Chapter 1

At the Blood Moon Luna coronation rehearsal, I wait alone at the altar for eight agonizing hours. My fated Alpha, Caleb, is nowhere to be seen.

Just as my legs go completely numb, his text finally comes through. "Elara, Lily from the Hollowthorn Clan got attacked by a rogue and is terrified. I have to stay here and calm her down. Let's just run through the coronation rehearsal tomorrow."

Right after that, Lily sends a photo. She is bundled up in Caleb's favorite black jacket. The caption is a deliberate stab to the heart. "Elara, Caleb's scent makes me feel so safe. I feel so bad you have to prep for the coronation all by yourself, but you're so strong. I'm sure you don't mind, right?"

I don't hesitate for a second. I dial the high priest's number. "Prepare the rejection ceremony. At tomorrow's coronation, I am unilaterally severing my mate bond with Caleb."

Ten years together. I bled for him on the battlefield and bore the weight of the entire pack's judgment alone, only to be abandoned at every major milestone so he could coddle an Omega who fakes weakness for sympathy. A cheap, used silver trinket is his idea of an apology. Fake attacks, public framing, malicious bidding wars at auctions. Piece by piece, they trampled all over my pride.

He thinks groveling and offering up territories can fix this. He doesn't realize that the moment he chose to fail me time and time again, I stopped wanting him. I don't give a damn about his leftover affection.

Elara is done being Caleb's backup Luna.

...

The high priest's staff strikes the stone floor. The sharp crack echoes over the altar of the Blood Moon Pack.

"Elara, we're eight hours past the rehearsal time." The high priest lowers his voice, a hint of pity in his eyes. "The Alpha still hasn't shown up."

I stand high up on the altar, an ache creeping up my legs from standing for so long.

My phone buzzes in my hand.

The screen lights up. It is a text from my fated mate, the current Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, Caleb.

The words ooze a sickening sense of entitlement. "Elara, sorry, emergency. Lily got attacked by a rogue near the edge of the forest. She's terrified. I have to stay at the Hollowthorn clan to calm her down. We'll just run through the coronation rehearsal tomorrow."

Right after that, another message pops up on the screen. It is a photo from Lily.

In the picture, the fragile Omega curls up on a massive leather sofa, wrapped in a man's black jacket. It is Caleb's favorite coat.

A message sits right below the photo.

"Elara, Caleb's scent makes me feel so safe. I feel terrible taking up his time with you, but you're so strong. I'm sure you can handle the Luna rehearsal on your own, right?"

My fingers tighten instantly. The phone case lets out a strained crack.

My inner wolf lets out a furious, deafening growl, her sharp fangs snapping violently inside my mind. It is the mate bond reacting. The intense betrayal turns into literal venom, burning through my nerves along our soul connection. It hurts. It is an excruciating, bone-deep pain. But I bite down hard on my back teeth, refusing to let even a single pathetic whimper escape my lips.

I dial the high priest's private number directly. "Prepare the rejection ceremony. At tomorrow's coronation, I am unilaterally severing the mate bond."

The high priest sucks in a sharp breath, but I don't give him a chance to talk me out of it. I hang up.

I turn and walk down from the altar, the night wind howling around me.

It is late into the night by the time I get back to the villa. I toss my high heels straight into the trash just as the front door bursts open.

Caleb strides in. He holds a glowing bouquet of moon-silver thorns, a rare plant werewolves use to soothe their mates.

"I paid top dollar for these on the black market just for you. Stop being mad." He crosses the room in a few steps and shoves the flowers toward me. His handsome, chiseled face wears that same old casual, arrogant certainty.

Normally, all he has to do is release a little bit of calming pheromones, and my wolf will domesticate herself and let the anger go.

But today, I just stare at him coldly. I cross my arms over my chest and do not take the flowers.

"You're still throwing a fit?" Caleb frowns. His patience thins out, and he subtly pushes out his Alpha command, trying to force me to submit. "Elara, I know I messed up by missing the rehearsal. But I explained it to you, didn't I? There was a rogue. Lily is practically as fragile as a human Omega, she almost died!"

I let out a harsh laugh and step right into his aura. "A rogue? The edge of the Blood Moon territory is packed with level-four patrol guards. How exactly does a rogue slip past our defenses without a sound, pinpoint a single Omega, and somehow leave her without a single scratch?"

Caleb chokes on his words. His eyes dart away for a split second. "What is that supposed to mean? You think Lily would lie about something like this?"

"This isn't the first time, Caleb." My voice spikes. "During the full moon hunt, you dumped the lead wolf position on me so you could go watch fireworks with her. At the harvest festival, while I danced alone in front of the entire pack, you spent the whole night by her bed because she said she was scared of the dark. At the Northern Alliance gala last year, you caught a red-eye flight back to the Hollowthorn clan!"

"You know damn well her excuses are pathetic, yet every single time, you choose to abandon me!" I glare right into his eyes. The bond mark on my chest feels like it is being carved out with a rusty knife.

Caleb steps back, caught off guard by my intensity. His face darkens. He raises his voice and pulls out the exact same excuse he has used a million times before.

"The Hollowthorn clan raised me! If they hadn't taken me in, I would have died out in the wild! Lily is the only bloodline they have left. She's an Omega who needs protection. And you? You're the top female warrior of the Blood Moon Pack! You're strong. You don't need me babysitting you all the time!"

What a ridiculous piece of logic.

Because I am strong, because I can carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, I deserve to be put on the back burner. I deserve to face the scrutiny of the entire pack alone at every important turning point of my life.

"Alright, enough arguing." Caleb tugs at his tie in frustration. As if to prove his sincerity, he pulls a cheap black velvet pouch from his pocket and holds it out to me.

"It's my fault I wasn't there today. I picked out a gift to make it up to you. You'll look beautiful wearing it at the Luna coronation."

I drop my gaze to the necklace.

It is an incredibly cheap silver piece. The edges are already tarnishing. The craftsmanship is garbage, and the style is an outdated trend that Omegas tossed out ages ago.

I can even smell the lingering scent of Lily's vanilla on it.

This is the exact cheap gift Lily complained about on her social media last month.

And now, my fated mate, the grand Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, is handing me another woman's garbage like it is some kind of charity. This is his grand compensation for missing the most important moment of my life.

The anger burns so hot it turns into a biting, freezing cold.

I look at Caleb with dead calm.

"Caleb. You really have no idea what a fated mate actually means."

I turn around and walk straight into the master bedroom.

"Elara! What are you doing now? I'm already bending over backward to make this right!" Caleb roars behind me, trying to follow.

Slam.

I shut the heavy oak door in his face and lock it.

With a sharp click, I activate the room's warding runes. I completely block out his sickening cedar scent and his fake affection, locking ten years of this absolute joke outside.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I will shatter these rotten chains with my own hands.