Julian couldn't bring himself to believe that something had truly happened to me.
Frustrated, his wolf snapped inside him as he slammed the car door shut. The sound echoed through the still forest, rattling the trees that bordered the Hale Territory. His fingers fumbled with his phone as he tried my number again.
Straight to voicemail.
The same cold, mechanical voice cut through the line that soulless tone that now seemed to mock him. The number you are trying to reach is unavailable.
He exhaled sharply, nostrils flaring with impatience. The faint metallic tang of his own anger filled the air. He hated waiting hated being powerless.
With a low growl, he opened his pack communicator a digital link that allowed messages to cross long distances through both signal and pack energy.
The first contact on his list glowed at the top: Camilla 🩷
Pinned. Prioritized.
Once upon a time, that spot belonged to me.
He used to keep my chat locked to the top, saying it was the only way to "survive me," since I never stopped texting him during missions. We had laughed about it back then. Back when his eyes still softened whenever I entered a room.
But two years ago, that changed. I had noticed the shift before anyone else did. My name had been unpinned replaced by hers.
Camilla.
The same Camilla who once mimicked everything I did my style, my tone, even my scent. He used to tease her about it, calling her "Annoying Elena." It was our private joke, one that made me laugh because it was harmless.
Until it wasn't.
The nickname changed too.
First to "Camilla S."
Then just "Camilla."
When I confronted him, his wolf bristled defensively. He accused me of being insecure, of letting jealousy cloud my judgment. And I fool that I was believed him. I let him twist guilt into my chest until I felt ashamed for even asking.
But deep down, I already knew.
When Camilla slithered her way back into the Morrigan pack three years ago, she played the long game. She didn't attack me openly. No she whispered, manipulated, sowed quiet doubt. With her sweet voice and painted innocence, she gained their trust my parents, my brother, even the pack elders.
I became the problem child.
The unstable one.
The wolf too proud to be tamed.
I had thought Julian was different my anchor, my mate, the one who saw beyond the chaos.
But even he changed.
His eyes once warm with loyalty turned cold and judgmental. The bond that once hummed between us began to fade, its pulse weakening under the weight of betrayal.
And still, I held on. Goddess help me, I held on.
Now, sitting in the back seat of the black Hale cruiser, Julian scrolled through his message feed. Dozens of congratulations from pack members, allies, and guests from the bonding ceremony empty words celebrating a union built on broken vows.
My name sat buried far below, like an afterthought.
He opened our last conversation.
Just one message from me, sent the night before everything fell apart.
Julian, we need to talk.
Pinned with my scent and a location mark Silver Shore.
He stared at it for a long time, silent, his wolf pacing restlessly beneath his skin.
Then he pressed the comm button, voice tight with impatience.
"Elena, where are you? I told you this isn't funny. We're bound now. Why are you starting fights with Camilla again? Do you know how upset she was yesterday?"
A bitter pause.
"If you come back now, I'll forget what you did last night. Just… stop playing games."
He sent the message, tossed the device aside, and leaned back.
From the driver's seat, Jasper glanced at him through the rearview mirror. The Beta's aura was steady calm, loyal, but lined with unease. "Alpha Hale," he began carefully, "Luna Elena has always been level-headed. Even when you walked out of the ceremony, she didn't cause a scene. I don't think she'd fake something this serious. Maybe she's in danger."
Julian's eyes flicked up sharply. "So you think you understand her better than I do?"
Jasper didn't flinch. "No, sir. But I think she's gone through a lot lately. Her wolf's energy hasn't pulsed through the network in hours. That's not nothing. She could be "
"Trouble?" Julian cut him off with a cold scoff. "Elena thrives on attention. This is probably another one of her dramatic episodes. Fine. If you're that worried, send someone to Silver Shore. Maybe you'll find her body."
He spat the word like venom not because he believed it, but because anger was easier than guilt.
Because deep down, his wolf trembled.
I had seen that shift long before. The subtle unraveling.
There was a time he couldn't stand Camilla he'd call her fake, mock the way she mirrored my laugh or copied my fighting stance. But gradually, mockery turned into tolerance… then into admiration. Soon he was praising her her "sweetness," her "obedience," her "understanding nature."
He remembered her favorite flowers. Her favorite wine.
He began bringing her small gifts from his travels one for her, one for me.
That's when I knew.
His heart had moved on.
And I was still clinging to the ghost of what we used to be.
Six moons ago, Julian was sent across the ocean for a major diplomatic mission between the northern packs. I still remember the day the tremors hit a landslide after a quake near the coastal ridge where he was stationed.
I didn't think. I just moved.
I rushed to the nearest airfield, ready to follow his trail to protect my mate, even when he no longer wanted my protection. But when I reached for my identification seal and travel papers, they were gone.
I tore my chambers apart. Nothing.
Then, I caught the faintest trace of her scent Camilla's perfume, laced with smug satisfaction. Hours later, I learned she had boarded a jet bound for the same region. My documents in her bag.
I was trapped.
Helpless.
Raging.
So I made a reckless choice. I followed him anyway, crossing forbidden lands through an illegal route that tore me from my pack's territory.
A storm struck mid-flight. The plane shattered against the waves. I remember the cold the endless, howling dark.
If not for the strangers who dragged my broken body from the sea, I would have been nothing more than a whisper in the tide.
When I finally returned to the Hale Pack territory exhausted, shaken, but grateful to still be breathing the air itself seemed to hum with unease. Whispers followed me through the halls of the Alpha's estate. Wolves who had once greeted me with respect now averted their eyes, their scents heavy with doubt and mockery.
And there she was Camilla standing at the heart of it all with that sweet, poisonous smile curving her lips.
"Back already?" she purred, her tone dripping with false concern. "We were beginning to think you'd run off to some luxury retreat, Elena. The moon only knows how exhausting it must be pretending to be Luna material."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. The sound clawed at my skin.
I tried to speak, to tell them what really happened that I'd been attacked beyond our borders, that rogues had dragged me into their den, that I'd barely survived but before I could form a word, Camilla pulled something from a drawer.
My missing identity crest the silver mark that identified me as Julian's chosen mate.
"Oh, look at that," she said, feigning surprise. "Seems it was here all along. Silly me."
Gasps filled the room. Every gaze turned sharp and accusing.
Even Julian's.
He didn't ask where I'd been or what I'd endured. He didn't scent the truth on me the blood, the fear, the pain. His golden eyes were cold, Alpha-hard. The bond between us, once steady and warm, now felt brittle and distant.
"Enough," he growled, his tone sharp as a blade. "Stop embarrassing yourself, Elena."
My chest tightened, my wolf whimpering quietly inside me. Something inside him had shifted. Something I couldn't reach anymore.
I swallowed hard. "Julian," I said softly, "let's end the bond."
He froze. "What did you just say?"
"I've done everything I can to hold us together," I whispered. "But I can't keep bleeding for something that's already dead. Let's end this before there's nothing left but hate."
For the first time in moons, I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. His wolf stirred a flash of possessive energy rippling through the air but it was gone as quickly as it came.
After that day, everything changed.
He became… attentive. Too attentive. He sent lavish gifts, made grand promises, and publicly announced our upcoming Luna ceremony. He swore he'd keep Camilla away, that she meant nothing.
And for a moment, like a fool, I believed him.
Until three moons ago when one night, after too much whiskey and too many apologies, he pulled me close. Our bond surged back to life, wild and uncontrollable. The next morning, I could still feel the echo of his touch, the heat of his mark burning faintly on my skin.
Weeks later, I discovered I was carrying his pup.
I was overjoyed. My wolf hummed with life, fierce and protective. I imagined his hands on my stomach, the pride in his eyes when he realized what we had created together.
But before I could tell him, Camilla struck again.
She staged a fall down the marble stairs of the packhouse. When Julian arrived, his instincts went straight to her. He didn't even scent the truth didn't feel the terror trembling through my aura. He ran past me, cradling her like she was the one who carried his child.
When I tried to speak, to explain, he shoved me aside.
I hit the ground, hard.
Pain ripped through my abdomen like claws tearing flesh. My wolf howled inside me, desperate to protect the life within, but darkness took me before I could fight back.
When I awoke in the infirmary, the healer's expression told me everything. The pup's heartbeat was fading.
"Bed rest," she said, her tone gentle but firm. "No stress. No shifting. You need to fight for the pup now."
Julian never came. Only Jasper Carroll, his Beta, visited once bringing flowers that weren't from Julian. "He's occupied with Alpha business," Jasper muttered, unable to meet my eyes.
That was when something inside me went cold. I stopped waiting for Julian. I stopped believing. All that mattered was the fragile heartbeat I still felt inside me.
Days passed. Then one afternoon, the scent of lilacs and venom filled my room.
Camilla.
She walked in without knocking, wearing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You poor thing," she cooed. "Julian's been so worried… about me. You should've seen how he held me last night."
Each word was a dagger.
"He told me," she whispered, leaning close, "that he wished you'd disappear for good."
A low growl built in my throat but before I could speak, something inside me twisted sharply. My stomach clenched, and a hot, wet sensation spread between my legs.
No.
Not now.
I tried to reach for the call rune, but my strength was gone. My voice broke into a cry for help that echoed uselessly through the empty hall.
When no one came, I forced myself up. Each breath was fire, each step agony. My hands were slick with blood, my vision fading.
But I had to keep moving. I had to protect my pup.
"Hold on, little one," I whispered through tears. "Please… hold on."
Crimson drops marked my path as I stumbled toward the door. My wolf tried to surface, desperate to heal us both, but the pain drowned her howls.
The last thing I saw before the world went black was the moonlight spilling across the floor cold, distant, and merciless.
Then everything faded into silence.