Chapter 2

The Moment Everything Broke Norton's condition crashed suddenly. The healers called it "cascade failure," but I understood the translation: he was dying. He needed Luminous Serum—something made from minerals found only in the deepest eastern caves. The substance had been synthesized three times in all of recorded history. Xethes had two vials. I submitted the emergency authorization request with steady hands. Veda took the papers and smiled. "I'll ensure this receives proper attention," she said, her tone dripping with false sweetness. Then nothing happened. Days passed. I asked about the status repeatedly. "Xethes is away on border business," Veda explained. "I simply can't authorize such an enormous expense without his direct approval. Even I have limits." She was lying. I knew it. But I had no proof. When Xethes finally returned, I went to his study. No pleasantries. No begging. "Norton needs the serum. Sign here." I placed the authorization on his desk, my finger marking the signature line. He read the medical documentation, and his face hardened. "Veda mentioned your brother made several escape attempts. Should we really waste an irreplaceable resource on someone disloyal to the pack? What message would that send?" My entire world fractured in that moment. "He never tried to escape," I said quietly. "That's a lie. You know Veda lies." He didn't even look at me. "Don't waste my time with these matters, Leya." That was his final word. His decision was absolute. Three days later, Norton stopped breathing. I never got to say goodbye. Veda made sure of that. When I finally saw his body, it was already in the freezing vault—cold, forgotten, abandoned like discarded equipment. The funeral happened without me. Veda had decided his "behavioral issues" made him ineligible for a warrior's burial. He was buried in darkness with minimal ritual. His name was erased from the pack records. Not just dead. Erased. That evening, I walked into Xethes' private study. I opened the contract cabinet with the key he'd never bothered hiding. My hands were steady as I pulled out the mate bond agreement—the elegant document that had seemed so reasonable five years ago, before I understood what "reasonable" meant to men like him. "I'm terminating this arrangement," I said, my voice cold as ice. "Immediately." He glanced up, almost amused. "You're threatening me? After all I've given you?" "Given me?" The word tasted toxic. "You've never genuinely cared for me, Xethes. You only enjoyed having the power to make a Luna kneel." He tried to negotiate. Money. Freedom. Even a child. "We could have an heir. Something that's ours." I didn't answer. I packed two changes of clothes, my journal, and a lock of Norton's hair wrapped in gold thread—the only piece of him Veda hadn't stolen. I left a blank page on my pillow. Some things don't deserve words. I stepped into the mountain night, and for the first time in five years, I could breathe.