The headline drew my attention before I even fully registered what I was looking at.
“Alpha Jonathan Marsh and Janine Golden Seen Together at High-Profile Auction—Old Flames Reignite,” it read.
For a moment, I couldn’t move. I stared at my phone screen as if it had turned into a knife in my hand. And there they were—Jonathan and Janine, impeccably dressed, glowing like the world was theirs to command. They stood inches apart, smiling in that infuriatingly familiar way that spoke of years of history and far too much affection.
Jonathan had said he was going to a summit with other Alphas, supposedly a serious and essential meeting. The auction clearly wasn’t any kind of political gathering, and Janine—well, she wasn’t even part of any Alpha council.
I scrolled down, my fingers trembling. The article went on to describe them in sickening detail—their natural chemistry, the “timeless connection” between them. Every sentence slashed deeper into my chest like sharpened claws.
I let my phone slide from my hand onto the sofa, my chest aching as tightness wrapped around my ribs. I couldn’t draw a full breath.
But then, slowly, I rested my palm on my abdomen and inhaled deeply, eyes closing. The life growing within me deserved peace—not pain, not betrayal. My baby was a miracle in the chaos, a flicker of light I was determined to protect and love no matter what happened.
I made my way to the healer's clinic. As she glided a glowing stone gently across my belly, the soft, steady beat of my baby’s heart filled the quiet room.
“You’re carrying a strong Alpha pup,” she said with a gentle smile.
Alpha. My child might rise to lead one day—or maybe they'd simply live a life of freedom, without titles. But what I knew for sure was I didn’t want them growing up in a world full of lies and wounds like mine.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I felt something that wasn’t pain: hope. My tears came, but they came from joy this time. Relief wrapped itself around me like a long-lost friend.
As I left the clinic, one thing became very clear—I had unfinished business. I made my way to the estate that used to feel like home, the Alpha’s residence. But as I stood in front of its grand oak doors, I felt more like a stranger than ever.
The guards stiffened when they saw me. “Is Alpha Harper in his office?” I asked.
“Yes, Luna. But you aren’t allowed in at the moment,” one of them replied, clearly nervous.
I tilted my head, my voice cool. “Why not? I am still your Luna, am I not?”
He avoided my gaze. “I apologize, Luna. I’m not permitted to say.”
The breath caught in my lungs. Jonathan hadn’t even told me he was back from his supposed summit. My disbelief burned into fury.
The guards didn’t budge, not until Billy came over. “As a warrior, your loyalty is to the Luna. You have no right to bar her way.”
The guard stayed silent but finally stepped aside. I didn’t thank Billy. He was just as complicit in the lies, and I owed him nothing now.
The door was cracked open. I paused, my heart hammering. Part of me knew I should turn around. Whatever was on the other side would only deepen the wound—but curiosity and grief drove me forward.
Peering inside, I felt the air rush from my lungs.
Jonathan stood beside his desk, and Janine was in his embrace. Their faces far too close, too familiar. Then, just as if on cue, he leaned in—and kissed her.
Everything inside me collapsed in that instant. They were lost in each other, his hand resting on her waist, her smile melting into his lips, like the rest of the world didn’t exist.
How dare you! my wolf howled inside, ready to tear them both apart. I had to breathe, had to stop her from taking control.
I wanted to storm in, to rip apart the illusion they were so wrapped in. But I didn’t. And for once, I didn’t flee either. Instead, I reached into my pocket, hands shaking, and took a photo. The perfect shot—Janine looking at him with that exact nauseating smile from the auction images.
Then, I quietly turned and walked away. Back in my car, I stared at the image on my phone. I created a dummy account within the pack’s internal network, uploaded the photo, and sent it directly to Tim—Janine’s mate.
Back at my place, I started gathering every gift Jonathan had ever given me during the last five years. Jewelry. Letters. Trinkets. All of it went into boxes. I brought them downstairs, one by one, and lit a fire in the hearth. One after the other, I fed the past to the flames, watching each piece blacken and curl into ash.
Just as the last box began to catch, Janine appeared—uninvited. Without saying anything, she kicked one of the boxes, scattering burning embers and ash everywhere. Some landed on her, but she didn’t even flinch. She just smiled.
I narrowed my eyes. “What exactly do you think you’re doing, Janine?”
“Oh! My bad,” she said with feigned innocence. “I must’ve tripped. Didn’t mean to. Wait—are these from Jonathan? Why are you burning them? Did it finally hit you how irrelevant you’ve always been to him?”
My jaw tensed. “Come again?”
“I mean, it’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? You couldn’t even keep your mother safe. She died because you were too weak to stop it.”
My breath caught. “Don’t you dare speak about my mother with that filthy mouth.”
A fury hotter than the fire before us ignited inside me. Before I could even think about it, my hand moved on its own—I slapped her. Not hard, but just enough.
She stumbled—and fell straight into the fire.
