That was all it took for Alpha Brexon to forget. To pretend our pup never walked this earth.
The Silvermoon Howlers’s Moon Hall blazed with silver lanternlight, the entire territory pulsing with celebration. Wolves from allied packs filled the ballroom, their auras swirling—dominant alphas, high-ranked betas, and nobles from the northern kingdoms.
Laughter rang out, wine flowed, and above the stage hung a massive welcoming lunar banner for Lyssa and Orrin.
My claws extended before I even realized it. Nyra had only returned to the Moon Goddess fourteen days ago. Fourteen. And here he was, throwing a damned welcome feast as if nothing had been taken from us. As if my pup hadn’t just been laid beneath sacred moonstone.
I pushed past the sentries guarding the entrance. Their growls rose in protest, but I ignored them. My boots struck the marble floor like thunder as I stormed through the crowd, my vision narrowing on the stage.
On them.
Brexon stood in the center—broad-shouldered, commanding, radiating Alpha dominance in a black ceremonial cloak embroidered with silver runes. At his side, Lyssa—his former mate—stood draped in a blood-red gown that shimmered under the moon crystals. Her arm curled around his like she owned him. She glowed. She smiled.
As if she hadn’t stolen everything from me.
As if my pup wasn’t still warm in my memory.
Rage roared up my spine, primal and uncontrollable.
I didn’t think.
I shifted forward—fast.
My claws dug into Lyssa’s cheek with a sharp crack that sliced through the ballroom. Gasps erupted as her head snapped to the side, her eyes widening before she quickly masked the expression.
“Arwen.” Brexon’s voice cut through the air—a warning growl. Sharp. Cold.
But I wasn’t done.
“How dare you?” My voice shook, my wolf pacing beneath my skin. “You stand here celebrating while my daughter—our daughter—rests in sacred ground?”
My throat burned, but I didn’t care. I turned on him fully, fury scorching through me. “You didn’t even give me a moon cycle to grieve, Brexon. Not even a moon cycle. And now you parade your little serpent around like she’s Luna of this pack?”
Lyssa gasped, then whimpered softly. Tears spilled down her cheeks, making her look like the perfect wounded mate.
“Moon save me!” she cried dramatically, covering the three claw marks on her cheek, fresh blood streaking down her skin. “She attacked me! She clawed me in front of the leaders of the other packs!”
She trembled violently, shoulders shaking as her tears fell. “Brexon, please,” she sobbed, reaching for him like a helpless omega. “Make her stop.”
Brexon’s jaw tightened, his alpha aura rippling with barely restrained aggression. And then—a small figure darted past the guards.
Orrin.
The pup launched himself at me, his tiny fists slamming into my stomach with surprising strength for a young wolf.
“You monster!” he screamed, his face twisted with feral rage. “You hurt my mama! You’re a bad wolf! My papa doesn’t love you anymore!”
He kicked me—hard.
Pain shot through my ribs, but I barely had time to react before his fists came down again, wild and furious. Tears streamed down his flushed cheeks, his little body shaking with anger.
“I hate you! I hate you!” he cried. “You should be cast out from the pack forever!”
The guards at the edge of the Moonhall shifted uncertainly, unsure if they should intervene. No one dared touch the Alpha’s son.
And Brexon…
He just watched.
Did nothing.
I swallowed the pain, forcing myself to stay still. I wasn’t going to fight a pup—especially not his pup. But goddess, the betrayal burned like hellfire.
I lifted my gaze—and that’s when I saw it.
A smirk. Just a flicker.
Lyssa’s grief vanished from her face, replaced by a victorious gleam before she quickly wiped it away, clinging to Brexon’s arm like a fragile she-wolf in need of protection.
“She wants to tear us apart, Brexon,” she whispered brokenly. “She can’t accept that you chose me a Luna.”
Brexon exhaled sharply, his shoulders trembling as his aura shifted. The air thickened. Every wolf in the ballroom stiffened and then bowed instinctively as his Alpha dominance rolled out like a storm.
Except me.
But even I felt my pulse spike when his eyes bled into molten gold.
He stepped toward me, a low growl vibrating from his chest, fangs peeking beneath his lip. I knew what was coming before he even moved.
His hand didn’t rise.
His claws did.
In a flash, his fingers shifted—razor-sharp, gleaming—and he struck. Pain ripped across my neck as his claws scraped my skin.
I staggered back, breath knocked out of me, heat blooming across the wounded skin. Gasps echoed through the hall. Every wolf froze, scenting blood—my blood.
The ballroom fell silent.
I slowly lifted my head, my pride in tatters. Brexon didn’t look regretful. Didn’t look conflicted. His expression was ice, his aura cold and unrecognizing.
Like I wasn’t the Luna who had stood beside him for cycles. Like I hadn’t carried his pup.
“It’s over,” he said, his voice void of emotion.
He pulled a rolled parchment from his cloak and tossed it at my feet. Severance papers.
The breaking of a mating bond.
My heart stopped.
But then—another gust of wind as something else scattered around me. Images. Illusions. Moon-glamoured projections that hovered before dropping to the floor.
Me. Naked. Twisted in beds with three different male wolves.
I inhaled sharply, my limbs going numb. “What… what is this?”
Brexon’s eyes hardened with disgust. “You thought I wouldn’t discover your betrayal?” His voice was venom. “You’ve been warming the beds of rival alphas behind my back.”
“No.” My voice cracked. “These are lies, Brexon.”
Lyssa sobbed harder, clutching his arm. “Must we do this in front of everyone? She’s already shaming herself.”
I snapped my gaze to her. That smirk again—subtle, smug, victorious.
She did this.
She forged the images.
But Brexon didn’t see. Or refused to.
“You believe I would betray you?” My voice broke. “After everything? After Nyra?”
Something flickered in his eyes at her name.
But the flame died.
"Doesn't matter what I believe,” he said coldly. “Sign the scroll.”
My breath hitched. He wasn’t going to listen. He had chosen his side.
Chosen her.
My heart fractured, but I refused to crumble. Not in front of her. Not in front of the pack.
I lifted my chin. “You’ll regret this.”
Brexon didn’t answer. He simply turned away, dismissing me with the same coldness he had shown when he turned his back on Nyra.
As whispers filled the hall and wolves watched me with judgment in their eyes, a realization settled deep in my bones:
Brexon Ashfend—the mate I once loved—was dead to me.
And if he thought I would walk out of here quietly…
He had no idea what kind of wolf he had just unleashed.
