The Alpha's Broken Vows Shatter Our Bond

For the ninety-seventh time, Alpha Joziah asked me to clean up a mess for Mia, his childhood friend and a Delta in our pack. I was nursing a painful stomach, my face pale, and replied, "Alpha, I really can’t go this time."

He hesitated for a moment, then gently pulled me into a hug, murmuring softly, "Luna, think of it as me cashing in one of the gratitude tokens you gave me. Once this is over, I promise I’ll make it up to you."

I stiffened in his embrace, feeling a coldness seep into my bones, but eventually, I nodded slightly.

Five years ago, a rogue werewolf had cornered me in an alley, and Alpha Joziah had intervened, saving my life. In gratitude, I crafted a hundred gratitude tokens just for him. At first, he treasured them, not wanting to spend even one.

But once Mia joined the Silver Moon Pack, those tokens seemed to vanish quickly—whether it was fetching supplies for her, rushing design drafts, or taking the blame for her mistakes.

This time, she had offended Mr. Gonzalez, a Lycan and one of our pack’s key allies. Alpha Joziah ordered me to drink and apologize in her place.

I drank until my stomach perforated, ended up being rushed to the hospital, and had to undergo surgery to remove a portion of my stomach.

Lying on the hospital bed, Alpha Joziah only commented, "You’ve been through a lot, Luna. Consider this another token used. Rest up and get well."

In his eyes, I was nothing more than a tool to be commanded at will.

Staring at the remaining three tokens, I managed a bitter smile—freedom was near.

---

Today was the day of the jewelry launch I had prepared as the chief designer, just my second day out of the hospital post-surgery.

But when Mia crashed into the jewelry display, damaging several priceless pieces, Alpha Joziah’s first reaction was to protect her and instruct me, "Luna, apologize to the guests and clients immediately."

I stood there, frozen, disbelief washing over me.

Mr. Gonzalez, our Lycan partner, frowned, his face full of anger. "Alpha Joziah, I let Mia’s previous mistake with the proposal slide, but now she’s ruined the launch. Are you going to make the Luna clean up this mess again and deceive us?"

Mia’s eyes filled with tears as she clung to Alpha Joziah’s sleeve pitifully, looking utterly wronged.

He instinctively put her behind him, hastily explaining, "Please, Mr. Gonzalez, calm down. It was an accident, and we’ll surely provide a satisfactory solution."

"Luna Aurora," Alpha Joziah turned to me, his voice sharp, "why are you just standing there? Kneel and apologize to Mr. Gonzalez immediately! And this time, hand over all your design copyrights to him for free!"

He completely disregarded the fact that I had just been discharged from the hospital, still recovering, and the effort and dreams I had poured into this work.

The media, pack members, and guests at the launch whispered among themselves,