Chapter 3
The moment that door clicked shut behind me, Kaelen was dead to me.
Over the following days, even when I passed him in the hallways with that woman draped all over him, I didn't spare him a glance.
But that didn't mean I'd ignore the dangerous anomaly I'd detected.
In the dead of night, I established a long-distance mind-link across territories to my father.
I described that eerie scent seeping from Sienna's pores.
The situation was abnormal—high-concentration wolfsbane in the bloodstream should liquefy any wolf's internal organs on contact.
What dark magic was Sienna using to turn her body into a living wolfsbane vessel without being consumed immediately?
More importantly, what could make her willing to take such a lethal risk?
Two days later, my father's low voice through the mind-link confirmed my suspicions.
After verifying that disturbing truth, I let out a cold laugh. Of course.
To completely eradicate Kaelen's mate recognition, Sienna had resorted to forbidden dark magic banned for centuries.
She didn't want love—she wanted to weld herself to the Luna's throne at any cost.
As for what horrific price she'd pay for forcibly turning herself into a wolfsbane vessel...
I didn't care. I severed the mind-link immediately. If she was that eager to destroy herself, let her.
But I'd clearly underestimated Sienna's desperation.
During combat class that afternoon, she pushed through the crowd and locked onto me.
To assert her dominance in front of Kaelen, she partially shifted, flashing her claws, trying once again to grind me under her heel.
A week ago, to maintain my cover, I might have let her land a few hits.
But now, with wolfsbane reeking from her every pore, I didn't have the patience to play along.
The moment she lunged, I didn't even need to shift. My instincts kicked in—I sidestepped, locked my hand around her wrist, and twisted down without mercy.
Crack!
Her shriek pierced the air as she crumpled into the dirt, curling in agony.
Dead silence blanketed the training grounds. One move. Just one, and I'd demolished the Blood Moon Pack's "future Luna."
"I said STOP!"
Kaelen stormed onto the field, scooping Sienna into his arms. A terrifying growl rumbled from his throat, canines extending involuntarily.
He fixed me with bloodshot eyes full of murderous intent, unleashing his full Alpha pressure at me.
Just days ago, even a hint of hostility from my mate would have sent soul-deep pain through our bond, enough to make me vomit blood.
But now, that crushing weight hit me and triggered... nothing.
Nyx had sealed herself in my mind. She refused to acknowledge him, wouldn't even whimper—just cold, dead indifference.
"How DARE you try to kill her?!" Kaelen roared, eyes crimson. "If she's seriously injured, I'll end you myself!"
Watching him play the protective hero while poisoned and puppeteered, I didn't bother with explanations.
I ignored his pressure and walked forward. Under his hateful glare, I leaned in, my voice dropping to a whisper only we could hear:
"Kaelen, when you fuck her every night... have you never once heard your own wolf screaming in agony?"
Kaelen's entire body went rigid, pupils contracting violently.
I straightened, my voice ice-cold:
"Pathetic."
I turned and walked off the training field without looking back. This blind puppet wasn't worth another second.
Over the next several days, I completely tuned out the noise from that toxic pair, focusing on just one thing—waiting for the full moon.
That's when wolf blood runs hottest, and the perfect opportunity for me to shatter the Lycan seal within.
Days later, the full moon night finally arrived.
Behind the academy, massive bonfires blazed over ten feet high in the forest clearing, the air thick with the restless energy of wolves celebrating their primal nature.
I stood in the shadows beyond the firelight, wrapped in a black cloak, silent and still.
At the center of the crowd, Sienna practically hung off Kaelen.
She basked shamelessly in the adoration, her triumphant expression suggesting she'd already claimed the future Luna title.
Kaelen, by contrast, looked visibly wrecked.
The full moon's pull had his wolf and the poison locked in brutal combat. His face was ashen, sweat streaming down his temples, brow furrowed in agony.
"Everyone!" Sienna suddenly raised her glass, her voice cutting through the noise. "On this full moon night, I want to announce—Kaelen and I will hold our mating ceremony after graduation!"
The crowd erupted in fervent cheers.
But at the center, panic flashed in Sienna's eyes.
She'd noticed Kaelen's dangerously unstable state. To prevent him from breaking through under the full moon's influence, she quickly grabbed a specially prepared drink and forced it toward his lips.
"Darling, just drink this. You'll feel better."
Even from dozens of yards away, I could smell the concentrated wolfsbane in that glass.
One sip would completely obliterate his wolf's consciousness.
Enough. This ends tonight.
I was about to step forward, ready to release the power I'd been suppressing—
Smack!
The second Sienna pressed the glass to his lips, Kaelen's body convulsed violently.
Under the extreme tension between the full moon and the poison, his Alpha instincts made one last unconscious defensive move.
His arm lashed out brutally. The glass shattered against stone, poisoned liquid splashing across the ground.
"Kaelen! What are you doing—" Sienna shrieked, frantically reaching for him.
Watching Kaelen's agonized growls as he teetered on the edge of collapse, I closed my eyes and completely shattered the bloodline seal within.
No warning. No sound.
An overwhelming pressure, with me at its epicenter, swept through the entire forest like a shockwave!
The celebration died instantly. Under this absolute dominance, every wolf lost even the instinct to resist. Legs buckled, bodies dropped to the ground in waves.
Sienna, closest to the source, was thrown back dozens of yards, slamming into a tree trunk and coughing up blood.
And Kaelen, standing at the pressure's center, froze completely.
The commanding scent of his destined mate crashed into his senses. The powerful mate bond incinerated every trace of wolfsbane in his mind in an instant.
"RAAAHHHH!"
A savage roar exploded from Kaelen's throat. His long-suppressed wolf fully awakened.
He jerked his head up, the cloudiness in his eyes completely gone, replaced by clarity.
His chest heaved violently as he gulped air, desperately drinking in my pheromones.
He was awake.
His gaze cut across the field of kneeling wolves, locking onto my face.
"Mate..."
His voice shook terribly. Kaelen stumbled through the crowd, charging toward me like a man possessed.
As the poison's effects dissolved, his memories came flooding back. When the full weight of what he'd done to his destined mate hit him, his expression completely shattered.
A few steps away, the future Alpha's knees gave out. He dropped hard at my feet.
"Ella... it's you, it was always you..." His eyes were bloodshot, cold sweat and tears hitting the mud. He reached out with trembling hands but didn't dare even touch my cloak.
Complete silence blanketed the clearing. Yards away in the mud, Sienna sat paralyzed on the ground, shaking too hard to stand.
I looked down expressionlessly at the broken man at my feet, feeling nothing but emptiness. I took a small step back, avoiding his hand.
"Recognize me now?"
"I'm sorry, Ella! I swear I didn't know!" Kaelen practically pressed his head into the dirt, begging incoherently. "Please forgive me, please..."
I took a deep breath. Without a shred of pity, my voice rang clear across the forest:
"I, Elara von Stratton, Lycan heir."
Looking into his eyes as they filled with absolute despair, I delivered the final verdict cleanly:
"Formally reject you, Kaelen, as my fated mate."
