Chapter 3

Seraphina's POV

On the third morning, I wandered aimlessly through the garden.

News of the empire's dissolution had spread across the continent. The palace was in chaos—generals plotting, servants whispering, pack leaders watching. I felt their stares: confused, angry, bewildered.

My body grew weaker by the hour. Dissolving the empire cost more than I'd imagined. Every step felt like walking on cotton, my inner wolf listless and frail.

"So this is your new game?"

A cold voice came from behind. I turned to see Lysander by the roses, blue eyes filled with suspicion and mockery.

"What game?" I kept my voice steady.

"Stop the act, Seraphina." He approached. "Dissolving the empire, fake repentance—you think this earns you sympathy?"

"I don't want sympathy."

"No?" He sneered. "Then why? Overnight transformation from conqueror to savior? You think I'll buy that?"

Looking at his furious face, my heart ached to the point of suffocation. Through our mate bond, I felt his turmoil and rage—emotions slicing through my heart like knives.

"Do you want the truth?" I asked softly.

"Speak." He stopped before me, gaze sharp as a blade. "Let's see what new lie you've cooked up."

I took a deep breath and met his eyes. "I'm severing our mate bond."

His expression changed instantly, blue eyes widening. "What?"

"I willingly sever the mate bond between us." I repeated in the ancient ritual language. "Lysander, you're completely free now."

"Are you INSANE?" He stepped back, shock flashing in his eyes. "Severing the mate bond will KILL you!"

"I know." I said calmly. "But this is the freedom you deserve."

"What new manipulation is this?" His voice trembled before turning angry. "You think threatening me with death will make me go soft?"

"It's not a threat." I shook my head and began chanting the severing incantation. "It's redemption."

"STOP!" He roared, but it was too late.

Ancient spells couldn't be halted once begun. Excruciating pain surged through my chest, as if someone had sliced my heart with a blade.

Lysander clutched his chest in agony too, face turning pale. Mate bond rupture brought deadly pain to both parties.

"Ahh—" I screamed as blood poured from my mouth.

He trembled in pain but his fury burned brighter. "You CRAZY bitch! What are you doing?"

I continued chanting. My inner wolf wailed mournfully, sensing what its master was doing. The mate bond was wolves' most sacred connection—forcibly severing it was like tearing a soul in half.

"Stop it!" Lysander roared, trying to rush forward, but the spell's power formed a barrier.

"I can't... stop..." I said with difficulty. "This is... for your own good..."

Blood flowed from all my senses. Lysander grew paler. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest, eyes showing anger, confusion, and an emotion I couldn't read.

"WHY?" He asked through gritted teeth. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because..." I said weakly, "because you deserve freedom..."

As I spoke the final words, my chest felt like it exploded. The invisible bond connecting us for ten years finally snapped.

I collapsed, gasping. My chest felt hollow, as if I'd lost something irreplaceable.

Lysander lay on the ground, pale as paper. But compared to physical pain, the rage in his eyes was more terrifying.

"You..." He struggled to stand, voice shaking. "What the HELL do you want?"

I tried to get up, but my legs were too weak. Without the mate bond, I could no longer sense his emotions, and he couldn't feel my pain.

"I just wanted to set you free..." I said weakly.

"Free?" He laughed coldly, though the sound carried pain. "This is your idea of freedom? Nearly killing us both?"

"You're truly free now..." I managed. "Never again bound by me..."

He walked over and looked down at me. "Trying to gain sympathy with this act? You vicious bitch, I will NEVER be fooled by your schemes."

"This isn't..." I tried to explain.

"Isn't what? Not a scheme?" His voice grew colder. "First dissolving the empire, now severing the bond. You want everyone to think you've suddenly turned good? That you've truly repented?"

"I haven't..."

"Seraphina." He crouched down, using the cruelest tone possible. "You think this will make me forgive you? Make me forget you killed Delphine?"

I looked into his eyes—seeing only disgust and hatred.

"You'll always be that cold-blooded conqueror." He stood. "No act will change that. This fake righteousness is more disgusting than outright murder."

He walked away without looking back.

I watched his figure disappear into the garden's depths, the hollow feeling in my chest intensifying as tears blurred my vision.

More than physical pain, this emotional emptiness was devastating. For the first time in ten years, I was completely cut off from him. His joys and sorrows, his struggles—none of it connected to me anymore.

I had gotten what I wanted—his freedom.

So why did I feel like I'd lost the entire world?