Chapter 1 Chapter 1

After confirming that my sister, Violette Adams, had regained consciousness, I finally managed to pull myself together and stared blankly at Kane Taylor's profile picture on my phone. It had been two full days since I sent the request to disconnect the Mate-Link, but Kane had not responded at all. [Please send our son's favorite toy, and bury it with him.] Three seconds after I sent the message, my phone started vibrating wildly. Kane's angry growl almost shattered the earpiece. "Selena, are you cursing your own child to death just because I missed your message?! "I told you to stay in the pack's territory while raising my heir, but you insisted on taking him everywhere! You sent seven Mind-Link requests when I didn't respond immediately. Are you crazy?! "A snake appeared in the garden, and Lyris got scared, causing a threatened miscarriage! What could be more important than two lives? "I'm warning you. Stop threatening me with the child! If you keep this up, I'll reject you!" Right then, I heard Lyris Loren's weak voice on the other end. "Kane, don't be mad at your mate. She's just worried about you. It's my fault—" "This has nothing to do with you, Lyris." The call abruptly ended. I slowly lowered the phone and let out a self-deprecating laugh. The blood from my nails digging into my palm didn't hurt nearly as much as the wound my mate had torn into my heart. My poor baby was tortured and killed just like that. He could not even talk yet. The rogue, smelling like decaying flesh, held my child hostage to threaten me. He pressed a silver knife to my child's vulnerable neck. "Your mate attacked my home! Now I'm a homeless stray! I'll hold you both until your mate returns my home to me!" I sighed in relief when I heard his specific demand. At least I could keep my child alive as long as I agreed. I kneeled and sent seven Mind-Link requests. All of them were cut off without mercy. The last time I made a phone call, Kane's angry roar filled my ears. It was even worse than the rogue's punches. "Stop trying to get my attention with these childish tricks!" Kane's words made me feel worthless in the eyes of the kidnappers. I kneeled on the broken stones, begging as my forehead bled. "Please, let my child live—" The only response was the sickening sound of the silver knife being pulled out, tearing through muscle. My child was gone. He had been laughing happily in my arms just that morning. I fought the rogues desperately. I tore apart the rogue who killed my baby, but there were too many of them, and I started losing ground. My child was dead, and I did not want to live anymore. I laid down and stopped resisting. Just when the darkness was about to swallow me whole, a wolf's howl pierced the night. Violette was battling the rogues alone, trying to get me out. However, the silver dagger, stained with my blood, pierced her pregnant belly, where my unborn nephew still lay. I forced myself to stand up, and we stood back-to-back. Together, we managed to injure the remaining rogues, forcing them to flee. "Why didn't you connect to my Mind-Link?" Violette asked, putting pressure on her wound, her eyes full of anger. "What if I hadn't found you using bloodline sensing? Were you just waiting to die? "Adrian! Send a healer!" Violette connected to the Mind-Link again shakily, but all she got was a cold response. "I’m helping Lyris to recover. Leave me alone." She called for soldiers, but there was no response at all. Violette had no choice but to contact our father, who was miles away. We supported each other and walked through the heavy rain that washed away the blood from our bodies. In the distance, there was a loud rumble—the sound of a mountain collapsing. Slowly, I closed my eyes and tried to accept that it might be my fate.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Thanks to the protection of the Moon Goddess, the guards sent by our father broke through the mudslide just in time, and saved us back from the edge of the mountain flood. Violette and I were sent to the hospital. She must have heard Kane's roar on the other end of the phone. I turned my head and saw Violette, propped up with her bandaged hand, sitting up. Her tears fell onto the back of my hand. "I'm sorry, Selena. If it wasn't for my marriage, you might've never been determined by the Moon Goddess that you and Kane had a fated connection. Oh, my Selena, you shouldn't have to suffer like this." I was about to tell her not to worry about me when Violette's phone began to vibrate furiously. Adrian's roar was so loud even I could hear it. "Kane said Selena threatened him with the child? Did you incite this? "Stop contacting my soldiers for no reason! They are warriors guarding the Duskhaven Pack, not tools for you sisters to fight over! "I don't even know how we brothers ended up marrying you two troublemakers. No one cares if you wanted to reject us! No one is begging you to stay!" When the call ended, Violette collapsed into my arms, her suppressed sobs tearing my heart. We held a funeral for the two lost children near the pack hospital. No one else attended besides Violette and I. Violette held my cold hand. "Don't be sad. Maybe our children didn't want a father like that, and that's why they left as angels." Memories flooded back when I saw the matching Duskhaven Pack totem rings on our hands. On our wedding day, the Crimsonmoon Pack cheered, saying we were lucky to be blessed by the Moon Goddess. "Selena loves her sister the most. They'll always look out for each other!" However, six months ago, when Lyris returned with her weak body, happy moments shattered like bubbles. Kane started ignoring my calls, and Adrian was busy with socializing every day. Violette and I realized that the brothers had secretly admired Lyris for a long time. Their agreement to follow the Moon Goddess' guidance was nothing but revenge for her leaving. The brothers were selfish. They even called Lyris their stepsister. We were naive and helped to take care of Lyris. We allowed them to bring Lyris home, and both brothers acted out of character, rushing to take care of her. Kane recalled his elite team from the frontlines just to punish Lyris' mate. Adrian left all the pack's affairs behind, burying himself into Violette's medical books to make the gentlest anti-abortifacient for Lyris. However, we sisters only received cold texts and endless waiting during our important moments—birthdays, full moons, even pregnancy and childbirth. It turns out that the love blessed by the Moon Goddess can turn into a deadly shackle. Sadly, we only understood that after paying the price of two lives.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

The pack's healer said I might never be able to fight again. I had suffered too many wounds from silver weapons. Violette was told she might never get pregnant again. The wound on her stomach and the miscarriage had done too much damage. As we tried to hold back our tears, a sudden notification broke the heavy silence. Lyris posted a video on social media. In the video, she sat curled up between the brothers. Blood from a snake stained Kane's fangs, while Adrian pressed his stethoscope against her swollen belly. [The people who care about you will always be one step ahead of danger. Thank you, my dearest brothers.] The post went viral in no time. Like counts increased madly, while the comment section exploded with jealous excitement. [Oh my god! Where can I find brothers like this?] [Look at the way they look at her! I'll drink up the Duskhaven river if they're not in love!] A few voices of reason appeared but were quickly drowned out. [Aren't these the Alpha and Beta of Duskhaven Pack? Why aren't they taking care of their own mates?] Then came Lyris's soft-spoken voice message. [Oh, sorry! Just sharing a little moment from life. Selena, you're not mad, are you?] Violette laughed coldly. "Brothers being brothers. Both experts at pretending to care. It's almost insulting that they ended up with us. "One played her first love, the other her backup plan. That's probably how it was meant to be." I said nothing. Our father contacted the Alpha King of the Kingdom of Volvia to request a forced dissolution of our Mate Bond. Less than a day later, the official forms arrived in my inbox. I sent the forms separately to Kane and Adrian without hesitation. There was no response at all. Two days later, I lost patience and sent a message to Kane. [Did you see the documents? Please reply.] He called back and shouted into the phone. "Are you done throwing a tantrum? Stop testing me with these stupid messages!" Then, Lyris's sweet voice chimed in. "What are you doing, Kane? Dinner's ready. Adrian and I have been waiting for you!" I laughed bitterly and replied, "You've been busy with your precious little stepsister, haven't you?" Kane snapped, "Selena, what the hell is wrong with you? Lyris is pregnant. She needs help. What's wrong with me being there for her? She's a delicate Omega, not as brute as you!" I was furious. "Pregnant? How dare you even mention a child? "What about your own child, Kane? Did you ever take care of me? Did you even try to protect your own child?" Kane let out a mocking scoff. "You're insane." He hung up on me instantly. Violette rushed over and held my shaking shoulders. "Selena, don't waste another tear on that trash. Our father is the Alpha of the Crimsonmoon Pack. The Alpha King will approve his request, and we will be free from those brothers."

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Three weeks passed in treatment. The hallway outside our hospital ward stayed eerily quiet. No questions from Kane. No concern from Adrian. It was as if we had never existed. We were numbed from pain, but their cold indifference made it worse. On the day we were discharged, we passed by the maternity ward and saw Lyris curled up in Kane's arms, crying about how scared she was to give birth. Adrian gently brushed her hair behind her ear. The three of them huddled together like a picture-perfect family. Our eyes ached from the sight. "Let's go." Violette held my hand tightly and pulled me out of the hospital. We had more important things to do. Violette went with me to the palace to meet the Alpha King. We repeated our request to break the Mate Bonds. We also begged him to send someone to hunt down the rogue who killed our children. "Your Majesty, that rogue claimed his revenge was meant as a warning to the Duskhaven Pack." The Alpha King, wise and kind, frowned deeply. Worry clouded his face. "This is serious. Why didn't your mates take care of this immediately? What if the rogue comes after you again?" I gave a bitter smile. Even a rogue could tell that our lives meant less than a single cough from Lyris in Kane and Adrian's eyes. He would not bother to come after us. I had no choice but to come and beg the Alpha King myself, hoping he could send someone to investigate the Duskhaven Pack's territory—places even my father could not reach. When he learned that both Violette and I had lost our children in the kidnapping, he looked at our pale, thin faces. His tone softened. "Don't worry. Your father and I have risked our lives together. I will make sure you get justice." As we stepped out of the palace, another notification popped up from Lyris's social media. [An angel who spent extra time in heaven choosing her Mommy has finally arrived!] Kane left a comment. [Uncle Kane, reporting for duty.] Adrian's comment followed not long after. [Uncle Adrian, reporting for duty.] I could not help but wonder how they would react if they ever found out their own children were gone.

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

Violette and I had not fully recovered. We were wrapped in bandages and finally made it back to Crimsonmoon's territory. Our mother cried, her heart aching. Our father stared at the bandages on us, a suppressed growl rumbling in his throat. Three days later, after we had calmed our parents down, I finally picked up the phone I had forgotten about. 37 missed calls notifications flashed across the screen. When I called back, Kane's roar nearly burst my eardrums. "Stop messing around! If I hadn't come back to pick up a gift for Lyris's baby, I wouldn't even know you ran off with my kid again!" His voice turned violent. "Violette too! Adrian still can't reach her. Did you turn her against him? What's wrong with you, Selena? Are you proud of yourself for nearly cutting off an alpha and his mate, his Luna's Mate-Link? Is that what you wanted?!" Violette suddenly snatched the phone from my hand. "Marrying into your family was the worst mistake of my life! Listen carefully, Kane. No one turned us against you! We're rejecting you because neither of you deserves to be our mates!" She hung up, and we blocked every contact point with them. "Don't let trash like him hurt you anymore, Violette," I tried to comfort her. Thankfully, on the fourth day, the Alpha King's seal appeared right where our mate-marks used to be—hot, glowing lines at the back of our necks. The burning symbol confirmed that the bond had officially been broken. We returned to Duskhaven to collect what was left of our children's belongings. As we reached the house we used to share with the brothers, we found Lyris standing outside. She was holding her baby, eyes red, playing victim. She looked like one soft breeze could blow her over. She fell to her knees and spoke in a pitiful voice when she saw us. "Selena, Violette, I'm sorry. I'm here to apologize on behalf of my brothers. It's all my fault that you misunderstood them. Don't blame Adrian and Kane. They were just worried about me, being a single mom and all. "I was afraid of being alone at the hospital. That's why they stayed with me. I thought they already told you. I told them to! I really did!" She kept playing the victim in front of us, flaunting how close they were. We sounded like nothing but outsiders to the brothers, like we were never their mates to begin with. Violette was about to slap Lyris in the face, but I stepped in front of her. I tilted my head, looked down at Lyris, and said coldly, "Is that so? Do we need your permission to reject our mates, Ms. Lyris? Save your pity act. That stuff doesn't work on us." Seeing the baby in her arms, I sighed and reached out to help her up, but the moment she heard the door open behind us, her eyes flickered. Then, she suddenly collapsed to the ground, like I had just pushed her. I froze. Right then, Kane stormed out and shoved me hard, his face twisted with rage. "Selena, how can you be so cruel?! Get away from her!" I lost my balance and hit the ground hard. Violette rushed to help me up. "Lyris! Are you okay?" Kane asked, kneeling beside her. Adrian came right after, checked that Lyris and the baby were unharmed. Adrian then turned to us, ready to explode, but when his eyes landed on Violette's flat stomach, his face froze. His voice trembled. "The baby… Where is the baby, Violette?!"