98
The world seemed to still around us as I stood, potion in hand, my fingers trembling. This was it. The end. My heart pounded in my chest. each beat a thunderous reminder of the life–changing decision I was about to make. I glanced at Martin, his eyes wide with disbelief, his body tense with the weight of what was coming.
“Ella,” he rasped, his voice raw. “Don’t do this.“>
His words were filled with desperation, but they fell on deaf ears. He had used that voice on me so many times–commanding, pleading, laced with a possessiveness that once made me feel wanted. But now it only reminded me of the chains that had bound me to a life of misery, of sacrifice, of loss.
I raised the vial of the severance potion to my lips, the liquid inside a swirling, dark red. I could feel its energy even before it touched my tongue, like a storm trapped in a bottle, waiting to be unleashed. The magic was dangerous, lethal even. There was a chance it could kill me, but that risk was worth it to finally be free of him.
“No!” Martin took a step forward, his hand reaching out to stop me. His eyes blazed with fear and anger, emotions I had rarely seen in him. Not like this. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”
“I know exactly what I’m doing,” I said, my voice steady, though my heart screamed otherwise. “I’m breaking free, Alpha. Free of you, free of the pain you’ve caused me.”
His face twisted in confusion and something that almost resembled hurt. He still couldn’t understand. He still couldn’t see how deep my suffering had gone. I had been his Luna in name only, the woman meant to stand by his side, but I had never been his choice. Not when Marcella entered the picture. Not when I had begged for his attention, his affection, his love.
And then there was the child–our child–that he never knew about. That loss was my burden to bear alone.
“Ella, please—” His voice cracked, the Alpha veneer slipping. For a moment, I saw the man beneath the title, the one who had once charmed me with his strength and promise. But it was too late. That man was a shadow, a ghost of what could have been.
“I can’t live like this anymore,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion.
The silence between us stretched thin as the tension hung in the air. My wolf whined softly inside me, conflicted and weak, but she, too, knew that this was the only way. Our mate had abandoned us in every way that mattered. The bond that had once tethered us to Martin had become a chain dragging me down into an endless pit of despair.
Martin’s gaze locked on mine, and I saw the flicker of realization dawn in his eyes. He finally understood the depth of my resolve, the severity of what I was about to do. “You don’t need to do this,” he said, his tone softening. “We can fix this, Ella. I didn’t know… I didn’t realize how much I hurt you.“>
“You never did.” The words came out sharper than I intended, a sliver of the anger I had buried so deep within me. “And now it’s too late.“}
His eyes glistened with something close to regret, but it wasn’t enough. It could never be enough.
Without another word, I tilted the vial to my lips and drank the potion.
The moment the liquid hit my tongue, it was like swallowing fire. I gasped, the searing heat spreading through my body, burning through every fiber of my being. The bond between us, the one that had tied me to Martin for so long, began to unravel. I could feel it, ripping and tearing inside me, as if a piece of my soul was being torn away. My wolf howled in agony, the pain almost unbearable.}
Martin staggered back, clutching his chest as he, too, felt the bond severing. His face contorted in shock, pain lancing through him. “Fuck… no, Ella!” His voice was desperate now, filled with panic as he realized just how serious this was. “Stop! You’ll die!“}
I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath as the potion did its work. Every nerve in my body screamed with pain, but I held on.
And then, before ! could say anything more, a warrior’s voice pierced the air, frantic and full of urgency.
“We are under attack!”
The room exploded into chaos. Howls filled the air as wolves shifted, their bodies rippling with power as they prepared for battle. The scent of blood hit me before I could even rise to my feet.”
Martin’s eyes widened in horror, his Alpha instincts kicking in. But all I could think was: Why now?!
