My Wife Gifted Me A Bowl Of Poison

For the sake of a mere omega plaything named Caspian, the Alpha Luna proposed at the Blood Moon Gala that she should be allowed to take two mates.

I refused to lower my dignity as a high-ranking wolf of the Sterling Pack, so I turned my back on her and married Seraphina Blackwood, who had claimed to love me for years.

After our mating ceremony, we lived in what seemed like perfect harmony, our souls supposedly in sync.

It wasn't until our sixth year of marriage that I discovered the obsidian charm she gave meDthe twin to the one she always woreDwas actually hollowed out and filled with refined wolfsbane, a slow-acting toxin meant to kill.

And that silver dagger she kept in our bedroom for years, claiming it was her most precious heirloom, was engraved with lilies.

I finally realized I was nothing more than a stumbling block she had to move for her true love, Caspian. She had endured years by my side just to pave a golden path for him to rise in the pack.

No matter how foolish I was, I couldn't ignore the truth anymore.

One bowl of poison, one Severance Decree, and I was finished with Seraphina Blackwood. We would go our separate ways, never to cross paths again.

1.

"Master Callum, your body is already so weak. Do you really not care about your life?"

My guard, Kael, had eyes red from crying as he tried to snatch the bowl from my hands. "If Lady Seraphina finds out, she will be furious!"

I gave a faint, hollow smile and took the bowl back, swallowing the bitter, brownish liquid without a single moment of hesitation.

"She will be more than happy to see this, Kael. Why would she be angry?"

My life and my love were never the things she truly wanted.

In the six years since I married Seraphina, I have endured the silent torture of her mother's constant shaming for my inability to produce an heir. I had visited every healer in the Silver Ridge Territory, only to find out today that it was all because of this poison. She never wanted to have my pups.

Even Kael, a simple guard, could see how much I was suffering. How could I, the one living through it, have been so blind?

I looked down bitterly at the obsidian charm clenched tightly in my palm.

Among all the gifts Seraphina had given me, this was the most modest, yet it was the one I cherished most.

She had once personally fastened this black stone to my belt. "Marrying you was my dream for years, Callum. Now that it's come true, I want to give you the best of everything in this world."

I grew up in the harsh northern tundras and always loved the resilience of winter blossoms. She had given me this obsidian, claiming it represented the strength of my spirit.

Back then, my heart was overflowing with joy and gratitude. I truly believed my hardships were over and that I had finally found my fated mate.

That was until the pack physician frowned while checking my pulse. "This isn't just a rare obsidian stone. It's a vessel for a poison that slowly eats away at a werewolf's core."

The lie that Seraphina had so carefully woven with threads of fake affection finally began to unravel before my eyes.

The toxic tonic worked quickly. A sharp, burning pain began to radiate through my abdomen.

The health I had spent six years trying to maintain was destroyed in a single moment.

Just then, someone hammered loudly on the bedroom door.

"Callum, what's wrong with you today? Why is the door locked?"

Seraphina's voice sounded worried and urgent, as if she were about to break the door down any second.

I hurriedly curled myself into a ball, my voice trembling as I replied, "I'm not feeling well today, Seraphina. I look terrible. I don't want you to see me like this."

She huffed in annoyance. "That won't do. If you're sick, we need to call the High Healer. Don't tell me you're being stubborn about your medicine again because it's bitter?"

"Callum Sterling, if you don't open this door right now, I'm breaking it down!"

The door shook under her strength. But just as she was about to kick it open, Seraphina's movements stopped.

A servant whispered something in her ear, and the woman who had been so desperate to see me suddenly went silent.

Her hand remained on the door, but she didn't push it open.

"Callum, something urgent has come up at the Alpha's manor. I have to go. I'll be back soon."

I let out a long, shaky breath and immediately coughed up a mouthful of blood. My hand, stained red, collapsed onto the wooden table as the last of my strength vanished.

Seraphina was a high-ranking commander of the pack. What could be so urgent in our peaceful territory?

It was nothing more than her secret lover, Caspian, catching a slight cold. The Alpha Luna's other consorts were likely blocking the healers from seeing him.

Caspian had nowhere else to turn, so he finally reached out to Seraphina. And the moment she heard he was in trouble, she lost her mind and went running to him.

How could she possibly spare a thought for me?

Kael held me, sobbing as he wiped the blood from my face with shaking hands. "Master, she has treated you with such disrespect. We can't stay here. Let's go home!"

I squinted my eyes and smiled weakly. "Yes. Let's go home."

I had almost forgotten that I, Callum Sterling, was once the most arrogant and proud young lord of the Sterling Pack, the son of the Great General.

Even without being Seraphina Blackwood's husband, I would live a much better life.

2.

The poisonous obsidian charm wasn't enough to make me completely give up on Seraphina.

Her years of supposed devotion to me were known to everyone in the pack. How could I suddenly believe it was all a performance, a sacrifice she made to clear the way for Caspian?

But two days ago, when I accidentally knocked over a silk-lined box near her desk, I could no longer lie to myself.

It was Seraphina's most prized possession, kept right within her reach. It was clear she touched and looked at it every single day.

The box was labeled "Husband," but it wasn't a gift for me. It wasn't even on the list of our wedding assets.

A silver dagger lay quietly inside, its hilt intricately carved with lilies.

The lily is a symbol of purity, usually favored by omegas and gentlemen, not something a female warrior like Seraphina would naturally pursue.

Everyone in the Silver Ridge Territory knew that Caspian, the Alpha Luna's favorite toy, loved lilies more than life itself.

My face turned pale instantly. The pain in my stomach was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.

Only one thought became clear in my mind.

"Seraphina, let's end this bond."

I dragged my exhausted body to the desk and wrote the Severance Decree, stroke by stroke.

Memories of the past years flashed before my eyes, and many things that didn't make sense before suddenly had answers.

On our wedding day, I gave her a dowry that stretched for miles. It was the same day the Alpha Luna officially took Caspian into her harem.

When I lifted her bridal veil, a tear fell from her eye. "Callum, I've finally married you."

I thought they were tears of joy. Now I knew they were tears of a broken heart.

Last year, at the Alpha Luna's birthday feast, a stray animal startled both me and Caspian, and we both fell into the lake.

I have been terrified of water since I was a pup. Seraphina knew this better than anyone. Yet, she dove into the water without hesitation and pulled Caspian out first.

Later, she held my hand and explained, "Caspian belongs to the Alpha Luna. Saving him was just a way to show my loyalty to our leader."

But the way she looked at Caspian back then... it was clearly overflowing with tenderness.

I had soaked in that freezing water for too long and grew very ill, taking three months to recover.

Looking back, the signs were always there.

I was just too stupid, allowing myself to be blinded by a dream I couldn't wake up from.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late yet.

I stopped writing and carefully folded the Severance Decree, tucking it into a small cabinet by the bed.

In about a month, it would be the Dowager Duchess's birthday. She had always been kind to me. I decided to wait until her celebration was over before I officially left Seraphina.

3.

It wasn't until late at night that Seraphina returned, her cloak covered in snow and frost.

When she pushed the door open, I was busy making a list of everything I had brought with me from the Sterling Pack.

Seraphina frowned, looking confused. "Callum, why are you suddenly organizing your things?"

Pack law dictated that when a couple separated, they had to clearly divide their personal property.

I looked up and noticed a lily-scented sachet hanging from her waist.

"I have nothing else to do at home. I'm just tidying up," I said calmly.

She let out a hidden sigh of relief and approached me with her usual intimacy. "I've been so busy lately and haven't spent enough time with you. My Callum isn't mad at me, is he?"

Seraphina's eyes were like bright stars, and she smiled at me just like she had during all those years of "bliss."

For a fleeting second, I almost believed she truly loved me.

But the sharp pain in my gut brought me back to reality. I pushed her away subtly. "You forgot. I don't like the scent of lilies."

The scent of Caspian's favorite flower was clinging to her clothes.

Seraphina's smile froze. She quickly pulled off her outer cloak. "The lieutenant's wife visited today. I must have caught the scent from her. I'll change right away..."

I sighed, feeling a deep, heavy exhaustion. I turned around and crawled into the blankets.

Seraphina waited behind the screen for a long time, expecting me to help her change like I always did. Her silhouette looked somewhat lonely.

"Callum Sterling," she snapped. "What is wrong with you today? Why do you have such a miserable face?"

"I told you the scent was an accident. You're being so petty. I didn't know a man could be so small-minded!"

Seraphina left in a fit of rage, but she stopped at the door.

She had seen my maid, Briar, washing a shirt that was heavily stained with blood.

Seraphina's eyes flickered. She grabbed Briar's arm. "This is Callum's shirt. Why is there so much blood on it?"

Briar couldn't hide the truth. Seraphina's breathing hitched as she grabbed the bloody fabric and prepared to charge back in to confront me.

But a second later, a servant from the Alpha Luna's manor rushed in to stop her, kneeling on the floor. "Lady Seraphina, something has happened at the Alpha's palace!"

Seraphina hesitated for a moment, but she turned away almost instantly. "Callum, wait for me to come back!"

She tossed the bloody shirt aside, grabbed her heavy fur coat, and ran out into the endless night.

Even a blizzard couldn't stop Seraphina from protecting her true love.

Briar and Kael looked at me with pity. I calmly told Kael to blow out the lamp and lay down in my clothes.

"Don't wait for her. She isn't coming back."

When morning came, the pillow beside me was still cold.

An official messenger from the High Alpha arrived, summoning me to the palace.

As I walked into the Grand Hall, I immediately saw Seraphina kneeling tall and proud. Beside her was Caspian, his head bowed.

She was facing the High Alpha, her voice echoing through the hall. "When the Alpha Luna bought Caspian's freedom, she promised to cherish him. But now he is weak and suffering under her neglect. Is this how she treats her favorites?"

Her tone was cold as she grabbed Caspian's hand. "If this continues, I will take Caspian with me, even if it costs me everything I own!"

I stopped in my tracks. My eyes burned as I watched them.

In the hall, the servants kept their heads down, terrified to hear such a scandal. But a few bold ones were smirking, looking at me with mockery.

Even though I had guessed the truth, seeing it with my own eyes still made my heart ache with a dull, heavy pain.

The High Alpha, who looked annoyed by Seraphina's demands, saw me and smiled. "Lady Seraphina, you protect the Alpha Luna's consort so fiercely. Have you forgotten you have a husband of your own?"

"I heard you went through a lot of trouble to marry the Sterling heir. Aren't you two the perfect couple that the whole territory admires? Do you truly have no feelings for him at all?"

I stood frozen, staring at Seraphina's back.

She didn't notice I was there. She gripped Caspian's hand even tighter. "The High Alpha must be joking. You're the one who told me that if the Alpha Luna broke her engagement with Callum, the Sterling family would never allow Caspian into the palace. To make sure Caspian was safe and secure, I had to pretend to be head over heels for Callum."

"Otherwise, why would I, Seraphina Blackwood, choose to marry such a boring, quiet man instead of taking a proper consort who could actually stand by my side?"

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