Chapter 1 Chapter 1

His mockery tore through my eardrums like claws. My wolf howled low and long, her sorrow echoing through my bones. I felt her pain like it was my own — the moment she sensed Joanne’s death, something inside her shattered. Staring at Joanne's cooling in the blood-soaked earth, I rasped, "Shawn. This isn't a joke. Joanne... has gone."“Hmph.” A cold laugh echoed through the phone. "Hah," his mental scoff vibrated in my skull. "Dead? Shall I order a moon funeral and howl until the Blood Moon rises?"“Jose, tell her not to waste her time. I won’t believe a word she says — and no, I’m not letting her back into the mindlink. Not because of some pathetic little trick like that!”“Although you've mated to my brother, you are nothing to me. These games between you and Joanne wouldn't fool a pup.” The midsummer wind cut like silver blades. I should've known. To Shawn, Joanne was just a tool to appease the Elders. Even as death closed in, she still held on — foolishly, desperately — to the hope that her mate would come back. Her final breath wasn’t for herself, but for the one who had long since turned away. Unfortunately, he disappointed Joanne again. A she-wolf's voice sounded from the phone. Shawn, A honeyed voice pierced the call, "Who disturbs our Moon Chant?" Shawn's tone dripped sudden sweetness, "Patience, little moon. Almost done." When he cut the line, complete darkness swallowed the last sliver of moonlight. I knelt beside the spreading crimson, Joanne's body losing warmth under my palms. Last night, she'd squeezed my hand and hazelly eyes alight: "We run through the Shadow Forest at dawn!" She was afraid of heights and pain, but why did she choose the sacred Moonlit Crag for her end? Numbly, I followed the warriors through pack funeral rites. What rested in my palms wasn't the flesh and blood, but a moonstone urn holding ashes. When dawn clawed through the night, I left the rites with Joanne in my hand sadly. I didn’t even realize I’d stopped walking until a passing warrior gently caught my arm. “Luna Jose, are you okay?” His voice felt distant, like echoing through water. I stood frozen, my brain wrapped in fog. Then suddenly, Edwin’s mindlink tore through the haze, snapping me back to reality — painfully, violently. “You didn't return to the den last night.” His rumble scraped my raw throat. His voice turned colder, "What's wrong with you? Don't go fooling around with Joanne again.""Jose, I warned you before, stay away from Joanne!" His mental presence pressed like ice daggers. I took a shaky breath, "Joanne walks with the Moon Goddess now, Edwin. Your scorn is wasted." He fell silent for seconds then derision crackled through the link: "You join her death charade? If she 'died' today, how will you 'die' tomorrow? Spare us the theatrics." After that, he cut the mindlink ruthlessly. And the severing whipcrack of the mindink brought perverse relief. If he refused to believe, so be it. My wolf felt weak and faint after I had been overwhelmed by Joanne’s death. Dizziness clouded my vision, and the world spun until I collapsed, everything around me blurring into shadows. “Alpha! Luna has collapsed!” I heard the servant’s voice as my consciousness flickered back, though I couldn’t open my eyes. Then, I heard Edwin’s cold, mocking voice on the other end of the line. “Do you really think I’d believe that? She probably told you to say it just to guilt-trip me. She’s clearly just throwing a tantrum because I told her to stay away from that friend of hers. Stop wasting my time with pathetic excuses.” And then… the line went dead. Only silence remained. A bitter smile tugged at my lips. So this was the mate I had bonded with for years. Cold. Distrustful. Dismissive. “I’ll call him myself,” I murmured, my voice barely a whisper, and asked the servant to hand me my phone. It took several tries before he finally answered. His voice was sharp and impatient. “What the hell do you want now? Couldn’t even stick to your script and decided to lie to me directly since I didn’t believe the servant?”“Edwin… I…” I tried to speak, but my voice was too weak. He didn’t even notice. He kept talking, his scoff cutting deep. “Carmen twisted her ankle. I’m taking her to the infirmary. And you’re seriously calling me about your little drama again? Pathetic. Don’t try these childish tricks just to get my attention.” Then he hung up. How ironic. Shawn refused to believe Joanne was dead. And now Edwin refused to believe I had collapsed. He would rather stay by his precious sweetheart’s side than listen to a single word I said. Even if Joanne hadn’t died, I would still have severed my bond with him. Because this wasn’t love. This wasn’t a mate. This was betrayal. The noon sun blazed overhead as I got out of bed and walked into the hall. Shawn and Edwin were there. Two predatory gazes pinned me. Shawn leaned against a carved pillar, blue wolf-eyes mocking, "Jose, welcome back? I guess Joanne must be still messing around, right?"

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

When I noticed Shawn, I directly went straight to him. I let out a long breath, forcing down the restless growl bubbling inside my wolf. My voice came out like ice. “She’s not coming back.” Shawn's lips twisted into a smile, but his eyes were cold. "Oh? So she's latched onto some Alpha from a more powerful pack now? And she looks down on our pack, does she?" So even now, in Shawn's mind, Joanne remained to be so contemptible. A wave of bleak despair washed over me, mourning the years of Joanne's devotion. "Shawn, since you hold her in such low regard, why not just reject her? I mean sever the mate bond. It would be better for both of you." Shawn let out a low and guttural chuckle, "So she has found herself a more powerful Alpha as mate.""Jose, tell me. Who is the Alpha?" The predator within Shawn was fully unleashed now, his blue wolf eyes glowing with menace in the shadows, ready to tear me apart at the slightest misstep. I jerked my head away and bolted for the stairs. Before my foot could touch the second-floor landing, a brutal force slammed me back against the wall. Shawn's hot breath, laced with raw and primal dominance, washed over my face. "Jose. His voice was a snarl forced through clenched teeth, "Tell me! Who the fuck is the Alpha? Tell me!" Suddenly, a large hand clamped down on Shawn's. "Enough, Shawn. If you want to see her, just go find yourself. Don't go insane." The pressure on my collar vanished, and Shawn stumbled back a step. The cold smirk returned on his face as he nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll find out. Jose, if I discover you and Joanne conspired to deceive me… out of respect for my brother, I won't hurt you. But she…she won't be spared." A faint and bitter smile touched my lips as I watched Shawn in a rage swallowed by the gate of the den. "Look at me." Edwin's words were full of Alpha dominance. I did not respond to him, trying to move past him towards Joanne's room. I hadn't taken even a step before an irresistible force yanked me backward. Edwin's strides were long and urgent, and I stumbled awkwardly in his wake. "Let me go, Edwin!" "You disappeared all last night, and you returned today distracted and spouting nonsense about Joanne being dead. Jose, you are such an insane she-wolf!" He hauled me into the Alpha's main room, flinging me onto the bed. Then, his strong body leaned in, and his fingers clamped under my chin fiercely, forcing me to tilt my head up to look at him. He said with hatred, "Jose, it seems I’ve granted you too much freedom. I remember warning you to stay away from Joanne! She’s a liar, and yet you still defend her lies. You even got the servant to lie to me! Don’t forget—you’re the Luna. It’s a disgrace." Edwin's contempt for Joanne had never been a secret in the pack. Three years ago, Joanne’s pack suffered a catastrophe. As the Alpha’s only daughter, she had no choice but to abandon her pride and wander like a rogue, begging for help at the borders of powerful packs. And now, the contempt he once held for her had shifted—directed at me. But I knew the real reason: his heart had long since turned to Carmen. I remembered how I collapsed on the floor, dizzy and weak, hoping for someone to help me. But all I got in return was a cold accusation—that I was faking it to get his attention. My heart had already died. I stared at Edwin’s face. The features were the same as the one I had once loved, but the soul behind them was a stranger now. “Edwin,” I said softly, yet firmly, “we need to sever the mate bond.” We had known each other for five years, and been bonded for three. I had truly hoped to walk beside him until the end—to return to the Wolf Spirit under the Moon Goddess’s gaze, together. But since Carmen returned six months ago, that dream had shattered beyond repair. I didn’t want him anymore. I only wanted to be free. Free from the pain, the neglect, and the bond that had become a chain. Edwin stiffened, disbelief flashing across his face. “What did you say?”“I said…” I met his eyes one last time, “…we should sever the mate bond.”

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Perhaps disappointment had already piled into a frigid mountain, so when I uttered the words "sever the mate bond," I was unnervingly, deathly calm. I waited silently for Edwin's verdict. He had no reason to refuse because Carmen was back. Severing the mate bond with me would free him to pursue his true Fated Mate without a second thought for the alliance between our packs or the gossip within and beyond. Just then, he got a call, that was from Carmen. Panic flashed in Edwin's deep, abyssal wolf eyes. He accepted it without hesitation, right in front of me. Then Carmen's voice came through. "Edwin… I… I feel so cold. Could you take me to the Pack Healer? I called Shawn… but he… he didn't even respond…" Carmen's voice dripped with a vulnerable, wounded tone. The moment Carmen called, I saw it — that Alpha's instinctive tenderness flare in Edwin’s eyes. She had merely caught a chill, and he was beside himself. But when I had burned with fever, barely able to stand, begging him to take me to the Healer… All I got was a hollow back and a single, heartless command: “Call the patrol for a healer.” That was all I was worth. Even now, in this moment when I proposed severing our mate bond, his first thought was still Carmen’s well-being. Maybe he didn’t even hear me clearly—he was always distracted when it came to me. Edwin stumbled slightly in his haste to leave, yet still managed to send the soothing words back. "Hold on, Carmen. I'm coming."“I think we will talk about it later.” He burst from the den like a gale. The powerful aura of the Alpha vanished with him. The final, chilling clarity settled over me, as long as Carmen existed, I was nothing to Edwin. That was totally three years, and finally, I understood that it was hard to touch his heart. I was busy searching for a while in Joanne's private den. But in the end, I found nothing. The only thing left was a diary filled with "Shawn." I read it page after page and then unconsciously, I drifted off to sleep—too exhausted, too broken from mourning Joanne’s death. But a sharp noise jolted me awake. My wolf startled violently, ears flat, tail bristling. When I fully opened my eyes, I saw him. Edwin. Stumbling in, drunk—again. I lay silent, watching as he tore off his coat and carelessly tossed it to the floor. The scent clinging to it was unmistakable. Carmen. I had no idea how many nights he’d returned like this since she came back. But ever since that day, everything had started to fall apart. Joanne’s life. My life. All of it—reduced to ash beneath Carmen’s shadow. I let out a bitter laugh that never reached my eyes. This will end soon, I told myself. It has to. He staggered toward me, his breath soaked in alcohol, his eyes clouded. “You’re still angry, aren’t you?” he slurred. “Still jealous of Carmen? She’s just—”“Don’t finish that sentence,” I said coldly, cutting him off. My voice was calm—too calm. “I want to sever our bond.” That sobered him. Instantly. He froze, staring at me as if I’d just shattered his world. “What… what did you just say?” He stumbled backward, suddenly desperate. “You’ve lost your mind again, haven’t you? You don’t mean that, Jose. You’re insane!”