The moon hung high above the forest, its silver glow casting shadows over the Obsidian Fang Pack’s place.
Kieran had left at dawn, mounted on his sleek black horse, claiming urgent business with a neighboring Alpha.
“I won’t be gone long, Selene,” he had said, brushing a soft kiss on my temple. His voice had
been warm, almost tender, but I knew better now.
“I’ll miss you.”
I’d forced a smile, swallowing the disgust that threatened to rise. “Be careful.”
But the moment his silhouette disappeared into the dense trees, I sprang into action.
For weeks, I’d watched him—studied his patterns, his movements, the way he handled his most guarded secrets. Kieran, the all-powerful Alpha of the Obsidian Fang Pack, thought himself invincible. But tonight, I would prove him wrong.
I padded silently through the grand estate, my wolf senses heightened. His office door creaked open under my touch. I slipped inside, heart racing.
The room smelled of cedarwood and old parchment, with towering shelves filled with ancient tomes and artifacts from long-forgotten werewolf clans. But I wasn’t here for relics.
I crossed to the far wall, where a massive painting of the first Obsidian Fang Alpha hung.
The air around it felt off—too cold.
I slid the canvas aside. A steel safe sat embedded into the wall.
I exhaled slowly. The code was the next hurdle, but I had learned Kieran’s weakness. Aria’s birthday. The woman he truly loved—the one I had always been second to.
I punched in the date. The safe clicked open on the first try.
Inside, rows of documents and scrolls were meticulously arranged.
I scanned through them, my claws itching to shred every paper to pieces.
There they were—binding oaths from the Elders, records of the life-for-life ritual that had stolen my mother’s heart… literally. Her death hadn’t been the result of a rogue attack like Kieran had claimed. No, he had offered her heart to Aria in a twisted show of devotion.
Tears burned my eyes, but I swallowed them down.
My hand trembled as I uncovered another pile—scrolls tied with black ribbons, the mark of secrecy in our world. I unfurled one. It detailed Kieran’s financial trades, but more than that,
it outlined “gifts” sent to Aria: enchanted jewelry, spell-forged gowns, even a charmed dagger meant to protect her.
And then I found another stack. These were for me—the minor trinkets he’d paraded around
as grand gestures. Compared to what Aria received, they were nothing but scraps.
I knelt on the cold stone floor, the weight of betrayal crashing over me. I’d been nothing more
than a placeholder, a political pawn—his “Luna” in name only.
But the grief quickly hardened into rage.
I pulled out a small enchanted crystal orb from my satchel—a recorder. I passed it over every scroll, every paper, documenting it all.
Then, buried beneath the documents, I found a leather-bound book marked Future Bonds.
Inside, there were plans. Horrific ones. Kieran was negotiating a blood pact with the Elder
Council to ensure his lineage would continue—with Aria as his true Luna. I was merely a
stepping stone, an obligation until the deal was sealed.
I snapped the book shut and tucked it into my cloak. I resealed the safe and left everything else untouched.
I had what I needed.
I shifted into my wolf form—a sleek silver-coated wolf with piercing blue eyes—and darted
into the woods, my paws thundering against the earth.
My destination?
The oldest warlock in the realm and Kieran’s personal legal advisor.
I shifted back into my human form at the edge of his hollow, pulling my cloak tighter around me. The twisted roots of his treehouse curled like skeletal fingers, and eerie blue lights flickered from within.
I knocked.
The door creaked open, revealing a man—his long white beard flowing down to his waist, his
amber eyes sharp despite his age.
“You’re late,” he grunted, stepping aside to let me in.
“I had… complications,” I muttered.
He studied me for a moment, his gaze lingering on the satchel before gesturing to a table scattered with maps and documents.
“Name’s Ronan. You know how this works?”
“Make me disappear,” I said firmly. “And hide my scent. I don’t want him finding me. Ever.”
Ronan raised a brow but didn’t ask questions.
“It’ll cost you.”
I pulled out the satchel, placing it on the table.
“This is worth more than gold. Evidence
against the future Alpha.”
His eyes flickered with interest as he opened the bag, flipping through the documents.
“Damn… you really pissed off the wrong wolf.”
I didn’t respond.
He set the satchel down.
“We’ll fake your death. Make it look like a rogue ambush. Burnedremains, claw marks—everything to make them believe you didn’t make it.”
“And my scent?”
“We’ll cleanse it. No wolf will track you after this.”
I nodded, but a hollow ache settled in my chest. Fake my death. The thought alone felt like I was erasing every part of who I was—who I had been before Kieran’s betrayal. There would be no grave, no closure, no proof I had ever existed. Just ash and blood left behind to fool the pack.
Is this what freedom feels like?
The answer was suffocating. It didn’t feel like freedom at all—it felt like defeat. Like running away instead of fighting. But I had no choice. Not now. Not with the fragile life growing inside me.
I placed a hand over my stomach, the thrum of a heartbeat faint beneath my palm.
For you, I promised silently. I’ll survive this. We both will.
