Alpha's Oath, Omega's Rise

I ran through the storm, clutching the one herb that could save her. My mate, Seraphina, had lost her memory in a Rogue attack a month ago-an attack where she'd thrown herself in front of an arrow meant for me. This rare Moonpetal grass was our last hope of bringing her back to me.

As I neared her villa, I reached out through our Mind-Link, only to hear her voice already there, laughing with someone else. "Honestly, it's just a game," she said, her thoughts sharp and cruel. "I'll play with the little Omega for another month, tops. Then I'll stage a dramatic 'recovery' and go back to being Kaelen's devoted Luna."

The world went silent. The herb slipped from my numb fingers, its silver light extinguished in the mud. Seven years of devotion, the three years she'd relentlessly pursued me, the sacred vow I broke to make her my Chosen Mate-it was all a game to cure her boredom. The Rogue attack, the memory loss, her near-death experience saving my life... all of it was a lie.

A growl tore from my chest, my inner wolf clawing at the cage of my control. The woman I had spent a fortune trying to heal, the mate I would have given my life for, was laughing at my devotion while planning her next move. The irony was a physical blow, leaving nothing but a hollow ache where my heart used to be.

I turned my back on the warm, lying light of her villa and walked straight to the Hall of Elders. Kneeling before the Moon Goddess, my voice stripped of all warmth, I invoked the Rite of Severance, breaking our bond forever. Then I relinquished my title as Alpha. I chose exile.