Cassian Ashbourne’s neighbor, Odette Rowan, fainted in the middle of our betrothal feast.
Before I could even rise from my seat as the future Luna, Cassian—the pack’s Alpha—was already moving. One moment he had been beside me beneath the silver moon lanterns, and the next he was kneeling at Odette’s side, lifting her into his arms as though I were no longer there.
Without a word to me.
Without regard for the elders.
Without care for the humiliation.
He carried her straight to the healer’s den.
And I was left behind.
The drums fell silent. The pack members froze. Elders whispered behind raised goblets of wine, and the long banquet tables remained untouched—food prepared for a celebration that ended before it truly began.
So I did what I had done too many times before.
I smiled.
I soothed the offended elders, dismissed the omegas, and oversaw the clearing of the feast hall myself. I stood beneath the moon lanterns until the last pack member left, until the last overturned goblet was cleared away, until nothing remained of the evening but the cold ache lodged in my chest.
By the time everything was settled, the night had grown deep and bitter. Frost clung to the stone courtyard, and the moon hung pale above the pack territory.
That was when Odette’s voice slipped into the pack mindlink.
Weak. Breathless. Fragile.
Yet unmistakably clear.
No matter what happens, in Cassian’s heart, I will always come first.
For a moment, I said nothing. Then I lowered my eyes and let out a quiet laugh.
My reply slipped back just as softly.
Then I wish the two of you happiness together.
After that, I sealed my mindlink to her.
I thought that would be the end of it.
I was wrong.
Past midnight, the communication stone on my bedside table flared repeatedly, pulsing with Cassian’s summons until pale light filled the room. I had no desire to answer, but he was persistent.
At last, I picked it up.
The moment the connection opened, his anger struck like claws.
“Elara Hale, what are you trying to do now? Why did you shut Odette out? She fainted again because of it. You know how weak she is. How many times have I told you not to upset her? She cannot bear it.”
I did not answer at once.
Instead, I folded the last of my clothes and placed them into the traveling chest at the foot of my bed. Then I carried the stone with me onto the balcony.
The wind was sharp. Below, the pack territory lay silent beneath the moon.
Only then did I speak.
“Did you call me only to say this?”
There was a brief pause.
“Or what?” Cassian replied, his tone hard. “Are you going to accuse me and Odette again? I’ve told you countless times—she’s like a sister to me. If your own sister collapsed, would you not worry?”
Like a sister.
I had heard those words so often they no longer hurt.
Once, I argued.
Once, I cried.
Once, I asked why the woman he called a sister always came before the Luna he chose.
Now, I felt nothing.
My heart was no longer breaking.
It had simply gone numb.
“You should worry,” I said quietly.
Perhaps my calm unsettled him, because he fell silent again. When he spoke next, his voice had turned cold and commanding.
“Open your mindlink to Odette again.”
Then he severed the connection.
I looked down at the fading glow of the stone.
Naturally, I did no such thing.
Cassian and I had been together for eight years.
For nearly all of those years, Odette’s presence followed us like a shadow. From the beginning, I heard of her constantly. She was gentle, obedient, sweet-natured, delicate—everything wolves found irresistible.
Always close to him.
Always needing him.
At first, I assumed she truly was his younger sister.
Later, I learned Cassian was an only child.
Then I wondered if she was a distant cousin.
She was neither.
After our coming-of-age ceremony, Cassian and I began handling pack duties together. Not long after, Odette moved into the central territory. Cassian explained her mother had entrusted her to him because she had been born weak and needed protection.
At first, I pitied her.
I truly did.
But pity slowly turned into humiliation.
Whenever Cassian and I trained together, Odette sent for him.
Whenever we shared a meal, Odette fell ill.
Whenever we stole one quiet night beneath the moon, Odette somehow needed him before dawn.
A dizzy spell.
A twisted ankle.
A fever.
A sleepless night.
The reasons changed. The ending never did.
The moment Odette called, Cassian went.
I lost count of how many times we argued.
Each time, he held me close and promised things would change after our mating ceremony. He said I was the Luna he chose. He said Odette was someone he could not ignore. He said I was thinking too much.
And because I loved him, I endured.
I endured every slight, every ruined night, every swallowed grievance.
Because I believed there was a future worth waiting for.
But after that night, I no longer wished to wait.
At dawn, Cassian’s parents arrived with several elders from his bloodline.
The omegas had just finished laying out breakfast when they entered. His mother glanced around and immediately asked, “Has Cassian returned?”
I smiled faintly.
“He never came back last night.”
Her face paled.
One of the elder aunts caught her sleeve. “Stacey, call him back at once. This is unacceptable.”
Then she turned to me, patting my hand awkwardly.
“Elara, don’t be angry. Have you eaten? Sit with us.”
I looked at them quietly.
They were embarrassed. Ashamed for him. Sorry for me.
But none of that changed where he had spent the night.
I sat with them and ate breakfast as though it were an ordinary morning.
When Cassian finally answered his mother’s mindlink, his voice was low and impatient. He said he could not leave yet. Odette had not awakened, and he needed to remain by her side.
The room fell silent.
One aunt lowered her cup. Another looked away. Stacey’s fingers tightened against the table.
Everyone looked at me.
I only smiled.
“I’m due at the Alpha Hall,” I said as I rose. “You may wait for him here.”
I picked up my cloak and left.
The day passed in a blur of Luna duties—reports, patrol records, disputes among pack members. I buried myself in work until sunset stretched long shadows across the hall.
Cassian never returned.
Strangely, I felt no anger.
No disappointment.
Only relief.
Because this… was exactly what I had expected.
