Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I couldn't bring myself to shatter their happiness. A cold numbness settled over me as I watched them—my mate Ethan, the pups, and her. Empty and resigned, I let the weight of the moment wash over me, then lifted the provisions and walked back to the den without looking back. The two little wolves were clamoring for Beef Wellington—a dish that required precision and care, much like the fragile balance in our bond. No matter what happened between Ethan and me, I was still their Luna. I kept telling myself that. Over and over. As if repeating it could make it feel true. The beef sizzled in the hearth as I turned to prepare the side herbs and roots. In a careless moment, the knife slipped, slicing into my palm. While tending the wound, a sharp thought struck me—Lucas didn't even like the smell of beef. I froze. It was like frost blooming inside me, petal by petal, cold and silent. Then whose hunger was this dish meant to satisfy? Lost in thought, I heard Lucas's bright voice from the hallway. "The sports trials today were so much fun! If we could have them every day, Aunt Isla could come be our mom all the time!" His sister, Mia, shushed him. "Quiet, it’s our secret. Mom can't know." Ethan smiled faintly, a trace of resignation in his voice. "Kids speak without filters. Lucas and Mia just love Isla too much.""I know your spirit longs for freedom, not to be chained by domestic ties. Let Isla handle those mundane things." My wolf let out a low, broken whine, her chest heaving as if something inside her had been torn apart. She didn't snarl, didn't fight, just sank inward—silent and shaking. Before I could respond, the front door clicked open. The four of them appeared. Isla’s face lit up when she saw me, arms wide open as she rushed forward. "Cousin! It's been so long! Have you missed me?" Her fingers almost touched me, but Ethan stepped between us, barely frowning. "Don't touch her. She reeks of smoke and grease.""Dirty." His words hit me like a sharp blow—an invisible slap that left me utterly humiliated. Noticing my discomfort, Isla punched Ethan lightly. "Is that how you talk about your mate? Shameless.""Cousin, don't mind him—he’s had this bad temper since we were pups. You know I love him.""I know you’re the most patient one. Cut him some slack." Ethan held his hand to the spot she hit, no anger, only a fond smirk flickering in his eyes. Behind them, Mia wrinkled her nose. "Mom's so petty." From the sofa, Lucas shouted without looking up, munching on wolfberry chips. "Why isn't the Beef Wellington ready? Mom’s so lazy." I looked at the mess—the crumbs scattered like ash, the spilled water soaking into the rug—and felt the weight of it all settle in my bones. Not anger. Not sorrow. Just a quiet certainty, cold and final: This was what I had become to them. A ghost in my own home. Lazy. I slipped off my leather apron and bent to wipe the bloodstain from the floor. "Let's order from the restaurant," I said slowly, "My hand's hurt. I can't cook." Ethan helped lift the injured hand, displeased. "Takeout isn't healthy." I replied flatly, "Neither is ice-cream cake." He was momentarily speechless. To my surprise, a flicker of something sharp and ugly curled in my chest—something like satisfaction. Then his expression darkened as he grabbed Isla’s hand and headed out. "Mom's having another episode. Lucas, Mia, your father will take you and Aunt Isla out to eat." The two pups leapt up instantly, gathering around him in delight. "Yay! Aunt Isla's back! She's a thousand times better than Mom!" Isla glanced at the pups, then at me, awkwardly trying to ease the tension. "Don't mind the pups—they don't mean it. Come join us.""No," Ethan interrupted quickly. "If she goes, none of us will be happy." I nodded slowly. Something inside me went still—so still it almost felt like peace. Looking at a picture of four wolves, I said quietly: "You're right. So…""Ethan, we should break the bond."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

As soon as the words left my mouth, the room fell silent. Ethan's brows knit tighter, his voice low with incredulous restraint. "Lyra, what the hell is wrong with you today?""Is it because I gave the pups ice cream, or because I’m taking them out to eat?" He let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Unbelievable." He wore the look of a wolf barely restraining a snarl. I stood still, breath shallow, every muscle held in check—not out of fear, but control. I was uneasy. Wounded. But I would not flinch. Lucas tilted his head in thought, then brightened. "If Dad and Mom severe their bond, can you mate Aunt Isla?" He turned to his sister. "Right, Mia?" Both pups cheered, eyes shining. "Quick, severe the bond! We want Aunt Isla to be our new mom!" Ethan's coldness I had long grown used to. But from the pups… the words tore through my wolf like claws on raw flesh—she whimpered low in my chest, a wounded sound she tried to swallow. But it echoed anyway, quiet and broken. Sensing something in my silence, Isla reached over and gently took my hand. "Cousin, don't be upset. I didn't mean anything by it.""I just wanted to catch up with Ethan. We’re just old friends—I would never try to take your place..." I slipped my hand out of hers, slow and deliberate, my expression unreadable. No anger. No tears. Just that deep, empty quiet that comes when pain has worn itself thin. "You don't need to.""Because Luna's place… was always yours." My wolf didn't growl. She didn't lunge. She simply stood there, still and watching, like she'd known this truth all along. And maybe she had. Maybe I had too. Of course, it was her. Wasn't it always her? Hadn't I known that, even from the start? Seven years ago, Ethan had collapsed into my arms, drunk and broken, whispering her name. That night, I understood. The heir of one of the most powerful packs hadn't chosen me for love— He bonded with me because I looked like his first love. Isla had left the pack at its peak, causing freedom and a future. She became the black sheep of her bloodline… and his moonlit ghost. Ethan could not resent the parents who secured his rise. Nor the she-wolf who had dared to leave him. So he turned it all on me. He never raised his hand. He never raised his voice. He didn't have to. He had a cold silence. And colder eyes. I cried quietly through countless nights, biting down sobs until they dissolved in the dark. I questioned every part of myself—my worth, my role, my existence beside a male who never chose me. Even my wolf grew silent, too exhausted to snarl, too hurt to fight. And when I finally gathered the shattered pieces and resolved to walk away— I found out I was pregnant. With twins. A cruel twist from the moon herself. Twins. The doctor said the pregnancy was too advanced for a safe abortion. Trying to remove them might leave me unable to bear pups again. My parents begged me to stay. Relatives circled in shifts to lecture me on the honor of bonding with a wolf like Ethan— "He's an Alpha heir—strong, commanding, with a wolf others can only dream of. What more could you possibly want?""This union wasn't easy. You have to think of the pack." Even his parents promised—if I had the pups, our family would never lack anything again. So I stayed. For the pups. For the family. For duty. I endured seven years. I often wondered how I managed to endure those years—how I kept going through the endless cold silence and the sharp sting of loneliness. It was for Lucas and Mia that I stayed—their light in the darkest nights, the only reason to keep breathing. But now… even they have turned to her side. The fragile threads I clung to have all but snapped. What reason do I have left to stay? I opened the locked drawer beneath my desk and pulled out the bond-breaking agreement I had hidden for seven years. My hands didn't tremble—though my heart felt heavier than ever. This was the moment I'd both dreaded and longed for. I placed it in front of Ethan. "Sign it. Lucas and Mia can stay with you. You can decide who gets to be their mother." Ethan stared at me, the corner of his mouth twitching. That was his angry face—one I had seen too many times. For a moment, silence hung between us, thick and suffocating. Then, as expected, he tore the paper in two. I watched the fragments fall, emotionless. "You've lost your damn mind," he said coldly. "You think you get to ask me for a bond severing?" I have heard that tone a hundred times. It no longer reached me. My wolf turned her back on him, a low growl of finality rumbling beneath my ribs. I closed the door gently behind me, the soft click sealing away his fury—and all the years of silent suffering. This bond would end. For thirty years, I'd been caged, obedient, a ghost in my own life. But now, like Isla once did— I was done hiding. I would step beyond these walls and claim the world that was always meant for me.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I drove to the Werewolf Council after Ethan left. Had a new bond-breaking agreement drafted—clean, final. I took my time on the way back and even bought myself an ice cream. Sweet, cold, quiet. It melted slowly on my tongue, the sweetness curling through my chest like a balm, quieting something raw and restless inside me. Even when I walked into the house and found the room wrecked by Lucas and Mia, my mood didn't shift. Not today. Not after everything. But they weren't pleased. Lucas pouted, fists clenched. "Bad mommy! You ate it without us!" Mia joined in, high-pitched and accusing. "I want ice cream too!" I swallowed the last bite slowly, deliberately—like it was the last piece of sweetness I'd ever allow myself. My expression didn't waver. "If you want some," I said, my voice cool and even, "ask your new mom to get it for you." There was no anger in my tone—only a hollow finality, sharp as ice. A truth spoken not in spite, but surrender. They froze. Then stomped and screamed. "Bad mommy! I hate you!""Give it back or I'll never forgive you!" Then— They spat at me. Their faces twisted with fury, no trace of the sweet pups I once held in my arms. And I laughed—quietly, bitterly—at the cruel irony of it all. The pups I bled for, broke for, once lulled to sleep with lullabies, now stood before me like strangers, baring their teeth. I had given everything for them. My body. My choices. My years. All for them to grow up and love. Safe. But I had forgotten— A home that disrespects the mother cannot raise pups who respect her. Ethan's scorn had taken root in them. My pups—born from pain and love—had become the sharpest blades turned against me. My wolf stood motionless inside me, silent and stripped raw. She did not howl. She didn't fight. She only watched, as if mourning something that had already died. I sighed. Then he turned and went to pack. When I entered the bedroom, I found my clothes and bags drenched in red paint, bleeding like mockery across every piece of myself I had left. Lucas stomped on a photo of me with a snarl. "Bad mommy! I hate you!" I looked at the little monster he'd become. Not the pup I once cradled in sleepless nights, but a reflection of Ethan's disdain—warped, cruel. And I felt nothing. No grief. No anger. Just a bone-deep emptiness, carved raw by seven years of trying and being told I was never enough. I turned to leave. As I reached the stairs, I felt a shove. The world tilted—then pain, sharp and sudden, exploded through my body. A blinding white in my skull, then red. Everywhere. Blood was soaking into the wood beneath me like a quiet betrayal. Trembling, I looked up— And met Lucas and Mia's eyes. Cold. Unrepentant. Strangers in the faces I once kissed goodnight. "That's what you get," Lucas sneered, his voice sharp as broken glass. "You didn't share the ice cream." Mia raised a vase over her head. Her smile was hollow. Her eyes were as black as the moonless sky. "Why aren't you dead yet, Mommy? If you were gone, Aunt Isla could be our real mom." The vase crashed down beside my head, shattering. Something in me shattered. Something I had kept caged for too long. My wolf screamed. Not with rage, but with grief. With betrayal. With a mother’s howl torn from the soul. She surged up from the depths, raw and feral, slamming against the walls of my chest, clawing, writhing. All the years of silence, all the tears swallowed in the dark—now flooding out in a wave of pain I could no longer contain. This was no longer numbness. It was agony. It was clarity. It was the death of hope. Finally, the noise dragged Ethan out of his study. He looked around at the chaos, then at me, bleeding on the floor. His frown deepened. "Lyra, what are you doing now?" I hadn't even spoken yet before Lucas and Mia ran into his arms, sobbing on cue. "Daddy, Mommy's so mean! She wouldn't let us eat ice cream, and she tried to hit us!""We were scared and tried to run away… and she fell!""Lyra!" Ethan's voice was thunder. "What is wrong with you?!""These are your pups! Your blood! And you'd hurt them over some childish jealousy with Isla?! Do you even have a mother's heart left? Or have you lost that part of yourself, too?""You want a bond severing? Fine. Let's end it now. You don't deserve to be their mother!" He grabbed the nearest documents and flung them at me. Paper slapped against my face, sharp and cold. I clenched my fists, disbelief searing through me like wildfire. Eight years of bond, and Ethan never let me forget— In this house, I was nothing. And yet… that fragile, pitiful ember of love nestled deep in my chest had kept me tethered, clinging desperately to a lie. Not anymore. Not for a man who never loved me. Not for a home that ground me down and spat me out hollow. My wolf whimpered, aching and wounded, but ready to break free. I staggered upright, trembling fingers seeking the Bond-breaking agreement buried in my bag— Then darkness swallowed me whole. My body surrendered. I collapsed into silence.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

When I opened my eyes again, the scent of antiseptic mixed with too many heartbeats—familiar, unwelcome. The room was crowded. Isla stood by the bed, her eyes rimmed with tears. "Lyra… It's all my fault. I didn't know my presence would hurt you so deeply.""I've scolded Lucas and Mia. They promised to apologize.""When you're better, I'll leave. I swear—I'll never come back." Her voice trembled with sincerity, but the moment she spoke, Ethan and the pups shot me looks full of resentment— As if I were the intruder, As if I had clawed my way into a bond that never welcomed me. My wolf bristled in silence. Not with anger, but with a bitter ache that spread through her ribs like frostbite. I stood there, still and composed, even as something inside me began to crack. It was always this way— Their unity, my exile. Isla gently nudged Ethan out the door with a glance. Lucas and Mia shuffled forward, heads lowered, muttering a soft, rehearsed "sorry." I opened my mouth to reply, but their eyes gleamed before the words even formed. Lucas plucked a real caterpillar from the potted plant by the window—fat and writhing—and hurled it straight at my face with a shriek. "Bleh! We only said sorry so Aunt Isla could bond with Daddy!" I flinched. The creature landed on my cheek, cold and squirming, before sliding down onto my lap. Mia twirled smugly beside him, her eyes gleaming with malice. "You don't know, do you? Daddy loves Aunt Isla so much." She got tired walking, so Daddy carried her like a princess." "She wanted cake, and Daddy went to five bakeries just to get her favorite one!" "She's going to be our new mom soon. You should just leave already." They stuck out their tongues and scampered off, giggling, into Isla's waiting arms. She stood there—half-guilty, half-victorious—her hand gently stroking their hair like they were hers. I picked up the caterpillar from my lap and crushed it slowly between my fingers. Its soft body gave way with a faint, wet pop. My wolf flinched inside me. Not from the sting of a toy—but from the burn of betrayal. Before I could recover, both our families barged in. The scent of power and judgment filled the room like smoke before a storm. The Alphas of the Hawthorne Pack—Ethan’s parents—offered cold, practiced pleasantries. Their gazes never softened, their eyes sharp as frost. Between the lines, the message was unmistakable: Don't embarrass the family name. Know your place. My parents stood beside them, shoulders slightly bowed, nodding along to every word like obedient servants. Not once did they look at me. Not once did they ask if I was okay. And at that moment, it struck me—not as surprise, but as confirmation. To them, I was never a daughter. Just a pawn they had long traded away. A Luna by name. A vessel by purpose. Nothing more. But when everyone else left, my mother turned and slapped me across the face. "Useless she-wolf! Eight years as Luna, and you still couldn't keep your mate's heart!" "Isla didn't even try—and she has him wrapped around her finger. What good are you?" Fury twisted her features as she grabbed the nearest switch and struck me across the arm, then the back. By the fourth blow, the wolf snarled, trembling on the edge. I caught her hand mid-swing. My voice was steady, glacial. "You've taken enough from me. It's over." She scoffed. "I don't care what you do. But hear this—if you go through with the bond severing, we'll disown you. The Moonclaw name cannot carry your shame." They stormed off, the sound of the closing door like a final severing of blood ties. Only Ethan remained, standing in the doorway like a ghost I could never exorcise. He stepped forward, his palm brushing gently over the bruise swelling on my cheek. "Was it worth it?" He asked softly. "You’ll always be the Hawthorne Luna, no matter who I care about. We have pups. The bond." Just a quiet sovereign. I almost flinched under his touch—not from the pain, but from the tenderness I no longer trusted. I met his eyes, calm as winter frost. My body still bore bruises—not all of them visible. But the deepest wounds were not etched into the skin. They lived in the silence after every cold dinner, in the way he never looked back when he left the room. In the way the pups reached for her hands, not mine. I used to wonder if I was simply too hard to love. If I should smile more, speak less. Obey. Endure. Like Luna was expected to. But even the strongest wolves bleed when you carve into them long enough. And mine… mine had bled dry. I breathed in slowly, my pulse steady now, not calm, but decided. I wasn't cold. I wasn't heartless. I had simply stopped begging to be seen. I looked at Ethan once more. This time, there was no hurt. No hope. "Worth it?" I echoed, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's not about worth, Ethan. It’s about surviving." "Your 'bond' was a leash. Your pups, weapons. Your love… never existed." And still, I stayed. For duty. For pups. For a mate who never truly chose me. Never again. "I'm not," I whispered, shifting away from his touch. I wasn't his Luna. I was a bargaining chip traded for power between packs. A broodmare. A servant in my den. A shadow in my children's lives. Thirty years of swallowing pain and keeping quiet. Enough. I looked Ethan straight in the eye. "I want a dissolution. I want the bond severed." His face darkened, then returned to its usual icy calm. He left without another word, slamming the door behind him. A single line tossed in the air: "Ungrateful." My wolf didn't snarl. She simply curled into herself, a low, guttural whine rising from her chest— Not of anger, But a long-awaited goodbye. Soon after, Isla moved into the den under the pretense of helping with the pups. They went to amusement parks. Took family portraits beneath golden skies. Laughing through the streets, I once dreamed of walking as a family. Lucas and Mia—once picky to the point of tantrums—praised her overcooked mac and cheese and instant ramen like they were gourmet delicacies. Ethan—once obsessed with pressed shirts and spotless collars—wore Isla’s wrinkled laundry with a fond smile. No one criticized Isla. No one demanded anything of her. They only said, "Don't let Isla get tired. Lyra can handle those chores when she returns." But they didn't know— I wasn't coming back. On my discharge day, I booked a one-way flight to New Zealand. No goodbyes. No explanations. Just the quiet severing of a bond that had bled me dry. As I was preparing to leave, Ethan appeared at the gate. "Lyra," he said, "I've thought about it. I don't want to end this." "The pups need you. Our families are bound by treaty. If news of a split gets out, it'll crash the entire pack." He spoke like a werewolf judge, like a strategist—calculated, composed. He listed every reason— Status. Pups. Legacy. Everything but love. Not once did he say he still loved me. Because he didn't. And maybe he never had. My chest ached—not from hope, but from the memory of how long I'd waited to hear a word he would never say. My wolf stirred. Not in longing, but in quiet refusal. She didn't snarl. She didn't plead. She simply stood up, turned her back, and walked away. I met his gaze, the bond between us thinning like frost under the morning sun. "I have nothing left for a male who only remembered I existed when I tried to leave," I said, my voice steady. "And I won't be your second choice anymore." "You have no idea what price you'll pay for this bond severing," he said. "The Moonclaw family won't take back a daughter who's been cast off." His eyes were cold— Filled with the kind of certainty that only comes from watching someone surrender too many times. "I'm not staying," I said. "I don't care about the Hawthornes. About the Moonclaws. About Lucas and Mia." His gaze sharpened, certain I'd waver. I handed him a folded paper. "If you refuse, I'll escalate." He snatched it open with disdain, only for his breath to steal. His shoulders stiffened. His lips parted. He said nothing. Finally, he mumbled, "The dissolution papers will be delivered. But if you change your mind…" I didn't let him finish. I turned, walked past him, and stepped into the cab. At the airport, my phone rang nonstop. It was my mother, screeching down the line. "Lyra! What did you do? Why did Ethan agree to bond severing all of a sudden?!" I answered, my voice calm. "Just one sentence." "What sentence?"