[Elara's POV]
To my surprise, before I could even draft the formal petition to the Elder Council, a messenger arrived. My former Luna, Adelina, had summoned me.
We met at a teahouse on the edge of the Pack's territory.
"I'll give you one thousand Moon-crystals to dissolve your bond with my son," Adelina began, her tone dripping with the condescension of a queen tossing scraps to a beggar.
One thousand Moon-crystals was a fortune for any common werewolf.
"Done," I agreed without a moment's hesitation.
My swift acceptance left Adelina momentarily stunned. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "You'll really do it?"
"For one thousand Moon-crystals, I will sign anything you put in front of me." I was going to end the bond anyway; getting paid for it was an unexpected bonus.
The money could help me rebuild my parents' mercenary company, the Azure Fang, and fund the search for my missing brother.
A smug certainty settled on Adelina's face; she clearly thought she had me cornered. She slid a document across the table from her spatial ring.
It was a Mate Bond Dissolution Agreement. Kaelen's signature was already at the bottom.
I recognized his handwriting instantly. "Did he ask you to do this?"
"That's none of your concern. All that matters is that I know he wants this. Just sign it," Adelina snapped, a flicker of guilt crossing her face.
I lowered my gaze. In other words, Kaelen had no idea this agreement existed.
She had likely slipped it into a stack of routine Pack documents for him to sign. It was a clumsy trick, but for my purposes, it made no difference.
I picked up the quill, dipped it in silver-laced ink, and signed my name.
"It won't be official until after the one-month Full Moon Cooling-Off Period. During that time, you'd better keep your mouth shut and not let this slip in front of Kaelen," Adelina warned.
I raised an eyebrow. She wanted me to keep Kaelen in the dark about the agreement he had supposedly signed.
"Fine," I agreed.
"And another thing… one thousand is too much. For a lone wolf like you, two hundred is more than enough," Adelina haggled, her greed resurfacing.
A lone wolf from a fallen clan. She felt even two hundred was too generous.
"According to Pack Law, I could petition the Elder Council and claim half of Kaelen's assets acquired during our mating. That includes his three mines and seven hunting grounds. If one thousand is too much, how about I petition for my legal share instead?" I asked, my voice laced with pure sarcasm.
Adelina's face purpled. She ground her teeth. "Fine! One thousand it is! Don't you dare go back on your word!"
I smirked. As if I would.
All I wanted was to be free of this toxic marriage.
That afternoon, I met my best friend, Liana, for a trip to the Neutral Zone Market.
When Liana heard about my decision to end the bond, she was ecstatic. "It's about damn time! The gossip crystals are filled with stories about Kaelen and Seraphina. A traitor and a homewrecker, flaunting their affair for the whole world to see."
"After the bond is severed, whatever they do is no longer my concern," I said calmly.
"When are you taking your parents' Spirit Stones back to your clan for burial?" Liana asked.
"In a month. After the rejection is finalized, I'll take them home to the Western Lands," I replied.
For dinner, Liana dragged me to a high-end restaurant.
We had just been seated when we heard laughter from the next table, separated only by a magical privacy screen. A familiar name caught my ear.
"Kaelen, when are you and Seraphina finally going to mate? You'd better invite us to the celebration!"
"I bet it won't be long now. I mean, what even is that Elara? Some nobody from a forgotten clan. If it wasn't for Kaelen's pity, giving her scraps to eat, she'd have starved in the wilds. And she has the nerve to cling to the future Luna's position?"
"But our Seraphina is different. A true War Master! Her name will be written into the history of the Eastern Forests!"
The men at the next table were getting louder, completely unaware of my presence.
Liana's grip on her silver fork was so tight her knuckles were white. Just as she was about to storm over, I stopped her. "They're talking about me. Let me handle this."
I stood up and walked around the screen. "Why wait for the celebration? Perhaps I can buy you all a drink right now."
The entire table fell silent, their eyes locking onto me.
Kaelen's brow furrowed in annoyance.
"Stop making a scene. They're just joking around. They meant no harm," Kaelen said dismissively.
Disappointment washed over me. Even when I was being openly degraded, Kaelen wouldn't defend me.
"And what, precisely, would constitute harm? Do I need to be bleeding on the floor before you'd consider defending me?" I retorted sarcastically. "Don't forget, Kaelen, you were the one who begged the Moon Goddess to witness our bond!"
His friends exchanged uneasy glances. Even Seraphina's perfect composure faltered.
Annoyance flashed in Kaelen's eyes. He grabbed my arm. "We'll discuss this at home."
"No. We'll discuss it right here," I said, yanking my arm free. "Actually, you and Seraphina are a perfect match. A cheating mate and a scheming homewrecker. May you have a long and miserable life together."
Kaelen's face darkened. Seraphina went pale.
Kaelen's Beta, Lucian, sneered, "Elara, who are you to talk to Seraphina like that? What do you possibly have that compares to her? If Kaelen doesn't love Seraphina, is he supposed to love a useless lone wolf from a pathetic clan like you?"
"You son of a bitch!" Liana roared, charging forward. "What pathetic clan? Elara's parents were legendary war heroes!"
A wave of derisive laughter swept the table. "War heroes? From what backwater corner of the world?"
"Elara, you and your friend are cut from the same cloth. Utterly shameless!"
Seraphina, her confidence restored, rose to her feet. "If you're going to make grand claims, you should have the strength to back them up. Clinging to the faded glory of the dead only makes you look like a pathetic clown."
"What clinging? It's all recorded in the Elder Council's Hall of Heroes!" Liana was practically vibrating with rage.
I held my friend back, my gaze fixed on Seraphina. "You are in no position to judge my heritage."
Seraphina frowned. She had expected me to be flustered, embarrassed by the exposure. Instead, I was… composed. Annoyingly so.
Just then, she spotted a group of figures approaching their table. She recognized one of them instantly.
"Elder Elton!" Seraphina called out, a saccharine smile on her face. "It's been too long. What a coincidence to see you here."
Elder Elton recognized her. "Ah, Seraphina. Good to see you."
Elton was the Scholar Elder of the Council and had ties to the Stormcliff Pack.
"Elder, since you're here, we were just discussing someone who claims to be the daughter of heroes. I was wondering if you might know of them," Seraphina said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
The others joined in, eager for the humiliation. "Yes, Elara! You said your parents were heroes! Surely you know an Elder from the Council!"
I stepped forward calmly. "Elder Elton. It's good to see you."
"Wow, she's really putting on a show!"
"As if an Elder would know who she is!"
The mocking whispers died the instant Elder Elton placed a gentle, familiar hand on my shoulder.
"I didn't expect to see you here, child. It's been several years, hasn't it?" he said warmly.
"Yes, it has. I hope you've been well," I replied.
"Well enough. I heard about your parents. My deepest condolences," he said with a soft sigh.
"Thank you," I murmured.
The faces of my tormentors were a mask of stunned disbelief.
Seraphina's eyes were wide. "Elder… you… you actually know her?"
"Of course I know her. She was my student," Elder Elton declared proudly. "In the Wolf Wisdom Trials, she bested the heirs of every major clan to win the championship. Her strategic genius is the most brilliant I have ever witnessed."
The air was sucked out of the room.
The champion of the Wolf Wisdom Trials… every noble-born werewolf knew the weight of that title.
It was a mark of pure genius.
Those trials were notoriously difficult, a brutal test not just of intellect, but of leadership and combat instinct.
Seraphina's face flushed a deep, ugly red. Moments ago, she had called me a clown.
Now, she was the one who looked like a fool.
Kaelen was just as shocked. I had never told him. He had never asked.
In that moment, he realized the woman he'd been mated to for three years was a complete stranger.
"Elder, is this woman truly your student?" A cool, melodious male voice cut through the silence.
"She is," Elton replied, turning to make the introductions. "This is my student, Elara. Elara, this is the new king of the Lycans, Malachi."
The name fell like a stone in a silent room. Every werewolf tensed.
Malachi. The madman who had slaughtered the entire royal family to seize the throne. The name was a legend whispered in fear.
"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Elara," Malachi said, extending a perfectly manicured hand.
I finally recognized him. He was the man from the Sanctum, the one who had stood in the rain.
His black hair was slicked back, revealing a high forehead, a strong nose, and thin, pale lips. Beneath his dark brows, those deep violet eyes were as still and dead as a bottomless sea.
"Your Majesty," I replied, taking his hand.
The touch was brief, cool.
Others at the table scrambled for a chance to speak with him, but Malachi seemed utterly uninterested. "Elder, shall we proceed to our private room?"
Elder Elton nodded, offered me a few more kind words, and then followed Malachi.
Kaelen moved to my side, his voice low and accusatory. "You were the champion of the Trials. Why did you never tell me?"
I looked at him, my expression flat. "Was it important?"
Before he could answer, several flashes of silver streaked through the restaurant.
Assassins. The glint of silver blades aimed directly at Malachi.
Screams erupted around us.
In the next instant, a powerful force slammed into me, sending me stumbling backward, nearly crashing to the floor.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kaelen grabbing Seraphina, pulling her behind the cover of the privacy screen.
He had pushed me.
When crisis struck, Kaelen's choice was Seraphina. Not his mate.
How many more times could he possibly disappoint me?
A profound, numbing cold spread through my chest. I stared at him, my face a mask of emotionless stone.
Did it even occur to him that by shoving me into the open, a stray blade could have easily found me?
As if feeling my gaze, Kaelen looked over, guilt flashing across his features. When he heard the whistle of blades, his only instinct had been to protect Seraphina. By the time he realized what he'd done, he'd already pushed me away.
I'll make it up to her later, he probably thought. He always thought I was easy to placate. A few sweet words and all would be forgiven.
He was comforting himself with that lie when his eyes widened. He saw my lips move, forming three silent, devastating words.
"Kaelen, I no longer need you."