CALEB.

My eyes widened in shock.

What?

No… she wasn’t supposed to accept the rejection. She was supposed to beg—drop to her knees, cry, plead with me to take her back. That’s what weak little Omegas do. That’s what she was supposed to do.

But she didn’t.

She just… lay there. And then her eyes rolled back.

"Avery!" I shouted, lunging forward. Her hand was cold in mine, limp. I waited for a flicker of movement, a whisper of life—anything.

Nothing.

Panic crawled under my skin. I pressed my ear against her chest, searching for a heartbeat, for a sign of her wolf.

There was nothing.

It was like she was already gone.

Nox growled in my head, a raw, gut-wrenching sound of mourning. He felt the bond tear the same moment I did, but he cared. Unlike me, he didn’t ask for this.

I snapped through the mindlink. "Get the pack doctor into my office. Now!"

Serena stood with her arms folded, silent but seething, her disgust evident in the way she looked at Avery—like she was something filthy that had stained her carpet. Still, she kept her expression smooth and composed, always careful with appearances.

The doctor arrived minutes later and knelt beside Avery. His face turned grim as he examined her.

"What’s wrong?" I demanded. "She only lost consciousness, right?"

It had to be just that.

She couldn’t actually be dying. That would mean… I went too far.

Or maybe she was pretending. Maybe this was just some pathetic ploy to manipulate me.

The doctor glanced up at me, brows drawn tightly together. "You said she was just eighteen? And that there was a rejection involved?"

I gave a sharp nod. "Yes. That’s all."

I didn’t tell him I was the one who did it. The Alpha of the pack rejecting a weak Omega as his mate? That would bring questions I didn’t want to answer.

The doctor muttered, almost to himself, "Only a heartless fool would reject a she-wolf like this before her first shift."

My jaw tightened. He doesn’t know it was me. And even if he did… I wasn’t heartless. She got what she deserved. She wasn’t Luna material—she was nothing but a burden. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn’t been so eager to accept the rejection.

"She’s young," the doctor said softly. "Just had her wolf. The bond was fresh—still forming. And now it’s been severed. Her wolf was too new to handle it… they both broke. She’s hanging on by a thread."

Serena rolled her eyes. "So, what—you’re saying she’s dead or not?"

"She’s dying," the doctor clarified. "Caught between life and death."

"She could recover, though," he added, looking at me. "With care. I can supervise her treatment—give her a chance."

Nox stirred again, his voice laced with hope. She can make it. She can still come back. She’s our mate!

Not anymore, I snapped. You heard her. She accepted it.

You rejected her, Nox snarled. I never did. I would’ve marked her if you'd let me. You destroyed her!

I pushed him down hard and turned away from the doctor’s pleading eyes.

"She’s a liability," I said coldly. "Treating her is a waste of time and resources."

Serena stepped closer, her voice honey-sweet but venomous underneath. "Exactly. Why spend money on someone who’s always been nothing? She’s a nobody. No family, no friends… no worth."

She turned to me, eyes bright with expectation. "Right, Alpha Caleb?"

I hesitated.

Nox screamed inside me, but I shut him out.

"Yes," I said. "Do something with her. Whatever it is—just make sure she’s out of the way."

The doctor sighed. "If that’s your command… then I’ll see to her burial."

But Serena sneered. "Burial? That’s too much honor for a broken Omega. Dump her in the woods. Let the rogues take what’s left."

I stiffened.

Serena didn’t know. None of them did. Avery still had a mother. And she was the daughter of the woman who murdered my mother.

If anyone found out, they’d rip her apart. That’s why I never let her true identity be known.

The doctor looked uncertain. "Alpha?"

I squared my shoulders. "Let everyone in the pack know she’s dead. Say she was rejected by some Omega who ran off. Let that be the end of it."

Serena smiled coldly. "There’s no need to mention her again. No need for guilt or memories. She’s gone."

She slid her arm through mine, resting her head on my shoulder. "And now, we can focus on us."

The doctor hesitated, then bowed low. "As you wish, Alpha. Beta Serena."

Omegas arrived to carry Avery’s limp body away like trash.

I watched them leave, the weight in my chest growing heavier with every step they took.

Nox whimpered. He wouldn’t stop.

Then Serena kissed my cheek, tugging my chin toward her.

"She’s nothing now, Caleb. And no one knows she was ever your mate. So stop worrying. You have me now."

I remembered the heat of our time together in this office. Her eyes, her voice—it was all calculated.

"All you need to focus on is me and my upcoming coronation."

She leaned in, her lips finding mine.

I kissed her back.

Right. Serena was smarter. More powerful. More suitable.

Avery was nothing.

She was the past. A mistake.

This is what I deserved.

A Luna who knew how to play the game.

And I would mark Serena. I would bury Avery’s memory beneath her—and never look back.

AVERY.

The faint scent of herbs drifted into my nose—sharp, earthy, familiar—but I felt like I was dragging myself through a fog. My eyes fluttered open slowly, heavy as stone. Everything was blurry at first, like a dream not quite ready to let me go.

Shapes solidified. Wooden walls. A ceiling of timber. A floor that creaked faintly beneath me. A cabin.

Where…?

I sat up with effort, my body sluggish and foreign. A sharp ache slammed into the side of my head, making me wince.

"Ah," I breathed out, clutching the source of the pain.

Lumi.

I reached out to her, my wolf—my other half. My heart begged for her touch, her voice, her warmth.

But there was nothing. No whisper in my mind. No scent of snow and pine. Just silence.

Cold, empty silence.

The pain in my head grew worse, but it couldn't compare to the hollowness that clawed at my chest. She was gone. Lumi was gone.

"Are you awake?" a soft, unfamiliar voice said.

I turned my head slowly and saw an older woman walking toward me with a tray in her hands. A gentle warmth surrounded her, but I couldn’t feel it. Not when my soul was missing.

I gave her a small nod.

Then, like a hammer to glass, memories shattered into me. Caleb. His office. His voice, cold and cruel. The rejection. My body collapsing. Darkness.

"Where… am I?" I asked, my voice brittle.

The woman set the tray down beside me. "You’re in my small cabin. Far away from the Crescent Moon Pack."

I stared at her, dazed. "Why?"

She looked at me, eyes full of pity. "How do you feel?"

"Empty," I whispered. "I can’t feel Lumi. She’s gone. I can’t even smell her anymore."

Her face softened with sympathy, and that only made the ache worse. I didn’t want her pity. I wanted my wolf. I wanted my mother. I wanted—

"What happened?" I asked, panic bubbling up. "Something happened when I collapsed, didn’t it?"

I tried to rise, suddenly desperate. "I need to get back. My mother—she hasn’t eaten since last night. I have to—"

The woman gently caught my wrist, easing me back. "No. You can’t go back."

"What do you mean?"

She met my eyes, her voice low. "Everyone in Crescent Moon Pack believes you’re dead."

I froze. "What?"

"My name is Iris. I’m a traveling healer. I visit different packs to help those who need me. When I was in Crescent Moon Pack, I heard whispers—rumors. The Alpha had declared that a young she-wolf died after being rejected by her mate. An Omega who had fled."

I scoffed bitterly, disbelief curling in my stomach like acid. "An Omega?" I whispered. "So that’s the lie he told."

I remembered Caleb’s face—stern, cold, unreadable. And then the darkness. He hadn’t even tried to save me. Hadn’t wanted to.

"He ordered that your body be dumped in the woods," Iris continued softly. "I found you there, barely alive, clinging to life by a thread. So I brought you here. I couldn’t just leave you to die."

He could’ve saved me. He had every resource at his disposal. He chose to discard me like I was garbage. Like I didn’t matter. Like I was… nothing.

I clenched my fists, shaking with a fury that warred against the broken pieces of my heart. Caleb was cruel. But this? This was beyond cruel. This was evil.

"Thank you for saving me," I murmured, my voice cracking. "I… I don’t even know how to repay you."

Iris gave me a small, kind smile. But then her words gutted me.

"I also heard… Hannah, the Luna’s murderer, died the day after the announcement. I assume… you were close to her?"

My heart stopped.

The world crashed around me, louder than thunder. My body went numb.

No. Not her too.

My mother.

Gone.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. My lips trembled as a scream built in my chest, but it never came out. Just tears—hot, bitter, endless tears.

"Two weeks," Iris added softly. "You’ve been unconscious for two weeks. And now, finally, you’ve awakened. The Moon Goddess must’ve heard my prayers."

But I wasn’t grateful.

I was shattered.

Everything that mattered was gone—my wolf, my mother. And the man who was supposed to be my mate had cast me out like I was a plague on his perfect world.

But worst of all—my mother died thinking I was dead.

I wasn’t there to hold her hand. To whisper that I was still fighting. To say goodbye.

That truth gutted me.

I curled into myself, shaking as grief crashed over me like a tidal wave, drowning my lungs, my heart, my soul. My cries tore through the cabin walls, but no sound could ever echo the pain inside me.

She died alone… because of a lie.

Because Caleb didn’t think I was worth saving.

Because he left me to die.

A part of me shattered forever in that moment—but what remained would never forgive him.