Chapter 5

The timed video uploads to social media were my final "last words" and my perfect revenge for this ridiculous mate bond. I had spent weeks preparing them, ensuring that the truth would come out exactly when I wanted it to, when it would cause maximum impact. While those videos were creating a storm of public opinion throughout Hethrgard, I was sitting in a small apartment in an unknown pack territory thousands of miles away, watching the falling snow through floor-to-ceiling windows. Here was no Silverton family drama, no Andrew's false tenderness—only quiet silence and shelves full of herb fragrance from the medicinal plants I was cultivating. I used my savings to open a small clinic, treating omegas and stray animals that other healers deemed too insignificant for their attention. The work was simple but satisfying, each successful treatment a small victory that belonged entirely to me. A month later, the staff member who had provided my fake death service contacted me with upda