Lysandra’s POV

Tristan froze above me. His hands loosened their grip on my wrists as he pulled back from my neck, his expression shifting from lust to disbelief. I seized the opportunity to slide my hands protectively over my stomach, an instinctive gesture to shield the tiny lives growing inside me.

“You know what you’re saying?” he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous low.

I searched his face for any sign of hurt or regret, but found only cold fury in those stormy eyes. Of course he wasn’t upset. Nullifying the mark would free him from our sham mating, give him what he truly wanted – freedom to be with Selene without the inconvenience of a mate. I was nothing but an obligation forced upon him by his father.

“I’m saying I want to end the bond.” My voice broke as tears welled in my eyes. “I can’t live like this anymore.”

Tristan stood up from the bed, his tall frame looming over me. A flash of silver crossed his eyes – his wolf stirring beneath the surface. His fists clenched and unclenched, knuckles turning white with restrained violence.

“Boring,” he said dismissively. “You’re nothing but trouble. A worthless wolfless werewolf dares to mention bond severance?” His voice deepened, dripping with threat. “Your very existence is an insult to the purity of the Silverblood Pack.”

His brow furrowed in pure Alpha contempt, dangerous light dancing in his eyes. The air in the room grew heavy with his anger, almost suffocating. Despite my fear, I found strength in thinking of my unborn children. I wouldn’t let them grow up in this toxic environment.

I reached toward the bedside drawer, my hand trembling slightly as I retrieved the severance scroll. “I’m not joking. I’m serious.” I held them out for him to see. “Look at the date—I’ve been preparing for a long time.”

“What are these?” he snarled, disgust twisting his features. He snatched the scroll from my hand, scanning them quickly.

“I’ve already signed them. You just need to sign, and I’ll no longer be your wife or your burden.”

Tristan threw the scroll to the floor, stomping on them as he passed. “What do you take me for? A puppet you can manipulate at will? You think you can do whatever you want?” His voice dropped to a feral growl. “No one, no one dictates terms to me.”

In a blur of movement, his hand shot out, wrapping around my throat. His fingers dug into my skin as his eyes transformed completely into blood-red orbs – the Blood Gaze, a rare manifestation of Alpha rage. The pressure of his fingers made it hard to breathe.

“I could snap your neck as easily as crushing an insect,” he whispered.

I clawed at his fingers, gasping for air. “I’m… leaving the Silverblood Pack.”

A laugh burst from his lips, cold and mocking. “Are you serious? A defective specimen like you without even a pathetic wolf? Where would you go if you left my pack? Who would take in a useless werewolf? You’d become a rogue, hunted, killed.”

His grip tightened, pulling me closer to his face. “You think the outside world would be kind to a stray wolf? You’d be prey, torn apart by any passing Alpha. If you’re lucky, maybe you’d end up as a whore in some low-ranking pack. Is that the freedom you want?”

I stared into his hate-filled eyes, my chest tightening with a pain so sharp I could hardly breathe. How could he hate me so much, when I had given him everything I had? I wasn’t the only one he slept with, but I was the only one he despised.