Chapter 2

SERAPHINA'S POV:

The first thing I did was go to Zayn's grave. The small stone was cold under my touch, just like my heart.

I opened a hidden channel on my phone, one I'd never used before, and sent a coded message. It was a secure line to Alpha Kael of the Silver Creek Pack. He was a renowned healer, but he was also known for his controversial research into the very nature of the mate bond.

My message was simple. "I'm in."

His reply came instantly. "The research center is ready for you. When?"

I typed back, my fingers moving with a cold, clear purpose. "Soon. But I have a condition. I want to be the first volunteer for the 'Memory Strip' protocol. The forbidden one."

There was a long pause. "Seraphina... that ritual is dangerous. It's irreversible."

"Good," I sent back. "That's what I want."

Next, I called the Pack's chief lawyer. "I need you to draw up a Mate Relationship Dissolution request," I said, my voice flat. "I'll be picking it up tomorrow."

Back at our nest, the grand house felt like a tomb. I walked through the rooms, gathering every gift he had ever given me, every photo of us together, every token of our supposed love. I threw them all into the massive stone fireplace.

I watched as the flames licked at a photo of us on our Mating Day, his arms wrapped around me, his eyes full of what I had mistaken for devotion. The fire consumed it all, turning our history to ash.

The front door opened. Damien walked in.

His eyes widened when he saw the fire, then landed on me. His inner wolf, I could feel it through the bond, let out a low, pained growl. It wasn't a growl of remorse. It was a growl of possession, of an Alpha seeing his property being destroyed.

"Seraphina? What is this?" he asked, his voice tight with a strange mix of hurt and anger.

I just stared at him, my face a blank mask.

He took a step closer, his expression shifting to one of deep, theatrical pain. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a heavy, platinum emblem engraved with the Black Moon sigil. The Luna's Crest. It controlled fifty-one percent of the Pack's vast wealth and assets.

"I was going to give this to you tomorrow," he said, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper. "At the annual gala. A surprise. To show everyone, to show you, that you are my everything. My one and only Luna."

The next evening, at the gala, he made good on his word. The grand hall was filled with the most powerful wolves from every corner of our territory. Damien stood on the dais, a microphone in hand, his eyes locked on me.

He gave a beautiful speech about love, loyalty, and the sacredness of the mate bond. Then, he called me to the stage.

As he placed the heavy Crest in my hand, he announced his "surprise."

"To celebrate our love," he said to the crowd, "I have adopted a young orphan cub. His bloodline talents are remarkably similar to our dear Zayn's. I know he can never replace our son, but I hope he can help heal my Luna's broken heart."

On cue, a side door opened. Lila walked out, holding the hand of the boy, Orion. She was dressed in a simple, modest uniform, posing as a caregiver from the orphanage.

My blood ran cold. He was bringing his bastard into our lives, under this disgusting lie.

Lila led Orion toward me. As she got close, her eyes, full of venomous triumph, met mine. "Oh, my!" she suddenly gasped, pointing at the moonstone pin in my hair. "The boy is terribly allergic to moon-glow flowers! The dust from the stone..."

Before I could react, she lunged forward. She didn't just remove the pin. She ripped it from my hair, her nails scraping my scalp, tearing out a small clump of my hair with it. The pain was sharp, but the humiliation was worse.

"How dare you!" Damien's voice boomed through the hall. It was his Alpha's Command. The entire room fell silent, every wolf frozen in place by the sheer power in his voice.

He grabbed Lila's arm. "You need to be taught some manners," he snarled, his face a mask of fury. He dragged her from the stage, down a long corridor behind the dais.

The Pack members whispered, impressed by their Alpha's fierce protection of his Luna.

But I knew better.

I followed them, my feet moving silently. I didn't need to see. The mate bond, that cursed connection, told me everything. As soon as they were in a private room at the end of the hall, the scent of his anger was replaced by something else.

It was a sick, twisted game. A power play. Through the bond, I felt his arousal, and her feigned fear turning into eager submission. His "punishment" was just another one of their depraved, role-playing encounters.

I stood there in the hallway, the sound of the party behind me, forced to feel my mate's climax with another woman, a woman he was pretending to punish for my sake. The Crest in my hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.