Damien was dead.
He died on the night of our mating ceremony.
He died because of something my mother said.
The pack members gathered around, their eyes wide with shock and horror as they stared at the lifeless body lying on the ceremonial stones.
Damien's mother collapsed to the ground, clutching his body, howling in anguish.
And me… I could barely breathe. My heart shattered into pieces, and my legs felt too weak to hold me up.
The man who had just promised to spend eternity with me, to mark me and make me his Luna, now lay cold and lifeless, his chest soaked in blood.
I couldn’t accept it.
At that moment, my mother stepped into the moonlight.
Her face was calm as she adjusted the loose strands of hair at her temple, her silver eyes cold and detached, as if the chaos and devastation around her had nothing to do with her.
Damien's father’s eyes burned with rage as he pointed at my mother, his chest heaving.
"What did you say to my son?!" he roared.
"Why did he kill himself the moment you spoke to him?!"
The other pack members growled, their hackles raised, fury radiating from their bodies as they shouted:
"You venomous witch! This was supposed to be the happiest night of Damien’s life — why did you ruin it?!"
"We heard the rumors — that you drove your mate to death with a single sentence — but Damien always defended you! He told us we had it wrong, that you weren’t dangerous. He trusted you!"
"And this is how you repay him?! You're a monster!"
"You deserve to rot in the dungeons for the rest of your life!"
Even as the pack’s anger grew to a boiling point, my mother’s face remained eerily calm.
"He chose to die," she said, her voice as cold as ice. "What does that have to do with me?"
Damien's mother suddenly surged forward, grabbing my mother by the collar, her tears falling freely as she screamed:
"You killed my son!"
"Give him back to me!"
"My son was good. He was strong. He never harmed anyone."
"He loved your daughter! He gave her everything!"
"He wanted to mark her, to have pups with her, to grow old together!"
"He was looking forward to the future. He was happy! So why would he kill himself?!"
"What did you say to him?! Why did you destroy him?!"
The grief in Damien's mother’s voice was unbearable.
And yet… I didn’t stop her. I simply turned to my mother, my heart breaking beneath the weight of betrayal and despair.
"Why?"
My voice trembled.
"Was it not enough that you killed my father? Why did you have to kill Damien too?!"
My father had once loved me. We had been happy—our small family was whole and safe.
But then my mother said something to him.
And the next thing I knew, he jumped off the cliffs behind the packhouse.
It was Damien who pulled me back from the edge of despair. He taught me how to feel safe again — how to love again.
I was finally about to start a new life with him, to build the future we had dreamed of.
But my mother had destroyed it all. She tore apart my happiness.
She killed Damien.
The hate that had been simmering inside me for years erupted into a burning, consuming rage.
For the first time, my mother’s mask slipped.
Her silver eyes darkened. A flicker of hesitation passed over her face.
"Even you think I’m responsible?" she whispered.
Tears burned in my eyes as I faced her.
"I just want to know," I said, my voice trembling with pain and fury. "What did you say to him?"
I remembered it clearly—the haunted look in my father’s eyes before he died. The same look that had flashed across Damien’s face before he took his own life.
Terror.
What could she have possibly said to make them both choose death over life?
The pack’s anger reached a fever pitch. The growls grew louder, and the energy crackled dangerously in the air.
"She killed her own mate—and now her daughter’s mate too!" someone shouted.
"She’s cursed!"
"She’s a murderer!"
"We won’t let her leave here alive unless she explains herself!"
My mother calmly pushed Damien’s mother away.
She straightened her dress, her expression sharpening as her gaze swept over the furious pack.
"Do you really want to know?"
The clearing fell into an unnatural silence.
Everyone’s breath hitched. Their fear was almost palpable.
Because whatever she had said… was deadly.
Anyone who heard it… died.
Curiosity warred with terror.
In the charged silence, I stepped forward.
"I want to know."
My father died because of one sentence.
My mate died because of one sentence.
I needed to know why.
Even if it killed me.
My mother’s eyes flashed with something dark and ancient. "Are you sure you won’t regret it?"
My chest ached, but I lifted my chin and forced myself to meet her gaze.
"I’m sure."
Her gaze sharpened, a cold smile curling at the corner of her mouth. Slowly, she leaned toward me, her lips brushing my ear as she whispered—
