EPISODE 18
The sky roared with thunder, shaking the earth beneath us. All of Amethyst remained awake hrough the night, restless and uneasy. The storm never came, yet the air was thick with something unseen, something foreboding. When dawn finally arrived, the pack emerged from heir dens, eyes scanning the sky as if expecting an answer.
Then it happened.
A sensation like a snap inside my mind, a bond severed so cleanly it left nothing behind. A gasp ippled through the pack as they felt it too. It was as if an invisible bond that had once connected us all had shattered, leaving behind a gaping emptiness.
Some staggered, confused by the sudden loss of strength, but dismissed it as exhaustion from a sleepless night.
What they didn’t know was that in breaking my bond with Daniel, I had severed my ties to the
back as well.
The Moon Goddess, ever watchful, had cast her judgment. They had turned a blind eye to my suffering, had allowed my pain to fester, and for that, they were cursed. Their fate was sealed. No blessing would ever grace this land again.
They would not realize it until it was too late, until the pack crumbled and they were cast out as
ogues.
Daniel, more than anyone, knew the truth of what had transpired. He had been at Helen’s side when the healer confirmed the loss of her child. A strange ringing filled his ears, drowning out the voices around him. It didn’t make sense. Helen was due in a matter of days. Why had the oup still been stillborn?
Even if it had come early, it should have had a fighting chance.
The news of my broken bond spread like wildfire. Whispers slithered through the pack, feeding on speculation and half–truths. The timing was too perfect. I had cast Daniel aside, and Helen had lost her pup. The rumors grew into accusations, and soon, my name was spoken only in
hushed, wary tones.
I didn’t care.
With only a small bundle of my belongings, I left.
My brother helped me find shelter in an abandoned shack near the border, far enough from the pack to avoid their judgmental stares. Some of my siblings had wanted to come with me, but our father had forbidden it. He was furious, blaming me for Helen’s loss. My brothers could only offer whispered apologies before turning away, bound by duty and fear of exile.
I accepted their words without resentment. I understood the burden they carried, the impossible. choice they had to make. They were not my blood siblings, but at that moment, their concern was enough.
At least some of them still cared, and that was enough for me.
Despite everything, I did not leave the territory immediately. Isolation became my reality, as no one dared to approach me. The pack treated me as if I were a disease, something tainted. To them, I was carrying a rogue’s child, a stain upon their honor. I remained near the border, my
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presence turning my former den into a ghostly, forgotten place.
Days passed, and then Daniel came.
He stood outside the shack, his voice carrying through the wooden walls. He begged for forgiveness, pleaded for me to listen. When I remained silent, his words turned to anger, threats, accusations, desperation. None of it mattered. I did not open the door. I did not acknowledge his
existence.
Daniel had crossed a line, one that could never be undone.
And for the first time, he understood the weight of what he had lost.
He had once thought of me as nothing more than an obligation, a mate forced upon him by the Goddess. He had played the part of the doting husband, but in truth, he had never seen me as his equal.
Yet now, as he stood outside my door, his voice raw with regret, he realized that I had been the one constant in his life. I had cared for him, had loved him despite his cruelty.
And now, I am gone.
After another day of rejection, Daniel finally turned his attention back to Helen. He had spent so much time chasing after me that he had nearly forgotten her loss.
Deciding to check on her, he made his way to the healer’s hut. Before stepping inside, he overheard voices from within. Helen’s voice, light and carefree, drifted through the air, accompanied by another woman’s laughter.
“Honestly, it’s better this way,” Helen said, unconcerned. “The pup wasn’t Daniel’s anyway.”
Silence.
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
Helen continued, oblivious to the man standing just outside.
“I only slept with that fool for fun. I didn’t think I’d actually get pregnant. If the pup had been born, anyone with eyes would have known the truth. It wouldn’t have looked anything like Daniel. But the Moon Goddess must love me after all. She made sure he never saw it.”
Daniel pushed open the door, and the air in the hut grew thick with tension. Helen turned, her face paling as she met his gaze. The raw fury in his eyes was unlike anything she had ever seen. “You lied to me,” Daniel whispered, his voice trembling. “You carried another man’s child and let me believe it was mine.”
Helen took a step back, her lips parting with a nervous laugh. “Daniel, it’s not-”
“Not what?” His voice was eerily calm. “Not what it sounds like?”
For the first time in his life, Daniel felt true, unfiltered rage. It coiled within him, a beast unleashed. Without another word, he lunged.
The healer’s hut was silent once more, save for the sound of heavy breathing.
Helen lay still, her eyes wide with shock, a crimson pool forming beneath her.
Daniel stood over her, his hands shaking. He had lost everything.
His mate, his child, his honor.
And now, he had blood on his hands.
EPISODE 18
8.46 pm D
The storm that had never come that night had finally arrived.
