Kira's pov

"Are you certain this is what you want, child?"

Council Elder Matthias studied me from behind his ancient oak desk, his weathered hands folded atop a stack of dissolution papers.

I met his gaze without flinching. "Yes, Elder. I want to sever the mate bond with Alpha Damon Thornwood."

"You understand the consequences." He coughed a little, "A wolf without a mate bond, without a pack... the pain alone—"

"I understand."

He sighed, "The law requires a three-day waiting period. If you still wish to proceed after that time, return to me and we will complete the severance." He paused, leaning forward. "But I must ask, is there truly no room for reconciliation?"

A bitter smile touched my lips.

"Three days ago, I thought there might be."

THREE DAYS EARLIER

I never imagined I'd stumble upon them like this.

The auction box door stood slightly ajar, and through the gap I could see everything.

My mate had his arms wrapped tightly around Selena Langley as she sat on his lap, her designer dress disheveled and bunched around her waist. His hands gripped her bare thighs as she kissed his neck, her golden hair cascading down her back.

My mate was with another woman while I'd been looking for him everywhere, desperately and heartbroken.

I could barely breathe, my heart feeling like it’s been crushed.

I couldn’t believe the man kissing another woman so fiercely was my mate—the same man who once swore to the Moon Goddess that he would take care of me.

All day long, ever since I got the news from the Alliance that my parents' remains were finally being repatriated, I’ve been trying to reach him.

Three years. After three years, the Alliance finally found their bodies in the battlefield. They were bringing my mother and father home from the borderlands—the very place where they fell.

I needed someone to be here with me. My wolf won’t stop calling for Damon.

Damon, please. I need to talk to you. I'd tried our mindlink over and over.

Nothing. Just empty silence. He'd blocked me.

I'd called his phone and texted. Nothing.

Finally, I'd reached his beta, Philipe. "Where is he? I need him. It's about my parents—"

"Alpha Thornwood is very busy today," Philipe had said smoothly. "He's handling important pack business and cannot be disturbed."

Important pack business.

Through the gap in the door, I saw them locked in a kiss. His hands roamed her waist, pulling her even closer.

This was his "important business."?

Then Damon reached for something on the table beside them, a velvet box.

He lifted out a ruby necklace, the deep crimson stone surrounded by diamonds that sparkled under the lights.

No.

No, that couldn't be—

"It's perfect," Serena breathed as Damon fastened it around her neck.

His fingers lingered there, tracing the line of the rubies, dipping lower toward her chest. She arched into his touch as they kissed again.

I collapsed to the floor, my claws extending uncontrollably, digging deep into the door. Pain and rage burned through my chest, and somehow, tears were already streaming down my face.

It was my mother's necklace.

The one I'd been frantically bidding on downstairs just twenty minutes ago. The one I'd lost when the price climbed beyond what I could afford.

Someone had outbid me at twenty million. I'd been devastated, it was my mother's only keepsake, the last piece of her I could hold.

After the auction ended, I'd tried to find the buyer, to plead with them to resell it to me. I'd offer anything, everything I had.

The auction staff had told me the buyer was in Box 7.

And now I understand.

Damon had been the one bidding against me. He had bought my mother's necklace to give to his mistress.

I'd told him about that necklace a dozen times. It holds all my memories of my mother.

He knew what it meant to me and he'd bought it anyway. For Serena.

Rage boiled through my veins, and Mira roared in my chest, “Tear her apart!”

Unwilling to let them dishonor my mother's memory any further, I shoved the door open.

They sprang apart. Serena scrambled off his lap while Damon rose to his feet, his expression shifting from surprise to cold annoyance.

"Kira." He said icily, "What are you doing here?"

"That necklace." I pointed at Serena's throat where the rubies gleamed. "That's my mother's. Give it back to me."

Damon's jaw tightened. He adjusted his bow tie indifferently as his Alpha aura slowly spread. The unfamiliar pressure made Mira restless.

Then he said matter-of-factly, "Serena just made history as the only female captain among the newly promoted pilots in the Werewolf Alliance. This necklace is more than worthy of honoring that achievement."

It felt like I had never truly known the man before me. His cold, decisive Alpha side had never been shown to me—until now, all for Serena…

I stared at him. "You know what the necklace meant to me! You bought so many things at that auction. Paintings, sculptures, wine. Why did it have to be this necklace specifically?"

Serena smiled, her fingers caressing the rubies against her skin. "Because Damon said the red complements my skin tone best."

Excuse me?

"Kira, stop being unreasonable," Damon said sharply. "It's just a necklace and Serena is the youngest female captain in the Werewolf Alliance’s history. She deserves this recognition."

Just a necklace.

His words cut me like a knife. I stared at the mate I had married, had trusted, had loved and bitter irony flooded through me.

He didn't know and had never bothered to learn.

My mother had been the Alliance's Chief Healer before her death. She'd traded this necklace, her most precious possession for medical supplies that saved fifty orphaned pups during the border wars.

Fifty lives, preserved because of her sacrifice.

And now it hung around the neck of a woman whose greatest achievement was learning to fly a plane.

"If it means that much to you," Damon said dismissively, "I'll buy you a replacement next time. Something equally nice."

He wrapped his arm around Serena's waist, pulling her protectively against his side as he moved toward the door. "Now if you'll excuse us, we'd like some privacy."

He pushed past me, guiding Serena out with him, my mother's necklace glinting heartbreakingly at her throat.

At that moment, it felt like everything Damon and I had built over the past three years was crumbling, and our mate bond was nothing but a cruel joke.

...

Kira's pov

"Damon, wait." I grabbed his arm, my fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his suit.

He stopped, irritation flickering across his face as he looked down at where I held him. "What now, Kira?"

I let out a bitter laugh. When had it started—him not even wanting to hear a single word from me anymore?

"My parents' remains are being transported to the military base tomorrow." I forced the words out. "There's a repatriation ceremony and I need you to come with me as my mate."

He stared at me like I'd asked him to move mountains. That look hurt me again.

Since the day we mated, I had given him everything my parents left behind—the Alliance’s compensation, the pack’s lands, money… and yet he couldn’t even bother to attend their funeral.

"Tomorrow?" He glanced back at Serena, my mother's necklace glinting at her throat even through the tinted windows. "I don't know if I can—"

"Please." The word tasted like ash. "They died in service to the Werewolf Alliance. This is important."

Guilt crossed his face or just exhaustion at having to deal with me.

"Fine," he said finally. "I'll be there."

Relief flooded through me. "The ceremony starts at three o'clock at the Northern Military Base—"

"I said I'll be there." He pulled his arm free from my grip. "Now if you'll excuse me."

He walked away without looking back.

The sound of his retreating footsteps broke me, he didn’t pause or even the smallest glance over his shoulder as though I were already something he had erased.

It was so different, he was more cruel now. He was no longer the guy who used to wait for me or when he brushed rain from my hair with careful fingers, laughing as if the world were kind and endless.

Now, the man disappearing down the road felt like a stranger wearing his face. And I stood there, clutching ghosts, wondering how something that once held me so gently could leave me this easily.

The next afternoon, I stood outside the Northern Military Base, checking my watch for the fifteenth time.

Three-thirty.

I'd called Damon six times, each call went straight to voicemail.

He's just running late, I told myself.

My phone buzzed with a message notification.

Finally.

But it wasn't from Damon.

It was from an unknown number, but the photo loaded immediately, and all the blood drained from my face.

Serena and Damon, pressed against a wall in what looked like a hotel room. His hands tangled in her golden hair, her dress hanging off one shoulder, barely covering her. The ruby necklace rested against her bare skin as she kissed him.

The message beneath the photo was sickeningly sweet:

So sorry for occupying your husband's time today~ He's been such a comfort while I've been feeling unwell. I promise I'll visit in person soon to apologize properly. - Serena

My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped the phone.

Mira roared inside me, “Kill her! Kill that woman!”

I drew a deep breath and gritted my teeth, swallowing the pain.

He wasn't coming.

He'd never intended to come.

While I stood here waiting for him to honor my parents, heroes who'd given their lives for the kingdom, he was with her.

"Kira?"

I looked up to find Rylan Cole, the Alliance’s second-in-command, approaching, his crisp military uniform pressed to perfection. His weathered face was kind, but concern creased his brow as he glanced around the empty area beside me.

"Where's your mate? Isn't he coming?"

According to Alliance rules, both mates must be present to claim the bodies.

I slipped my phone into my pocket and met his gaze steadily. "I won't have a mate anymore, not after today."

Rylan's expression darkened with understanding, but he didn't press. Instead, he simply nodded and gestured toward the base gates.

"Then let's bring your parents home."

The ceremony was everything it should have been.

Soldiers lined up in two rows, standing at attention beneath the Silverland Werewolf Alliance's flag. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the parade ground as the honor guard marched forward in perfect formation.

Commander Rylan carried the urn himself, my throat burned as I watched him approach.

The people who had raised me, who had loved me unconditionally, were nothing but ash inside that wooden box now.

My father, Ronan Vance, had been the First Commander of the Werewolf Alliance. He'd led our forces on the frontlines for fifteen years, earning the respect and loyalty of every soldier who'd served under him.

My mother, Liora Vance, had been the Chief Healer of the Wolf Kingdom. She'd saved hundreds of wolves on the battlefield, her healing abilities legendary throughout the Alliance.

Three years ago, they'd answered the call to serve overseas during the war against the Rogue Alliance. They'd signed the peace treaty that finally ended the bloodshed and they'd died for it.

Assassinated by extremists who wanted the war to continue.

My brother Caleb had been with them. He'd gone missing during the attack, and despite every resource I'd poured into finding him, there'd been no trace.

Just... gone.

The Vance family had been heroes of the Alliance and Damon had never once asked about them. He'd assumed they were ordinary warriors, nothing more.

"Kira." Rylan's voice was deep, laced with sorrow as he stopped before me. "Your parents were found together. The overseas team cremated them as one, just as they would have wanted."

"Thank you, Commander." My voice came out steady despite the tears threatening to fall. "They loved each other so much in life. Now they can be together in death."

Rylan's eyes gleamed with unshed tears as he gave a sharp military salute then he straightened, holding the urn firmly with both hands as he presented it to me.

"The heroes' spirits live forever!" he called out.

"THE HEROES' SPIRITS LIVE FOREVER!" the soldiers echoed in thunderous unison.

I finally lost my battle with the tears. They slipped down my face as I returned their salute with dignity, my spine straight, my hand steady.

"I, Kira Vance, am here to bring my parents home."

I extended my trembling hands and took the urn, bringing it close to my chest.

Mom. Dad. Forgive me. I'm finally bringing you home.

After the ceremony, Rylan walked me back to my car.

"Kira." He stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. "The Air Force unit has been in disarray since you left. Morale is low, performance is declining. We need you back."

I looked up at him, surprised. Mira immediately let out a low, rumbling sound. I knew she was reminiscing—longing for the freedom of running wild and the thrill of battle.

"You were the best captain we ever had," he continued. "You led your unit with honor and skill. The base gates are always open for you and this will always be your home."

Three years ago, I'd resigned my commission when I married Damon.

My mother’s final wish was for me to find a mate—she feared that without the protection of our family, I would be torn apart by countless enemies.

She wanted me to disappear into anonymity, to live as an ordinary she-wolf with a simple but safe future. Damon happened to appear in my life then—handsome, young, ambitious.

On countless nights haunted by nightmares, he wiped away my tears and my pain.

I'd thought I was building a future with him, a perfect mate bond. I'd used my parents' death benefits to give him the capital to start his company, believing in the dream we'd build together.

The image of Damon kissing Serena flashed through my mind, and that suffocating pain washed over me again.

What a fool I'd been.

"I'll think about it, Commander," I said quietly. "Thank you."

He nodded, understanding in his eyes. "If anyone gives you trouble, don't suffer in silence. I may be getting old, but I've still got your back."

I drove home with the urn secured in the passenger seat.

The road passed by the Alliance Military Academy where I once studied, the sprawling forests hiding the training grounds. I used to run freely there, clutching my dreams of becoming a warrior, stepping onto my path of duty.

But the same road also led past the Alliance’s mating ceremony hall. It was there that I exchanged vows with Damon, the Moon Goddess binding our lives together.

The colliding memories nearly tore me apart. I slammed the accelerator, desperate to leave it all behind—Damon’s love and his lies.

s When I approached the pack house, voices filtered through the door before I even touched the handle.

"She's just an orphan with no connections." My mother-in-law Margaret's voice was filled with disdain. "How could she ever help Damon's career?"

Her bitter laugh followed. "If she wasn't Damon's mate, I never would've agreed to let her marry into our family."

Just an orphan.

My grip on the urn tightened until my knuckles went white.

"Exactly." Vivian, Damon's sister, chimed in. "What does she have besides a pretty face? Even her job is charity from Damon, just because they're married. She really thinks she's something special."

So this was how they saw all my years of sacrifice. Worthless.

"Can a pretty face put food on the table?" Margaret's tone shifted, becoming almost fawning. "Look at Serena. She's the youngest female captain in the Wolf Alliance’s Air Force. A real accomplishment. Besides, the Langleys and Thornwoods have deep roots together. Most importantly, she and Damon are childhood sweethearts with a real bond. How could some orphan compare?"

Childhood sweethearts with a real bond.

So in their eyes, I was the third wheel ruining their perfect story.

"What's the point of talking about this now?" Vivian sighed. "They're already married."

"Marriage can be undone," Margaret shot back. "She's not tied to my son forever. If Damon marries Serena, the Langley support could take his career to new heights. Not like now, wasting his energy on dead weight who contributes nothing."

Dead weight?

I sneered in my mind. It was the useless me that gave Thornwood its first seed money, turning a crumbling pack into what it had become today.

Fueled by anger, I shoved the door open, cutting off their conversation.

Margaret's face twisted with displeasure. "Kira! Have you no shame? Eavesdropping on private conversations?"

"I walked through the front door," I said flatly. "How is that eavesdropping?"

"You—" Vivian stumbled over her words. "Good that you heard then! If you have any sense, you'll leave on your own. Stop getting in the way of Damon and Serena."

"If Damon wants to sever the mate bond, he can tell me himself." I met her glare calmly. "I won't stop him."

Margaret stepped closer, her gaze venomous. "My son can't even stand being around you anymore. Can't you see that? He won't come to you directly because he's too kind, too considerate of these past few years. But we all know the truth."

She leaned in. "What can you offer compared to Serena? The youngest female captain in the Wolf Alliance! A woman of real accomplishment, real status. The Langleys have deep roots in the Alliance. And you? You're nobody. An orphan with nothing."

Vivian joined in. "Even your job—Damon gave that to you out of pity. Everything you have is because of him."

I let out a cold laugh. “Have you forgotten the money and lands I brought?”

Margaret’s expression flickered, but she forced herself to stay calm. “So what? Just some dowry! Your dead parents didn’t leave anything of real value!”

Then the front door opened.

Damon walked in with Serena tucked against his side, his hand resting protectively at the small of her back. Her dress was different from the photo, she'd changed but my mother's ruby necklace still glinted at her throat.

...

Kira's pov

Margeret rushed to greet them like Serena was royalty.

"Oh, Serena! Come in, it's been so long." She took Serena's hands, her face lighting up. "I had the cook make bone broth just for you. Flying must be exhausting. Look at you, you need proper nourishment."

Her warmth was worlds away from how she treated me.

Serena smiled softly. "Thank you, Mrs. Thornwood."

Then she glanced at me with cold indifference, like taking what belonged to me was the most natural thing in the world.

Damon finally noticed the urn in my arms. For the first time since walking in, he spoke to me, his voice carrying a tone of explanation.

"Serena wasn't feeling well today. That's why I couldn't accompany you to retrieve your parents' ashes…”

Before he could finish, Margeret's yelled across the room.

"What? Those are ashes?!"

She stormed toward me, glaring at the urn. "How dare you bring such bad luck into this pack house! Get them out. Now!"

She pointed at the door, her disgust plain to see.

Bad luck?

I stared straight at her, my voice trembling from all the anger I had been suppressing. "These are my parents' ashes. Show them some respect."

She flailed her arms wildly, spit nearly hitting my face. "I don't care who they were! Dead people's ashes carry dark energy! You're not keeping that thing here. Get out!"

"Mom." Damon finally spoke, but it was just a mild warning with no follow-up.

I tightened my grip on the urn. "This is my home too. It's pack property, shared by Damon and me as mates. You have no right to kick me out."

"Shared property?" Vivian scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt. "Don't make me laugh. It was all bought with Damon's money."

She turned to Damon with a pointed glance. "Damon, ashes carry curse. Make Kira take that thing outside."

Damon looked at me, his lips moving hesitantly. "Kira, you..."

I cut him off, anger burning in my heart.

"Damon, when you started your company, I worked right beside you through every hard day. When your mother's wolf sight began failing and healers said she'd go blind, I took her to every medical wolf in the region. I pulled every string I had to get her an appointment with the kingdom's top healer. I saved her sight."

I took a breath.

"I treated your family like my own. But did any of you ever respect mine?"

My words made their faces darken. A flicker of emotion passed through Damon’s eyes—guilt? Or was it the embarrassment of having family matters overheard by Serena?

Vivian snapped, "What do you mean you helped Mom? It's because Damon has money that the best healer treated her! And 'worked alongside him'? Please. He was supporting you! His company went public because of his own skills. Don't act like you deserve any credit!"

Hesitation flickered in Damon's eyes as he wavered between his family and me.

Those few seconds felt like an eternity.

I prayed he'd say something to defend me but in the end, he avoided my pleading gaze.

"Kira, keeping your parents' ashes at home isn't appropriate. You should find a proper resting place for them."

I couldn’t believe these words came from my mate, the man I've been married to for three years.

I stared at him, my eyes burning as tears welled up.

"Damon... do you also think my parents' ashes are bad luck? That they can't even stay here temporarily?"

"I didn't mean that. Don't overreact." He frowned, then glanced at Serena. "We have a guest, we can talk about this later."

I hugged the urn to my chest and stepped forward. "What if I insist on keeping them here?"

SLAP!

Pain exploded across my cheek and my ears rang.

Margeret stood before me with a twisted expression, her hand still raised.

I stumbled backward, my grip on the urn slipping.

I reached out as fast as I could, but it was too late.

The black wooden box fell from my arms and crashed to the floor, The urn shattered scattering ashes everywhere.

Those were my parents’ ashes… my mind went completely blank.

"What have you done?!" I screamed, my legs giving out as I dropped to my knees.

I reached out with trembling hands, trying to gather the ashes, but they slipped through my fingers like sand.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry, Dad..." I sobbed as I stared at my ashy hands, my heart breaking each second I stood there.

This was the only connection I had left to them. The battlefield had taken everything—my father’s hearty laughter, my mother’s gentle touch—everything was gone, not even the necklace.

This was all that remained.

I desperately wanted to gather their ashes together, yet it was as futile as trying to save them from the battlefield.

Margeret stood there, still yelling. "Serves you right! You shouldn't have brought that cursed thing in here! Hurry up and sweep it clean!"

I didn’t move, the heavy weight of my heart breaking held my legs captive, the tears still fell but I wasn’t sobbing anymore.

“Am I talking to myself? When did you become deaf?” she kept yelling, “Damon, I warned you that this would happen if you make this wretched thing your luna.”

I looked up sharply, my tear-filled eyes locking onto Damon.

He looked shocked, as if he hadn't expected his mother to go that far but he said nothing.

Damon stood there, witnessing the entire scene, his mother striking me, the urn shattering, my desperate attempts to gather the ashes. Yet he did nothing to stop her.

"Kira, clean this up first," he said finally. "I'll make it up to you later. I'll arrange a proper memorial service for your parents."

I gathered the scattered ashes carefully back into the broken box, then stood up.

That’s enough. All those farce should ends here.

I took a deep breath and looked at Damon, my voice firm but without condescension. "I don't need your compensation."

For three years, I'd believed in us. I'd chosen him because he was there when I received the news of my parents' death. He'd held me, promised to protect me forever.

Under the moonlight, before the gathered elders, we held our ceremony. The tall, handsome Alpha went down on one knee and slipped the meticulously crafted moonstone ring onto my finger, his eyes shining with love and joy.

“I designed this ring for you—the purest moonstone from the North, worthy of the one I love most.”

From then on, we shared our lives, arguing over how to make breakfast, and celebrating business milestones with nights of passionate love.

I once believed we had chosen each other as mates, that he at least had some genuine feelings for me.

But perhaps he had never loved me at all.

"Damon, I'm going to apply to sever our mate bond."