Mallory and Henry had once been promised to each other.
But when Henry's pack fell into ruin after a devastating rogue attack, Mallory abandoned the territory without looking back, leaving for the prosperous northern kingdoms in search of a better future.
I was the one who stayed.
I used my own family's wealth to pay the blood debt the Baker Pack owed to the High Council, saving them from losing both their lands and their Alpha title.
Out of gratitude, Henry accepted me as his mate.
I gave everything to this family.
My parents-in-law were growing old, so I cared for them as though they were my own parents.
Nicole had been only ten winters old when I entered the pack. For five years, I watched over her training, prepared every meal, mended her clothing, taught her pack traditions, and accompanied her to every gathering of the young wolves.
Though I was only her sister-in-law, I had raised her like a daughter.
Every moon, I supplied the household with enough silver and grain that they never worried about food or clothing.
I managed the pack hall from dawn until long after sunset.
Sometimes I wondered whether I had become this family's Luna or merely their servant.
I never expected repayment.
Yet after everything I had sacrificed, they still treated me as less important than an outsider.
Mallory approached me with a bright, triumphant smile.
"I'm truly sorry, Camille. If I hadn't decided to join the pilgrimage at the last moment, you wouldn't have lost your place in the Alpha caravan."
She lowered her eyes with practiced innocence.
"I even offered to travel with the merchant caravan instead. But Henry refused. He said he couldn't bear the thought of me making such a dangerous journey alone."
She smiled again.
"So... I suppose I should thank you for giving up your place."
Nicole immediately wrapped an arm around Mallory.
"Exactly. The merchant caravans are full of wandering rogues and strangers. A delicate she-wolf like you would never be safe among them."
Then she looked me up and down with open mockery.
"But Camille is different. She's fierce enough to frighten anyone away."
The two of them laughed together.
Seeing my expression darken, Henry finally spoke in a gentler voice.
"Enough. I know this isn't what you wanted, but it's the only solution. Didn't you mention wanting that moonstone necklace from the artisan market? Go ahead and buy it."
I extended my hand.
"Fine. Give me five thousand silver crowns."
His expression changed immediately.
"Five thousand? That's ridiculous. I've already agreed to let you buy it. Now you expect me to pay for it too?"
A cold smile touched my lips.
"Since when have I ever needed your permission to spend my own silver?"
I paused before adding,
"And tell me, Henry. How much tribute do you actually bring into this pack each season?"
His face reddened.
"That's hardly fair."
It was the truth.
The tribute Henry earned as Alpha barely covered his own expenses.
The wealth sustaining this household came almost entirely from my family's trading caravans and silver mines.
When we completed our mating ceremony, Henry had offered me nothing.
I had cleared the Baker Pack's enormous blood debt, presented generous gifts to every elder, and even built the pack hall they now called home.
Everything this family enjoyed existed because of me.
If they truly believed Mallory was the Luna they had always wanted, then they were welcome to give her my place.
