I felt it the moment the words left his lips—a physical tearing inside my chest, as if someone had reached into my soul and begun to rip out the very essence of what made me his mate. My wolf, Luna, howled in agony, the sound echoing through my mind as I collapsed onto the cold marble floor of the Alpha's quarters. The ritual meal I'd prepared with such care blurred through my tears, the venison and wine I'd arranged so perfectly now mocking me with their perfection.
Jaden's scent—pine resin and cold river water—filled my nostrils as he stood over me, his face a mask of cold authority I'd never seen before. Not even in our worst moments had he looked at me with such... emptiness.
'The mate severance has begun,' he said, his Alpha tone pressing down on me like a physical weight, making it impossible to rise. 'Your bond with this pack is being dissolved.'
I clutched at my stomach, the secret of our pup still burning inside me, but I couldn't speak. The pain was too intense, radiating from my neck where his mark had once been a badge of honor, now becoming a brand of shame.
'By order of the Alpha,' Jaden continued, addressing the room full of pack elites who had gathered to witness my humiliation, 'Emberlynn Williamson is hereby stripped of her Luna-in-training rank. She will be demoted to Omega status and relocated to the north wing servant quarters.'
Luna Leslie stepped forward, her lips curved in that same not-quite-smile I'd learned to dread. 'It's for the best, really. The pack needs strength, not... disappointment.'
Two pack enforcers approached, their faces carefully blank as they helped me to my feet. My legs trembled beneath me, barely able to support my weight as the mate bond continued to fray, each second more excruciating than the last.
'Gather your belongings,' one of them said, not unkindly. 'You have ten minutes.'
I stumbled to the Luna quarters—no, not mine anymore—and grabbed only what I could carry: a small bag with a change of clothes, a photo of my parents, and the silver hairpin Jaden had given me on our first anniversary. Everything else belonged to the pack now. Everything else belonged to the woman who would replace me.
The walk to the north wing was the longest of my life. Lower-ranked wolves stopped to stare, some with pity, others with barely concealed satisfaction. I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, my wolf curled into a tight, whimpering ball inside me.
'Look at her,' someone whispered. 'Nine years as Luna-in-training, and now she's nothing.'
The Omega quarters were exactly what I'd expected—a small, drafty room with a narrow bed, a cracked mirror, and a window that let in more cold air than light. I set my bag down on the bed, my fingers automatically finding the mate mark on my neck. It was already fading, the bond growing weaker with each passing minute.
'It's still there,' I whispered to my wolf, to myself. 'The pup is still there.'
Luna stirred weakly within me. *We must protect it. No matter what.*
I sank onto the bed, wrapping my arms around my middle. I would endure this. I would endure anything to keep my baby safe, even if Jaden would never know of its existence.
The next morning came too soon. A harsh knock on my door roused me from a fitful sleep.
'Omega,' a voice called. 'Report to the main hall for assignment.'
I dressed quickly in the plain gray clothes that had been left for me—the uniform of the Omega—and made my way to the grand hall. The same hall where I had once stood beside Jaden at pack ceremonies, now a place where I would serve rather than be served.
'You'll be cleaning the hallways,' said the Beta on duty, not meeting my eyes. 'On your hands and knees. Every inch.'
I nodded, accepting the bucket and brush without comment. As I knelt on the cold stone floor, scrubbing at invisible stains, the scent of pine resin and cold river water drifted past me—Jaden's scent, carried on the air from somewhere in the packhouse.
My stomach lurched, and I had to stop, pressing my forehead against the wet stone to steady myself. In this very hallway, years ago, Jaden had fought off a rogue attack to protect me. He'd been magnificent then, fierce and loyal and mine.
*Remember*, Luna whispered. *Remember who we were before they took everything from us.*
I lifted my head, my hands raw from the brush, and continued scrubbing. I would survive this. For my pup. For the dancer I had once been. For the wolf who still lived within me, waiting for the day we would be free.
