The moonlight seeped through the curtains, casting thin silver lines across the wooden floor. I stared blankly at the ceiling, my body heavy with exhaustion. The weight in my chest pressed down harder than usual tonight.
Dave was in the bathroom, the sound of running water muffled by the closed door. I should have been asleep, but how could I? Every breath felt like it scraped against my ribs.
Then, the faint buzz of a phone broke through the quiet.
I turned my head slowly toward the sound. Dave's phone lit up on the nightstand, casting a soft glow in the dark room. I wasn't the type to invade privacy, and Dave knew that. He had always counted on me to trust him without question.
But tonight... something in me cracked.
I shifted carefully, making sure the sheets didn’t rustle, and reached for his phone. The screen still glowed, the preview of a message hanging in the air like a warning.
"My Luna "
The contact name froze me in place.
No.
Not "Luna" in the way a pack honors its Alpha female. This was personal. Intimate.
My thumb hovered over the message. One more breath, and I tapped it open.
Images loaded slowly, but the second I saw them, my breath caught in my throat.
Clara.
Dressed in silk and lace, sprawled across a bed that wasn’t hers. Her lips curled in a playful smirk, eyes half-lidded in that practiced, seductive way.
"Come to me, love. I need you tonight."
I nearly dropped the phone.
My stomach turned, bile creeping up my throat.
The wedding was days away, and here they were, baring their betrayal like it was nothing.
I wanted to scream. To break the phone, to confront him, to tear this entire room apart. But the weight of it all pressed me down.
The bathroom door creaked open.
I quickly set the phone back on the nightstand, rolling over to face the wall, feigning sleep.
Dave stepped out, toweling off his hair, the scent of mint and pine soap lingering behind him. He paused, his eyes scanning me for any sign that I was awake.
Satisfied, he reached for his phone.
I listened to the faint taps of his fingers as he typed.
"Can't tonight, babe. She's still up. Tomorrow?"
Bile burned the back of my throat.
Her reply was instant.
"Don't be like that, Dave. I miss you. Remember how good we were last night?"
I clenched the sheets in my fists, forcing my breathing to remain steady.
His chuckle was low and soft.
"Tomorrow, I promise. She’s dead asleep by then."
Dead.
That word sent a shiver down my spine.
His footsteps moved closer to the bed. For a moment, I thought he'd lean in, maybe kiss my cheek like he used to. But he didn’t.
Instead, he grabbed his keys from the dresser.
He paused, then sent a message—this time to me.
"Emergency at the packhouse. Gotta check on it. Get some rest, beautiful."
Beautiful.
How many times had he called Clara that tonight?
The door clicked shut behind him.
And I was alone.
Utterly, devastatingly alone.
I sat up slowly, the cold air biting at my skin. My hands trembled as they ran through my hair.
This wasn’t just a one-time mistake. This had been happening—repeatedly, deliberately.
The bond between mates was sacred. Breaking it wasn’t just betrayal; it was treason of the soul.
I rose from the bed and crossed the room, every step feeling heavier than the last.
The moon stared down at me through the window, full and brilliant.
For once, it offered me no comfort.
I reached for my coat draped over the chair. My fingers grazed the small silver dagger tucked into the pocket. It wasn’t meant for killing—it was ceremonial, a symbol of severance.
And tonight, I intended to use it.
Not on him.
On the bond.
But not yet.
Not here.
I needed to be far from this place when I cut the thread that bound me to Dave. Somewhere no one could stop me.
Somewhere I could be free.
I grabbed my bag, already packed for the day I knew would come. My escape wasn’t going to be tomorrow or next week. It was now.
The Crescent Howl Pack wouldn’t miss me. Not the Alpha. Not the Luna. And certainly not Dave.
But they’d feel my absence when it was too late to matter.
And Clara…
She could have him.
Because when I returned, I wouldn’t come back as the quiet, obedient girl they cast aside.
No.
I’d come back as something far more dangerous.
And they’d all regret the day they underestimated me.
