Chapter 3 Late that night, a violent shock ripped through my mind. This wasn't a mind-link. It was an invasion. Instantly, feelings that weren't mine flooded my body. Hot skin, ragged breaths, and the feeling of being filled... "Feel that, Elysia?" Lydia's voice echoed in my head, dripping with vicious pleasure. "This is what a real mating feels like. Pure pleasure. Something you could never give him." I shot up in bed, severing the connection. But the sensations lingered. Damon's hands, Damon's kisses, Damon's body. Sent to me, through her. That bitch. I blocked her from my mind. The next morning, I went straight to the tactical command center to confront Damon. I was going to officially reject him and leave the Blackmoon Pack. I knew he was always there at dawn, planning the pack's strategy. No exceptions. The main door was shut. I went to a side entrance where a one-way observation crystal was set. Laughter echoed from inside. "Alpha, you were with Lydia again last night. Looks like she's really going to be our Luna," a voice said. "But using a 'Soul-link spell' to make Elysia think you were Fated Mates? For six years? How are you going to explain that when you bond with someone else?" My blood ran cold. "She'll never know," Damon's voice dripped with arrogance. "That shaman's magic was worth every coin. The spell was flawless-it fooled her and her wolf completely." "But why?" another man asked. "Elysia is strong. Loyal." "Too strong," Damon's voice turned cold. "So strong I couldn't feel my own authority. Mates are supposed to complement each other, not compete." "So you chose Lydia?" "A real woman," his voice was laced with a primal satisfaction. "Submissive, worships me, and never tries to take control in bed. That's the kind of mate an Alpha needs." The laughter started again. "Poor Elysia. Living a lie for six years." "She'll never find out," Damon said with cruel certainty. "Once the Soul-link spell is cast, it makes her believe our connection is the Moon Goddess's will. Even if I choose Lydia, she'll just blame herself for not being good enough." My knees buckled. I slammed back against the wall, the corridor spinning violently around me. Six years. Six years of what I thought was love, destiny, a connection of souls. All fake. It was magic. A spell. A carefully planned deception. All those nights I felt his pain and couldn't sleep. All those battles where I thought we were one mind. All those moments I thought he could feel my love for him. All of it was a lie. I was a puppet, controlled by a spell. A tool he used to secure his power. The voices inside continued. "What if she finds out?" "She won't," Damon laughed. "Elysia is too proud. She'd rather believe she failed than suspect fate itself deceived her." Enough. It seemed I didn't need to reject him after all. There was never anything between us to begin with. I walked away from the door, down the empty hall. I yanked my comm crystal from my pocket. My fingers flew, sending one message. Not to Damon. To every member of the Elders' Council. "I, Head Beta Elysia of the Thundering Peaks clan, am formally challenging Alpha Damon Blackmoon before the Council. He has abused his power and broken pack law. I am officially resigning as Head Beta and leaving this pack." Sent. Then, a second message. To Alpha Adrian of the Red River Pack. "Adrian, you once said your offer to mate was a standing one. Does it still stand? Damon and I are over. For good." The reply was instantaneous. "Anything for you, my princess." The last message, I sent to my father. Alpha of the Thundering Peaks Pack. He had once arranged for me to be mated with Adrian, who was then the heir to the Red River Pack. But I chose Damon, because of my 'fated bond.' How I regretted it now... I thought my father would scold me, but he simply said: "Daughter, I'm waiting for you to come home." I stared at the message, and the tears finally fell. My father's words erased my last doubt. I left everything behind and walked away without a second thought. The Blackmoon Pack was now nothing to me. As for his retribution, it has only just begun now.