Sofia’s POV
The scissors made a sharp snip, each lock of my hair tumbling to vanity like discarded fragments of a life I no longer claimed. My reflection warped in the cracked mirror, pale face hollowed by shadows, uneven strands framing eyes that were not mine anymore.
With every cut, I shed her, Sofia Black, Luna of the Thornclaw Pack, the Luna who had once trusted the wrong Alpha, the mate who had been betrayed and discarded like carrion. The bond that was supposed to mean everything had become a noose. And now, piece by piece, I was cutting it away.
I smeared pigments across my face, deepening lines, aging myself beyond recognition. Then I dragged a blade across wax, carving a jagged scar over my cheekbone, the kind that whispered survival through violence. In the mirror, a stranger stared back at me.
Behind me, the television droned, the anchor’s voice sharp with that human blend of pity and scandal.
“…the tragic suicide of Sofia, wife of businessman and the Alpha of the Thornclaw Pack, Alex Thornclaw…”
The screen flickered, showing the pier, our sacred place once claimed by moonlit vows. Wolves and humans both gathered, police tape glowing under headlights, reporters swarming like vultures desperate for scraps of grief.
The camera found him.
Alpha Alex.
He knelt by the water’s edge, his shoulders bowed, his face buried in his hands. His wolf’s energy rippled faintly in the air: grief, rage, denial, all cloaked in the act of a grieving mate. Tears streaked his cheeks, his chest heaving as they dragged the body they thought was mine out of the current.
I nearly gagged.
It wasn’t for me he wept. It was for the audience, the pack, the humans, the legacy he needed to protect. He had to appear broken, the devoted Alpha stripped of his Luna. He played the part beautifully.
The anchor continued, “…a suicide note was found, claiming betrayal. The Moon Court has opened an inquiry into Thornclaw Enterprises. Stocks are plummeting, and whispers of broken oaths already circle the pack.”
A smile ghosted across my lips. Good. Let the lies burn him.
Click.
The screen went black, silence thick and satisfying.
But this was only the beginning.
I flipped open my laptop, logged into a shadow account, and with a few keystrokes unleashed the venom I’d been keeping. A photo of Alex tangled with Ashley, her body pressed against his, lips where mine should have been, went live, the caption carved like a blade.
“Caught in the act: Alex and Ashley. The Luna’s death is the Alpha’s lie.”
It spread fast. Human networks lit up, pack whispers multiplied tenfold. Comments blazed across my screen.
“Thornclaw betrayed his fated mate?”
“Ashley’s finished.”
“The Council will strip him of his title.”
Each reaction was a match, fueling the fire I’d set. I logged out, shutting the lid with finality.
Then I dressed in my new skin, simple jeans, a hoodie, and sneakers. From my bag, I pulled out the new passport, the name Shane Vale printed cleanly under a face that barely resembled my own. The wolf in me stirred at the sight. Sofia was dead, buried beneath betrayal, drowned in the river, mourned by a liar.
But my wolf? She was very alive. And she was hungry.
Before leaving, I made one last pilgrimage to the riverbank. Police still crowded the scene, cameras flashing, yellow tape slicing the night in warning. I stayed in the shadows, cloaked by instinct and the low hum of my wolf’s energy.
And there they were.
Alpha Alex. Ashley.
She stood too close, her hand curled over his arm like she belonged there. “It’s better this way,” she murmured, her voice dripping triumph. “Now we can finally be together.”
My nails bit into my palms, crescent moons of rage etching my skin.
Ashley tilted her head, coy, venom sweet on her tongue. “I regret ever choosing Tobias Moonfang. You’ve always been the one, Alpha Alex. With Sofia Black gone, nothing stands in our way.”
Then she kissed him.
The sight was a dagger I refused to let pierce deeper. I turned, letting the fury burn through me instead of hollowing me out. They thought I was gone. They thought my death freed them. They were wrong.
By the time I reached the port, the night air was crisp, salted with the tang of tides. My rented yacht waited, sleek and discreet, a vessel for rebirth. I boarded swiftly, the weight of my bag on my shoulder and the fire of vengeance in my chest.
The cabin was pristine, all polished wood and glass, the kind of silence that promised safety. But I wasn’t alone.
A man stood by the window, back to me, his skin glowing bronze under the last streak of dusk. Naked, unapologetic, power rolling off him in waves.
My wolf bristled. Instinct screamed danger.
“What the hell?!” My voice cracked like a whip, sharp with shock.
He turned, and my heart jolted in recognition.
Piercing eyes. Strong jawline. An aura that wasn’t merely human, it shimmered with the raw heat of a wolf unchained.
Darius Ironclaw…
Ashley’s ex. Alpha Alex’s childhood rival. And the wolf who had once stood against them both.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded, heat and suspicion lacing my tone.
He smirked, utterly unbothered by his state of undress, his confidence that of a predator who knew he was already inside my den.
“That’s a hell of a way to say hello, Sofia Black” he said, voice low and edged with promise.
