Breaking the Bond That Broke Me

Morning sunlight streamed through the curtains.

When I woke up, the other side of the bed was empty.

"Luna, you're awake." A maid knocked gently before entering. "Should I prepare breakfast?"

"Where's Austen?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

The maid looked a little awkward. "The Alpha spent the night at Moonlit Cliff with Miss Seraphina. He said he was calming her down. He only came back at dawn and is now in his study, buried in pack business."

Moonlit Cliff.

The place Austen had once promised to share only with me.

"Evelyn, this is our pack's sacred ground. Only the Alpha and Luna can feel the moonlight here on a full moon," a young Austen had said, holding my hand at the cliff's edge. "No one in the pack will ever disturb us."

"Really?" I had smiled, leaning against his chest.

"I swear. Moonlit Cliff belongs only to us."

Only to us.

Now, he had taken another woman there.

"Thank you for telling me," I said to the maid, my voice so calm it surprised even me. "No breakfast for me."

After she left, I got up and walked to the wardrobe.

Since he had already broken all his promises, there was no reason for me to hold onto anything.

I began to pack. Not clothes or jewels. Only what mattered. My healing notes.

The mementos from my past life, I hadn't kept a single one this time.

I opened my jewelry box and saw the "Moongod Stone" necklace.

It was a gift from Austen when we became mates, a symbol of my status as Luna and his love.

In my past life, I couldn't bear to take it off, even in my darkest moments.

Now, I unclasped it without hesitation and walked to the fireplace.

"Goodbye," I whispered, and tossed the necklace into the fire.

The Moongod Stone, a symbol of his eternal love, glowed red-hot in the flames, then blackened and crumbled to ash. Just like his promises.

At ten in the morning, Austen walked in.

He looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, his clothes slightly disheveled.

"Evelyn, about last night..." he began, trying to explain.

"You don't have to explain," I said, continuing to organize the files in my drawer. "An Alpha can go wherever he pleases. He certainly doesn't need to report his movements to a mere pack healer."

He froze. "A mere pack healer?"

"What's wrong?" I looked up at him, my expression calm. "Isn't that what I am? The kind who serves the Black Forest Pack."

"Evelyn, what are you talking about? You're my Luna, my mate..."

"Am I?" I put down the files and looked him straight in the eye. "Then why did you leave your pregnant mate to watch the moon with another woman last night?"

Austen's face went pale. "Seraphina... she had a breakdown. I couldn't just leave her."

"Of course you couldn't," I said, my voice devoid of warmth. "She's more important than me, isn't she? More important than me, more important than our child."

"That's not true!" he argued frantically. "You're the most important person to me..."

"Austen," I cut him off, walking up to him. "Do you remember what you once told me? About Moonlit Cliff?"

His face grew even paler.

"Pack law says that only the true Luna is worthy to watch the moon with the Alpha on Moonlit Cliff," I said, word by word. "And now you've taken her there."

"I..." He opened his mouth, but found he had nothing to say.

"You broke your vow, Austen." I turned back to my packing. "Since that's the case, there's nothing more for us to talk about."

He just stood there, staring at my back. For the first time, I saw a flicker of genuine panic in his eyes.

"Evelyn, what are you packing?"

"My things," I said, not bothering to turn. "Seraphina is moving in. I'll move to the guest wing. I wouldn't want to be in your way."

"No!" He strode over and grabbed my wrist. "You can't leave!"

I looked down at his hand on my arm, my eyes empty of any emotion.

"Let go."

"Evelyn, let me explain..."

"Explain what?" I pulled my hand free. "Explain why you chose her after I told you I was pregnant? Explain why you shared our sacred place with someone else? Or explain why you always put her first?"

"I don't..."

"You do," I said, my voice as cold as ice. "You always have. From the first day we were together, Seraphina has always been more important than me."

I walked toward the door and glanced back at him.

"I'm just tired. I'm pregnant. I need to rest."

With that, I walked out, leaving him standing alone in the room.

Behind me, I heard his voice, tight with a panic I'd never heard before. "Evelyn! You can't just leave like this!"

But I didn't look back.

Walking down the hallway, I stroked my belly, a sense of calm washing over me.

Twenty-nine days.

Just twenty-nine more days, and I would be free.