**Gaia**

The pain doesn't stop.

If anything, it gets worse.

The severed mate bond feels like an open wound in my chest. Raw. Bleeding. Agonizing.

Every breath hurts.

Every heartbeat is torture.

I force myself to stand straight. To not show weakness.

Not here. Not in front of them.

Before I can even process what happened, Luna Rena stands.

Her face is triumphant. ...