After Alpha Faked His Death, I Cut off the Mate Bond

Ever since I lost my Alpha, Kael, in a brutal fight with some nasty rogues, I've been raising our young son, Finn, all by myself.

My old pack has been pushing me to take a new Alpha, you know, so Finn and I would have protection.

But I truly believed my Mate Bond with Kael was unbreakable.

Then, on the Blood Moon ceremony, the fifth anniversary of Kael's “sacrifice,” I overheard Kael's father, old Alpha Marcus, tearing into Kael's quiet twin brother, Ronan:

“Kael! You damn wolf! It was Ronan who went down on Blood Moon Cliff five years ago! He was the cursed one! You faked your death, lived as Ronan, all to protect Alina? You lied to the whole pack, to your sacred mate, and your own flesh and blood! Was it worth it?!”

“For five years, Elara has raised Finn from a tiny pup all alone. You gave your so-called 'niece' a fake 'father,' but did you ever think? The day you put on Ronan's mask, Finn lost his real father for good!”

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning.

After Kael “died,” Ronan had been the dutiful uncle, “looking after” Finn and me.

I never dreamed he was Kael in disguise.

And he did all this just to protect Alina, Ronan's destined mate, who was already pregnant?!

That night, under the bright moon, I snuck away and sent a message to my cousin, the Head Beta of the Silver-Moon Pack:

“Tell your Alpha Lucian that I, Elara, accept his courtship offer.”

After my Alpha Kael died fighting those rogues, old Alpha Marcus was terrified I'd take Finn, their only Alpha heir, and leave the Stone Creek Pack, or worse, get marked by another Alpha.

I turned down every match my mother tried to make, warned off any male who got too close, and kept reassuring Marcus and his mate that Kael's bloodline would stay pure.

I was going to honor my Mate Bond with Kael, always.

Five years. Five years without Kael's warm hugs, without his deep voice whispering in my ear. I gritted my teeth through so many cold nights.

Finn was my only comfort.

But then, at the Blood Moon ceremony marking five years since Kael's “sacrifice,” I overheard Marcus roaring at “Ronan”:

“Kael! You selfish, blind fool of a wolf! How much longer are you going to keep up this charade?!”

He called him Kael?! My blood ran cold.

A calm, familiar voice came from inside the den – Ronan, Kael's twin brother.

“Father, you know I had no choice.”

“Kael! Ronan was the one cursed by the Moon Goddess since he was a pup, the sickly one! Ronan was the one torn apart on Blood Moon Cliff! Why did you fake your death and take his place?!”

Fake his death?!

I froze, my claws digging into my palms. Then, the man who'd held me close every night, the man now wearing Ronan's face, spoke:

“Father, Alina was already carrying Ronan's child.