpha’s. A strange, pulsating pressure radiated from her—an aura. But it felt wrong. An Alpha’s aura is like the sun, warm and commanding. Hers felt like static electricity, prickly and synthetic. I could smell the faint, bitter undertone of herbs beneath her heavy perfume.

"I need my papers, Daphne," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the hollowness in my chest where my wolf should have been growling. "Open the door."

She laughed, a tinkling sound that grated on my nerves. "Oh, Maya. You really don't get it, do you? That's the Alpha's office now. Private pack business only. And you... well, you're just a guest."

She pushed off the wall and sauntered toward me. "Besides, we're busy redecorating. Maddox and I need the space."

My gaze flickered to the open door behind her. The soft yellow walls I had painted for Seven were gone, covered in a garish royal blue. The crib was new.

"Redecorating?" The word tasted like ash.

"For the future," she said, placing a hand on her flat stomach. The gesture was possessive, deliberate. "Maddox wants a big family. He needs strong pups. Pups that won't... break."

The implication slammed into me. She was talking about replacing Seven. Replacing me.

"You're disgusting," I whispered.

Daphne's smile vanished. She stepped closer, invading my personal space, letting that artificial aura crash against my defenseless human senses. It made me nauseous. "Careful, sister. In this pack, Omegas don't speak to their Luna that way. Be grateful I let you stay in the guest wing instead of the kennels."

She brushed past me, her shoulder checking mine hard enough to make me stumble. "Don't be late for the Run. Maddox hates it when the help is tardy."

***

The weekly Pack Run was a sacred tradition. It was when the pack bonded, running as one organism through the forest, the Alpha and Luna leading the charge.

Today, I stood on the muddy sidelines, shivering in a thin windbreaker. Around me, the Omegas—wolves who had lost their rank or were too weak to hunt—shuffled their feet, keeping their eyes on the ground. This was my place now.

A horn blew, signaling the start.

A massive black wolf burst from the tree line—Maddox. His fur was as dark as a moonless night, his muscles rippling with power. My heart lurched. Even after everything, seeing his wolf form made my soul ache for the connection I had lost.

But he wasn't alone. Right beside him ran a sleek, sandy-colored wolf. Daphne. She wasn't large or particularly fast, but Maddox slowed his pace for her, adjusting his stride so they ran flank-to-flank. At one point, he nudged her shoulder with his snout, a gesture of pure affection.

The pack followed them, a sea of fur and muscle, howling their loyalty. They didn't look at me. They looked at her.

"Maya."

I stiffened. My parents stood behind me. My mother wore a scowl that deepened the lines around her mouth, and my father wouldn't even meet my eyes.

"Mom," I said, hope flaring briefly. "Did you see them? He's... he's parading her around like—"

"Like his mate," my mother cut in sharply. "Which she essentially is."

I stared at her, stunned. "I am his mate. I am your daughter."

"You are wolfless, Maya," my father muttered, kicking at a tuft of grass. "You're an embarrassment. We have a standing in this pack. Daphne has secured our family's position. Don't... don't ruin this for us."

"Ruin it?" My voice cracked. "She stole my life! She's lying to everyone!"

"She stepped up when you were too weak to wake up!" my mother hissed, grabbing my arm. Her grip was bruising. "Do not cause a scene. Do not try to reclaim a status you are too broken to hold. If you love this family, you will stay invisible."

They walked away to join the elders, leaving me standing in the mud, watching the man I loved nuzzle the woman who had destroyed me.

***

I couldn't breathe in that house anymore. Every corner held a memory that Daphne had tainted. I needed it to end. The bond, the pain, the hope—I had to cut it all out.

That evening, I went to Elder Marcus. He was the keeper of the old ways, the one who oversaw the sacred ceremonies.

"The Severing Ceremony?" Marcus raised a bushy gray eyebrow, looking at me over his spectacles. He didn't offer me a seat. "That is a painful process, child. Usually reserved for rejected mates."

"I am rejected," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. "In every way that matters."

He smirked, a cruel twisting of lips. "Very well. It seems fitting. We can't have a lingering bond distracting the Alpha from his true future. We'll do it tomorrow night. right before the Luna Ceremony. A clean sweep."

I nodded and fled, feeling sick.

Back at the pack house, I tried to slip upstairs unnoticed, but voices drifted from the Alpha's study. The door was slightly ajar.

"...can't wait much longer, Maddox," Daphne's voice whined. "Her scent... it's stressing the baby. I can feel it."

I froze.

"Shh," Maddox's deep rumble vibrated through the floorboards. I heard the distinct sound of a purr—a deep, chest-rattling sound a wolf only makes for their mate. "I know. Tomorrow night, she'll be severed. Then I can mark you properly. No more distractions."

"Promise?" Daphne cooed.

"I promise," he murmured. "You're the only Luna this pack needs."

Tears finally spilled over, hot and silent. He wasn't being manipulated anymore. He was choosing her. He was choosing to erase me.

I turned and walked away, leaving the ghost of my marriage behind in that room. Tomorrow, I would sever the bond. And then, I would disappear.

My body was burning from the inside out. It started as a dull ache in my stomach, a heaviness that I attributed to grief and stress, but by midday, it had evolved into a searing fire. My hands shook so violently I could barely hold a glass of water, and a cold sweat drenched my clothes despite the chill in the guest room.

Dr. Helena had prescribed these "recovery supplements" the moment I woke up. *To help your human side adjust,* she had said with a tight, professional smile. *To manage the trauma.*

I stared at the small paper cup on the nightstand. Two white pills and a dark, viscous liquid that smelled faintly of licorice. I picked up the cup, my nose wrinkling. Werewolves have heightened senses, even without their wolves, but mine were dull. Still, something about the smell triggered a primal warning bell deep in my brain. It wasn't just medicinal; it was wrong.

I took a tiny sip. The bitterness hit my tongue instantly, sharper than bile, followed by a numbing sensation that spread to my lips. I spat it back into the cup, my heart hammering against my ribs.

*Supplements don't numb your mouth.*

I poured the mixture into the potted plant by the window—a wilting fern that looked as miserable as I felt—and tucked the pills into my pocket. If I was right, I needed proof.

Getting to the pack library was a gauntlet. I had to dodge pitying glances from the cleaning staff and sneers from the warriors guarding the hallways. The library was usually empty this time of day; most wolves preferred the training grounds or the forest. I slipped inside, the scent of old paper and dust offering a brief comfort.

I went straight to the restricted section on herbology. As Luna, I had memorized the codes years ago. My fingers trembled as I punched them into the keypad. *Please still work.* The lock clicked open.

I pulled down a heavy leather-bound volume: *Toxins and Remedies of the Old World*. I flipped through the pages until I found it. The illustration was unmistakable—a dark root that oozed a black sap when cut.

*Suppression Root. Used to dampen the connection between wolf and human. In high doses, causes lethargy, muscle atrophy, and eventual organ failure.*

And right below it: *Wolfsbane. Lethal in large quantities. In small doses, it weakens the wolf spirit, preventing shifting and healing.*

I leaned back against the bookshelf, the book heavy in my lap. They weren't just trying to keep me weak. They were killing my wolf. Dr. Helena wasn't healing me; she was finishing what the accident started.

A cold fury replaced the fear. I wasn't just a rejected mate; I was a target.

I needed to confront Maddox. He had to know. He was the Alpha; he wouldn't allow his pack healer to poison a member of the pack, even a wolfless one.

I tracked his scent—pine and rain, now tainted with Daphne’s vanilla—through the corridors. It led me away from the Alpha office and toward the pack hospital’s VIP wing. My stomach twisted. Was someone hurt?

As I rounded the corner to the waiting room, I froze. The double doors were thrown open, and the room was filled with balloons. Blue and pink balloons. A banner hung crookedly across the nurses' station: *Future of Silverclaw*.

Maddox stood in the center of a cheering crowd of Deltas and high-ranking warriors. He looked... happy. Happier than I had seen him in years. His face was flushed, his eyes bright. And his hand—his large, protective hand—was resting possessively on Daphne’s stomach.

She was glowing, basking in the adoration of the pack. She looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, feigning humility.

"This pup," Maddox’s voice boomed, silencing the room, "will be the strongest Alpha this pack has ever seen. A true heir."

The words were a physical blow. A true heir. As if Seven didn't exist. As if our son wasn't enough.

"Maddox!" The scream tore from my throat before I could stop it.

The room went dead silent. Every head turned toward me. Maddox’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a scowl of annoyance. Daphne’s hand went to her mouth in a theatrical gasp.

"Maya," Maddox growled, stepping in front of Daphne as if to shield her from me. "What are you doing here?"

"She's poisoning me!" I shouted, holding up the pills I had saved. "Dr. Helena—she's giving me Wolfsbane! Look at this!"

A ripple of murmurs went through the crowd. Dr. Helena stepped forward from the back, her face a mask of calm concern. "Alpha, the poor dear is confused. Those are standard iron supplements. Her trauma... it makes her paranoid."

"Paranoid?" I surged forward, but two warriors grabbed my arms, hauling me back. "Test them! Just test the damn pills, Maddox!"

"Enough!" Maddox roared, his Alpha aura flaring, pushing everyone back. He looked at me with cold, hard eyes. "You are disrupting a sacred moment, Maya. You are hysterical."

"I am dying!" I screamed, fighting against the warriors' grip. "She is killing my wolf!"

"Your wolf is already dead," he said cruelly. "Get her out of here. Take her back to her room and lock the door until she calms down."

The warriors dragged me backward. I watched as Daphne leaned into Maddox, whispering something in his ear. He nodded, wrapping his arm around her, turning his back on me completely.

I didn't go back to my room. I couldn't. If I stayed, I was dead.

I waited until the guard outside my door was distracted by a shift change, then I slipped out the window. It was a two-story drop, but I landed in the bushes, scratching my arms and face. Pain didn't matter. Survival did.

I ran toward the borderlands. If I could reach the Red River Pack, Alpha Thomas might help me. He owed my father a debt.

The moon was high, casting long, skeletal shadows through the trees. I was panting, my human lungs burning, my legs heavy. Without my wolf, I was slow. So painfully slow.

I heard the snap of a twig before I smelled them.

Three rogues stepped out from behind the trees, blocking the path. They were filthy, their clothes tattered, their eyes glowing yellow in the dark. They didn't look like random wanderers. They looked like they were waiting.

"Well, look what we have here," the middle one sneered, a scar running down his cheek. "The lost Luna."

"Let me pass," I said, my voice steady despite the terror gripping my heart. I pulled the silver kitchen knife I had swiped from my waistband. It was small, pathetic against three shifters, but it was all I had.

The rogue laughed. "Cute toy. But we're not here to play."

He lunged.

Instinct took over. Not wolf instinct, but muscle memory from years of self-defense training Maddox had insisted on. I dropped low, dodging his claws, and slashed upward. The silver blade caught his thigh, sizzling as it cut through flesh. He howled in pain.

The second rogue attacked from the side. I spun, kicking him hard in the knee, hearing a satisfying crunch. But the third one was faster. He slammed into me, pinning me to the forest floor. His breath smelled of rot and dried blood.

"Die, bitch," he snarled, raising his claws to tear out my throat.

I didn't think. I jammed the knife into the soft spot under his jaw, twisting it with every ounce of strength I had left.

He gurgled, blood spraying over my face, and collapsed on top of me. I shoved his heavy body aside, scrambling backward, chest heaving. The other two, seeing their leader dead, hesitated.

I grabbed the dead rogue's phone—it had fallen from his pocket in the scuffle. The screen was cracked but lit up with a new message.

I stared at the text, the blood on my hands turning cold.

*She's heading to the North Border. Make it look like an accident. Payment sent. - D*

Daphne.

She wasn't just replacing me. She was hunting me.

I ran through the forest, my breath ragged, until I reached the Alpha house. I wiped the blood and rogue filth from my face with a shaky hand, straightening my clothes as much as I could. The phone was still warm in my fist, its screen cracked but the message scrawled on it clear: *She's heading to the North Border. Make it look like an accident. Payment sent. - D.*

The dinner was in full swing when I burst through the doors. Laughter died instantly. Daphne’s painted face drained of color. Maddox’s eyes narrowed into slits of irritation. The Elders stopped mid-bite, their antlers casting jagged shadows across the long banquet table.

I stormed down the aisle between the ranks of pack members, my knife held high. They parted like a divided sea, some with pity, others with disdain. It didn’t matter. I crashed to a halt in front of the table, slamming the phone onto the polished wood. The room erupted in whispers.

“She did this,” I shouted, my voice raw with fury and pain. “Daphne, you sent those rogues! You’ve been poisoning me, manipulating everyone! I was your sister, your *family*—”

Daphne’s eyes went wide with faux innocence. She placed a delicate hand over her heart, her lips trembling. A single tear traced her perfectly made-up cheek.

“Mentally unstable,” she sobbed, shaking her head. “You were in a coma for three years, Maya! Of course, you’re crazy now. I’ve tried to be your friend, to help you, and this is how you repay me? You’re *mentally unstable*!”

Maddox stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. His aura flared, a hot, searing wall that pushed against my chest and nearly made me double over. I gritted my teeth, holding his gaze despite the pressure.

“Enough,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous. He stepped around the table, his eyes never leaving mine. “You are a disruption, Maya. A liability. You will return to your room and stay there until the Luna Ceremony. There, you will kneel and submit to Daphne in front of the entire pack. This charade ends now.”

My heart pounded in my chest. “You can’t do this! I have proof—”

“I am the Alpha,” he interrupted, his voice rising. “And I say you are the one who needs to be contained. You will do as you’re told, or I will have no choice but to imprison you until the Ceremony. Choose wisely.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but his aura surged, a physical force that knocked the air out of my lungs. I staggered back, my vision blurring at the edges. The room seemed to tilt. I swallowed hard, forcing my legs to hold me up. There was no way I could fight him now, not with his Alpha Voice roaring in my skull.

With a defeated nod, I turned on my heel. I could feel Daphne’s smug eyes on my back, the weight of the pack’s judgment like a shroud. I slipped out of the dining hall and down the corridor to my room, my broken arm hanging uselessly at my side.

Slamming the door behind me, I locked it and slid down to the floor, my back against the heavy wood. My chest heaved with ragged breaths. I couldn’t believe it. Maddox, my mate, the father of my child, had chosen Daphne over me. Again. And again. And again.

A soft click made me look up. Seven stood in the doorway, his small face lit by the dim light of the hallway. He hesitated, his eyes flicking to the door, then back to me.

“M-Mom?” he said, his voice tentative.

I opened my mouth to speak, to explain, to beg him to understand. But the words died in my throat as he took a hesitant step forward.

“Stay back, Seven,” I rasped, my voice breaking. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

He stopped, his brow furrowing. “Why would you—”

“I’m a bad person, Seven,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But I can’t... I can’t do what they want. I won’t. I love you, baby. But I can’t do it.”

His face crumpled, and he turned and ran, his small feet pounding against the hallway floor. I closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face, as the sound of his retreating footsteps echoed in the silence.

The final piece of my heart broke off, and with it came a resolve as hard and unyielding as the Severing Ceremony itself. I would not submit. I would not vanish. But I would disappear, and I would do it on my own terms.