The Wolf Comes Crawling After the Bond Is Broken

Not only did Arthene steal the credit for me protecting him with my life, but it even became proof of my infidelity?

"No… It was me that night…"

Crying, I tried to explain while desperately grabbing at his pant leg. "You drank my blood… Arthene's lying to you…"

"Get off!" Ares stepped on my palm and ground it hard into the dirt.

"Ah!"

After a while, he finally grew tired of it and kicked me away again.

I fell into a muddy pit with a thud. If only I were a vase, then I could just shatter into pieces right here and now.

But through my blurred vision, I saw my Snow Wolf hide that was covered in footprints. That was my last memento, my last thing I had of my "home".

Gritting my teeth, I stretched out my hand with all my might. If only I could touch just a little bit…

"Oh dear. Trash is such an unsightly thing here." Arthene thoughtfully picked it up and extended it toward the nearby bonfire.

"No!" I summoned the strength I didn't know I had and lunged for the hide.

"Ah! Ares, she's trying to hurt me!" Arthene shouted.

In the chaos, my hair was pulled, and my face was slapped. I didn't know who were the ones doing this to me.

"If you like it so much, then take it!"

The burning wolf hide was thrown at me, but I staggered toward it without hesitation.

For a moment, I thought I was in the embrace of my mate. I paid the price for a brief warmth by subsequently scrambling on the ground to put out the fire.

By the time the fire was put out, I had no strength left. While wrapped in the wolf hide that now sported a large hole, I slumped into the mud.

The crowd averted their gaze.

Ares turned to the pack members who had spoken up for him and Arthene.

"I swear on the Moon Goddess that Estella is impure, disloyal, and a fraud. I refuse to accept such a filthy she-wolf as my mate.

"From this day forward, my Luna will only be the untainted Arthene."

An earth-shattering snap echoed in my mind. Deep in my soul, I felt the golden thread of our mate bond get brutally broken apart by him.

I spat out a mouthful of blood.

At the very moment the bond broke, a pain a hundred times worse than my soul being torn apart erupted from deep within my bones.

The curse… had descended. This was the most tragic destined constitution among a very select few of the females of the Moonriver pack—the Seven-Day Withering.

Once rejected by one's fated mate in public, their life would start counting down. The flesh would wither, and their bones would shatter as a sign of the curse's backlash.

Seven days. I only had seven days left.

"Ugh…"I curled up on the ground, writhing in agony.

"Stop pretending." Ares scoffed.

He approached me and nudged my still-twitching hand with the toe of his boot.

"Everyone knows breaking a bond at most causes dizziness for a couple of days. You're in so much pain that you spit blood and have full-body convulsions?"

He crouched down, mocking, "Estella, are you trying to win sympathy with such lousy displays of suffering?

"Save it. It just proves how utterly shameless you really are."

I opened my mouth, but the pain I felt left me voiceless. He had no idea about the curse!

"Throw her to the mass graves at the back of the mountain. Don't let her taint Arthene's Luna Ceremony," Ares said.

Two guards stepped forward, lifted me up, and dragged me away.

Spit, stones, and rotten vegetables rained down upon me. Every werewolf present cursed me for being filthy while cheering for Ares' wise decision.

I had no strength to resist. I could only grip the tattered wolf hide tightly and turn back with effort, taking one last look at the platform.

Ares was lowering his head to kiss Arthene, while the fool who willingly "dirtied" herself to keep him "pure" fell apart.

"Ares…" In my heart, I silently spoke the final words to that fading silhouette. "You goddamn bastard."

Just before I lost consciousness, in the center of the square, I saw the totem pillar that survived only because of my Blood Offering crack ever so slightly.