The music at the celebration banquet was deafening—champagne bubbles shattering into golden dust beneath the crystal chandeliers.

Alex, my Alpha, my husband, stood on the elevated platform.


He looked like a perfect deity, basking in the adoration of the entire Black Moon Pack.

"For the Alpha!"

"For Black Moon!"


The thunderous waves of loyalty threatened to lift the ceiling.

On the giant screen behind him, bloody footage of him tearing his opponent's throat played on loop.


Invincible. Ruthless.

The media portrayed him as the most powerful leader in the Northern Territory, and I, Ella, was supposedly his only weakness—his moonlight.

He turned and extended his hand toward me.

I gathered my dress and ascended the platform step by step, entering the cage called "love" he had woven around me.

"My Luna."

Before all pack members, he kissed me deeply.

Camera flashes frantically captured this moment—the perfect love story between a powerful Alpha and his beautiful Luna.

How ironic.

I could taste the sweet, lingering scent on his lips—one that didn't belong to me.

Selina's scent.

The heat of the banquet became suffocating.

I made an excuse to leave his side and slipped into the dimly lit side hall.

A hooded werewolf waited in the shadows.

"Did you bring the item?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

I removed a velvet box from my handbag and handed it over.

Inside was the only heirloom my mother had left me—an ancient brooch symbolizing the glory of my fallen noble bloodline.

It was the only dowry I'd brought when I married Alex.

"I want cash—untraceable old currency," I demanded calmly.

"Lady Luna, are you certain you wish to sell this? This is the Fallen Star—it's priceless," the black market dealer's breathing grew heavy.

"I just want to sell it," I repeated without emotion.

I needed sufficient funds to disappear completely from this world.

My phone vibrated once.

An encrypted email from the neutral territory "Prophet's Library."

"Respected Lady Ella, your application for a scholar's position has passed final review. We welcome you to join us at your convenience."

Prophet's Library.

That had been my only dream during girlhood—everything I'd sacrificed with my own hands to become Alex's perfect Luna.

Now, that door had reopened to me.

I turned off the screen, but Selina's boastful face lingered in my mind.

The way she'd worn the "Moon Soul Stone."

That stone was one of the power sources for the Black Moon Pack. Legend claimed it responded only to the purest Luna bloodline.

Alex had once told me I was his only mate, and the Moon Soul Stone would shine for me alone.

"Sister, Alpha said it's dead on you, but on me, it breathes."

Selina's mental imprint contained poisonous barbs, repeatedly piercing my consciousness.

"It feels great to use."

She'd said "use" instead of "wear."

A violent wave of nausea rose in my throat.

I didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was irrefutable.

Alex, my Alpha—revered by werewolves worldwide and supposedly unwavering in his loyalty—had betrayed me.

And with the lowest-ranked Omega in the pack, no less.

"Ella?"

Alex's voice came from behind me, his tall figure looming.

"Why are you here alone? Are you feeling unwell?"

He reached to touch my forehead, but I instinctively turned away.

His movement froze.

"What's wrong?" His possessiveness made him instantly alert.

"Nothing, just feeling a bit stuffy," I lied.

"It'll be over soon," he pulled me into his arms, allowing no refusal. "After the banquet ends, I'll 'comfort' you properly."

His hands began wandering inappropriately around my waist.

Fighting back nausea, I removed something wrapped in an ancient ritual scroll from inside my dress.

"What is this?" He stopped his wandering hands.

"A congratulatory gift, Alex. The surprise I've prepared for you." I tried to make my voice sound affectionate.

His face showed genuine surprise.

"Open it now?"

"No." I held his hand. "Wait until your coronation ceremony three days from now. Open it before all the elders. It's the most important blessing I have for you."

He smiled—a smile that could drive any female werewolf wild.

"Alright, my moonlight. I'll do as you say."

He didn't know the "gift" was a "Blood Oath of Mate Severance" written in my own blood.

I had told him once that if he ever betrayed me, I wouldn't seek revenge—I would simply disappear from his life completely.

The flashback memory was sharp and clear.

It was after the last blood battle. He was dead drunk, reeking of blood and... Selina's scent.

"Ella," he'd grabbed my hand, his eyes unfocused, "I feel our spiritual link fading..."

My heart had torn open in that moment.

"...Will you set me free?"

This was his deepest, truest desire.

And I was going to fulfill it now.

I watched as he carefully tucked away the blood oath document.

"You look beautiful today, Ella." He bent down to kiss the top of my head.

I closed my eyes and said in my heart: *Goodbye, Alex.*