Chapter 3

I tracked the Alpha's armored carriage through the dense eastern woods until we reached Shadowveil Grove, a secluded nocturnal haven strictly reserved for the Lunar Coven elite. The perimeter sentries immediately recognized my aura and lowered their silver-tipped spears. I parked in the thicket across the clearing, rolling down the glass to let my heightened senses do the work.

As Kaelen stepped out into the mist, Lirael emerged from the shadows. She wore a slip of sheer crimson silk and precariously high heels, launching herself into his arms with the desperate whine of a female in heat.

"My feral king," she purred, her claws playfully grazing his chest. "That moon-sprite illusion you cast for her made my blood boil with envy."

Kaelen stroked her spine, his voice dripping with dark indulgence. "Did the magical fire-blooms I summoned for your naming day not satisfy you, my greedy little shadow-pet?"

"I want more."

"And you shall have it. But patience, little one." He nipped her ear. "I gave you my word. Keep your fangs sheathed, ensure Seren remains blind to our game, and every ounce of power and status she wields will eventually belong to you."

The sheer brutality of his promise froze the air in my lungs. My mind immediately flashed to the massive fire-bloom display on the western ridge just a few nights ago. Kaelen had claimed he was hunting a rabid rogue, returning at dawn covered in dirt. I had paced the manor floors, sick with worry for my mate. Yet the only flesh he had been tearing into was my sister's.

I was the ultimate fool, a blind Luna sitting on a rotting throne.

Down in the clearing, Lirael let out a breathy whimper, her fingers knotting into the leather collar of his tunic. "Am I not even allowed to bare my teeth in jealousy, Alpha?"

"What am I to do with you? You are my absolute weakness," Kaelen groaned, his golden eyes blown wide with unrestrained lust. "Come. I have a rare artifact to give you tonight."

Lirael dragged her mouth against his jaw. "Make me unwrap it."

Abandoning all pretense of Coven duty, Kaelen hoisted her effortlessly by the thighs. He carried her toward the Grove's entrance, swallowing her high-pitched giggles with a savage, consuming kiss. The doors sealed shut behind them, taking the Alpha and his shadow-pet up to the highest chambers.

I sat in my carriage, drowning in the darkness. Seven years of the Lunar Oath. He had sworn upon the Goddess to dedicate this sacred anniversary entirely to me. Yet a single encrypted pulse from my sister had been enough to make him trample that vow into the dirt.

I pressed the heels of my hands against my burning eyes, refusing to let my inner wolf howl. Three days. Just three more sunsets, and I would escape this nightmare.

It was the dead of night when I slipped back into Moonstone Manor. Bypassing our shared den, I locked myself in a secluded guest chamber in the west wing.

An hour later, the estate walls shuddered.

"Seren!" Kaelen's roar ripped through the corridors, laced with a terrifying, primal panic. "Where is my Luna?! If you lost her, I will strip the beast from every guard in this compound!"

Frantic boot steps pounded down the hall. When he finally shattered the lock on my chamber, I blinked up at him, feigning the grogginess of sleep.

The murderous rage contorting his face evaporated the second my scent hit his nose. Kaelen dropped to his knees beside the mattress, pulling me into a bone-crushing embrace. His massive, lethal frame was actually trembling.

"Seren," he choked out, burying his face in the crook of my neck. "You terrified me. I nearly slaughtered the Vanguard when I could not find your aura."

"I could not sleep," I murmured, rubbing his broad back to soothe his frantic beast. "I felt unwell and did not wish to disturb you upon your return. I forgot to leave word."

If he truly cherished me, he wouldn't have tainted his soul with another female's scent. After drowning in a sea of his deceptions, I found that lying to him now tasted as easy as breathing.

Kaelen exhaled a shaky breath, pulling me into the heavy furs and locking my body against his chest—hoarding me as though I were his most prized treasure. "Never do that again. I would tear this realm apart without you."

"I know," I whispered, staring blankly at the stone wall with a hollow, frozen smile.

When dawn broke, I sat at my vanity, carefully placing my Lunar Mark Ring inside an enchanted wooden puzzle box. Beneath the magical insignia, I folded the blood-oath severance script I had drafted during the night.

"Kaelen," I called, handing him the carved wood. "My anniversary tribute to you."

His eyes lit up with genuine surprise as his calloused fingers traced the grain. "May I break the seal now?"

"No. Let the magic steep for two more days," I instructed. "The impact will be far greater then."

He nodded obediently, carrying the box to his safe. "I am certain I will love it, my mate."

By the time he breached those wards in two days, Seren Thalyn would be a ghost. He would finally understand the devastating truth of his "tribute."

Just as the safe clamped shut, the manor's perimeter chime echoed through the halls. A servant pulled open the front doors, revealing Lirael standing on the threshold.

Her clothes were conspicuously rumpled, her delicate face streaked with pathetic, shimmering tears.