Chapter 1 – The Last Betrayal
Aveline Russell’s phone lit up with a message.
Photos followed — clothes strewn on the floor, two figures tangled together, a fogged-up mirror capturing their blurred reflections.
One glance at the man’s hand on that woman’s wrist, and Aveline knew.
Jaxson Thorne.
Her mate.
The man she had been bound to for four years.
Then she saw the timestamp.
Their mating anniversary.
The same night he had promised to be with her — then vanished for three days, leaving only his beta’s excuse about “urgent pack business.”
“Urgent,” she muttered bitterly. “Sure. Urgent enough to forget me.”
She closed the message, steadied her shaking breath, and made a call.
Leaving It All Behind
The voice that answered hesitated when she spoke.
“I’m joining the Bloodmoon Research Facility.”
Silence, then a firm warning:
“Once you enter that project, there’s no return. Your name will be erased. You’ll be declared missing. You’ll lose every tie — even Alpha Jaxson.”
Aveline’s eyes flicked to a framed photo on the nightstand.
His smile, once her comfort, now mocked her.
Deep inside, her wolf gave a low growl — the same instinct that had always disliked him, always known he wasn’t right.
“I’ve made my decision,” she said quietly.
She ended the call before she could change her mind.
The Scent of Lies
Moments later, a car engine rumbled outside.
Jaxson stepped in — tall, broad-shouldered, effortlessly confident. He loosened his tie, tossed his jacket on a hook, and walked straight to the shower.
The air filled with the heady scent of women’s perfume — bold and unfamiliar. Not hers.
He reappeared minutes later, damp hair tousled, wrapped in a gray robe that revealed his strong build. Once, she’d admired that sight.
Now it only made her stomach twist.
Her wolf rumbled its agreement deep within. The bond was poison.
A Gift for Goodbye
“What’s with that look?” Jaxson teased, sliding an arm around her waist. “Miss me, babe?”
She flinched away from his touch.
He frowned. “What’s wrong? Are you mad?”
Aveline didn’t answer. She had cried too many times to waste more words.
Instead, she opened a drawer, took out a small locked box, and held it out to him.
“Here,” she said softly. “A gift.”
He took it, unaware of what it held.
Inside were the rejection papers — already signed, sealed, and ready to break the bond that had once chained her heart.
For Aveline Russell, the chapter was closing.
The woman who loved him was gone.
The one who would rise from her ashes belonged to no one.