Kacie POV:
The next morning, the house was silent. But it wasn't empty.
I walked into the kitchen to find my favorite mug-a yellow ceramic one with a painted sun-in the trash can, broken.
Jayden was at the stove, wearing Cedric's oversized dress shirt. It hung off her shoulders, exposing the fake bandage on her arm. She was humming.
The scent of the house had changed. My lavender detergent, my vanilla candles-they were gone. Replaced by that cloying peach scent. She had sprayed it on the curtains, the rugs, everywhere. She was scent-marking my territory.
A wave of nausea hit me, sharp and sudden. I grabbed the counter, swallowing back bile. It wasn't just Jayden's perfume. It was my body revolting against something. Or changing.
"Good morning, Kacie," she said cheerfully, flipping a pancake. "Cedric is in the shower. He was so exhausted after last night. The chase... really worked up his appetite."
She emphasized the word appetite with a suggestive lick of her lips.
I pressed a hand to my stomach. It felt... different. Tighter. But I ignored it, blaming the stress and the Wither.
"Where are my things?" I asked.
"Oh, Cedric had the maids move them to the guest wing," she said. "He agreed that I need the master suite's energy to heal. The Feng Shui is better."
She walked over to me, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You should just give up. He doesn't want you. He never did. You're just a placeholder until I'm ready to take the Luna title."
"He can't make you Luna," I said, my voice steady despite the shaking of my hands. "Not while I'm alive."
Jayden smiled, a cold, reptilian smile. "Exactly."
Cedric walked in then, hair wet, a towel around his waist. He walked right past me, went to Jayden, and kissed her on the forehead.
"Breakfast looks good," he said.
"Cedric," I said. "We need to talk about the divorce papers."
He slammed his hand on the counter. "Stop with the drama, Kacie. There will be no divorce. Tonight is the Alpha Summit Gala. You will attend. You will stand by my side. And you will smile."
"I can't pretend anymore," I said.
"You will," he said, his voice dropping into that dangerous Alpha tone. "Or I will cut funding to that orphanage you care so much about."
My blood ran cold. The orphanage where I grew up. The only family I had.
"You wouldn't," I whispered.
"Try me."
That evening, I stood in front of the mirror in the guest room. I wore a dress of deep midnight blue velvet. It was the traditional color of the Moon Pack Luna.
I picked up a framed photo from the dresser. It was a candid shot of Cedric and me from the day we signed the marriage certificate. He wasn't smiling, but I was looking at him with so much hope.
I took the photo out of the frame. I walked to the fireplace in the corner of the room.
I struck a match.
I watched the flame curl the edges of the paper. I watched my own smiling face turn to ash, then Cedric's.
"Kacie Moon is dead," I whispered to the flames. "There is only the White Wolf now."
I didn't feel sadness anymore. I felt a cold, hard resolve.
I finished getting dressed. I didn't put on the Moon family crest brooch. Instead, I put on a simple silver locket my mother had left me.
I walked downstairs. Cedric was waiting in his tuxedo. Jayden was there too, wearing a flashy red dress that clashed with the pack colors.
"That dress," Jayden whined, pointing at my blue velvet. "Cedric, I wanted to wear blue. It brings out my eyes."
Cedric sighed. "Kacie, change. Let Jayden wear the blue."
"This is the Luna's ceremonial dress," I said calmly. "Only the Luna can wear it. Unless you plan to announce my deposition tonight?"
Cedric hesitated. He knew the pack laws.
"Fine," he muttered. "Let's go."
As we walked to the car, I trailed behind them. I watched Cedric open the door for Jayden, helping her in with gentle hands. He let the door close, leaving me to open my own.
I looked at the moon hanging low in the sky.
18 Days.
I touched the locket at my throat. Inside was a small, folded piece of paper with a list of things I wanted to do before I died.
1. Find my Mate. (Crossed out)
2. Be kissed in the rain.
3. Ride the Ferris Wheel at midnight.
"Soon," I promised myself. "Just a little longer."
