Her Second Moon

After his fated mate died, Alpha Killian Thorne spent ten years resenting me. I was the Omega healer he never chose—bound to him by duty, not love. A substitute. A scar on a bond neither of us asked for. No matter how deeply I healed his wounds, no matter how quietly I stayed by his side, all he ever said was: "If you really want to please me, Clara… then disappear." But when death came charging, it wasn't I who fell. He did. Bleeding out in my arms, Killian looked at me one last time and whispered: "If only I'd never met you…" Everyone regretted that he had bonded with me. Even I did, too. I was cast out of the pack with nothing— No title. No Luna severance. No den to call my own. And then… perhaps the Moon Goddess took pity on me. She gave me one final chance to rewrite fate. This time, I won't beg for his love. This time, I won't tether him to pain. This time, I'll sever the bond before it begins. I could already hear the gears of fate turning, and this time, I would move first.

Her Second Moon

After his fated mate died, Alpha Killian Thorne spent ten years resenting me. I was the Omega healer he never chose—bound to him by duty, not love. A substitute. A scar on a bond neither of us asked for. No matter how deeply I healed his wounds, no matter how quietly I stayed by his side, all he ever said was: "If you really want to please me, Clara… then disappear." But when death came charging, it wasn't I who fell. He did. Bleeding out in my arms, Killian looked at me one last time and whispered: "If only I'd never met you…" Everyone regretted that he had bonded with me. Even I did, too. I was cast out of the pack with nothing— No title. No Luna severance. No den to call my own. And then… perhaps the Moon Goddess took pity on me. She gave me one final chance to rewrite fate. This time, I won't beg for his love. This time, I won't tether him to pain. This time, I'll sever the bond before it begins. I could already hear the gears of fate turning, and this time, I would move first.

Chapter 1 Chapter 1

After his fated mate died, Alpha Killian Thorne spent ten years resenting me. I was the Omega healer he never chose—bound to him by duty, not love. A substitute. A scar on a bond neither of us asked for. No matter how deeply I healed his wounds, no matter how quietly I stayed by his side, all he ever said was: “If you really want to please me, Clara… then disappear.” But when death came charging, it wasn’t I who fell. He did. Bleeding out in my arms, Killian looked at me one last time and whispered: “If only I’d never met you…” At the funeral, his mother wept. “He should’ve been with Selena. I never should’ve let him mate with you.” His father’s glare cut through me. “Killian saved you three times. Why wasn’t it you in that grave?” Everyone regretted that he had bonded with me. Even I did, too. I was cast out of the pack with nothing— No title. No Luna severance. No den to call my own. And then… perhaps the Moon Goddess took pity on me. She gave me one final chance to rewrite fate. This time, I won’t beg for his love. This time, I won’t tether him to pain. This time, I’ll sever the bond before it begins. I could already hear the gears of fate turning, and this time, I would move first. --- A blinding light burst from the hands of the Moon Goddess. I squeezed my eyes shut, but Killian Thorne’s voice sliced through the brilliance like a blade. “My parents threatened to die if I didn’t mate with you. Clara, you’re really something. But even if we complete the bond—what do you think you’ll get out of it? You really think we’ll be happy?” I snapped my eyes open. And there he was—Killian, Alpha of the Thorne Pack, alive and breathing, standing right in front of me. He looked younger than I remembered. Less hardened. But the disdain in his eyes hadn’t changed. My throat tightened, but I forced back the sob. The Moon Goddess had truly answered my plea. She’d sent me back—not to the day we first met, but to the day we were supposed to complete our bond. Ten years ago. Thank the stars. There was still time. I stared at him, memorizing every inch of him like a starving wolf. I’d begged the Moon for this chance—not to win him, but to set him free. “Killian, you don’t want to bond with me because the one you truly love… is Selena, isn’t it?” His smirk faltered. His jaw tightened. “So what if it is?” he said coldly. “We’re already standing at the Bond Council Registry. What now, you think you can still back out?” I nodded. “I do.” He laughed bitterly. “I don’t have time for games. Just sign the damn contract. I’ll be outside.” He turned and walked away. Pain bloomed in my chest. But I had already felt worse—in a future where he died because of me. In both lifetimes, I had loved him deeply. He saved me three times, and I thought—naively—that meant something. Even his parents believed so. “Killian’s heart is hard on the outside, soft on the inside,” they once told me. “If he didn’t care, why would he risk his life for you?” And I had believed them. I entered our mating with fragile hope. Then Selena died, and everything changed. The Alpha who once shielded me now looked at me like I was the one who’d buried her. His last words before he died for me still echoed: “If only I’d never met you.” They say the Moon Goddess rarely interferes in the fate of wolves. But that night, beneath a blood moon and a sky split with silence, when grief hollowed my chest and I had nothing left but regret— she came. No words. Just light. A silver glow gathered in her hands and drifted into mine— warm, pulsing, ancient. The Moon’s Time Key. It shimmered with power I couldn’t understand, only feel. The moment my fingers closed around it, the world held its breath. Before dawn, I climbed the mountain trail to the forgotten temple. The old priestess was already waiting. Her eyes—clouded with age and moonlight—looked right through me. “Before you turn the key,” she said, “you must understand the price.” I said nothing. I had already lost everything. She took my hand. Her voice was barely a whisper: “If you wish to sever the mate bond without death… you must fulfill his three deepest regrets.” Her words struck like stones sinking into deep, dark water. “Only then,” she said, “will fate let you go free.” But as her fingers let go of mine, she added—so soft I almost missed it: “The Moon never grants anything without balance, child. What she gives… she may one day reclaim.” And so, with nothing left but a prayer in my lungs, I turned the key.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

He wouldn’t have to die for me at thirty. We could both live… finally free. I took a deep breath and signed “Selena” on the bond contract. I remembered the regrets from his journal: Regretting our forced bond. Not defying his parents. Failing to save Selena. One regret down. I stepped outside, holding both copies of the contract. Killian stood waiting. He reached for the papers, but I stopped him with a smile. “Tomorrow,” I said gently. “Let it be a surprise.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re acting weird. What, being bonded to me knocked something loose in your brain?” Maybe. Or maybe I was just relieved to see him breathing again. “I think you’re the best Alpha in the world,” I said. “Anyone who ends up with you will be lucky.” He scoffed and turned away. But if I didn’t know better, I’d say he looked flustered. Nearby, a young couple chattered excitedly. “There’s a rare meteor shower tonight! They say if you watch it with your mate, your bond will last forever!” My heart faltered. In my first life, I had begged him to go see the stars. He scoffed at me. “Stars can’t fix forced bonds, Clara. You’re dreaming.” This time, I stayed silent. But then Killian surprised me. “If you want to see the stars,” he said, “I’ll take you. But don’t expect a honeymoon—I’ve got work.” I blinked. Then smiled. Because even when cruel, he’d always been kind. He saved me three times. Once, when I was ambushed by rogue wolves in the forest. He’d shifted mid-air, tearing them away from me. He took a silver-coated claw to the chest—leaving a scar that never healed. Once, during the Winter Moon Raid. Feral rogues burned our healer’s hut. I was trapped. He shifted, dragged me through smoke and fire, his paws scorched. He didn’t stop until I was safe. And once… when a rogue Alpha injected me with diluted silver. I collapsed. Killian used his own fangs to draw the venom out—knowing silver could kill him too. He collapsed. I lived. How could I not love him? Killian sighed, impatient. “Are you coming or not?” I nodded. “Let’s watch the stars tonight.” He relaxed, flagged a cab. “I’ll drop you off first. Pick you up later.” Then his phone buzzed. His brow furrowed. “Selena hurt her hand. I’m going to check on her. You go home.” I nodded. “Okay.” He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not mad? Usually you throw a fit.” I started to reply, but he cut me off. “Guess it’s fine. We’re bonded now. She’s no threat to you anymore. Message me when you’re home.” He walked away. He didn’t see the ache in my chest or the sad smile I wore. The truth was… I never tried to stop him from loving her. But once, I caught Selena with an older wolf—kissed him like she’d done it many times before. I investigated. She had multiple “benefactors.” Sponsors. Secrets. I told Killian. He didn’t believe me. After she died, he mourned her for a decade. Her memory chained him. And I… I couldn’t let that happen again.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I froze. That night came early. The Moon Goddess had cut my time short. In the last timeline, Selena had died too—from a silver-laced wound after a rogue ambush. The blood vaults had run dry. No healer came in time. That was the moment Killian’s resentment toward me turned lethal. But that had happened a month into our bond. So why... was it happening now? The Moon Goddess wasn’t giving me time. She was giving me a chance—to fulfill Killian’s third regret early. A medic’s whisper cut through the chaos. “She’s fading. Her wolf spirit is detaching. If it severs completely... she’ll go feral. Or worse.” Killian turned to me, and for the first time, I saw desperation crack through every layer of his Alpha pride. “Clara... please.” I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. I was an Omega Healer—not just a mender of flesh, but a soul-weaver. Without hesitation, I dropped to my knees beside Selena and opened my satchel. Moonflower dust. Shadowroot ash. Spirit-binding quartz. And my final vial of moon-charged spring water—gathered under a blood eclipse. I mixed. I burned. I chanted. The scent of scorched herbs filled the room as I pressed my palms to her chest, whispering verses passed down through lunar bloodlines. My wolf stirred—weak, but willing. She offered what little she had left. Time collapsed. I worked through dusk and dawn. No food. No sleep. No light but starlight. My aura dimmed. My bones screamed. But I didn’t stop. Not until I had nothing left to give. When sunlight finally spilled through the stained glass, Selena’s aura was steady—but faint. I collapsed beside her. Killian didn’t speak. Didn’t look at me. His eyes stayed fixed on Selena, like nothing else mattered.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

When I woke, I was alone in the cot near the ward’s side screen. Everyone moved around me. No one noticed I’d stirred. The ancient projector played last night’s celestial event. A meteor shower—rare. A blessing from the stars. I missed it. Again. Some wishes were never meant to be mine. Footsteps. Then a voice, rough but laced with hope. “You’re awake. Selena stabilized. It’s because of you.” I nodded. “Good.” He blinked, then flinched. I must’ve looked like a ghost. “You shouldn’t have pushed yourself,” he muttered. “And I... I was cruel. You didn’t deserve that.”“It’s okay,” I said softly. Because it was. Because it no longer mattered. He hesitated. “You once said you wanted to see the Southern Peaks. The moon-glass lakes. I... I booked the flights. After you recover, we can—” I shook my head. “You don’t have to, Killian. This wasn’t about making anything right. I owed you this.” He didn’t understand. How could he? He turned to pour water, his hand trembling. The old scar—silver-burned—flared pale against his skin. “Do you regret saving me?” I asked. He didn’t turn. “No. Even if it had been someone else, I’d do it again.”“Even when you were already wounded… if a packmate lay dying before you, you’d still save them the same way you saved me. Wouldn’t you?” He stiffened. “Yes.” That was who he was. Always had been. Not because I was his mate. Not because I was chosen above all others. Even when his own body was torn, when blood soaked his fur and skin— he would still throw himself into danger for a dying packmate, the same way he had for me. For his pack. For our kind. For anyone who called to him. I was never the exception. And that truth bit deeper than any silver blade. My heart ached. Swelled. Cracked open. “You’ve always been good, Killian. I... I held on too tightly. For too long.” Tears slid quietly down my face. “You must’ve hated that.” He turned, startled. “Clara...” A knock. “Alpha Thorne?” A healer. “Selena is conscious.” His entire body jolted. His eyes lit up—brighter than I’d seen in years. “I need to see her.” He turned to go. I called gently. “Killian.” He paused. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything. And... goodbye.” His brow furrowed. “Don’t talk like that. I’ll be back. I have something to tell you.” Then he was gone. I stood. Unwrapped the bandages from my wrists. My wolf, already frayed, whispered her last breath inside me. The bond’s light was fading. Eight minutes left. That was all the Moon had granted me. I walked barefoot into the morning light. Each step slower, heavier. Each breath a farewell. I will never return to his world again. Goodbye, my once-beloved mate. By the time Killian returned—with herbal broth in one hand and something unreadable in his eyes— The infirmary bed was empty. “Clara?” Silence. A heartbeat later, a healer burst in, pale and frantic. “Alpha! Come quickly. It’s Clara. She collapsed near the western gate.”“Her wolf… her spirit… it had already begun to sever. We tried to anchor her.”“But she chose it. She let go.”“She’s gone.”