The Cure To My Pain

For three years, I lay dying from a poison, my only hope a single-dose antidote, the Moonpetal Elixir. My husband, Alpha Joshua, had played the part of a devoted mate, and I trusted him to save me.

But through our fading bond, I overheard his secret command to the pack's healer.

"Give the Moonpetal Elixir to Ella Campbell's mother."

His reason shattered my world: "Ella gave me a son. A healthy, strong son." He had a secret family. The past three years of his loving care were a lie. He was just waiting for me to die.

He even brought me their leftover soup, calling me "the sick wolf," and defiled my parents' sacred home with his mistress and their child. He planned to tell the pack my cure was stolen, turning my death into a tragedy for his own gain.

He thought I was a weak, dying wolf. He had no idea what kind of storm he had just awakened.

That night, I gathered the last of my strength and severed our mate bond. The pain was excruciating, but I walked out of that house of lies, leaving only my wedding ring behind. I would not die. I would live to watch his world burn.

Chapter 1

KATHLEEN POV:

For three years, the Wolfsbane Essence has been a slow, cold poison in my veins. It kept my inner wolf dormant, a whimpering ghost in the back of my mind, and chained my body to this bed. But today, there was hope. A single, perfect bloom of Moonpetal, the only known antidote, was finally ready. The pack's Healer said the elixir would be prepared by nightfall.

Hope was a fragile, unfamiliar thing.

I lay still, my breathing shallow, and focused on the one connection the poison couldn't sever: the Mate Bond. It was a faint, frayed thread connecting me to my husband, Alpha Joshua Hayes. Usually, it was a source of comfort. Today, it was a conduit for my doom.

The Mind-Link is a connection all pack members share, a way to communicate silently. But the link between Mates is supposed to be a sacred, private channel. Mine with Joshua had grown weak, but sometimes, when his emotions were strong, I could catch echoes of his thoughts.

Right now, his thoughts were a deafening roar, not meant for me. He was mind-linking with Brennen, the pack's lead doctor.

"Give the Moonpetal Elixir to Ella Campbell's mother," Joshua's mental voice commanded, sharp and absolute.

The words didn't make sense. My mind felt foggy, slow. It had to be a mistake.

Brennen's reply was hesitant, laced with confusion. "But Alpha… the elixir was for Luna Kathleen. It's her only chance."

A cold dread washed over me, heavier than the poison itself. My heart, which usually beat so faintly, began to thud against my ribs.

Joshua's response was ice, but I felt a flicker beneath it—a brief, sharp image of my own pale face, quickly shoved aside. "Ella gave me a son. A healthy, strong son. Her mother will have the elixir. That is my final command."

A son.

The two words echoed in the hollow space of my chest. A son. He had a son with another woman. The realization didn't come with a flood of tears, but with a terrifying, soul-crushing quiet.

My inner wolf, the one I hadn't truly felt in years, let out a long, mournful howl in my mind, a sound of pure agony.