spanng="EN"(Theodore’s POV)

spanng="EN"My sudden intrusion into the sacred grove caused chaos. Guests screamed and scattered as my pack enforcers surrounded the altar.

spanng="EN"“What are you doing?” The groom threw a punch toward my face.

spanng="EN"My enforcer captain caught his fist mid–swing. The bride struggled violently in my arms, her hand connecting with my cheek in a sharp p.

spanng="EN"“What kind of bastard are you, daring to cause trouble at my mating ceremony!” she cursed.

spanng="EN"The unfamiliar female voice made my heart contract sharply. I turned to look at the bride properly for the first time.

spanng="EN"This wasn’t Olivia. The realization hit me like a physical blow.

spanng="EN"The stranger’s face was nothing like my mate’s. Her eyes were brown, not the deep grey I knew so well. Her hair was blonde, not the raven ck that haunted my dreams.

spanng="EN"I looked like a vampire in that moment. The bride shrank back into the groom’s arms, terror written across her features.

spanng="EN"“Who are you?” they stammered together. “I don’t know you at all. Why are you ruining our mating ceremony?”

spanng="EN"My grip loosened, and she stumbled away from me. The reality crashed down like a avnche.

spanng="EN"“Where is my mate?” I demanded, my voice cold as winter ice.

spanng="EN"I grabbed the groom by the neck, lifting him slightly off the ground. “Her name is on the list for this mating ceremony.

spanng="EN"Where is she?”

spanng="EN"My menacing grip and the pack enforcers surrounding us terrified the guests. Several people backed toward the exits.

spanng="EN"The enforcer captain quickly disyed Olivia’s photo on a tablet. “Anyone who provides information about this woman will receive a substantial reward.”

spanng="EN"A guest suddenly cried out in recognition. “I know her! That woman was here today.”

spanng="EN"My head snapped toward the voice. An elderly man stepped forward nervously.

spanng="EN"“She had two pups with her, and a man,” he continued. “I heard the pups call them ‘Dad‘ and ‘Mom‘. They must be a family of four!”

spanng="EN"A family of four. The words struck me like a physical blow.

spanng="EN"My already weak body staggered back into my pack enforcers‘ arms. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

spanng="EN"“Where did they go?” I asked, my lips trembling uncontrobly.

spanng="EN"The guest replied quickly, “The Memorial Cemetery. It was built tomemorate the victims of the earthquake.”

spanng="EN"He added that the sacred grove itself had been built on the former epicenter. The name Killian Vance shed through my mind along with a faded old photograph.

spanng="EN"As I rushed toward the exit, I heard the bride and groom exchanging their vows. “I ept this bond,” they said in unison.

spanng="EN"The sound painfully reminded me of my own mating ceremony to Olivia. The happiness I had since destroyed with my own hands.

spanng="EN"(Olivia’s POV)

spanng="EN"At the memorial cemetery, I knelt before two connected tombstones. The moonflowers in my hands were fresh and white.

spanng="EN"Killian stood behind me, holding our baby daughter Aurora. ra leaned against my side, her small face sad.

spanng="EN"“Don’t worry,” I whispered to the gravestones. “I will love ra as if she were my own pup.”

spanng="EN"The tombstones belonged to Killian’s parents. They had died in the earthquake that destroyed this region years ago.

spanng="EN"Suddenly, we heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Familiar voices carried on the wind.

spanng="EN"Not wanting any trouble, I took Aurora from Killian’s arms. With a shared nce, we moved quickly toward a nearby thicket of bushes.

spanng="EN"The dense foliage provided perfect cover. Aurora remained silent in my arms, as if sensing the need for quiet.

spanng="EN"From our hiding spot, I watched Theodore arrive with his pack enforcers. He looked terrible – pale and weak, barely able to stand.

spanng="EN"“Search everywhere!” he ordered frantically. “Check all the surveince cameras!”

spanng="EN"I remained calm, knowing my presence would never be captured on any camera. My old training had taught me how to avoid detection.

spanng="EN"Theodore’s eyes suddenly fixated on something in the distance. The ssh of white moonflowers I had just ced caught his attention.

spanng="EN"He stumbled toward the tombstones, touching the still–moist petals with shaking fingers. His face contorted with desperate hope.

spanng="EN"“My mate was just here!” he roared, grabbing his pack enforcer captain’s cor. “Find her now!”

spanng="EN"(Theodore’s POV)

spanng="EN"Suddenly, a pup’s cry pierced the air. My head snapped up, searching desperately for the source.

spanng="EN"I didn’t see Olivia. Instead, I caught a fleeting glimpse of a white figure getting into a ck car at the back gate.

spanng="EN"My legs gave out as I stumbled toward the gate. The car disappeared at a crossroads before I could reach it.

spanng="EN"The pain of being so close yet losing her tore through my chest. I fell to one knee, my voice breaking.

spanng="EN"“My mate, don’t go…” I whispered. “Give me one more chance…”

spanng="EN"Half an hourter, my pack enforcers returned empty–handed. They had lost the car in the city traffic.

spanng="EN"The final thread of hope snapped inside me. My legs buckledpletely, and I copsed onto the cemetery ground.

spanng="EN"As my enforcers carried me toward the medical vehicle, I overheard their hushed discussion. Their words cut deeper than any de.

spanng="EN"“Did you see the surveince footage from the chapel?” one whispered.

spanng="EN"“There was a ring on Luna Olivia’s finger,” another replied. “And that man with her…”

spanng="EN"“The baby looked about a year old. She’s already been marked by another Alpha.”

spanng="EN"“She’s started a new family. She has no intention of ever returning.”

spanng="EN"Hearing their words, my hand slid from my chest. A single tear traced a path down my face.

spanng="EN"I was finally tasting the same bitter fruit of despair I had forced upon her. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

spanng="EN"The heart monitor attached to my chest let out a long, piercing “Beep-” The sound of a heart stopping.

spanng="EN"733 dayster.

spanng="EN"(Leo’s POV)

spanng="EN"Grandma Eleonora found me in the yard at Lyra’s Hope Sanctuary. Her face looked older and sadder than before.

spanng="EN"“Your father is in the ICU now,” she told me gently. “He can’t look after you anymore.”

spanng="EN"My small face crumpled. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I violently pushed Rosalie to the ground.

spanng="EN"“Don’t call me brother!” I screamed at her. “You made my mommy leave me, my daddy leave me, and now my daddy is dying!”

spanng="EN"I turned my tear–streaked face to Grandma, my voice choked with usation. “Grandma, Rosalie said it’s all your fault!”

spanng="EN"“You disliked Mommy because her health was bad and she couldn’t give me a sister,” I continued. “So you let Rosalie’s mommy have a baby!”

spanng="EN"I grabbed her sleeve, my small body shaking with sobs. “Grandma, I don’t want a sister anymore! Give me my mommy back!”

spanng="EN"“I don’t want to be a boy without a mom. Everyone bullies me andughs at me…” My voice brokepletely.

spanng="EN"“I miss Mommy so much, it hurts right here.” I clutched my chest where the pain lived.

spanng="EN"Grandma’s face turned pale. She tried to pull me into her embrace, but I pulled away.

spanng="EN"“No,” I said, my voice small but firm. “Dad said if I stay here, Mommy wille back one day.”

spanng="EN"“It’s been 733 days…” I counted carefully. “She’lle for me soon, right, Grandma? When it’s my birthday, Mommy will definitelye back.”

spanng="EN"I told her how I had tried to be good. How I didn’t fight back when other pups hit me anymore.

spanng="EN"“I’m not a troublesome pup anymore,” I whispered. “Mommy, pleasee back soon.”

spanng="EN"My strength gave out, and I copsed weakly into Grandma’s arms. Just then, I heard a familiar call.

spanng="EN"“Leo.”