Through our weakened bond, I could feel his internal struggle—guilt warring with pride, love battling with wounded ego. But I was done waiting for him to choose me. Done hoping he'd see through Astrid's manipulations.Carefully placing my mother's ashes in a silk scarf, I stood and faced the gathered pack. "Let it be known that your Luna leaves of her own accord. Not as a slave, not as a rejected mate, but as a woman who refuses to be second best in her own marriage.""Sylvia, wait—" Raven started forward, reaching for my arm."Don't touch me." My voice could have frozen flame. "You chose to believe her lies over your mate's truth. You threatened to send me to the wolves who murdered my father. There's no coming back from that."Raven grabbed my arm tightly, "Little wolf, don't do this, I won't let you go." Just then, a pained groan came from behind me. Astrid had sunk to the ground, one hand pressed dramatically to her stomach. "Raven, Alpha, help me," she whimpered. "My stomach hurt
Sylvia’s POVA powerful Alpha presence outside Elena's house jolted me awake. Raven was here. Even through our damaged bond, his presence hit me like a physical blow, a reminder of everything we'd once been to each other."You've got some nerve showing your face here." Elena's voice cut through the
Sylvia’s POVI heard the sound of a car horn outside. Raven had arrived on time. I looked down from the window and saw him leaning against the car, looking up just like he did when we were deeply in love. But my mood is completely different now. When he came to pick me up back then, my heart was fi
The hospital corridors felt endless, every eye following our progress—the Alpha and his supposedly unstable Luna who had attacked a pregnant woman. Whispers followed in our wake. I caught fragments of conversations and saw the mixture of curiosity, judgment, and worst of all, sympathy in their eyes
Sylvia’s POV"If James were still alive..." she choked out, her voice breaking on his name in a way that made my stomach turn.The fluorescent lights cast harsh shadows across Astrid's face as her carefully maintained facade began to crack. Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, each one precisely timed for maximum impact. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, recognizing the calculated nature of every gesture, every trembling breath.She continued, "None of this would be happening. He would understand... he would protect me from all this hostility. He always knew how to keep peace in the pack."The mention of her dead husband sent waves of disgust rolling through me, so strong I could taste bile in my throat. James had been everything she wasn't - loyal, honorable, genuine. He had died protecting our pack, protecting Raven. And here she was, using his memory like a weapon. My fingers curled into fists at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I fought to maintain
Her smile turned cruel then, all pretense of innocence abandoned. At that moment, I saw her true face - the manipulator, the destroyer, the woman who would burn everything to the ground to get what she wanted."Oh, don’t you know that?... Such a tragic story - the noble Alpha betrayed by his closest
Sylvia’s POVPain exploded through my shoulder as I hit the wall, the impact stealing my breath. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth - I'd bitten my tongue during the collision. My wolf recoiled instinctively from her mate's aggressive display of dominance, whimpering at this unprecedented
Sylvia’s POV"Oh, goddess..." Her voice cracked, thick with rage and grief. "That bastard. That absolute bastard. He's actually—" She couldn't even finish the sentence.She didn't waste time with empty comfort or useless platitudes. Instead, she scooped me up like I weighed nothing, her wolf strengt
"You can't be serious," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "These young wolves need proper guidance, not reckless-""What they need," Astrid interrupted, her voice sharp, "is to learn real combat. No more of this dancing around each other, pulling punches, playing it safe." She turned to addr
Sylvia’s POVDespite the fury still burning in my chest after yesterday's confrontation with Raven, I couldn't abandon my responsibilities to the pack. The young wolves shouldn't suffer because of the politics between their Alpha and Luna.So, as dawn painted the sky in shades of pink and gold, I ma
"Think about it," he insisted, turning me to face him. "She'll be directly under your supervision. You'll know exactly what she's doing, where she is-""Oh, like how I knew she was planning to torture me? Like how I knew she was going to use my father's knife to try and destroy my ability to have ch
Sylvia’s POVThe moment Raven's words about Astrid helping manage pack affairs registered, something inside me snapped. The audacity of it - the sheer insanity of suggesting my would-be murderer should help run the pack - sent a wave of hysteria through me."If you think I'm going to work with her,"
"Fine," I conceded. "But stay on your side of the bed."He nodded, though something possessive flashed in his eyes. We prepared for bed in tense silence, the space between us feeling both too vast and not vast enough.Sleep was elusive that night. I lay rigidly on my side, acutely aware of Raven's p
Sylvia's POVThe silence stretched between us as I stood at the window, still processing the scent of Astrid's perfume on Raven's skin. My fingers gripped the windowsill until my knuckles turned white, trying to anchor myself against the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me."Sylvia," Raven
When I finally emerged, wrapped in a towel with water still dripping from my hair, I found Raven waiting in my room. My body tensed immediately, remembering his forceful treatment earlier."Sylvia," he began, taking a step toward me. "I need to apologize."I wrapped my robe tighter around myself, ma
Sylvia's POVI fled down the corridor, my footsteps echoing off the stone walls as I ran from that scene, from my name spoken like a forbidden prayer, from the confusion and hurt that threatened to overwhelm me. I didn't stop until I reached an empty alcove, pressing my back against the cold stone
I jerked away from his touch, anger overriding the mate bond's pull. "I belong to myself. What happened just now... that was biology, nothing more.""Biology?" His laugh was cruel. "Your body tells a different story. You can't deny how you responded to me.""Because of the mate bond!" I wrapped the