One

On their fifth wedding anniversary, Kristine, the forsaken Luna of Moonveil Pack, decided to end their bond and hand Alpha Hunter Deveron a shocking gift on his birthday, divorce papers and the black box. Once bound by a sacred mate bond, Kristine endured five years of emotional torment, betrayal, and rejection. Poisoned and left to die by the very man she loved, she finally chooses to sever the bond that once tethered her to pain.

Branded a liar by her own family and cast aside for Ellena, the favored adopted daughter, Kristine reclaims her dignity and walks away from a loveless marriage. But freedom comes at a cost. Her wolf weakens, her soul shatters, and a hidden pregnancy ends in tragedy.

Just as darkness threatens to consume her, Zeu, the mysterious and devoted prince of Moon City, steps in. With his love and protection, Kristine begins to heal and felt what being love means. She becomes his Luna, his wife, and the future queen.

But her past won’t let go.

Hunter, furious and filled with guilt, hunts her down only to find her not as the weak woman he abandoned, but as the powerful royal mate of his cousin. With the truth of betrayal, bloodlines, and vengeance surfacing, Kristine must confront the ghosts of her past while embracing the throne fate had always reserved for her.

--

Kristine POV

“Prepare the rejection ritual,” I said, not wavering. “I’m severing my bond with Alpha Hunter Deveron. Our marriage bond ends today.”

He froze. I could almost hear the weight of my words crushing him. No Luna had ever made such a request in Moonveil Pack history. Not one until me.

“Luna… are you certain?” he asked, voice laced with dread. “You know how sacred the bond is. You know the consequences. If you go through with this, you will—”

“I’ve made up my mind, Elder Albert,” I cut him off coldly, even as my heart throbbed painfully inside me.

I remembered it all too clearly the way he left me to die in that freezing forest, poisoned. Poisoned by him.

He said he’d come back. Swore on our fifth anniversary that he would. We were supposed to be celebrating five years of marriage. But instead… he fed me berries, knowing well I was allergic.

Did he just want to get rid of me? Was Ellena really that important to him?

He never came back. And I waited. I hoped. God, I really did.

But... he never returned.

My eyes burned with unshed tears as I swallowed the lump in my throat and clenched my fists.

“Luna, maybe you should talk to Alpha—”

“No,” I snapped, sharper than I intended. “Just do it. This is what he wants, anyway. Have you forgotten he left me after the mating ceremony? Didn’t even look back. He said it to my face—he’d only ever love Ellena.”

Her name tasted like acid on my mouth. Ellena. The fake daughter everyone adored. Even my parents… the Edelworth Pack cherished her more than their real daughter.

Elder Albert’s expression shifted into something soft. Pity.

But he didn’t argue. Without another word, he turned and began the preparations.

My phone rang. And saw it was Hunter. Of course.

I picked it up.

“Where are you?” he barked, like I was just another one of his staff. Like I hadn’t been his wife for five years.

“I’m heading to the pack house,” I replied, exhausted.

“I thought so... So Ellena was right…”

“She’s always right to you,” I said flatly, no emotion in my voice.

“Are you playing me, Kristine? I thought—”

“Are you mad that I’m still alive?” I cut in, my voice trembling but firm. “Is that it? You're disappointed I didn’t die out there?”

“What are you talking about?” he growled. “You’re the one playing me! Acting like you were dying just to what? Guilt-trip me? Feel sorry for you? Kristine, no matter what you do, I will never pity a liar like you!”

His words stung, but I refused to let him hear the pain in my silence.

“Don’t worry,” I whispered. “I’m done.”

I ended the call.

He rang again. I didn’t pick up.

I kept walking straight to the pack house.

Everyone outside the pack thought Alpha Hunter and Ellena were meant to be. The Alpha and his Luna-to-be. They believed Ellena was the rightful daughter of the Edelworth pack.

No one cared that I was the true daughter. That I’d been switched at birth out of Uncle Timothy’s anger toward my father for he did not even help him when he was accused of trying to kill the king. He was branded as rogue. Uncle Timothy raised me like his own, but when I was returned to my real family, all they saw was Ellena.

Hunter and I were close once when I was returned to the Edelworth since Moonveil and my parents pack where long have been friends. He used to be kind. But everything changed, suddenly. No explanation. No reason.

Maybe it was because it was me who ended up marrying him when it should’ve been Ellena. But she ran away—two days before the wedding.

And I was just the stand-in. Maybe, that’s when he hated me even more.

And me? I was so blinded by love, I thought I could fix it. I chased after him like a fool. Loving a man who despised every part of me.

When I saw him approaching, my chest tightened—but I didn’t flinch.

I handed him the papers.

“Sign it.”

Two

Kristine's POV

“What do you mean you’re done? Are you going against me now, Kristine?”

His voice was laced with fury. Hunter hated being challenged—and what I just did? That was outright war to him.

He glanced down at the paper I’d handed him, then back at me.

“What the heck is this?” His expression twisted. “You’re such a liar. Always have been. You never even looked sick! You begged me for help, acting like you were dying out of nowhere.”

That’s what he threw at me—accusations like knives, without a second thought.

To him, I was nothing more than a liar. A burden. A mistake. But never once I lied at him or anyone.

Did I deserve it? Maybe in his eyes.

I bit the inside of my cheek, pressing my lips tightly together. I didn’t explain. There was no point. He wouldn’t believe me anyway. He never did.

My heart felt like it was cracking open inside my chest, but I held my ground. I needed his signature. That was all.

He let out a frustrated sigh and looked at me with those cold, dark blue eyes, the same ones I used to lose myself in. For five long years, I searched those eyes for warmth, even a flicker of care. But it was always cold. Always empty. Gone was the warmth it had he had given to me before he suddenly changed.

I gave everything just to be seen by him. To be loved. Even just liked. But all I ever got... was pain.

“I’m leaving. I won’t be here for a week,” he muttered, as if I wasn’t standing there watching him walk away. He took the paper, about to read it, but then his phone rang.

His entire expression changed. That worry? I already knew.

It was Ellena.

“I need to handle something important,” he said quickly, turning away like I no longer existed.

“Just sign it before you go,” I said, stopping him.

He scowled. “Can’t it wait?”

“No. This is for the best, just like you wanted.”

He glanced between me and his ringing phone, teeth grinding in annoyance. Finally, with a hiss of frustration, he snatched the pen, signed the paper without even reading it, and shoved it back at me.

“Done!”

Some pages fluttered to the ground, but he didn’t care. He shifted and took off in a rush straight to where she was.

I stared at the scattered pages, tears blurring my vision. He didn’t even notice. Didn’t even ask what he signed.

It was our divorce. The rejection of our bond.

I let out a laugh, broken and hollow, as I bent down to pick them up.

Even now, it still hurt so much.

My phone rang as I wiped my tears and checked the screen.

Not him.

I answered.

“Have you done it?” The deep, commanding voice on the other end made my spine stiffen.

I cleared my throat. “Yes. Just like I said. I keep my word.”

“Good. I hope this time you really mean it, Kiki,” he warned. “You know I don’t like being lied to. I’m giving you one week.”

I clenched the phone tighter. “Two weeks. Just give me two.”

“Two? That wasn’t our deal,” he said, disappointed.

“Please, Zeu. Just two weeks. After that… you’ll have me. I promise.”

Silence. The longer he stayed quiet, the more my anxiety clawed up my throat.

“Do you understand me?” I whispered.

He let out a sigh. “How could I not? Fine. Two weeks.”

I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Thank you. I need to finish something before I leave.”

“I hope it doesn’t break you more than you already are,” he murmured before the line went dead.

I stared at the wall for a moment, then closed my eyes. I thought it would be easy to walk away.

But it wasn’t.

This place had stolen more tears from me than it ever gave joy.

If it wasn’t for Zeu... today might’ve been my funeral.

The day I begged Hunter to come back… it was Zeu who found me. Zeu who stayed. Zue who saved. He’d always been there.

And now… I’d signed my fate.

This time, I was choosing myself.

I deserved to be happy.

Just two more weeks.

Two weeks to rip the pages apart, to burn the memories, to finally destroy every bridge behind me.

As I packed away everything that tied me to Hunter, my phone rang again. I thought it was Zeu.

But no.

It was her.

My mother.

“Hello?”

The word felt foreign. I never really called her mother anymore. Not after what she said five years ago—how she despised me for being her daughter, how she’d only ever see Ellena as hers.

All because of a broken sapphire necklace, a family heirloom that Ellena destroyed.

But when I tried to explain, I was branded a liar.

Again.

“Where are you? Have you forgotten what day it is today?”

Her voice was cold. Irritated.

No warmth.

No love.

Not the way she spoke to Ellena.

Unfair?

Yes.

Because I’m her real daughter and she despised me.

Three

Kristine's POV

“I—”

“Just be here. Bring a gift. It’s your father’s birthday. He’s expecting you.”

And just like that, the line went dead.

I didn’t want to go.

The Edelworth Pack never felt like home. I always felt like a stranger in that place, unseen, unwanted. My mother didn’t want me. Only my father showed me some kindness…

If that’s even what it was. Alpha Robert Hemington gave Ellena everything his love, his pride, his name.

And me?

I was the stray dog at the door, begging for scraps I was never allowed to have. Starving. Desperate.

It’s been three days since Hunter signed the rejection papers.

Three days since my near-death. And I haven’t seen him once.

I knew where he was. Who he was with.

Back then, I would’ve begged. I used to call him, ask him when he’d return to the pack house, ask if he was okay, pretending I wasn’t breaking inside just hearing his voice.

I tried everything. I painted myself in every color, hoping maybe—just maybe—he’d see one that matched him.

But the color faded.

Turned red.

Then dark.

And darker…

Until all that was left was black.

Now? I don’t feel anything. I’m tired of feeling.

I tossed the last of the boxes into the garbage bin. I’d burn them later.

I wasn’t feeling well. Maybe I was still healing. My wolf… she was still weak.

She’d been dying slowly from the moment we married. The bond that should’ve strengthened her, kept her thriving, had only made her weak instead.

Hunter never accepted us neither did his wolf.

And mine? She was fading. I knew if I stayed, I’d lose her. And without her, I’d die too.

We fed off the scraps of affection from the mate who never wanted us. And I was done starving.

---

Edelworth Pack stood proud in the west of the werewolf realm, one of the elite packs trusted by the Werewolf King himself in Crescent City.

I wore a simple dress, nothing extravagant.

Even though I was technically the Luna of the Moonveil Pack, the most powerful pack in Crescent, no one outside the inner circle knew.

It was Hunter’s idea. His parents agreed. Even the council supported it for my safety.

But I knew the truth. He was ashamed of me.

Ashamed that I was his mate.

Because it was supposed to be Ellena.

Everyone around me wore luxury—shimmering dresses, velvet coats, silk ties.

They were Alphas, Betas, Lunas from known packs. No omegas allowed. No servants. No one here knew the truth. No one knew I was the Edelworth pack's real daughter.

My parents buried the truth to protect their reputation. They still let Ellena shine in my place. Still claimed her as their only daughter .

And me?

Just a mistake they were forced to accept.

How cruel.

I walked toward my father and bowed. “Alpha Robert… here’s my gift.”

One of his men took it from my hands. He gave me a nod. Nothing more.

I was used to it.

I thought the truth of being their real daughter would make me feel like I belonged. But it didn’t.

I remember standing her when I was ten, watching my parents laugh and adore Ellena. The one who stole everything that was meant to be mine.

I bit the inside of my cheek and turned to leave.

And that’s when I saw Ellena and Hunter.

Her hand curled around his arm like she owned him. He wore a sharp black coat, tie crisp, eyes calm. She wore lavender silk that shimmered under the lights.

They looked perfect.

Beautiful, even.

And maybe…

Maybe they really were a better match.

They were heading toward us.

My mother passed by me like I was invisible, eyes lit up at the sight of Ellena.

Hunter’s eyes met mine. I clenched my jaw and stepped forward.

To everyone else here, I was nothing but his personal servant.

How cruel. How unfair.

Once, I accepted it.

Just so I could be near him.

So stupid.

“Take this and give it to the Alpha,” Hunter said, holding out a gift box.

I didn’t move.

Ellena and my mother both turned toward me, eyes narrowing.

“Why didn’t you take it?” Ellena asked, her voice sweet but sharp.

Hunter’s tone hardened. “Are you refusing your Alpha now?”

I stared directly into his blue eyes. My voice was calm, empty, dead of all emotion.

“I’m done, Hunter. I’m no longer your servant.”

A burst rippled through the room.

Hunter’s eyes widened.

And for the first time…

I saw fear in them.

Four

Kristine's POV

Murmurs erupted like wildfire across the room. Murmurs. Whispers. Judging eyes.

How could a servant speak that way to an Alpha—especially Alpha Hunter?

Hunter’s eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched. “What did you just say?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but I could hear the rage bubbling beneath it.

Everyone respected him for his strength, his power, his ruthless dominance.

No one dared to cross him. Because crossing Hunter meant living in misery.

But I already lived through worst.

Every moment I spent beneath his shadow—unloved, unseen, unloved—taught me that. All I believed about love, he shattered. And now, I had nothing left to believe in.

“I said, I don’t want to be your servant anymore,” I repeated, steady and firm.

A few people looked at me like I’d signed my death sentence. Maybe I had.

Hunter smiled. That cold, sharp smile that never reached his eyes.

“You don’t get to say that. You don’t have the right to walk away.”

Ellena, of course, had to insert herself.

“Kris, you need to think carefully about what you’re saying,” she said sweetly. “You could be punished by Alpha Hunter for this.”

My eyes burned as I stared at them. At her.

Then at him.

At the mother who stood off to the side, saying nothing. No defense. No words. Just cold silence.

I swallowed hard. Pressed my lips together.

Then smiled. Wide.

“A servant? I’m done with that lie. I’m done lowering myself just to be seen. I don’t deserve this treatment not from you, not from any of you.”

Murmurs again. My parents looked horrified.

Finally, emotion from them.

“Let’s talk about this privately,” my father said, stepping in. “This is not the place.... especially not during my birthday celebration.”

My father.

How strange those words felt in my mouth.

Because he never treated me like his daughter. None of them ever did.

“You’re right, Alpha Luther,” Hunter replied, eyes shifting to him.

My mother raised her voice, announcing some surprise to distract the crowd. The guests' attention moved, but mine didn’t.

“My decision is final,” I said. “I refuse to live beneath you all. I am not a thing to step so low. I am done.”

I turned to leave but Hunter grabbed my arm.

“You can’t say that. Are you planning to tell them the truth?” he hissed through clenched teeth.

I calmly pulled his hand off my arm and stared him dead in the eye.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t plan on telling anyone anything… if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Then I walked away. He called after me. “We’re not done, Kristine!”

“Let her go, Alpha,” Ellena said from behind. “She’s probably just upset you never came home.”

I ignored them both as I passed through the hall doors.

The cold night air kissed my skin like a long-lost friend.

I breathed it in. Freedom.

I looked around and knew... I wouldn’t miss this place.

Not the people.

Not the pain.

A weight lifted off me.

No more bowing my head.

No more begging.

No more trying to be loved by people who had none to give.

I heard her voice behind me.

“Kristine.”

I stopped. Turned around to my mother.

The one whose face I shared—the copper-golden hair, the same eyes.

And yet… no warmth. Only cold rejection.

I didn’t say anything.

Once, I would’ve looked at her with longing.

Now?

That longing was gone.

She stopped in front of me without words she slapped me.

The sting was sharp, but I didn’t flinch. I taste the metallic in my mouth.

“How dare you try to ruin your father’s celebration!” she snapped.

Then I sighed.

“Are you satisfied now? Will you punish me next?”

She froze.

Maybe she saw it—

The absence of tears.

The silence of a broken wolf.

No pleading.

No apologizing.

Just… nothing.

“You’re just like Timothy,” she spat. “He raised you to be a liar. Evil, like him.”

Uncle Timothy.

The man who actually loved me. He cared for me like I was his own. He told me he was sorry. That he regretted switching me.

I forgive him because I truly now understand how he live a life of false accusation that no one believe him even at his death. I long to be on his last day but they wouldn’t let me attend to his funeral.

“You may be my daughter,” she said bitterly, “but he poisoned you. I don’t know how to fix you.”

Fix me?

I almost laughed.

“Fix?” I echoed quietly.

Then I turned away.

“I don’t want to see any of you again.”

She called after me, but I shifted.

Let the pain pour into my paws, my speed, my sprint. And I ran. Tears stinging my eyes.

I did not deserve any of this.

And I would never forgive them.

Not in this life.

Not in the next.

Five

Kristine's POV

I was just closing the book I’d been reading when the chamber door creaked open. I masked my surprise.

It was Hunter.

He smelled like strong liquor and his eyes landed on me, and a crooked smile curved on his lips.

“Enjoying yourself after trying to humiliate me?” he said, half amused, half annoyed.

“Bad move, Kris. You dared me in front of everyone. What was that nonsense about not wanting to act like my personal servant? You want people to know you’re bonded to me?”

I let out a tired sigh as he stopped at the foot of the bed.

“I already told you—I don’t care about letting anyone know,” I said, standing up and walking past him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was clipped now, the bite unmistakable.

“You’re the one sleeping here. And if I remember correctly, you didn’t want me here if you are here.”

I reminded him of his own words, spoken so coldly after our wedding.

“Did I say you could leave?”

“What do you want from me, Hunter?” I turned to him. “You want me to stand here while you spit cruelty at me? No, thanks. I’d rather be in the other room with my peace.”

His eyes darkened, jaw ticking in frustration.

“You’re not like this… What are you mad about now? I don’t understand you.”

I met his gaze head-on.

“I’m not mad, Alpha Hunter. I’m just done. I’m not your servant and I won’t act like one anymore.”

“You’re my wife, Kristine. Have you forgotten what this marriage is about?” he growled.

Ah. The marriage. The one he never wanted.

The one forced upon him after Ellena ran off to chase her dreams of fame. He didn’t marry me out of love. I was married him to keep Moonveil from becoming an enemy.

Ellena left. And I was left to carry the weight of her choices… and the full force of Hunter’s hatred.

“I haven’t forgotten,” I said coldly. “Ellena’s back now. You can marry her, finally. But I don’t deserve this... this hate just because the woman you actually love didn’t choose you. I was dragged into this for the sake of the pack. I accepted it. What did I ever do to deserve your anger?”

He had no answer. His mouth opened slightly, but nothing came out.

“Kris…” he said softly, guilt flickering in his tone.

“You know I loved you,” I whispered. “I told you I loved you. And I endured all your hatred for it. But now… now I see what a fool I’ve been.”

I opened the door. And I walked out.

Tears welled up, but I wiped them away quickly.

I wouldn’t cry for him. Not anymore.

---

The next morning… Ellena stood in the main hall with a suitcase beside her.

She smiled like she owned the place.

“Sis! Where’s Alpha Hunter?” she asked brightly.

“I don’t know,” I answered flatly.

She moved to hug me, but I sidestepped. She pouted like a child.

“Sis Kris, are you mad at me?” Her sugary-sweet voice made my wolf snarl.

If I were still blind, I’d fall for her innocent act. Back then, I treated her like a sister even stood by her. But not anymore.

“No, I’m not mad,” I said with a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. I eyed her suitcase. “Looks like you’ll be staying a while.”

She beamed.

“Alpha Hunter told me to move in! He said he wanted me close. You’re not mad, right, Sis Kris?” Her eyes sparkled but behind that gleam, I saw the mockery.

“Suit yourself.”

I turned to leave but she grabbed my wrist.

I felt it Hunter approaching.

“You don’t seem too happy, Sis Kris,” she whimpered. “I think I should go…”

Her voice cracked with false tears. My jaw clenched. She wanted to paint me as the villain.

Then she stumbled backward and fell to the floor.

“Kristine!” Hunter’s voice thundered through the hall.

He rushed to Ellena, who was crying as if I’d shoved her.

“Don’t be mad at Sis Kris, Alpha. She didn’t push me. I just tripped,” she said between sobs, pouting and trembling like a child.

Hunter cupped her cheek like she was made of glass.

“Believe her, Alpha. I didn’t push her,” I said calmly.

But Hunter was already glaring at me. His jaw locked, fists clenched.

“I saw you, Kristine. Don’t lie to me! You have no right to drive Ellena out, she’s staying here. How many times have you hurt her? I won’t let you do it again. I’m the Alpha here! You are just a Luna.... and barely one!”

Ellena smiled behind him. That cruel, victorious smile.

I didn’t flinch. I stared at him, cold and unshaken.

“I know my place, Alpha Hunter. Believe what you want, I won’t waste my energy defending myself anymore.”

“You—!”

He grabbed my jaw in fury. “Kristine, remember this. If you ever hurt Ellena again, I’ll make you regret it.”

His grip tightened before he let go. My lips trembled with anger. My wolf howled inside, clawing to break free, to rip him apart.

“GUARD!” he roared. “Take the Luna to the dungeon. Let her rot there for a day!”

The guards approached. I straightened my spine. Lifted my chin.

“You don’t have to drag me. I’m going.”

I threw one last look at them—Hunter and his beloved Ellena.

My eyes cold.

Dead.

And I walked…

Six

Kristine's POV

I had just been released from the dungeon, my body aching and spirit drained. I went straight to my room to clean myself, hoping for a moment of peace.

But the second I opened the door, there she was, Ellena, sitting comfortably on my bed like she owned the place.

“How was your night in the dungeon, Sis Kris? Hungry?” she asked with fake sweetness dripping from every word.

I kept my face blank.

“What are you doing in my room?”

She stood, flipping her hair as she glanced around the small space.

“I just wanted to see what kind of room Alpha Hunter gave you. It’s near the servants’ quarters… how fitting.”

She smiled with mock pity.

I held her gaze.

“Do you think Hunter picked this room for me? No, Ellena. I chose this room. He actually offered the one next to his but I’m not interested in hearing you two screwing all night. You’re free to do whatever you want in the Alpha’s chamber.”

Her face darkened.

She stepped closer, her voice dropping. “Doesn’t it kill you? Knowing he’s mine now? That he touches me, marks me, claims me while you rot hoping he could love you?”

I laughed. A real, raw laugh that made her pause.

“What’s funny?” she snapped.

“You, Ellena. You thinking I still care. Please. I’m not chasing after a man who never wanted me. You can have him all of him. I’m not a fool anymore.”

The flicker of rage in her eyes? That was satisfaction enough.

“Don’t act like you didn't care, Kristine. You’re weak. Pathetic. No one believes you. Not even him. He chose me. Everyone believes me.”

“Then congratulations,” I said flatly. “You can keep the lies and the crowd.”

Her face twisted. “You think this is over?” she hissed. “I’m not done ruining you.”

Before I could move, she snatched a glass off the table and hurled it. It shattered near my shoulder, shards scattering like tiny blades.

I stepped back, my arms instinctively raised. “What on earth is wrong with you?!”

She grinned like the monster she was. “You deserve to suffer.”

Then she did the unthinkable.

She grabbed a jagged shard and sliced her own hand, deep. Blood gushed instantly.

“Help!” she screamed. “She attacked me!”

I stood frozen. “What are you—?!”

The door slammed open. Hunter stormed in, eyes wild, taking in the scene—me, shocked and wide-eyed. Ellena, crying, bleeding, acting.

“My Sis tried to hurt me!” she sobbed. “She's mad because of me she was punish, Alpha!”

“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “She attacked me—she cut herself—”

Hunter’s hand cracked across my cheek before I even saw it coming.

“You’ve gone too far,” he snarled. “You dare raise a hand against your sister?”

I stumbled, stunned.

“You didn’t even ask what happened,” I whispered. “You just… believed her.”

“I warned you,” he growled. “And you never listened. You’ll be punished. Guards! Silver shackle her. Let her feel what betrayal feels like.”

Tears stung my eyes, but I met his gaze with bitterness. “I’ll never forgive you.”

They dragged me down, shackled me in silver that burned into my skin, searing into my soul. My wolf howled, but she was weak... too weak.

Time passed.

Pain swallowed everything. Until one night, a sharp, unbearable ache ripped through me. My stomach twisted. Fire tore between my legs. I screamed for help but no one came.

I collapsed in the darkness.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the healer’s hut. Pale. Empty.

“The Alpha ordered your release,” she said softly. “And brought you here.”

Her eyes were full of sorrow.

“I’m sorry, Luna. I tried to save the pup… but your body and your wolf was too weak.”

I blinked.

Pregnant?

I never even knew. How could I, when my wolf had been so weak all this time?

Something cracked inside me. Something that would never heal.

“Does the Alpha know?” I asked.

The healer hesitated. “I was afraid to tell him. If he knew… he might punish me for failing.”

“I’ll tell him,” I said, my voice flat. Dead.

She handed me a small wooden box, my pup, lifeless and still.

I wanted to cry.

But I was too tired.

Hunter arrived a few minutes later. His face twisted with guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t think… I didn’t know you were that weak. I nearly killed you.”

His worry meant nothing now.

“I’m alive,” I said coldly. “Disappointed?”

“Kris, please… I didn’t mean to. I just wanted you to stop hurting your sister.”

“I never touched her,” I said. “But believe what you want.”

I walked past him, box in hand.

He called after me. “What’s that? Kristine?”

I didn’t answer.

And went to my room, pack all the things I needed, and looked at it once.

Then I walked to the river, every step dragging the weight of everything I once loved.

Then I threw it all in, the letters, the gifts, the handmade things, all of it.

The suitcase sank slowly, taking my pain with it. My phone rang, it was Hunter. I answered the call.

“Kristine! Where are you? You're not healed yet! I know you're angry. I didn’t mean it! I feel guilty—”

A car pulled up. A man stepped out and opened the door for me.

I whispered into the phone. “I left a birthday gift for you, Hunter. You”

"But I am asking you where are you? Servant saw you left with a suitcase. Are you planning to leave? Just because I—”

Before he could finished, I ended the call.

And threw the phone into the river too.

I got into the car without looking back as it moved away.