I unfolded the letter from my senior sister, Livia Hill.

Her words were clear—since the Bennett Pack had treated me so poorly, I should consider moving to Greenwood.

Though Greenwood lacked the grandeur of the capital, it would offer me safety, a sanctuary away from the toxicity that had consumed my life.

I had been torn.

Part of me still longed for a life with Taylor Medina, my mate, despite everything. The bond between us, though strained, still pulsed faintly in my chest, a reminder of what could have been.

Yet another part of me yearned to return to the pack I had once called family, to the sisters and brothers who had stood by me when Taylor’s family had cast me aside.

But Taylor made the decision for me.

He rejected me.

The words still echoed in my mind, sharp and unrelenting. “I, Taylor Medina, Alpha of the Medina Pack, reject you, Eden Mendez, as my mate.”

The pain of that moment had been excruciating, the bond between us shattering like glass. Yet, in a strange way, it freed me.

I no longer had to choose.

Now, I could focus on the one thing that had always grounded me—my mother’s legacy.

Among the few possessions I had left of hers were several paintings she had created during her lifetime.

They were old, the colors faded, but they carried her essence, her spirit.

I ran my fingers over the canvas of her favorite piece, *Autumn Mountains*.

The strokes were delicate yet bold, a testament to her talent and passion.

Tears welled in my eyes as I whispered, “Mom, we were both so foolish, weren’t we?”

My mother, Seraphina, had been a skilled artist, a protégé of the renowned healer and painter, Lawson Oliver.

Garrett Bennett, the former Alpha of the Bennett Pack, had come to Greenwood seeking a commission.

Instead, he found her.

He pursued her relentlessly, his aura and commanding presence impossible to resist.

They had their marking ceremony in Greenwood, and I was born soon after.

But my mother never knew that Garrett already had a mate back in the capital, Paula Herrera.

He had intended their affair to be fleeting, a momentary indulgence.

But my mother loved him too deeply.

When she followed him to the capital, she walked into a scene that shattered her heart—Garrett and Paula, entwined in their bond, their love on full display.

Paula, ever the shrewd Luna, insisted on bringing my mother into the pack, adding her name to the registry.

But it was no kindness.

My mother withered under the weight of humiliation and heartbreak.

She died young, her hands gripping mine, her eyes filled with tears of regret.

“Eden,” she had whispered, her voice trembling. “Your mate… choose one who loves you… who protects you.”

I had promised her, through my own tears, that I would.

But now, looking back, I realized how naive I had been.

My mother and I had both made the same mistake—we had tied our worth to the love of men who could never truly cherish us.

Perhaps it was time to let go of that dream.

Perhaps happiness didn’t lie in finding a mate but in finding myself.

As I stood there, my mother’s painting cradled in my arms, I felt a resolve harden within me.

I would honor her memory, not by chasing the love of an Alpha, but by embracing the life I had built for myself.

The bond with Taylor was broken, but I was not.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt free.

The Medina Pack house was a sea of red, every corner adorned with the trappings of an impending **Mark Ceremony**. Louise Bennett, the Alpha's chosen Luna, was to be celebrated, and the entire pack buzzed with excitement. **Omegas** hurried in and out, carrying crimson robes, silk ribbons, and the finest decorations. I overheard whispers from the **deltas** as they passed:

"The Alpha has spared no expense for our future Luna. He ordered the most exquisite gown from the renowned designer, Celeste Barnes. He said Louise shouldn’t lift a finger for her own **marking**."

I paused, a pang of bitterness tightening in my chest. Memories of my own **marking ceremony** flooded back, unbidden. When Taylor Medina had claimed me as his mate, it had been rushed, almost an afterthought. I had spent weeks sewing my own gown, my fingers calloused and bleeding from the needlework. Meredith, his mother, had deliberately dimmed the lights in my room, forcing me to strain my eyes in the flickering candlelight. By the end, I could barely see.

Taylor had been remorseful when he saw the toll it had taken on me. "I was careless," he had said, his voice heavy with regret. "This was my fault, and I’ll make it up to you."

But he never did. Instead, he poured his attention into Louise, the woman who was now to be his Luna. He spared her every inconvenience, every hardship. He had never treated me with such care. Perhaps, I thought, leaving had been the right choice. There was no need to linger on what could have been.

Louise, with her **Alpha's aura**, wasted no time asserting her dominance. She ordered me around mercilessly in the days leading up to the ceremony—kneeling for hours, copying ancient texts, massaging her shoulders, serving her tea. I complied without protest, my head bowed in submission.

"Just endure it," I told myself. "A few more days, and Lawson will come to take me away."

But I hadn’t anticipated how far Louise would go. Her cruelty knew no bounds, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could bear it.

The past few days had been sunny, and I decided to take out my mother’s paintings to air them. I laid them carefully on the grass, the vibrant colors of her artwork shimmering under the sunlight. But I should’ve known better than to leave them unattended.

Louise Bennett, with her usual malice, deliberately threw the paintings into the lake.

By the time I noticed, the delicate paper was already soaked and ruined. The once-stunning *Autumn Maple Forest* bled out its red pigments, staining the water like a pool of blood. It reminded me of my mother’s final moments—her tears of pain, her cries of regret, her silent plea for forgiveness. She had left these paintings for me, saying they were her way of loving me even after she was gone.

“Look at them when you miss me,” she had whispered.

Now, my mother was gone, and even this last connection to her was destroyed. My chest tightened, and my hands trembled with rage. I lunged at Louise, grabbing her by the collar, my voice shaking with fury.

“Why would you do this?!”

I had tolerated her, ignored her provocations, and let her have her way time and time again. But this—this was too much. She had crossed a line I didn’t know I had.

Louise smirked, her almond-shaped eyes gleaming with mockery. “Eden Mendez, you and your mother were nothing but a mistake. My father promised my mother that they would be mates for life. You and your mother ruined that. You deserve this.”

Her words cut deeper than I expected. My mother wasn’t the one at fault. Neither was Louise’s mother. It was Garrett Bennett, their father, who had betrayed them both. But why should my mother and I pay the price for his sins?

I stared at the ruined paintings, the once-beautiful images now distorted and unrecognizable. It felt like a dull knife was slowly carving into my heart, each stroke more agonizing than the last. I could barely breathe, the pain overwhelming me.

I didn’t notice the figure approaching from behind until it was too late.

In an instant, Louise leaped into the lake, her graceful dive almost mocking. The water rippled around her, and I stood frozen, my hands still clutching the empty air where her collar had been.

The sound of splashing water snapped me out of my daze. I turned to see Taylor Medina striding toward me, his dark eyes blazing with fury. His Alpha aura was overwhelming, and I instinctively took a step back, my wolf whimpering softly in the back of my mind.

“What happened here?” he demanded, his voice sharp and commanding.

Before I could answer, Louise surfaced, gasping for air. She looked up at Taylor, her eyes wide and pleading. “Alpha, she pushed me! She was so angry about the paintings—I didn’t mean to ruin them, but she—she attacked me!”

My jaw clenched. Of course, she would twist the story.

Taylor’s gaze shifted to me, his expression unreadable. “Is this true, Eden?”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but the words caught in my throat. What was the point? Taylor had always been quick to believe the worst of me.

“It doesn’t matter,” I muttered, my voice barely audible.

Taylor’s eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. “It matters to me. Did you push her?”

I glared up at him, my hands still trembling with residual anger. “What if I did? She destroyed the only thing I had left of my mother. What would you have done, Alpha?”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of guilt in his eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

“You don’t get to decide justice, Eden,” he said coldly.

I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and empty. “Justice? Since when has there ever been justice for me?”

Taylor’s eyes hardened, and he turned away, striding toward the lake’s edge to help Louise out of the water. She clung to him, her eyes glistening with fake tears.

I stood there, watching them, the weight of their betrayal pressing down on my chest. My mother’s paintings were ruined, my memories of her tainted by Louise’s cruelty.

And once again, I was left with nothing.