Freya’s POV

"Freya, there's an emergency at the pack border. The marriage registration for today is canceled!"

I stared at my phone, and the floor seemed to sink out from under me. Mocking stares came at me from every direction at the registration office, slapping against my face.

This was the seventh time Felix had canceled our marriage registration.

The first time, his adopted sister Sylviahad cut her finger. Felix forced me out of the car on the highway, and my feet were covered in blood by the time I reached the manor. When Felix came home, he mocked me for being an Omega who couldn't even heal a few blisters. Then he made me scrub the floors all night because Sylvia was afraid of blood, and he wouldn't allow even a hint of it in the estate.

The second time, Sylvia's cat needed neutering, and she insisted Felix stay with her. He never knew I had turned down an offer from the lab in the pack capital for this registration; that position would have made me wealthier than all the packs in North America. I learned later the role went straight to Sylvia , her name posted right where mine should have been.

The third time was even more ridiculous. Sylvia claimed her crystal ball had predicted that our registration day would bring her bad luck. Therefore, Felix stopped the clerk mid-stamp, spun around and roared at me, accusing me of trying to hurt Sylvia on purpose.

Then came the fourth, fifth and sixth times—Sylvia drove a knife straight into my heart to stop the registration.

My grandfather, the former Alpha of Silver Creek Pack, was furious. He swore to wage war against the Blood Moon Pack!

Felix begged him to let Sylvia go overseas instead. He stood by my hospital bed and swore we would register on my twenty-second birthday.

That day was today.

Felix had sent Sylvia away half a year ago. This could not be about her.

He had never abandoned the idea of binding himself to me no matter what had happened before. He had saved my life once. The pack elders often said a soul was granted seven chances, so I was willing to trust him one last time, no matter what.

I had to give him this final chance.

I would head straight to his office. If the pack truly faced an emergency, maybe I could help.

I slammed my foot down on the brake twenty minutes later. Tires screeched over the crushed stone driveway at the entrance of Blood Moon Manor. I threw the car door shut and stormed up the steps.

The guards did not block my way—everyone here knew who I was, the long-time fiancée of Blood Moon Pack’s Alpha, the she-wolf meant to complete the registration with him today.

I ignored their pitying gazes, walked into the main building, crossed the hall, and stopped outside Felix’s study.

The door stood slightly ajar.

My blood turned to ice—

Felix sat on the edge of the sofa, Sylviapressed almost entirely against his chest, looking every inch a fated pair.

Silver bullets seemed to tear into my heart one after another. My knuckles whitened around the doorknob.

“Sylvia, I told you, you are the luna I actually want.” Felix eased her away from him, his voice soft. “You are clever, kind, and strong. I only agreed to mark Freya because her grandfather threatened war on Blood Moon. But her uncle holds the alpha title now, and he cares nothing for who abandons her.”

“Why not refuse the registration outright?” Sylvia asked, her tone sharp with discontent.

“I still need her. My brother, the Alpha King, has no luna, and the council grows restless. If I keep up the appearance of devotion, the council will push to crown me king instead.”

That was the truth. He had tricked me again! He saw me only as a tool. Just like the six times before, he had never intended to marry me.

I bit my lip and shoved the door open hard.

I told myself I would not back down, not for this seventh time.

The door struck the wall, and both of them turned.

“Freya?” Felix jumped away from Sylvia at the sound, his voice turning sharp. “You should have called first. And I told you, there was an emergency today.”

“An emergency? You mean pinning your adopted sister to the sofa and kissing her?” A cold laugh escaped my throat. “I’m sure the whole Blood Moon Pack would love to hear this story.”

“Watch your tongue, Freya.” Felix’s expression darkened.

I forced down the pain tearing through my chest and answered calmly, “Save it, Felix. We are done.”

“No! Freya, I’m so sorry!” Sylvia scrambled up from the sofa, instantly putting on a helpless look. “I didn’t mean to stop your registration. I had a nightmare where Felix left me, and I only needed to confirm it wasn’t real…”

I looked at her. “So when you get scared, the solution is to shove your tongue into someone else’s fiancé’s mouth?”

Her face draining of colour, she stumbled back a step the next instant and crumpled to the ground.

I froze for a heartbeat — I had never laid a hand on her, not once.

Felix was already rushing over to catch her, then spun around and shoved me hard. My back crashed into the wall with a heavy thud, and pain exploded inside my skull.

“Are you insane?” Felix glared at me. “Sylvia is fragile! How dare you strike her!”

I fought through the pain. “Felix, I didn’t lay a single fucking finger on her. Call off the wedding.”

“Enough.” His tone turned impatient.

He settled Sylvia back onto the sofa, then turned to me. For the first time, there was no false tenderness in his eyes.

“You are overreacting. You are nothing, Freya.”

He stared at me coldly. “You should be grateful I would make you my luna. So hold your tongue, and swallow all this pain, all this betrayal, as sweetly as if it were cheese.”

I stared at him in disbelief. The walls seemed to close in, and I could barely breathe. “What if I refuse?”

He laughed, full of contempt. “You won’t. Your uncle’s pack will not take you, and your grandfather is no longer alpha. He has no power to protect you. Trust me, Freya. Say nothing, do nothing, and wait quietly for the next time I summon you for registration.”

Crack—

I did not hesitate this time. My palm cracked across his cheek, the sound echoing through the study.

“This is the last time.” I straightened and lifted my chin. “We are finished. From this second onward, you have no right to claim me as your mate.”

As the words left my mouth, I was grateful for the first time in my life that I did not have a wolf. We were not fated mates, and no mark bound us, so my body did not suffer the soul-rending break the old tales described. Still, a heavy blow crashed straight into my heart.

Dizziness washed over me. I had to get away.

“Freya!” Felix roared. “If you walk out that door, the registration is canceled for good!”

I did not stop.

Sylvia’s voice came from behind me. “Pay no mind to her words. She has nowhere to go. A weak thing with no wolf like her has no one to turn to except clinging to an alpha like you.”

I tightened my hand around the door handle and swallowed the metallic taste in my mouth. Even if I were torn apart by rogues, I would never return to Felix, not for the rest of my life.

I walked all the way out of the Alpha Manor. Only when the cold wind hit me did I realize my entire body was shaking. My fingers grew numb with frost, while my heart hammered wildly inside my chest, each thump a reminder that everything that had just happened was real.

I kept walking mechanically, unsure how much time passed, before my phone lit up. The screen still showed the page for that one-of-a-kind wedding dress, the one I had imagined wearing to marry Felix.

I stared at it for a few seconds, closed the tab, pulled up Felix’s contact, blocked him, and deleted every trace of him without exception.

The phone rang then.

A name flashed on the screen: Howard. My grandfather.

I stared at it for a long moment before answering.

“My dearest Freya!” Grandfather’s voice bubbled with excitement. “I just tried on my suit. I will be the handsomest old man at the wedding! I sent you photos.”

My nose stung, and my throat closed up as if a stone were lodged there. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make myself say it—the wedding was off.

“Great,” I whispered. “I’ll help you pick.”

“Perfect!” Grandfather laughed happily. “My little pumpkin has finally found her happiness. Your parents will be overjoyed.”

The call ended.

I stood on the street, wind whipping my hair against my face. Invitations had been sent, the venue booked, flowers, the band, guests… even Grandfather’s tie still waited to be chosen.

Everything was prepared except for one thing. The groom.

I watched the traffic across the road, and a wild thought popped into my head--I had poured so much into this wedding, and that custom gown had never been worn. Why did the groom have to be Felix?

I could replace him. With someone like… the Alpha King.

My heart gave a heavy lurch. Before I could even manage a bitter smile, my phone vibrated again.

An unknown number. I hesitated, then answered.

“Miss Freya.” A deep, commanding voice came through the line. “This is Adrian. I know everything that unfolded today at Blood Moon Manor.”

My breath caught sharply.

“I need a luna.” He said.