Valerius drove the ceremonial silver blade straight into my heart without hesitation. After a century together, he extracted my glowing Heart-Blood merely to awaken Seraphina, his pureblood queen. I was no longer a mate, but a downgraded medical blood bag drained on the cold altar. Tossed aside, I awoke in agony. Instead of pulling the blade from my chest, I made an irreversible choice: I shattered our blood bond completely. I threw myself off the terrace into the cliff's abyss, severing our century-long tie and embracing the deadly dawn rather than remaining a captive. As I plummeted, my unhealing wound absorbed the sunlight. High above, Valerius violently coughed up black blood, oblivious that the vessel he discarded was the only cure suppressing his hidden decay.