I Escaped After My Alpha Poisoned Me for His Mistress
Chapter 5
The morning of the Blood Moon Run dawned with a crimson hue across the sky. I stood at my bedroom window, watching as pack members prepared for the night's festivities. None of them knew this would be my last day as their Luna.
"Are you sure about this?" Scott's voice came through the secure phone line.
"I've never been more certain," I replied, my fingers tracing the rejection letter in my pocket. "I'll meet you at the eastern border at midnight."
After hanging up, I slipped out of the Pack House through the servants' entrance. The old oak tree waited for me at the edge of our territory—our tree, where eighteen-year-old Cade and I had buried our dreams ten years ago.
The soil was soft beneath my fingers as I knelt beside the gnarled trunk. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, sensing what was coming. *Soon*, I promised her. *Soon we'll be free*.
I dug carefully, my hands remembering the exact spot where we'd buried our time capsule. The metal box emerged slowly from the earth, its surface tarnished but intact. I brushed away the dirt and lifted it into my lap.
"You came," the phantom Cade whispered, materializing beside me.
I nodded, unable to speak as I opened the box. Inside lay a faded polaroid of us—two teenagers with wild hair and hopeful eyes, arms wrapped around each other. Next to it was a folded piece of paper, the edges worn from my countless readings over the years.
I unfolded it carefully, the handwritten words blurring through my tears:
"To Sofia, my true north. I swear to protect you, to cherish you, to be worthy of your love until my last breath. No matter what power or position I may hold, you will always be my priority. My heart. My home."
The phantom Cade's eyes filled with tears as he stared at the note. "He meant it," he whispered. "That day, he truly meant it."
"I know," I said softly. "But that boy is gone."
---
From my pocket, I withdrew the rejection letter I'd drafted so many times. The final version was simple, direct:
"I, Sofia Reed, reject you, Cade Foster, Alpha of the Silverfang Pack, as my mate. I release you from all bonds, all promises, all ties that bind us. By the power of the Moon Goddess, I sever what was joined."
I placed it in the metal box, my hand trembling slightly.
Next came my Luna ring—the heavy platinum band that marked me as Cade's mate. It slid off my finger with surprising ease, as if it had been waiting for this moment. I dropped it into the box with a dull thud.
Finally, I unfastened the woven hemp bracelet from my wrist—the one Cade had made for me during our first summer together. Each strand represented a promise, each knot a memory. It was the only jewelry I truly valued.
"I'm sorry," I whispered as I placed it in the box.
---
I turned to the phantom Cade, who watched me with resigned eyes.
"I can't save him," I said softly. "And I can't save you."
He nodded slowly, his translucent form shimmering in the morning light. "I know. I've known for a long time."
I reached out instinctively, my fingers passing through his cheek as I tried to wipe away a tear that wasn't really there. But this time, I felt something—a faint sensation of cold static that made my skin prickle.
"I'm sorry," I whispered again.
The phantom smiled sadly. "Don't be. This is how it has to be." He began to fade, his form dissolving into mist that curled around my fingers. "Be free, Sofia."
I watched as he disappeared completely, leaving me alone with the open time capsule and the weight of my decision.
---
I closed the metal box with a decisive snap. The sound echoed in the quiet clearing like a gunshot.
Miles away in the Pack House war room, Cade doubled over suddenly, a roar of pure agony tearing from his throat. He clutched at his chest as if something vital had been ripped from him.
"Alpha!" Marcus rushed forward, catching him as he collapsed.
Cade's eyes widened in shock and pain. "Sofia," he gasped, his voice raw. "She's... she's rejecting me."
The bond between us—the connection that had sustained us for ten years—began to tear. I felt it like a physical pain in my chest, but I remained resolute as I buried the time capsule once more.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard the first howls of the Blood Moon Run beginning. Soon, chaos would reign, and I would slip away in the confusion.
I placed my hand over my heart, feeling it beat steadily despite the pain. "Goodbye, Cade," I whispered.
As I walked away from the oak tree, I didn't look back. The future awaited me beyond our territory's borders—a future I would shape for myself, not as a Luna, but as a woman reclaiming her worth.
