Laura stumbled through the forest, her hand pressing against rough tree bark as she moved. Her other hand clutched at her chest where the broken mate bond left a burning hole. Each breath hurt like knives in her lungs. Her legs nearly gave out with every step, but still, she pushed on.
The pain was worse than anything she'd ever felt. She could handle cuts and wounds just fine - she had been a warrior once. But this? This felt like her very soul was being torn apart.
"Keep moving," she told herself, her voice rough. "Just keep moving."
Her wolf cried inside her mind, a sad, painful sound that shook her whole body. It was the howl of an animal who had lost its other half, who couldn't understand why this had happened. The wolf wanted to give up, to let the pain take over both of them.
But Laura said no.
A strong wave of pain hit her, knocking her to her knees. She tried to throw up, but her stomach was empty. Cold sweat soaked her dress, the pretty gown she'd worn for the gathering now ripped and dirty.
"Why?" she gasped as she dug her fingers into the wet dirt. "Why did I ever trust him?"
Memories filled her mind without her wanting them. Kieran's smile when they first met. The warm feel of his hand during their mating dance. The soft way he'd promised, "I'll never let anything hurt you."
Now those memories felt like poison.
"Liar," Laura hissed through tight teeth. "It was all a lie."
She hated that she had let him rule over her, that she had given herself to him only for him to throw her away when he thought she was no use.
She forced herself to stand, her legs shaking badly. The moon hung high, filling the woods with light that seemed to mock her. How many nights had she stood with Kieran during the moon rites? Playing the perfect Luna?
Voices came through the trees, making Laura freeze. Pack members. She pressed herself against a big oak, holding her breath despite the pain in her body.
"She went this way," a man's voice said. Laura knew it - Thorne, one of Kieran's loyal men.
"Why are we even out here?" another voice asked. "Kieran said to let her go."
"Just checking," Thorne said. "He wants to make sure she's really leaving pack lands."
Laura's heart beat harder, making her hands shake.
"Do you think she will live?" a third voice asked, softer than the others.
Thorne laughed, his laugh cold and mean. "No one lives through a broken mate bond. Not someone as weak as her. She was never fit to be Luna."
"Kieran was right to replace her," the second voice agreed. "The pack needs cubs. What good is a Luna who can't have pups?"
"Elise already has Kieran wrapped around her finger," Thorne said with a laugh. "Did you see how Laura fell to the floor? That was pathetic."
Their voices grew faint as they walked away, but their words stayed, cutting deep.
For a moment, Laura thought about calling out to them. These were the wolves she had lived with for years. The pack she had served well.
Would none of you help me?
But she knew the answer. To them, she was already dead.
She pushed away from the tree, forcing her shaky legs to carry her deeper into the forest. Away from Silver Moon lands. Away from the only home she'd known for years.
"They think I'm weak," Laura whispered, her words barely loud enough for her own ears. "They've always thought I was weak."
More pain shot through her chest, making her bite her lip until she tasted blood, all to keep from screaming. The pain of the cut bond was getting worse, not better. Would she just fall here in the woods, alone and gone?
"No," she growled, the force in her voice shocking her. It reminded her of who she was before—before she became Kieran's Luna, before she learned to soften her edges and quiet her strength.
The cold wind blew through her thin dress, but she barely felt it. Her body burned with fever, sweat sticking her hair to her face despite the cold air. She knew what was going on. The broken bond was killing her, just as Kieran had said it would.
"You'll never live without me," his words echoed in her mind.
Laura fell again, this time hitting the forest floor hard. The ground seemed to move under her, the trees spinning. Her sight blurred.
She rolled onto her back, looking up at the stars through the tree tops. They seemed so far away, cold and uncaring about her pain.
"I was a warrior once," she reminded herself, her voice a whisper in the quiet woods. "Before him. Before all of this."
She had lost that woman, lost her strength, her fire, her will to stand tall. Kieran had wanted a meek Luna, and she had changed herself, hiding her true self so deep she'd almost lost her for good.
"I can be her again," Laura whispered. "I have to be."
She rolled to her side, then pushed herself up on hands and knees. Every move sent fresh waves of pain through her body. Her arms shook badly, almost giving way.
With that firm thought, she moved forward into the unknown.