"What? Ellie, that's not possible. I would die."

"Not necessarily." I reached into my satchel and pulled out the brown leather book with the image of a woman with a wolf behind her. 

Queen Amelia was kind enough to mark all of the pages I would need. 

"What is that?" Harmony asked.

"It's an old ledger that Queen Amelia had in her possession. It details a process used a few times to successfully break a mate bond."

She sat down in a nearby chair and stared off into space, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded, not looking at me.

"Harmony..."

"Listen, Elanor, I get it. My mate isn't perfect."

"Not perfect? Harmony, he's mean and cruel to you. He hit you."

She pursed her lips and looked down at the ground.  "I know."

"Don't you want to be free of that misery?"

"I think about it all the time. But what would happen to me and the pups? I'm the future Luna."

"Harmony, no you're not. Tristan is taking over as future Alpha. His mate is the future Luna."

The realization set in as she faced the fact Alex would be stripped of his future Alpha title.

"That's right," she said quietly. "Okay, let's do it."

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Yeah. Let's do it. You're right, I don't want to be stuck in a bond with someone who's so freaking mean. He is so mean."

"I'll get everything ready, we'll have to see him though."

"Oh," Harmony's gaze dropped again.

"It's fine. I'll be with you."

"So will I," Ashley said, emerging from the dining hall.

"And us," Alastair said as he and Edmond joined us.

"See. We're all in your corner."

"Okay. Let's do it. Now, before I lose my nerve."

"I have everything here. I just need a mortar and pestle. I have to combine the ingredients and make the drink for you both." I headed off to the kitchen with everyone behind me.

I handed the log book off to Ashley. "What do I do with this?" 

"I need to you to log everything in there. We have to keep very close track of every time this is done."

"I can do that," she mumbled, digging through her purse for a pen. 

She scribbled away while I took the various flowers I'd collected and put them into the muddler. 

"I need to know the order to do things."

I flipped through the book to the beginning with the ingredients and proper way to mix.

In the moonlit woods of the 1350s, the bond between two werewolves was considered an unbreakable tie, woven by the cosmic forces themselves. However, hidden deep within the annals of ancient texts and whispered among the most skilled alchemists and witches, there lay a recipe to shatter this mystic connection: the elusive and potent concoction to break a mate bond.

The journey to break such a powerful bond began with the gathering of rare and mystical flowers, each with its own magical properties. The first, Midnight Nightshade, was a flower that only bloomed under the veil of the midnight hour during the full moon. Its petals, as dark as the night, held the essence of breaking bonds, while its leaves possessed a touch of lunar enchantment. Moonstone Blooms, on the other hand, were found only in the most remote and sacred werewolf territories, shimmering with an ethereal luminescence under the moon's radiance.

To prepare the brew, one would need a silver cauldron, its gleaming surface reflecting the purity of intentions behind the endeavor. Into this cauldron, the gathered flowers were placed with utmost care and reverence. Luminaria, a flower that glowed with an otherworldly light, was then added to illuminate the mixture, infusing it with the magic of the stars themselves. Other ingredients like dried sage, powdered wolfsbane, and essence of moonstone were incorporated to enhance the potion's potency.

The most crucial element, however, was a pure crystal vial, a vessel capable of containing the concentrated essence of the concoction. This vial was prepared with elaborate rituals to cleanse it of any impurities or lingering energies. As the alchemist poured the potion into the vial, their words weaved ancient incantations, binding the flowers' magic to the vial's contents.

Breaking a mate bond required a catalyst – an event of cosmic significance. The vial needed to be bathed in the light of a lunar eclipse, a rare celestial phenomenon believed to disrupt even the most sacred bonds. The alchemist had to plan meticulously, ensuring that the vial would be exposed to the eclipsing moon's rays at the precise moment when the mate wolves were in close proximity to each other.

When the moment arrived, the alchemist would recite powerful invocations, beseeching the moon and the cosmos to intervene and sever the bond that tied the two werewolves' souls. As the moonlight bathed the vial, the potent potion inside would resonate with the celestial energies, gaining the strength to shatter the mate bond.

It is important to note that attempting such a ritual was fraught with risks, for the consequences of tampering with ancient and powerful magics were unpredictable. Only those who had studied the arts of alchemy and spellcasting for years should dare to undertake such a feat.

"Okay, I need a silver cauldron and a crystal vial that was bathed in the light of a lunar eclipse?"

"Because everyone has those?" Ashley  asked, taking the book out of my hands. 

"Right? I guess we're waiting then?"

"Okay. We're waiting," Ashley repeated, chewing on her fingernails.

"Does anyone know when the next lunar eclipse is?" Alastair asked.

"Tomorrow," Ashley and I said in unison.

"Jinx! You owe me a Coke," I said, giggling.

"That should give us time to find the rest of the stuff, right?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah. I can just go down to the store for the vial."

"Alastair and I can run to Silver Peak and get a silver cauldron."

"You don't mind?" I asked.

"Nah. If you don't mind watching the pups? Except baby El. She has to go with us. Feeding and all."

"We can definitely keep Anna and Adam. Freddy and Vicky and Harmony's pups can all have fun together."

"Cool. We'll get going now then." Ashley grabbed Alastair's hand and led him from the room.

I hugged Harmony tight. "It'll be okay."

"It's too late for us to go to the store. Ashley and Alastair will probably be gone till tomorrow. How about we just go to bed for now?"

"That sounds good. Some sleep with work," Harmony said. 

She stood and silently walked to her old bedroom.