Chapter 3
The door to Thatcher's office burst open with such force that it slammed against the wall. Lily stood in the doorway, her chest heaving, eyes wild with a fury I'd never seen before.
"Stop this!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the haze of pain that had enveloped me. "You can't do this to her!"
Thatcher's head snapped up, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You dare interrupt me?"
"I dare stop you from destroying yourself," Lily countered, stepping into the room. Her gaze fell on me, taking in my torn clothes and the burning mate mark on my neck. Horror dawned across her face. "What have you done to her?"
I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper. "Lily..."
Thatcher's Alpha aura exploded outward, filling the room with suffocating pressure. "You forget your place, Beta."
Lily staggered but remained standing. "My place is protecting my Luna—my friend—from a mate who's lost his mind!"
"KNEEL!" Thatcher roared, his Alpha command slamming into Lily with such force that her knees hit the floor hard. She gasped, struggling against the invisible weight pressing down on her.
"Please," I begged, reaching for Lily. "Don't hurt her. She's all I have left."
"All you have left," Thatcher repeated, his voice dangerously soft. "You think she's loyal to you? She's pack first. Always pack."
He stalked toward Lily, who remained frozen by his command. "One more word from you, and I'll exile you. Is that what you want? To be cast out as a rogue?"
Lily's eyes met mine, and I saw something break in them—not fear, but heartbreak. For me. For what I was enduring.
"Leave us," Thatcher ordered, his voice slightly calmer. "Now."
Lily struggled to her feet, her movements slow and painful against the Alpha command. As she passed me, she whispered so softly that only I could hear: "Be ready tonight."
Then she was gone, and the door closed behind her.
---
The moonless night provided perfect cover as I slipped through the shadows of the pack house. Lily had created a diversion at the southern border—something about rogue wolves being spotted—and the majority of the pack's warriors had rushed to investigate.
My body still ached from Thatcher's marking ceremony, but adrenaline pushed the pain aside. I moved silently through the corridors, avoiding the few guards who remained.
At the entrance to the Luna's quarters—my prison—I paused. There, on the dresser, lay my Luna crown and my wedding ring. Symbols of everything I'd once been. Everything I'd lost.
I took one last look at them before turning away. They weren't mine anymore. Nothing here was mine anymore.
Outside, the night air hit my face like a blessing. I ran, my wolf lending me strength, pushing me faster through the territory I'd once called home.
The Moonveil forests loomed ahead—dangerous, forbidden territory where even pack wolves rarely ventured. But tonight, they offered my only hope.
I plunged into the darkness, letting my wolf guide me. The trees closed in around me, ancient and watchful. Somewhere in this wilderness lived Elena Moonweaver—if Lily's information was correct.
"You need to find the healer," Lily had whispered earlier, when she'd managed to slip me a note during dinner. "She can help you sever the bond."
"Severance is forbidden," I'd replied, shocked.
"Less forbidden than watching you die," had been her answer.
Now, as I moved deeper into the forest, I clutched that note in my pocket. It contained directions to Elena's hidden cabin—directions that would have been impossible to follow without Lily's help.
The forest grew denser, the path more treacherous. I stumbled over roots and ducked under low-hanging branches, my senses alert for any sign of danger. Rogues were known to hunt in these woods. But tonight, I almost welcomed the thought of danger. Anything would be better than returning to what waited for me at the pack house.
Finally, after hours of walking, I spotted a faint light through the trees. A small cabin, nearly invisible among the shadows, its windows glowing with warm light.
I approached slowly, cautiously. This was my last hope—my only chance at freedom.
The door opened before I could knock.
"You're the Luna who seeks severance," said an old woman's voice. Not a question—a statement.
I fell to my knees on the rough wooden porch.
"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Help me cut the bond that ties me to him."
Elena Moonweaver stood in the doorway, her ancient eyes seeing far more than just my physical form. In her gaze, I felt exposed—all my pain, all my desperation laid bare.
"Child," she said softly, "do you know what you ask? To sever a mate bond is to sever part of your soul."
"I know," I replied, tears streaming down my face. "But he will destroy me—destroy us both—just to get Navy back."
Something shifted in her expression then—a decision made.
"Enter," she said, stepping aside. "The ritual must be performed before dawn."
As I crossed the threshold into Elena's cabin, I felt the weight of my decision settle over me. There would be no going back from this. But as the door closed behind me, I realized that going back was no longer an option I could bear to consider.
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