Chapter 3
From childhood on, Cassia always needed "a bit more."
She was scared of thunder, so Dad handed her the bedroom Mom had left for me. She was frail, so Austin could leave me burning with fever to sit up all night tending to nothing more than a scrape on her skin.
She could not handle competition, so I had to give up the first dance at the family gala, the school nomination spot, and finally, even Mom's shares became part of her dowry.
Every time, I told myself that I was the elder sister, I was stronger, and I had more than enough.
Even when I was cornered with nowhere left to go, they always believed I'd find another way.
"Lucian, do you know I only have seven days left?" I asked.
His fingers froze for a split second.
"I've already sent people out to look for the cure," he said.
"You know there isn't a second dose," I said.
"I won't let you die," Lucian said, steady as ever. "Get your emotions under control first. Cassia's pregnancy can't go public yet. Don't make things hard for her."
"Fine," I said, pulling my hand away.
Some people did not care what you said. So long as you stopped crying and throwing fits, they assumed everything had been resolved.
Eight years of territory ledgers were stacked all over the study.
Lucian excelled at combat, yet he hated numbers. It was me who managed nearly all of Ashpine's supply‑routes, hospitals, schools, and winter stockpiles.
Over the past several years, the council hailed him as the most promising young Alpha in the west, but no one knew that before he ever calmly signed anything, the documents I'd already been triple-checked and annotated behind the scenes.
I fired up my laptop and sent out transition emails to every department.
Then I canceled all my personal guarantees, withdrew every dollar I'd invested in Ashpine Holdings, and notified my lawyer that the territory alliance between the Hartley and Vale families would be dissolved on the night of the full moon.
By the time I finished, dawn had already broken outside.
I found a medical file tucked away in the bottom drawer of the safe.
My name was on the cover, and the date was four years ago.
Under the treatment plan section, there were two lines: [Option 1: Administer Moonfir serum. Option 2: Sever the mate bond. The self-healing shock from the severance could wake the wolf spirit. Chance of survival: 70%.]
The second line was crossed out in black ink, with Lucian's signature right next to it.
I stared at it for a long time before I finally made out the explanation underneath.
If the bond was broken, both of us would lose the power we shared. Lucian's Alpha rank might drop, but I'd have a chance to survive.
Four years ago, he made that decision for me.
So he did know there was another way. He just decided I wasn't worth risking his power for.
I took the file and went to find Simon. He took one look and dropped his gaze.
"You knew about this too?" I asked.
"I was only an assistant back then," Simon said, his voice rough. "The senior doctor suggested severing the bond, but Lucian said you were unconscious and couldn't decide for yourself. He turned it down for you as your legal mate."
"Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this?" I asked.
"That file got locked away. The senior doctor left Ashpine Territory a month later," Simon replied.
"Is it still possible to sever the bond now?" I asked.
Simon leaned in to examine the silver veins spreading across my chest.
"It has to be done before the full moon. But under Ashpine's traditions, the Alpha's mate can dissolve the bond only with mutual consent, or you have to prove to the council that he committed an unforgivable betrayal," he explained.
"So getting my sister pregnant isn't considered betrayal?" I shot back.
"Lucian could just say it's for the sake of the pack's bloodline. Half the council owes him favors," Simon replied.
I nodded and slipped the medical file into my bag.
"Guess I have to gather up some more evidence," I said.
As I left the clinic, Austin was waiting for me at the door.
"Dad wants me to take you back to Hartley Manor. We need to discuss Cassia's situation tonight," he said.
"What situation?" I asked.
"You'll know when you get there," he replied.