Chapter 3

That night, I slipped past the guards and into the healer's herb vault.

Martha was asleep in the inner chamber, her coughs barely audible.

I flipped open the parchment book at the bottom of the forbidden cabinet, my finger pausing on a line of ancient script.

It read: [Anyone who took the Severance Potion would have the mate bond ripped out of them, and most didn't survive the backlash.]

Scarlett's sharp laugh rang out outside. "Sierra, come out. I've cleared up some old junk for you."

When I rushed out, she was holding the moonstone amulet my mother had left me.

Damian stood beside her, doing nothing to stop her.

Scarlett let go, and the moonstone hit the ground, shattering into three pieces.

She crushed the fragments under her heel. "See? Useless things break easily."

"Don't touch it," I snapped.

I knelt and gathered the broken fragments, their sharp edges cutting my palms, but I didn't let go.

The jagged edges sliced into my skin, but I held on anyway.

Scarlett stepped back in disgust. "Here we go again. Damian, does she always pull this stunt? Using her dead mother's stuff to guilt-trip you?"

Damian stood by the door, his brow furrowed.

"Scarlett, apologize," he said.

Scarlett froze, then forced a smile. "Alright."

Leaning to my ear, she whispered, "Sorry it didn't break completely."

I slapped her across the face.

The training ground went dead silent.

Scarlett clutched her cheek, her eyes filling with tears.

"Damian, she hit me!" she cried.

Damian strode over and grabbed my wrist. "Sierra, are you out of your mind?"

I held out the shattered pieces for him to see. "This was the amulet my mother left for me."

"So you think you can hurt my future Luna because of it?"

"She destroyed it."

"She'll pay for it."

I stared at him, my wrist going numb from his grip. "She can never pay for it."

Damian let go and shoved a document sealed with the Alpha's mark into my hands.

"If you can't accept the arrangement, then sign this," he said.

The document's title was blunt and to the point.

It read: [Mate Bond Severance Agreement].

My eyes landed on the last line. The final clause stated I would voluntarily renounce my mate and Luna rights and never interfere with the ceremony to name the new Luna.

"Voluntarily?" I looked up sharply. "You confined me to the servant quarters, stood by while she destroyed my mother's amulet, and you call this voluntary?"

Damian's expression didn't change. "This is the kindest way to handle this."

"Kind for who?"

Scarlett sniffled as she said, "Sierra, don't be unreasonable. Sign, and you can stay in the pack. Refuse, and the elders will condemn you for disrupting Alpha's decisions."

"Are you afraid I won't sign?" I shot back.

Scarlett's expression flickered for a second.

I gathered the fragments and turned to leave.

Damian didn't follow. He just called out from behind me, "I want your name on that document before the mating ceremony for Scarlett and me."

*****

Early the next morning, Martha was almost out of medicine.

The missing ingredient, nightvine, only grew at the Darkwood Forest's edge.

The guard stepped in front of me. "The Alpha said you're not allowed outside the main residence."

I held up the empty bottle. "Martha's going to get a fever," I said.

As the guard hesitated, Scarlett came down the stairs.

"Let her go," she said. "A wolfless weakling like her isn't worth a rogue's effort."

She grinned as she clipped a bell to my waist. "I'm being kind enough to you. Ring it if you're in trouble, though no one will come for you."

The ground at the edge of the forest was damp and muddy.

As I found the nightvine, the patrol whistle suddenly blew.

Three rogues burst out from the bushes, their claws tearing into my shoulder.

I crashed into the mud, my basket of herbs rolling away.

"Damian!" I shouted.

The mind-link was gone, so I had no choice but to yell for help.

Right then, the mate bond in my chest suddenly kicked in, my inner wolf screaming for Damian to save me.

Shortly after, I heard the sound of wolves running in the distance.

Damian was coming.

I pushed myself up, just in time to see his black wolf tear across the boundary.

One rogue lunged at me. I threw up my arm to block, and its claws tore through my skin and muscle.

Damian rushed past me and went straight to Scarlett, who was leaning against a tree with only a shallow cut on her arm. She reached out to him, crying, "Damian, I'm so scared."

Damian shifted back to his human form and gently wrapped his jacket around Scarlett's shoulders.

I was sprawled in the mud, still clutching the nightvine in my hand.

After the guards dragged off the second rogue, Damian finally turned to me. "Sierra, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

Blood trickled from my lips as I laughed bitterly. "To get Martha's medicine."

"You knew the border was dangerous. Why did you still come here on your own?"

"Your guard let me through."

Scarlett instantly clung to his arm. "I allowed her to go, thinking it was safe. I never expected her to really run into trouble. Don't be mad at her, Damian. She was just trying to prove herself."

With that, Scarlett dumped all the blame right back on me.

Damian walked over and bent down, reaching out to check my wounds.

I pulled away from his hand. "Don't touch me," I said.

His hand froze midair. "Sierra?"

"You saw me, didn't you?"

Damian didn't say a word.

I pushed myself up against the tree trunk, blood still streaming down my shoulder.

"You saw me, and yet you went to her first," I challenged.

Damian's face darkened. "Scarlett is the future Luna. She must stay battle-ready."

"So my life doesn't count?"

"You're being unreasonable."

"I nearly died."

"Yet you're still alive, aren't you?"

The guards all lowered their heads.

Scarlett, still draped in Damian's jacket, spoke up gently. "Sierra, stop giving Damian such a hard time. Can't you see he's already worn out?"

I hurled the nightvine at Damian's feet. "Take it to Martha. And stop holding back her medicine," I snapped.

As I turned to leave, Damian shoved the document against my chest.

My blood smeared across the paper.

"Sign it before the mating ceremony. This is your last chance," he said.

I didn't take it, and the document fell into the mud.

Scarlett bent down, picked it up, and brushed it off with a smirk. "I'll keep it for you. When you finally figure things out, I'll hand you the pen myself."

She shoved the document against my chest. "Seven days left. Sign, and you can stay in the pack."