Mira’s POV
When Theron got his memories back, I thought it was a miracle. I thought the Moon Goddess had finally returned the life he lost the night I found him dying in the forest.
I didn’t know it would cost me everything.
That morning felt… off. I woke up to the sound of his uneven breathing beside me, his body tense, his wolf restless under his skin. I reached for him out of habit—but he pulled away.
“Mira,” he said, his voice deeper, colder. “I remember everything.”
Relief flooded me at first. “That’s good, Theron. That means—”
“I’m not Theron Wallace,” he cut in, almost irritated. “I’m Theron Nightbane. Heir to the Nightbane Pack.”
The name hit me hard. “Nightbane…? The one across the riverlands?”
He nodded, his face unreadable. “My father is Alpha Victor. My mother is Elder Marcelle. I was ambushed three years ago… and before I blacked out, a woman saved me.”
A woman.
Something inside me tightened, but I forced a small smile. Before I could say anything, he looked at me again.
“You saved me too,” he added, quieter this time. “I won’t forget that. But I can’t stay here anymore. My pack needs me.”
I swallowed. “What about me?”
He paused. “You and your mother can come with me. You’ll be safe there.”
Safe.
I didn’t realize then that safe didn’t mean I belonged.
The Nightbane estate was overwhelming—too big, too polished, too powerful. Wolves walked around like royalty, servants bowed at every turn, and everywhere I went, I could feel their eyes on me.
An omega didn’t belong in a place like that. And they made sure I knew it.
“She’s an omega? And he brought her here?”
“She probably took advantage of him while he was weak.”
“Even her mother’s just an omega…”
I tried to ignore it. I told myself it would pass—that once they saw how Theron and I were, things would change.
But Theron was already changing.
Each day, the Alpha in him grew stronger, and the man I knew slowly disappeared.
Then Irene showed up.
The moment I saw her, I understood. She was everything I wasn’t—elegant, confident, beautiful in a way that made you feel small just standing near her.
She ran straight into his arms the second she saw him.
“You remember me,” she said, holding onto him like she’d never let go.
And Theron… smiled. A real one. The kind he used to give me.
“How could I forget?” he said softly. “You saved me.”
Just like that, I faded into the background.
After that, everything revolved around her. His time, his attention—everything. When she entered the room, it was like I didn’t exist.
And no matter how much it hurt, I stayed quiet.
How was I supposed to compete with the person who saved his life?
Then one day, she said she wasn’t feeling well—and suddenly, that became my responsibility.
“She risked her life for me,” Theron told me, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You’ll take care of her personally. She’s under my protection. And now, under yours. Understood?”
I lowered my head. “Yes… Alpha.”
He even gave me a list—written by his own hand.
No spicy food. No tea at night. Certain herbs to avoid. Keep her warm.
So I did everything he asked.
I cooked for her, cleaned for her, stayed by her side while she coughed and sighed like she was made of glass.
One afternoon, she demanded soup.
“Hot,” she said sharply. “Not like the last one. The Alpha said I need to stay warm.”
I made it myself, careful with every detail. When I brought it to her, she was lounging by the fire, wrapped in fur like she owned the place.
“Your soup,” I said quietly.
She glanced at it, then at me. “Took you long enough.”
I set the bowl down and turned to leave—but suddenly, she let out a loud gasp and knocked it over, spilling it onto herself.
Her scream followed immediately.
“Alpha Theron!” she cried. “She burned me! Mira burned me on purpose!”
My heart dropped. “That’s not true! Irene, you—”
Before I could finish, the door slammed open.
Theron stepped in, his presence suffocating, his wolf right beneath the surface. “What’s going on?”
Irene pointed straight at me, tears streaming down her face. “She did it. She poured it on me.”
“No!” I shook my head, panic rising. “She knocked it over herself—”
“Enough.”
His voice cracked like thunder. My wolf shrank instantly. My knees gave out beneath me.
“I told you to take care of her,” he said, his eyes glowing. “And this is how you do it?”
“Theron, please,” I begged. “You have to believe me. I would never hurt her—”
“I said enough.” He didn’t even look at me again. “Guards. Take her to the north chamber. I’ll deal with her tomorrow.”
I felt the air leave my lungs. “Alpha—please—”
But he had already turned his back on me.
They dragged me out, gripping my arms too tight. The north chamber was cold, damp, suffocating. The door shut behind me with a heavy click.
And then… silence.
I stayed there for hours, crying until my throat burned, my wolf clawing inside me with nowhere to go.
—
That same night… my mother died.
They said she slipped on the stairs.
“No…” I whispered, shaking. “No… that’s not—no…”
I held her in my arms, her body already cold. My tears soaked into her clothes as my wolf let out a broken, hollow cry.
Something inside me shattered right then.
The girl who believed in love… in him… in promises that lasted forever—
she died with my mother.
And from that moment on, I made a vow to the Moon Goddess.
I would never kneel to the Nightbane Pack again.
