Chapter 2

Maeve looked at me with pale eyes.

"You cannot just take your power back, Elara," she whispered in the cold temple. "The mating bond is too deep. Forcibly ripping it out will kill you."

Before I could answer, the stone doors swung wide open.

Ronan walked in. He did not come alone.

Vivienne walked beside him. Behind them stood two senior Pack elders.

Ronan did not look guilty. He wore a mask of patient sorrow, playing the part of a reasonable man.

"Elara, stop this tantrum," Ronan said, his voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Come back to the hall. Vivienne and I only want what is best for you."

My stomach turned. He made my nine years of devotion sound like a minor politics problem.

Vivienne stepped forward. She placed a hand on Ronan’s arm. Her smile was sweet, but her eyes flashed with mockery.

"Elara, thank you for taking care of him for me," Vivienne said softly. "I already had the servants clear out the main Alpha bedroom. Your things are in the small advisor wing."

She tilted her chin. "You had nine years of junk in there. I told them to throw away anything unimportant."

A cold rage flared in my chest. They threw away my memories and my life, and delivered it with a smile.

I forced my face to stay completely still. I refused to let them see me break.

I looked straight at Ronan. He avoided my gaze.

"Vivienne is moving in tonight," Ronan said coldly. "This is the best arrangement for the Pack."

It was a brutal insult. My home and my history were thrown aside like garbage.

Then Ronan shoved a heavy roll of parchment into my hands.

"Here are your new duties," Ronan commanded. "You will remain as Chief Advisor. You will teach Vivienne how to run the Pack. You will prepare our marking ceremony. And you will continue to provide your Alpha power to support us."

He expected me to train my replacement, build his wedding, and keep being his battery pack.

Vivienne leaned in close.

"It took you nine years to train him," Vivienne sneered. "I won't start from scratch."

Ronan pointed at the floor. The two elders stepped forward and blocked the exit.

"Kneel," Ronan ordered. "Pledge your loyalty to your new Luna. Sign the oath."

Vivienne extended her hand, showing her heavy ring. She waited for me to kiss it.

Maeve peeked at the parchment. Her face turned white.

"Elara..." Maeve gasped. "Look at the final clause. If you sign this, your Alpha power is permanently sealed. Your wolf will never wake up."

I looked at Ronan.

"Did you know?" I asked quietly. "Did you know my wolf will never wake up?"

Ronan did not deny it.

"You never wanted to be an Alpha," Ronan said coldly. "What difference does it make if you lose a power you don't need?"

His words shattered the last piece of my heart.

He knew. He wanted to erase my entire existence.

I did not scream. I did not cry.

Rip.

I tore the parchment in half. I tore it again, letting the pieces fall to the floor.

Ronan’s eyes widened. "Elara—!"

I turned my back on them. I walked straight up onto the Moon Goddess altar.

I looked up at the night sky.

"Ronan Blackwood," I declared, my voice ringing across the stone walls. "I reject you as my fated mate."

The bond inside my chest shattered like glass.

Ronan gasped. He stumbled backward, clutching his chest in blinding agony, and dropped hard to his knees.

The glowing Alpha mark on his skin flashed once—and began to crack.