Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English
Synopsis
Allen Foster, the Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack, dropped tens of millions to host a solo art exhibition for his pet Omega. Yet, he refused to let the pack Healers lift a finger to save my pup, Caden.
While playing, Caden had accidentally been cut by a silver dagger. The wound festered, poisoned and rotting away.
When he breathed his last breath in front of me, my world collapsed. Right there in front of Allen, I ripped off the mating pendant around my neck.
Allen actually let out a chuckle.
"Come on, Lynn. I never thought a tiny silver scratch could actually kill someone. He clearly didn't inherit my bloodline."
"I know you're hurting, but it's fine. Lily is giving birth in three days."
"She's sensible and grateful. We already agreed that once her pup is born, we'll give it to you to raise. You can just focus on being a proper Luna. There's just one condition: you have to let Lily visit the pup whenever she wants."
"No need," I said with a bitter scoff. "I just want to sever our mate bond."
After begging Allen for help yielded nothing, I pawned the priceless mating pendant he had forged for me years ago at a fraction of its value.
Clutching the cash, I sprinted back to the clinic. From down the long, cold corridor, I could hear Caden's faint, ragged breathing fading away.
A few seconds later, the world went dead quiet, as if someone had hit pause.
"I'm so sorry, Luna Lynn. My condolences..."
"Honestly, if Alpha Allen had ordered the Healers to treat the wound just a few days earlier, this wouldn't have happened. You know how silver poisons our kind, but it isn't fatal in the beginning. A few poultices of moonstone powder would have drawn out the toxicity completely... But Alpha Allen never authorized it, and we don't have clearance to touch the pack's moonstone reserves. I'm so sorry, Luna Lynn. We really did everything we could..."
I opened my mouth, but my throat felt choked with razor blades wrapped in cotton—stifling and excruciating.
Dragging my leaden legs toward the bed, I didn't know how to face the lifeless body of my child.
Just this morning, my little boy had managed a weak smile from that very bed and called out, "Mommy."
The wall sconce cast a dim, sickly glow, framing the pack plaza outside the window. Allen's silhouette stood tall on the elevated platform in the square. He was smiling. The man who was always cold and aloof to outsiders was now standing attentively behind the Omega he had taken under his wing, greeting the exhibition guests with gentle warmth.
Some bolder pack members openly gossiped about their relationship.
"From what I've seen, Alpha Allen and our brilliant artist Lily are definitely more than just a benefactor and his ward, right?"
"Spill it! Are wedding bells ringing soon?"
Surrounded by the teasing, Lily Dixon blushed crimson, gazing up at Allen with eyes dripping with adoration and bashfulness.
Allen didn't deny a single word. From the curve of his lips, anyone could tell he was thoroughly pleased.
"Wait, doesn't Alpha Allen already have a Luna? Their pup, Caden, is five years old. Did they sever their mate bond in secret?"
A sudden silence fell over the crowd. The person who asked shrank back, not daring to utter another word.
Lily's eyes rimmed with red, looking fragile and embarrassed. She turned timidly to the man beside her.
"Allen, why didn't Lynn come to the show? Is she still mad about the auction?"
"Maybe I should go to her house and apologize in person."
Without a second of hesitation, Allen shut her down.
"No need."
"I've spoiled her, and now she's petty and narrow-minded. It was just a set of custom jewelry, and she actually laid a hand on you over it. Since she cares so much about money and material crap now, I won't give her a single penny. I won't let you take that slap for nothing."
"Seeing her take her anger out on you just pisses me off."
His protective, doting tone convinced everyone that our mate bond was already broken. It also painted me as the bitter, jealous shrew responsible for ruining our relationship."Luna Lynn must be exhausting to live with, always nitpicking and keeping score. No wonder Alpha Allen looked elsewhere."
"Put that aside for a second—don't they have a pup together? If they really break the bond, what happens to the boy? If Alpha Allen and Lily keep going strong, she'll be the next Luna. Being a Luna in a major pack isn't easy."
My heart felt like it was being dropped into boiling oil, searing over and over again.
I couldn't tell whether grief or rage burned hotter in my chest.
The clinic was freezing. Icy drafts clawed their way into my skin. Shivering violently, I couldn't help but plead with the wolf tending to the pup in the next bed.
"Could you please stoke the fire? My boy's wound is inflamed and festering. He can't catch a chill."
I don't know how much time passed, but the bone-deep chill never left. When I finally looked up in exhaustion, I was met with the horrified gaze of a Healer apprentice.
"Luna Lynn... protocol says family members can't stay in the morgue for more than fifteen minutes. You've been sitting here half the afternoon. You need to leave. The head Healer is asking for you to sign the death certificate. And Alpha Allen... he hasn't shown his face once. Now that the pup is gone, he should at least be here. Please, try contacting him."
My head detonated with a deafening buzz. Snapping back to harsh reality, I stumbled to my feet and staggered outside.
Confirming my pup's death record took only minutes.
Less than two hours later, standing in the bitter wind, I opened the mind link to reach the pack's mortician.
Afterward, I buzzed Allen through the mind link more than thirty times. Predictably, there was dead silence on the other end.
Leaning against the freezing stone wall, I let out a hollow, self-mocking laugh.
The mortician arrived just before dusk to collect Caden's body. On the way to the funeral hall, I lost count of how many times I blacked out from weeping.
Upon arrival, the mortician immediately moved Caden into the cold chamber, gently reminding me that I could go home and pick out his favorite clothes.
He deserved to leave this world clean and dignified.
Of course.
Just like Allen, my boy had always been obsessed with staying neat and spotless.
"Once the body arrives, the Rite of Returning to the Earth is usually held within three days. However, if the family requests, we can extend it to five or seven days. Do you need extra time?"
I reached out, stroking my boy's ice-cold cheek. "Three days is enough."
...
It was late into the night when I stumbled back to the packhouse.
Seeing me walk through the door, the smile in Allen's eyes instantly vanished.
"Why are you back so late? Is Caden feeling better? Lily heard he got scratched by silver and was worried sick. She specifically told me to bring this healing salve back for him."
I dodged the tin of ointment he offered. As the lid slipped off, a rancid, sour stench hit my nose. A cold, bitter sneer pulled at my lips, and tears spilled down my face once more.
"It's completely spoiled. Who is she trying to poison this time?"
Allen's face hardened, quickly replaced by pure irritation.
"Lily just didn't notice, that's all. Can you stop talking with so much venom? You know pregnant she-wolves shouldn't be stressed. She's barely in her twenties—how is she supposed to keep track of everything?"
"And why didn't you show up to her exhibition today? I told you days ago how important this event was. Did you really have to pull your dramatic crap today of all days?"
He instinctively tore into me just to defend Lily Dixon. I couldn't even remember when he had started ignoring my bloodshot, swollen eyes.
"Do you even remember why you took Lily Dixon in back then?"
Allen froze, the rest of his scolding dying in his throat."You forgot, didn't you?"
"Then do you remember when your relationship with her stopped being innocent?"
I stared at him with chilling calm. "Do you remember what you swore to me after the night your pheromones went out of control and I caught you two together?"
Silence choked the living room. The faint scent of cedarwood hung in the air, dragging our memories back to the past.
Lily Dixon was an Omega Allen had brought back from a border patrol two years ago. Back then, her family had tried to marry her off to the son of a neighboring town's mayor, and she had wept about her cruel fate.
She cried about how hard it was to put herself through school, condemning her biased parents. That fierce, defiant look in her eyes had moved Allen.
The wealthy Alpha took pity on her. He brought her back and set her up in a guest villa not far from the packhouse.
He bought her property, gave her a carriage, and granted her access to the pack's vaults.
Slowly, Allen grew closer to her while drifting further from me, eventually neglecting our own pup entirely.
Then came a full moon night when Allen went to the wrong bed.
When I found out, he had dropped to his knees, grabbing my hands and slapping his own face with them over and over.
"I'm sorry, Lynn! Blame me! I had too much to drink at the pack banquet, and I forced myself on her..."
"I swear it was just this once. I won't see her again. Once she graduates, I'll cut off her sponsorship completely."
And then, Lily Dixon wound up pregnant.
A venomous smirk touched my lips. "Allen, care to explain how you only lost control that one time a year ago, yet she's eight months pregnant right now? Did werewolf biology suddenly bend to your will?"
"Enough!"
Confronted by the truth, Allen's expression darkened completely.
"I'll explain all of that to you later."
"Where's Caden? Why didn't you bring him home? It was just a scratch. Was it really worth keeping him at the clinic this long?"
The thought of my baby boy hammered against my heart like a thousand iron sledges.
I unclasped the mating pendant from my neck and placed it on the entryway console, right beside the folded death certificate.
"His Rite of Returning is in three days."
"Find some time to come see him. And while you're at it, let's finalize the dissolution of our mate bond."
Allen's eyes dropped to the pendant, then flicked to the paper. Suddenly, he let out a short, incredulous laugh.
"What a coincidence."
He shoved the pendant and the paper back toward me.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think a tiny scratch could turn into such a big deal."
"I know you're upset, but it doesn't matter. Lily is delivering in three days."
"After everything, she's very obedient and grateful. I've already worked it out with her—once the pup is born, we'll hand it over to you to raise. You can just focus on being the Luna. My only condition is that Lily gets to visit the child whenever she wants."
I froze, staring at him in utter disbelief.
"Allen! Listening to yourself right now, are you even a beast?!"
My shout echoed through the hall, waking Lily Dixon in the master bedroom.
Allen shot me a disapproving glare.
"Keep your voice down. Lily is napping with the baby."
*SLAP!*
A crisp crack rang out. Allen's head jerked to the side, his eyes turning glacial as he snapped his gaze back to me.
"Feel better now?"
"Stop playing these childish games. Nobody dies from a tiny silver scratch... Dragging Caden into your lies like this—aren't you worried you'll corrupt him?"
He didn't believe the death certificate. Not a single word of it.
An overwhelming wave of exhaustion crushed down on me. I picked up the mating pendant, stared straight into Allen's eyes, and spoke with deadly clarity:
"I, Lynn Anderson, reject you, Allen Foster, as my mate."
The moment the words left my lips, an agonizing tear ripped through my chest—the backlash of the severing bond. I gritted my teeth, refusing to let myself fall.
The mocking smile on Allen's face instantly froze. His lips parted, but no sound came out.Stuffing the death certificate into my coat, I turned to walk away.
Allen tried to speak, but something caught his peripheral vision, replacing his shock with tender concern.
"You're awake?"
Lily Dixon emerged from the master bedroom. Her silk robe hung loosely at her waist, prominently displaying the glaring, purplish hickeys scattered across her collarbones.
"Allen, were you and Lynn fighting?"
She spotted the pendant in my hand, her almond eyes wide with feigned panic.
"Lynn, you're rejecting Allen?!"
"Why? Is it because of me?"
I sneered at her. "Yeah. Because you're a shameless parasite who opened your legs for an already mated Alpha, and because he's a pathetic hypocrite who keeps a second bitch on the side."
Tears immediately welled in Lily's eyes as she casually tugged her collar to pretend to hide the marks.
"I'm sorry, Lynn... I didn't know opening the door that night would cause such a misunderstanding... I thought Allen just needed someone to confide in."
I wanted to laugh.
What kind of troubles required an Alpha to ditch his Luna on their mating anniversary just to pour his heart out to an outsider?
Allen grabbed a shawl, gently draping it over Lily's shoulders, murmuring soothingly, "Ignore her. She's lost her damn mind today."
I had no desire to waste another breath on them. Ignoring the smirk hiding behind Lily's faux-innocent eyes, I walked straight into Caden's bedroom to pack his clothes.
When I came back out, Lily was the only one in the living room. She had crumpled the death certificate into a ball and kicked it to my feet.
I recognized it instantly.
"Who gave you permission to touch my things?" I said, voice cold as ice.
She gasped with exaggerated shock, a glimmer of wicked delight dancing in her gaze.
"Lynn, did your pup really die from a tiny scratch? That's hilarious! Allen was right—raising such a fragile, useless runt must have been exhausting."
A violent rage tore through my veins. Without thinking, I crossed the room in three strides and slapped her across the face with everything I had.
She shrieked, tumbling backward onto the floor.
The very next second, two vicious strikes slammed against my face and temple.
Allen scooped Lily into his arms, glaring at me with raw, murderous fury.
"Lynn, you've crossed the line!"
Lily clung to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. "I just asked about Caden, and she... I only told her not to spoil him so much and not to use him to lie. Allen, did I say something wrong?"
Allen shook his head.
"Lynn, what did Lily say that wasn't true? What the hell happened to you? This is the second time you've laid hands on her. Do it again, and we really will sever this bond!"
I looked at him, finding the entire scene utterly grotesque.
"I already rejected you. Didn't you hear me?"
Allen paused, his brow furrowing. "You said that out of spite. It doesn't count."
Scooping up the pale, trembling Lily, he stormed out the front door.
Refusing to cross paths with them again, I waited a few minutes before picking up my packed bags and leaving.
Allen had clearly forgotten who I was.
I had always been gentle. As long as someone didn't trample over my bottom line, I never made life difficult for anyone, let alone threw a punch.
The custom jewelry set from that auction had been commissioned six years ago. Allen had traveled all the way to the northern territories, hiring master craftsmen to forge my wedding gift.
Not just Allen, but everyone in the pack seemed to have forgotten that the Foster and Anderson families had once ruled side by side.
Tragically, after a rogue raid decimated our ranks, the Anderson bloodline withered away.
Back then, Allen had dropped to his knees before my parents' graves, swearing to love me just as they had, vowing to give me the very best of everything.
Yet, six years later, he completely forgot to pay the final balance on the heirloom set. When the deadline passed, the craftsmen had no choice but to put it on the auction block.
All I wanted was to reclaim what was rightfully mine, but Allen cut off my access to the vault. I had planned to use that money to bribe the border guards and sneak Caden out of the pack to find an external Healer... but in the end, it was too late.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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