The Alpha’s Secret Luna

For four years by Kallum's side, everyone saw me as just the former Alpha's daughter. The pack's chief geneticist. No one knew the truth. I was his fated mate, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. When my father died in battle, I gave Kallum the Alpha ring. I handed him absolute power and stepped back into the shadows of the lab. At night, against the floor-to-ceiling glass, his hands bruised my waist. He sank his fangs into the crook of my neck, claiming my mark over and over again. Come morning, he straightened his tie. All I got was cold, emotionless orders. Because his heart belonged to an outsider wolf. Scarlett. He knew her favorite champagne by heart. The night she separated from her husband, he drank until dawn at his private club. He even assigned the pack's elite guard to guard her apartment day and night. Four years as his secret mate, and I never saw a single shred of that devotion. Heartbroken, I slipped our bond severance agreement into a stack of research reports. He didn't even glance down. He just signed it. Ripping the bond apart felt like tearing my heart in half. I choked down the blood in my throat, erased every trace of my existence, and vanished. I thought he would finally be happy with his true love. Instead, the day the bond snapped, the ruthless Alpha completely lost his mind. He stripped Scarlett of every single privilege. He turned the entire continent upside down to hunt me down. And in front of tens of millions on live TV, he dropped to his knees. Eyes bloodshot and voice breaking, he confessed to the entire world: I was his only Luna. His true fated mate. And he would burn the whole world down before he ever let me go. Chapter 1 "Sign this, Kallum." I pushed the thick stack of clinical reports across his desk, my index finger pressing firmly against the very last page. Kallum strode in, bringing the outside chill with his heavy wool coat. He looked down at me with his usual cold detachment. "Phase three gene reports? Since when do you rush me in person, Sierra?" "The Elders need them urgently." I forced a polite smile, playing the dutiful subordinate. Beneath my palm lay our Mating Bond Severance Agreement. In thirty days, his signature would invoke the Moon Goddess's law and tear our souls apart. Kallum's long fingers reached for the edge of the papers, about to flip them over. My heart skipped a violent beat. The hidden mating mark on my neck burned hot with tension. "Kallum." The sharp click of high heels echoed from the hallway. Scarlett walked in, glowing in a designer pink suit with a soft smile on her lips. Kallum's hand stopped instantly. The cold guard in his eyes melted the second he saw her. He didn't even glance back down at the page. He grabbed the black pen on the desk and signed his name on the bottom line. "What are you doing up here?" Kallum tossed the signed papers back to me and rushed to her side, his voice softer than I had ever heard it. "Didn't I tell you to wait downstairs?" "I missed you." Scarlett looped her arm through his, her eyes drifting over his shoulder straight to me. A flicker of knowing mockery danced in her gaze. Then, she gasped in fake surprise. "Oh, isn't that Miss Sierra? Why is the former Alpha's daughter delivering papers herself? All those hundreds of pages... you must be exhausted." My fingernails bit into my palms as I clutched the folder to my chest, fighting to keep my smile intact. "It's my job." Four years ago, an enemy pack attacked, and my father died in battle. I fought off the elders to place the Alpha ring on Kallum's finger, then stepped back into the shadows of the lab. Four years ago in the Rocky Mountains, his wolf went feral and nearly destroyed him. I risked my life to steady his soul and left behind my soothing serum. To protect his new Alpha authority, I ordered everyone to stay silent. Yet when he woke up, he saw Scarlett holding the empty vial by his bed and named her his savior. Hearing Scarlett's words, Kallum turned slightly, delivering the final blow with utter indifference: "She runs the pack's new drug development now. This kind of grunt work is part of her job." He slipped his arm around Scarlett's waist and led her toward the door. "Let's go. I booked that rooftop restaurant you love. No business today. Just you and me." Down in the private driveway, four custom armored SUVs stood ready. That was the ultimate honor reserved for the Alpha. My father once used that escort to protect me. Now, Kallum used it day and night to guard an outsider woman who had just separated from her husband. I walked into the restroom and locked the door behind me. In the mirror, my face was pale, framed by my stiff research uniform. I reached up and unclasped the wolf-fang pendant around my neck. He placed it around my neck four years ago with a promise of forever. I opened my hand. The necklace dropped into the trash. Late that night, Kallum returned to the penthouse reeking of expensive liquor. He loosened his tie and walked toward me, his heavy Alpha scent flooding the room. His large hand reached for the back of my neck out of habit, then froze. He stared down at my bare collarbone, his brow furrowing deep. "Where's your necklace?" "I forgot to put it on." I lowered my eyes, keeping my voice mild and obedient. A flash of annoyance crossed his face, but he didn't press. He pulled a sleek gift box from his coat pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table. "Picked this up on the way back." He threw the words over his shoulder and headed straight for the shower. I opened the box. Inside was a custom bottle of hyacinth car fragrance. The overwhelming, sweet scent hit my nose, and my throat instantly tightened. Four whole years. He still had no idea I was deathly allergic to hyacinths—one deep breath could suffocate me. I looked down at the expensive bottle and let out a quiet, self-mocking chuckle. I didn't confront him. I didn't shed a tear. I simply walked over and dropped it straight into the trash. The heavy glass shattered. Water ran loudly inside the bathroom. I held my aching chest in the dark, silently counting down. Our invisible bond had officially entered its thirty-day death countdown. Chapter 2 The water stopped. The bathroom door swung open, and Kallum stepped out with only a black towel wrapped around his waist. Water dripped from his dark hair. Pure Alpha power radiated off his taut muscles, his scent of cedar and cool mint heavy with raw dominance. He pulled back the sheets and climbed into bed. Without a word, his long arm snaked out and locked me against his warm, damp chest. His rough, calloused hands slid under my silk nightgown, gripping my lower back with firm, possessive demand. It was his habit of four years. On any other night, I would have yielded instantly. I would have released my scent to soothe his violent wolf, eager to satisfy the man I loved. Not tonight. I gritted my teeth, planted both hands against his rock-hard chest, and shoved him back with all my strength. "Don't touch me." My voice was dry as I yanked my slipping neckline back up. Kallum swayed back slightly. His eyes narrowed, flashing with dangerous irritation. "What's wrong with you, Sierra?" "I ran neural rejection tests all day. I'm exhausted." I looked away from his piercing stare, turned my back, and pulled the duvet tight. "Let's just sleep." The air behind me plummeted below zero. His heavy Alpha presence suffocated the room, crushing my chest. After a few tense seconds, Kallum scoffed. He didn't push it. I thought I was safe. Then, his cold voice broke the dark. "I didn't get to look over that phase-three report you made me sign today." The mattress dipped as he sat up. "Bring it here. I'll check it now." An invisible fist clamped down around my heart. The mating mark on the back of my neck turned icy cold. The severance agreement was the last page of that file. If he opened it right now, my thirty-day escape plan was dead. I slid out of bed with stiff limbs, my fingers trembling in the dark as I reached for the folder. The second my fingertips brushed the edge of the paper— A sharp, shrill ring tore through the silence. It was Kallum's private encrypted line. Only a handful of top lieutenants had this number. Kallum grabbed the phone and hit speaker. His guard's panicked voice spilled out: "Alpha! It's Scarlett! Her ex-husband brought rogues and kicked her door down! She's barricaded in the closet, sobbing..." Kallum didn't even wait for the man to finish. He threw off the covers, surrounded by murderous fury. "Lock down that entire block with pack enforcers! Don't let a single rat escape!" he barked, throwing on a black shirt. "I'll handle this myself." He snatched his cashmere coat off the chair and strode toward the door. Passing by me, he paused, offering a rushed, hollow excuse: "Perimeter breach. I have to handle it personally." I stood in the shadows, watching his hurried fingers button his cuffs. It felt like watching a bad play. "Understood," I said softly. "Be safe." The heavy door slammed shut. The penthouse fell dead silent. I sat on the living room sofa in my clothes, watching the wall clock tick away the hours. I didn't sleep a wink. At six in the morning, pale dawn filtered through the blinds. I tapped my phone screen. A fresh notification popped up from Scarlett's social page. It was a photo taken at the private cliffside helipad, the rising sun painting the clouds gold and red. Her caption was just two words: [Free again.] In the reflection of the massive glass window behind her stood Kallum. He wore his black trench coat, holding a steaming cup of black coffee, his soft gaze locked on the woman behind the camera. Looking at that picture, the last spark of love I had held for ten years finally died. What a joke. The ruthless, bloodthirsty Alpha had no shame in running to his newly single true love, yet he couldn't spare a shred of respect for his own Luna. I was never his mate. I was just a convenient body to use and discard. I locked my phone without shedding a single tear. I walked into the walk-in closet and dragged eight large storage boxes out of the closet. Every designer gown, every limited-edition handbag, every diamond necklace he had bought me over the past four years to play the part of his obedient wife—I didn't keep a single one. I packed them all away, sealing each box with a label for a local charity auction. Since I was leaving, I wouldn't take a single scrap of his pity. At noon, the front door clicked open. Kallum walked in, carrying the faint reek of fresh blood. The violence from the previous night had eased his wolf's restless edge, leaving him looking tired and relaxed. He stopped dead at the entrance, his brow furrowing at the eight giant boxes blocking the hallway. "What is all this? You've turned the place into a warehouse." "Old junk I cleared out." I stood at the end of the hall, meeting his eyes with a calm expression. "They took up too much room in the closet, so I called a charity to haul them away." Kallum didn't even care enough to open a box. He pulled off his leather gloves, tossed them onto the console table, and waved lazily at the guards waiting outside. "Get this trash out of here. It's an eyesore." The guards bowed, immediately stepping in to haul the heavy boxes out one by one. Kallum turned straight toward the bar, never once looking back. He had no idea he had just personally cleared out every last trace of his wife from this home. Pouring himself a glass of whiskey, he said over his shoulder, "The pack has an elite charity gala tonight. Get the lab data ready. I'll need it." Chapter 3 "Alpha, we need to finalize your plus-one and the security escort route for the Metropolitan Charity Gala tonight." The pack's high council meeting had just wrapped up. Rowan, his lieutenant, stepped forward quickly and handed Kallum a tablet. The air in the hallway instantly froze. I stood half a step behind Kallum, clutching a thick stack of organized lab results to my chest. Four years. As the former Alpha's only daughter and his secret fated mate, I had never once stood by his side at a public event. In everyone's eyes, I was just the chief scientist in a lab coat, cleaning up his messes in the dark. Now, Scarlett was officially single. Who was he taking? A pathetic, self-destructive urge rose in my chest. I stepped forward, keeping my voice low. "The gala tonight... do you want me to come with you?" Kallum stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, his cold, piercing wolf eyes looking down at me. No answer. Just absolute, suffocating silence. The guards down the hall looked away, staring straight ahead. The tension was thick enough to choke on. Every second of that silence felt like a hard slap across my face. I swallowed the bitter lump in my throat. Before he could speak, I forced a flawless professional smile. "Just asking. I have a neural rejection control group to run in the lab anyway. I don't have time to waste on useless socializing." Hearing that, the sharp line of Kallum's jaw softened noticeably. A flicker of relief crossed his eyes. He even lowered his tone, sounding unusually gentle. "Good work, Sierra. I'll bring you back a gift tonight." "Thank you, Alpha." I nodded politely, turned on my heel, and walked away. At eleven that night, the harsh fluorescent lights of the lab burned my eyes. I leaned against the counter and opened social media. Scarlett's profile had updated three minutes ago. In the photo, she wore a strapless black designer gown. Pinned against her black dress was a breathtaking royal-blue sapphire brooch. The gemstone was pure perfection, catching every light in the ballroom. The comments were exploding. It was the centerpiece of the Metropolitan auction—sold for twenty-two million dollars. Her caption was short and sweet: [He always knows what I love.] I stared at the screen, let out a soft, dry chuckle, and locked the phone face down. At one in the morning, Kallum returned to the penthouse. He carried a faint trace of expensive perfume. Tossing a midnight-blue velvet box onto the coffee table, he loosened his tie. "Your gift." His tone was casual. I opened the box with a blank face. Inside lay a pair of blue sapphire earrings. The cut, color, and setting were an exact match to the twenty-two-million-dollar brooch on Scarlett's chest. He had bought the entire luxury set at the auction, pinned the show-stopping masterpiece onto the woman he adored, and tossed the leftover scraps to his secret wife like pocket change. A wave of pure disgust hit my stomach. I didn't even touch the earrings. I slammed the box shut and shoved it back across the marble table. "What's wrong?" Kallum's brow furrowed, irritation creeping into his Alpha voice. "Not good enough for you?" Before I could answer, his eyes caught my phone screen on the table. It was still lit up, displaying Scarlett's post with the matching brooch. Kallum froze. A quick flash of guilt crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with a low explanation. "Things got hectic at the auction. I only grabbed what was available. Scarlett just got out of a bad marriage, and she was having a rough night. That brooch was..." His phone rang, cutting him off. It was the pack's head of legal. Kallum didn't bother stepping away. He put it straight on speaker. "Alpha, Miss Scarlett's divorce settlement is fully finalized," the lawyer reported with respect. "We secured every single asset under her name. Her ex-husband won't touch a dime." "Clean work," Kallum said, his tension easing. The lawyer paused, then added casually, "Funny enough, Chief Sierra also came to my office privately the other day to ask about the legal process for severing a mating bond. I thought..." The temperature in the living room plummeted to absolute zero. Kallum's Alpha scent exploded in raw, murderous fury, heavy enough to shatter the glass walls. He hung up instantly without another word and whipped around to face me. "Severing a mating bond?" He closed the distance between us, his voice dropping into a lethal, guttural growl. "Sierra, why were you digging into that?!" His crushing Alpha presence slammed into me. Any ordinary wolf would have dropped to their knees in terror. I dug my nails into my palms, keeping my eyes steady and blank. "Bridget had a terrible fight with her mate. She wanted to know how to cut the bond permanently. I asked for her." Kallum's predatory eyes cut into my face like sharp blades. He studied me for thirty agonizing seconds, searching for a single tell. I stayed still as stone, not even letting my eyelashes flutter. Finally, the lethal tension began to drain from his shoulders. He scoffed coldly. "Stay out of other people's business." Seeing him slip right back into his arrogant, untouchable posture, a faint smirk touched my lips. I couldn't help but speak up: "Kallum." "What if... the one who wants to break the bond is me?" Dead silence fell over the room. The calm in Kallum's eyes vanished instantly. He took one step, his powerful fingers clamping around my chin, forcing my head up to meet his dark gaze. His grip was iron-tight, dripping with absolute possession. His cold fingertips slowly traced the mating mark hidden in the crook of my neck. He leaned down until his hot breath brushed against my lips. His voice dropped to a dark, dangerous whisper: "Don't ever play games like that with me, Sierra." His thumb pressed hard against my bottom lip, his eyes dark with terrifying certainty. "You carry my mark. You are my Luna in life and in death. Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I will hunt you down and drag you straight back to my bed." Chapter 4 "Hand over the serum, you bastard daughter of a dead Alpha!" A vicious howl ripped through the morning mist in the border forest. I was transporting our newly developed Wolf-Soul Stabilizing Serum to the southern outpost. Out of nowhere, two heavily armored trucks ambushed my SUV, both stamped with the skull-and-wolf crest of the Blackbone Pack. Silver-tipped crossbow bolts and heavy lead rounds slammed against my windows, shattering the glass into a web of white cracks. I yanked the steering wheel hard and slammed the red emergency button on the dash to patch straight through to Kallum's private line. —"The user you are trying to reach has muted all incoming transmissions." The automated voice hit my ears like a poisoned blade. Once. Twice. Three times. All muted. My knuckles turned bone-white on the wheel. The mating mark on the back of my neck burned with an icy chill. Everyone in the Bloodclaw Pack knew our Alpha never took off his comms. He only shut them off when he stayed at his private manor to nurse a "fragile" Scarlett. In utter desperation, I called upon my inner wolf and slammed against our mating bond with all the mental force I had left. Kallum! Blackbone ambushed me at the southern border! Save me! I screamed across the mind-link with my dying breath. No answer came. Only a cold, dead, impenetrable mind shield. He had blocked our soul link with his Alpha command—all so my distress wouldn't disturb Scarlett's rest. A piece of my heart cracked right then and there. "Ram her! Take the serum!" a Blackbone warrior roared from a truck roof, his silver-laced claws tearing straight through my driver's window. I had no time to wait for a man who would never come. Cold resolve took over. I stomped the gas pedal to the floor and rammed my SUV straight into the side of their lead truck! The screech of twisting metal filled the woods. The airbag exploded in my face. In that same second, an arrow coated in pure wolfsbane pierced through the shattered window, ripping straight through my right shoulder! Agony ripped through my nerves like liquid fire. My wolf wailed inside me. Gritting my teeth until they nearly cracked, I fought the wheel with my last ounce of strength, broke through the perimeter, and hit the outpost's red distress beacon before passing out in a pool of blood. The sharp scent of herbs and antiseptic pulled me back to consciousness. "Sierra! You're finally awake!" Bridget rushed to my bedside, her eyes red and puffy. "If the patrol hadn't reached you in time, those Blackbone bastards would have torn you apart! Where the hell was your Alpha when you were bleeding to death?!" The head healer walked in with a grim expression. "The wound went clean through, and the wolfsbane is eating away at your nervous system. You need your fated mate's scent to soothe your wolf. Where is the Alpha?" I curled my pale lips into a bitter smirk. "I don't have a mate. The bond was severed long ago." The heavy door was kicked open with brutal force! Kallum stormed inside, his Alpha presence so suffocating it nearly frosted the room. His eyes were bloodshot as he locked onto the heavy bandages across my shoulder. "Severed the bond? Sierra, what the hell are you telling the doctor?!" The room dropped to freezing. Ignoring the pain tearing through my body, I met his murderous glare with complete indifference. "I was talking about Bridget. She just broke up with her mate. I was feeling bad for her." Kallum's jaw unclenched slightly. He crossed the room, his large shadow swallowing me whole. Guilt and terror flashed deep in his eyes. He reached out to touch my bandages, but his hand froze in midair. "Why didn't you use your emergency line? Why didn't you mind-link me?!" His voice was cracked, raw with emotion. "I just wiped out three Blackbone outposts myself. Not a single survivor. Sierra... I failed to protect you." Looking at the pain on his face, I almost laughed out loud. He was the one who muted his comms and threw up a mind shield to block me. Now he dared to ask why I didn't reach out. "You're being discharged in five days," Kallum said, taking my cold hand in a tight grip. "I'm clearing all pack meetings. I will come pick you up yourself." "Okay," I whispered, lowering my eyes. Five days went by in a flash. The golden hour cast long, lonely shadows across the healing room. I sat on the edge of the bed in my street clothes. The clock moved from two in the afternoon to six in the evening. The hallway remained dead quiet. My phone screen lit up. Scarlett had posted a new update ten minutes ago. The photo showed a VIP suite inside a luxury wellness retreat. A large hand bearing the Alpha's ring was gently tucking the blanket around her shoulders. Her caption read: [With you here, I fear nothing.] That ring of absolute authority was placed on his finger by my own hands four years ago. With a blank expression, I dialed his number. He picked up on the first ring. The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor filled the background. "Sierra," Kallum whispered, his voice rushed and stressed. "Scarlett had a sudden relapse and fainted. Her condition is critical. I can't leave her right now. Wait for me another thirty minutes, or I'll have Rowan send my security team—" "No need," I cut him off calmly. "Sierra, let me explain—" "Pack business comes first, Alpha." I hung up. I grabbed my small duffel bag and walked out of the empty healing ward alone. The late autumn wind bit through my jacket, making my wounded shoulder throb with a dull ache. Standing on the stone steps, I hailed a pack patrol car. The moment the door closed, I pulled up my notes app. A glowing countdown memo sat pinned at the top of my screen. With steady fingers, I typed out one final line: —Seven days left until the mating bond is completely severed. Chapter 5 "Pack your bags. You're coming with me to the San Juan Islands." I had barely stepped into the lab when Kallum shoved the door open, his voice dripping with arrogant entitlement. My right shoulder still throbbed with residual venom from the wolfsbane bolt. I set down my test tube and turned around with a blank face. "What are you talking about?" "Making up for our honeymoon." He loosened his tie, looking pleased with his own generosity. "The private jet is waiting on the summit airstrip." A honeymoon. Four years of secret marriage, and this was the very first time he had ever said the word. I used to dream of a real trip with my Alpha. Every single time, he brushed me off with excuses of pack business. I longed for him to claim me publicly. Yet every Spring Hunt, every full moon, his eyes were glued to another woman. Now, just to clear his guilt for ditching me at the clinic to be with Scarlett, he tossed me a honeymoon like a scrap of charity. My heart was numb. I almost wanted to laugh. "Fine." I took off my lab coat without a word. In less than seven days, the bond would snap for good. Going anywhere made no difference to me. Two hours later, the private jet landed at an estate in the San Juan Islands. The crisp, salty breeze of the Pacific hit my skin. I carried my small duffel down the stairs, but shrill laughter near the infinity pool stopped me dead in my tracks. Scarlett stood by the water in a white designer resort dress, her champagne flute raised as she waved toward the plane. My feet froze on the steps. A sharp throb shot through my wounded shoulder. Kallum closed the distance behind me, leaning down to murmur against my ear, his hot breath thick with dominance. "Scarlett's wolf is unstable after the attack. She risked her life to save mine four years ago. I owe her a blood debt. I brought her along to clear her head. It won't affect our time together." Brought her along. The honeymoon he handed me was just a side perk for his favorite woman. "Kallum!" Scarlett sauntered over from the pool deck and slipped her arm through his. She glanced at me, faking a dramatic gasp behind her manicured hand. "Oh, isn't that Chief Sierra? Who's running the new drug trials? Kallum, why bring a researcher on vacation?" I stared straight at the smug taunt in her eyes. Before Kallum could speak, I curled my lips into a cool smile. "I just split from my ex. The Alpha was kind enough to let a tired subordinate tag along for a break." Scarlett blinked, then flashed a victorious, patronizing smirk. "Oh, you poor thing. You definitely need some rest." Beside her, Kallum's jaw tightened, but he let out a quiet breath of relief. At dusk, the sunset burned the ocean into a sea of blood red. I sat alone by the cliffside terrace, the melted ice in my glass freezing cold. The sharp click of heels against the deck broke the quiet. Scarlett sat across from me with a glass of Pinot Noir, her cheeks flushed with wine. "Miss Sierra," she murmured, swirling her glass with pure superiority. "Dumped by your ex? How pathetic." I took a sip of ice water, my voice steady. "We weren't a match." "Men love women who lean on them," Scarlett gloated, leaning in. "Just look at Kallum. My ex caused a scene yesterday, and Kallum sent the elite enforcers to snap his arms and throw him out of the territory. Kallum swore that as long as he breathes, no one on this continent will ever lay a finger on me." The sea wind pulled at my hair, sending a dull ache through my shoulder wound. "He certainly protects you," I said. Scarlett's vanity flared. She leaned across the table like she was sharing the greatest secret in the world. "You know about the ambush in the Rockies four years ago, right? His wolf went completely feral. The whole pack was terrified to go near him. But I ran straight into the safehouse. I stayed by his bed for three straight days with the empty serum vial and saved him with my own scent." She stroked her neck, laughing into the wind. "That was the day I knew. Married or single, whenever I turn around, his heart belongs to me." Every word was a blade. I looked down at the swirling ice water, laughing at the utter absurdity of it all. The one who fought through the blizzard, ripped her own soul in half, and stabilized his mind was me. To protect his new Alpha authority, I ordered everyone to swear an oath of silence before passing out, leaving behind only the empty vial of my core calming serum. And this shameless woman simply walked into the room, picked up the glass, and stole four years of my sacrifice. Even worse, the arrogant, sharp Alpha took her cheap lie as an undying debt of devotion. "Cat got your tongue?" Scarlett smirked, arching an eyebrow. I finished my water and met her smug gaze, a faint, cold smile touching my lips. "Not at all. I just think the two of you deserve each other." Dinner was served at the long outdoor terrace table. For two solid hours, Kallum's eyes never once left Scarlett. "Your steak is well done. Your stomach is weak, so don't eat it rare." "I had the kitchen remove all the nuts from the salad. You're allergic, remember?" "Open this Pinot Noir. It's the exact vintage from the old manor you love." He never looked at my empty plate. He had no clue that the lingering wolfsbane in my veins meant I couldn't touch raw seafood or cold platters. I quietly sliced my dry bread, sitting among them like a ghost. Late into the night, I stood up and walked down the dimly lit hallway toward my room. A warm, heavy hand grabbed my wrist from the shadows. Kallum pinned me against the wall, smelling of red wine and dark cedar. "Sierra... thank you for being so understanding today," he whispered, his tone softer than usual. "Scarlett has suffered too much, and I have to protect her. But in six months, at the Continental Summit, I will gather all the pack elders." He reached out to cup my cheek, but I turned my face away. His hand froze in midair, yet his voice was dead serious: "When the time comes, I will stand before every pack on this continent and announce you as my one and only Luna." The summit in six months. His one and only Luna. Looking at the grand future he thought he was gifting me, pure disgust churned in my stomach. I stepped back, slipping out of his grip, and met his eyes with a blank stare. "Sure, Kallum." I turned, walked into my room, and slammed the lock shut right in his face. I walked to the glass window, looking up at the cold, pale sliver of the moon. Six days left. Kallum, you have no idea. The future you promised is something I don't want for a single second longer. Chapter 6 The day after we returned from the island, I began erasing every trace of myself. I stopped making the calming serum for Kallum's wolf. Out on the greenhouse terrace, I let the alpine edelweiss he once gave me wither into dry dust. That evening, Kallum pushed open the bedroom door and tossed his tie onto the couch. His eyes landed on the bare nightstand, his brow furrowing instantly. "My wolf has been restless for days. Where's my serum? And the flowers on the balcony—why haven't you watered them?" I closed my lab notebook, my face completely blank. "The residual wolfsbane flared up in my shoulder. My arm was too weak to carry anything." Hearing wolfsbane, a faint flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. He walked over, his voice softening. "Tomorrow is our four-year anniversary. I had Rowan charter a luxury yacht to Monaco. Let's take you out to sea to recover." Monaco. It sounded so romantic. Yet my heart felt nothing. In less than forty-eight hours, our bond would be ripped apart forever. "No need for all that," I looked up, meeting his piercing gaze. "I just want to go to the vinyl café near the university. Where we first met." Kallum paused in surprise, then let out a low chuckle. "Why there all of a sudden? But if that's what you want, I'll take you. Tomorrow at six sharp. I'll pick you up downstairs. I won't be late." He made the promise with total conviction. I watched his confident face, a bitter, silent smile touching my lips. In four years of marriage, he had broken his word to me nineteen times—always for Scarlett. This was the twentieth time. And the last. "Okay," I whispered. He had no idea that café stood right where the old border forest used to be ten years ago. Back then, his mother was executed for betraying the Blackbone Alpha. Treated like a traitor's bastard, young Kallum was beaten bloody and left to freeze to death in the blizzard. I was the one who found him. He was barely breathing, his wolf spirit fading fast. I knelt in the snow, sobbing, begging my father to adopt him. That gave him a second life. It paved his road all the way to becoming Alpha. That patch of woods was the softest memory in my heart. Years later, I bought the land and built that café. I picked him up here ten years ago. Tonight, I would throw him right back into the world. The next evening, I put on the old khaki trench coat from ten years ago. I grabbed a vintage film camera from the drawer and waited silently in the foyer. At six sharp, the armored black sedan pulled up. Kallum rolled down the driver's side window. His charcoal suit made him look strikingly handsome and cold. He looked me up and down, a rare glimmer of warmth in his dark eyes. "You look beautiful in that coat. Just like back then." I opened the passenger door and sat down. Kallum hit the gas, merging smoothly into traffic. "I still remember those punks cornering you near these woods," Kallum tapped the steering wheel, his voice rich with arrogant pride. "You had that same cold face. Your inner wolf was trembling with fear, but you still held up a scalpel ready to fight. If I hadn't jumped in and ripped them apart, they would've taken you." He only remembered his glory in shedding blood for me. He completely forgot those attackers were hunting him, not me. He forgot that without my tears begging my father, he would be nothing but a pile of bones buried in the snow. I leaned against the window, fingers tracing the cold metal of the camera. "Yes. You bled a lot that night." "I told you I'd protect you for life," Kallum glanced at me, his voice steady with conviction. The car slowed to a stop outside the vinyl café. Warm neon lights spilled through the glass, soft and peaceful. Just as Kallum unbuckled his seatbelt— The encrypted comm on his belt shrieked violently. The harsh alarm shattered the quiet car. Kallum answered, and Rowan's panicked voice blasted through the line: "Alpha! Blackbone remnants ambushed Scarlett's apartment! They cut the power grid and breached the perimeter! The guards can't hold them off!" Kallum's calm shattered instantly. Pure, murderous rage flooded his scent. He gripped the steering wheel, his eyes wide and frantic as he barked at me: "Sierra, Blackbone is trying to kill Scarlett! I have to go now!" I sat frozen in the passenger seat, staring at him. "Just thirty minutes," I said softly, my voice as thin as smoke. "Kallum, they close soon. Just have one cup of coffee with me. Thirty minutes. Please?" It was the very last time in my life I would ever ask him for anything. Kallum's knuckles turned white on the wheel, his face twisting with raw irritation. "Sierra, be reasonable! Blackbone is trying to kill her! A woman's life versus a cup of coffee—can't you tell which one matters?!" Without waiting for my reply, he reached over, shoved my door open, and unlocked it. "Get out! I'll rent out the whole damn street for you next time!" Leaving that cold promise behind, he slammed my door shut and hit the gas. The black sedan shot into the dark, vanishing into the night traffic within seconds. The icy autumn wind whipped dead leaves against my cheeks, stinging like tiny blades. I stood alone on the empty curb. I raised the vintage camera, pointed the lens at the warm, glowing café, and pressed the shutter. The shutter snapped, crisp and final. I stared at the empty street, pulled my coat tight against the cold, and turned in the opposite direction. The twentieth broken promise. Kallum, you will never know: I gave you your life on this very spot ten years ago. And between us, there will never be a "next time." Chapter 7 I returned to the empty penthouse. The entire place was as silent as a grave. I took off my trench coat and sat down on the sofa. My phone screen lit up with an encrypted email. The buyout for my personal medical patents—eighty million dollars—had cleared into my anonymous offshore account. With this money, I could leave the West Coast for good and build an independent lab on the other side of the continent. I took a sip of ice water. My eyes fixed on the digital clock on the marble coffee table. The Moon Goddess's thirty-day countdown was reaching its end. The digital timer clicked down to zero—Severance Finalized. A wave of destructive agony exploded from the crook of my neck, tearing through my body. I shook violently, hands clutching my chest against the crushing spasm. The backlash of ripping a soul bond apart was a thousand times worse than I imagined. My inner wolf let out a guttural, agonizing wail. A thick rush of blood surged up my throat. I clamped my teeth down hard. Digging my nails into my palms, I swallowed the metallic taste back down. The pain rattled me to the bone, but in my eyes, there was only cold relief. Fighting the agony, I pushed myself up and walked to the living room fireplace. The flames were roaring. I threw in every old piece of clothing carrying Kallum's scent. Then came the neural research logs tracking four years of his feral rampages. Flames ate the paper, turning four years of devotion into ash in seconds. I opened my phone camera and aimed the lens at my face. My skin was paper-white, but my voice stayed completely level: "Kallum, by the time you see this, the thirty-day severance window has closed." "Four years ago in the Rockies, your wolf went feral. I nearly shredded my own soul to keep you alive and left behind the calming serum. I thought you would see me eventually. But your heart always belonged to Scarlett." "I give you your freedom, and I take back mine. We are done." I saved the video and hit send. I set the vintage camera on the center of the clean coffee table, right beside the official Mating Bond Severance Agreement. I pushed open the door, stepped into the cold night, and never looked back. Across the city, flames lit up the night outside Scarlett's apartment. Kallum snapped the throat of the last Blackbone attacker, flicking the blood from his claws. Scarlett sobbed behind him, clinging to his back. Just as Kallum turned to order his guards to sweep the area, his massive frame froze. It hit him like a lightning strike. A blunt hammer drove straight through his heart. His vision blackened in an instant of sheer, tearing agony. In the next second, the four-year-old bond connecting his soul to Sierra went dead. It was not a mind shield. It was pure, hollow nothingness—as if she had never existed in this world. "Alpha! What's wrong?!" Rowan yelled in terror, lunging forward to catch Kallum as his knees buckled. Kallum went ghostly pale, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. He shoved Rowan aside, clutching his violently spasming chest. Pure, wild terror flooded his eyes. "Sierra..." He didn't spare Scarlett a single glance. He sprinted to his armored SUV, threw himself inside, and floored the gas pedal. Ten minutes later, the penthouse door flew open with a violent crash. Kallum stumbled into the dark living room. The place was freezing. No lights. Not a single trace of his Luna's scent. His eyes snapped to the coffee table. Beside the old film camera lay the document, stamped in red by the High Council of the Moon Goddess. Two names were signed on the final page. One was Sierra's neat, steady handwriting. The other was his own careless signature—signed thirty days ago in his office just to rush downstairs and comfort Scarlett. Kallum Stryker. Another brutal wave of tearing agony ripped through his chest. Kallum clutched his burning heart, staring down at his own signature as his eyes turned bloodshot with sheer horror. He finally understood what that dying agony meant.