Chapter 3

Elara's POV

I leaned against the cold bedrail. With trembling fingers, I dialed a number I hadn't called in five years.

"Mom, I agree. I'm going to Europe. I'm never coming back to Grayhold, or Veyra—never." I bit down hard on my lower lip to swallow the taste of blood.

On the other end, my mother Maeve let out a breath of relief, though her voice remained brutally cold. "Thank the Goddess you finally let go of that bastard Darien! Forget this 'fated mate' nonsense. The way he treats you, he’s unworthy! And as for your brother Cedric—he is just like your dead father. Too stupid to be saved!"

"It was all Opal's setup," I gripped the phone.

"That viper!" My mother’s tone turned deadly. "My biggest regret in life was taking her in. Listen to me: as long as she breathes, you will never have a day of peace. Leave immediately. I'll be waiting for you in Europe."

I closed my eyes. The ice in my heart finally froze solid. "Run a background check for me. I need to know what happened back then..."

I whispered my instructions quickly. After hanging up, I booked a one-way ticket, dragged my broken body up, and headed back to Darien's estate.

Pack my bags. Escape this hell.

The moment I pushed open my half-shut bedroom door to find my passport, I heard two maids laughing openly in the hallway.

"Did you hear? The Luna miscarried again."

"It's karma, if you ask me. Her first wolf pup died, and she couldn't keep the second. She was always picking on Ms. Opal. She deserves to be barren!"

"Shh, keep it down. Tonight is Lila's birthday party. Don't mention the dead, it's bad luck..."

Something snapped in my brain.

All reason burned to ash. I kicked the door open, grabbed one of the maids by her hair, and slammed her head against the wall.

"Who gave you the right to talk about my children?!" I roared, my eyes bloodshot. "Who gave you the nerve to curse them?!"

The maid shrieked like a slaughtered pig. Hurried footsteps echoed down the hall.

"Elara! What the hell is wrong with you now?!"

Cedric sprinted over and violently tore me off her. Darien followed right behind him, dressed in a custom suit, his brows pulled together in absolute disgust.

"The main hall is packed with Alpha guests here for Lila's birthday," Cedric yanked at his tie in frustration, pointing at me. "Darien, lock her in the dungeon. This madwoman is a ticking time bomb. If she storms the party and scares Opal, she’ll humiliate both our packs!"

The dungeon. The last time Opal framed me, I was tortured down there so badly I couldn't walk for weeks.

"Darien," I looked up, fighting the deep ache in my stomach, staring at my fated mate. "Your own child’s blood is barely cold, and you're throwing a massive bash for that stray? Do you have no conscience at all?"

Darien's jaw clenched. A flicker of hesitation crossed his dark eyes.

But then, Lila’s sweet giggle echoed from the main hall.

He looked away. "Lock her up. Keep her there overnight. Let her out in the morning when she’s calm."

Two guards grabbed my shoulders. I didn't even have the strength to fight back. Like a dead leaf, I was dragged into the dark.

The iron door locked. The stench of rot and old blood hit me instantly.

Under the dim wall lamp, a massive silhouette stepped out of the shadows. It was Marcus—the guard who had tortured me before.

"The noble Luna. We meet again." He played with a silver-laced whip, his eyes trailing down to my torn collar.

"Get away from me..." I laid paralyzed on the freezing stone, gasping for air.

"Ms. Opal said the party is so loud tonight, no one will hear a thing," he suddenly dropped to his knees and ripped my jacket open. "She told me to ruin you. I've been dying to know what a high and mighty Luna tastes like."

"Don't touch me—"

Ignoring the cold sweat and exhaustion, my hand scrambled across the dirt and blindly found a thick, discarded silver chain. As my palm touched it, the silver seared my flesh with a hiss of burning flesh—but I felt no pain.

"Die!"

I channeled every last ounce of my inner wolf's fading strength, swung the heavy silver chain, and smashed it directly into his face.

His nose shattered with a sickening crunch. Before he could even scream, I swung the chain again. And again. Like a machine with no pain receptors, I bashed his skull in until the heavy body beneath me stopped twitching.

I dropped the chain, panting heavily. The skin on my palms was burned down to the bone.

Dragging my shattered body, I climbed the narrow stone steps, one by one, out of that rotting hellhole.

The cold night wind hit my face.

Standing on the ridge, I looked down at the brightly lit banquet hall in the distance. Through the massive glass windows, I saw Darien and Cedric smiling adoringly at Lila, with Opal leaning against them. Like a perfect family.

I wiped the blood off my face and smiled silently. The very last thread holding me to my fate burned to dust.

I turned around, ripped a torch from the wall, and tossed it down into the dungeon's dried hay and liquor stash.

The fire erupted with a roar, swallowing the cage that had held all my pain and humiliation. The flames lit up the night sky, burning away my mate bond for good.

I slipped the Luna ring off my finger and tossed it into the inferno.

Then, without looking back, I walked away into the endless night alone.