Isla's POV
I watch Dante collapse at the gates as I walk away.
His warriors rush to help him up. He's screaming my name. Begging. The mighty Alpha Blackthorn on his knees in the dirt, broken.
I feel nothing.
That scares me more than anything. Seven years I loved this man. Gave him everything. And now, watching him suffer, I feel empty.
"You did well," Moira says beside me. "That was harder than it looked."
"It was easy," I whisper. "That's what scares me."
Inside the mansion, Lyra waits by the stairs. She heard the shouting. Saw everything through the window.
"Was that Daddy?" Her small voice cuts through my numbness.
I kneel in front of her. "Yes, baby. That was Daddy."
"Why was he crying?"
How do I explain this to a seven-year-old? How do I tell her that her father threw us away and now wants us back? That he made the woman who poisoned me into his new Luna? That everything is broken beyond repair?
"Grownup stuff," I finally say. "Nothing for you to worry about."
Lyra's ice-blue eyes—my eyes—stare into mine. "Are we going back to him?"
"No." The word comes out firm. Final. "No, we're never going back."
"Good." Lyra hugs me tight. "I like it here. Grandma Moira is nice. And she doesn't smell sad like you always did at the packhouse."
Out of the mouths of babes. My seven-year-old daughter knew I was miserable. Of course she did. Children see everything.
"Tomorrow we're getting you enrolled in a new school," I tell her. "You'll make new friends. Have a new life. How does that sound?"
Lyra's face lights up. "Really? Can I join the art club? Daddy never let me do art because he said it was a waste of time."
Rage flashes through me. Another thing Dante stole from her. "You can join any club you want. Art, music, sports—anything that makes you happy."
"What about Kieran?" Lyra's voice gets quiet. "Is he coming too?"
The question I've been dreading. "No, sweetheart. Kieran is staying with Daddy."
"Because he doesn't want us anymore?"
The pain in her voice kills me. "It's complicated—"
"No it's not." Lyra pulls back, and there are tears in her eyes. "Kieran picked Miss Serena over you. I saw it. He called her Mommy right in front of you." Her small hands ball into fists. "I hate him for that. I hate him for making you cry."
"Lyra, don't say that. He's your brother—"
"He was mean to you! For months before we left! He said awful things and laughed when Miss Serena was cruel!" She's crying now. "Why do you still defend him? He hurt you!"
She's right. Even at five years old, Kieran made choices. Choices to reject me. To embrace Serena. Dark magic might have influenced him, but he still said the words. Still called another woman Mommy while I stood right there.
"You're right," I admit quietly. "He did hurt me. And I don't know if I can forgive that yet."
Lyra hugs me again. "You don't have to forgive anybody, Mommy. Grandma Moira says we're Morven now. We're royalty. And royalty doesn't apologize to people who hurt them."
I laugh through tears. "Did Grandma really say that?"
"She said lots of things." Lyra grins. "She said you're going to be the most powerful Luna in the country. And that Daddy's going to regret being stupid for the rest of his life. And that I'm a princess now."
Moira appears in the doorway, not even pretending she wasn't listening. "I stand by all those statements."
That night, I can't sleep. The confrontation with Dante keeps replaying. The look on his face when I told him about the baby. The desperation. The regret.
Too little, too late.
I open my mother's letter. The one she wrote before she died.
My dearest Isla,
If you're reading this, it means you've claimed your heritage. It means you've learned who you really are. I'm so proud of you, even though I'll never get to tell you in person.
I know my mother told you about the sacrifices your father and I made. About choosing love over power. I want you to know something important: I never regretted it. Not once. Your father loved me like I was precious. Like I mattered. That's worth more than any empire.
But here's what I learned too late: love should never require you to become smaller. If someone truly loves you, they'll celebrate your power, not fear it. They'll lift you up, not hold you down.
If you had to walk away from someone to claim this letter, then they weren't worthy of you. And that's okay. Sometimes the bravest thing we do is admit we loved the wrong person.
Be brave, my darling girl. Be powerful. Be yourself. And never, ever let anyone make you feel like you're too much or not enough.
You're perfect exactly as you are.
Love always, Mom
I'm sobbing by the end. Twenty-six years I've waited to hear these words. To know my mother would have been proud of me.
A knock on my door. Moira enters without waiting.
"I heard crying." She sits on my bed. "The letter?"
I nod, unable to speak.
"Your mother was special," Moira says softly. "Stubborn. Fierce. Loved with her whole heart. You're exactly like her." She wipes my tears. "She would have hated Dante for how he treated you. Probably would have challenged him to a fight."
That makes me laugh. "Really?"
"Absolutely. Catherine didn't tolerate disrespect. From anyone." Moira's smile fades. "Which brings me to tomorrow. The bond severing ritual."
My stomach clenches. "I'm ready."
"Are you?" Moira's violet eyes search mine. "Because once it's done, it's permanent. No second chances. No going back. Even if Dante changes. Even if he spends the rest of his life trying to make amends. The bond will be dead."
"Good," I say firmly. "I don't want his amends. I don't want his apologies. I want him out of my heart forever."
Moira nods slowly. "Then we'll do it tomorrow at midnight. Under the full moon. It will hurt—severing a mate bond is like ripping out part of your soul. But you'll survive. Morven women always do."
She leaves me alone with my mother's letter and my thoughts.
Tomorrow I'll be free. Truly free.
So why does part of me feel like I'm about to lose something irreplaceable?
Morning comes too fast. I take Lyra to Silver Moon Academy—the exclusive shifter school where Morven children have studied for generations.
The principal greets us personally. "Miss Morven! What an honor! We heard about your return to the family. Welcome home."
Lyra holds my hand tight. She's nervous. New schools are scary.
"Lyra's been through a lot," I tell the principal quietly. "She might need extra patience."
"Of course. We'll take excellent care of her." The principal smiles at Lyra. "Did you know we have the best art program in the region? Your grandmother helped fund it."
Lyra's eyes go wide. "Really?"
As they discuss art classes, I feel eyes on me. Other parents dropping off their kids. They're staring. Whispering.
"Is that really Isla Blackthorn?"
"I heard she left her mate."
"No, I heard he cheated and she's actually a Morven heir."
"Poor thing. Two kids and he still stepped out."
Let them whisper. Let them talk. Soon they'll know the truth. Soon they'll know exactly who I am.
"Mommy?" Lyra tugs my hand. "Will Daddy find us here?"
I kneel down, looking into her worried face. "Maybe. But we don't need him to be happy, do we?"
Lyra thinks about it seriously. Then she hugs me tight. "I like it better with just us. Daddy was always cold. You're warm."
The simple truth from a child's mouth breaks something loose in my chest. All the tears I've held back, all the pain I've swallowed, all the years of pretending everything was fine.
I'm crying in front of the whole school. Don't even care.
"I love you so much," I whisper to my daughter. "You're the best thing I ever did."
"I love you too, Mommy." She wipes my tears with her small hands. "Don't be sad. We're going to be okay now. Grandma promised."
The principal gives us a moment. Other parents look away, giving us privacy.
When I finally pull myself together, Lyra skips off to her classroom. Happy. Excited. Free.
That's all I ever wanted for her.
I'm walking to my car when someone calls my name.
"Isla? Isla Morven?"
I turn. A man stands there. Handsome. Familiar somehow. Amber hair. Kind golden eyes.
"I'm sorry," he says. "I don't mean to bother you. But I had to introduce myself." He offers his hand. "I'm Caden Rivers. Alpha of the Rivers Pack. I knew your mother years ago."
Caden Rivers. The name rings a bell from Moira's stories. A good Alpha. Fair. Honorable.
"Nice to meet you," I say carefully.
"I heard about your return to the Morven family. I wanted to offer my congratulations." His smile is genuine. Warm. Nothing like Dante's cold masks. "And my condolences. I heard about your mate situation. That must be difficult."
"It's over," I say simply. "As of tonight."
His eyebrows rise. "The severing ritual? That's brave. Most wolves can't go through with it."
"I'm not most wolves."
"No." His golden eyes study me with interest. "I don't think you are." He pulls out a business card. "If you ever need anything—an alliance, advice, or just someone to talk to who understands pack politics—call me. No strings attached."
I take the card, suspicious. "Why would you help me?"
"Because your mother once helped my father when no one else would. Because the Morven family deserves respect, not the gossip I've been hearing." He steps back. "And because something tells me you're about to shake up the entire shifter world, and I'd like to be on your side when you do."
He walks away before I can respond.
I stare at his card. Then at the school where my daughter is learning to be happy again. Then at the sky where the full moon is already rising, waiting for tonight.
Tonight I sever the bond. Tonight I become truly free.
But as I drive back to the mansion, my phone rings. Marcus.
"Isla, don't hang up. Please."
"Why are you calling me?" My voice is ice.
"Because you need to know something before you sever the bond." He sounds desperate. "About the baby you lost two years ago. About what really happened."
My blood runs cold. "I already know. Serena poisoned me."
"Yes. But there's more." Marcus's voice drops. "Dante didn't know. I swear on my own mate bond, he didn't know. But Isla... I did."
The world stops.
"What?"
"I knew," Marcus whispers. "I saw Serena giving you that tea. I smelled something wrong. And I suspected but I didn't tell Dante because... because I was afraid. Afraid of causing pack problems. Afraid of being wrong." His voice breaks. "I let your baby die because I was a coward. And I've lived with that guilt every day since."
I can't breathe.
"You knew?" My voice sounds hollow. "You KNEW and you let it happen?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I know it doesn't fix anything but—"
I hang up. Throw my phone across the car.
Marcus knew. Dante's Beta. His best friend. The man I trusted to protect the pack. He knew Serena was poisoning me and said nothing.
How many others knew? How many wolves in that pack watched me suffer and stayed silent?
I'm shaking so hard I have to pull over.
My phone rings again. Different number. I almost don't answer.
"What?" I snap.
"Isla Morven?" A female voice. Official. Cold. "This is Elder Sarah from the Blackthorn Pack Council. I'm calling to inform you of an emergency hearing scheduled for tomorrow at noon. Your presence is required."
"Required? I'm not part of your pack anymore—"
"You're still legally Luna until the bond is severed. And there are charges being brought against you by Luna Serena."
My blood turns to ice. "What charges?"
"Abandonment of pack duties. Kidnapping of pack heir Lyra Blackthorn. And conspiracy to harm the current Luna." Elder Sarah's voice holds no sympathy. "If you don't appear, you'll be declared a rogue and hunted."
The call ends.
I sit in my car, hands shaking, as the full moon rises higher.
In eight hours, I was supposed to sever the bond and be free forever.
Instead, I have to face Dante's pack council and the woman who murdered my baby.
And if I don't show up, they'll send hunters after me and Lyra.
I'm trapped.