The Luna ceremony was approaching, but my mate wanted to mark the rogue female wolf I had saved from death.
His excuse? She claimed her dying mother wished to see her daughter marked before she passed.
But when Damian Rivers was a powerless wolf cast out from his pack, I stood by his side, nursing him back to health, protecting him from hunters, and helping him build his new pack, Silver Fang. This ceremony was supposed to be mine.
When I confronted Damian, my voice laced with pain, I demanded to know why he would betray me for her. He simply stared at me coldly, his piercing silver eyes filled with annoyance.
"How can you be so heartless, Ember? You can’t let Astrid suffer! She treats you like a sister, and this is how you repay her?"
He spoke as though I were the selfish one, his words cutting deeper than any claw. He was so confident I wouldn’t leave, even daring to ask me to “wait for my turn.”
On the day of his marking ceremony with Astrid, I disappeared.
And Damian’s wolf howled in fury when he heard the news.
“Luna Ember? She’s gone. I heard she left the pack and claimed her birthright as Alpha of Moonshade,” his Beta informed him.
********************************************************
That day, I mind-linked my father for the first time in years. “Father, I’m coming home. Let’s rebuild Moon shade together.”
Surprised, he asked, “And Damian? What of your mate bond?”
I hesitated for a brief moment before answering firmly, “It’s over. He’s no longer my Alpha.”
The door to my chambers swung open suddenly, and Astrid waltzed in with an exaggerated smile.
“Ember, will you come with me to pick out my gown for the ceremony?” she chirped, feigning innocence.
I narrowed my eyes, irritation bubbling beneath the surface. “Do you not know how to knock before entering Luna's quarters?”
Her face shifted to one of false hurt, her soft features trembling as though I’d struck her. “I was just so excited. Please don’t be mad…”
I laughed darkly under my breath. A typical act. She was practically glowing with triumph.
“You don’t need to pretend with me,” I said coldly, turning away.
Before Astrid could respond, Damian’s deep voice echoed from behind her.
“She’s about to become Luna. She doesn’t need permission to do as she pleases,” he said, stepping into view with an imposing air.
Astrid blushed, lowering her gaze with practiced modesty. “Alpha Damian, don’t say that. If Ember gets upset, she might refuse to help me pick the dress.”
“She can go or stay. It’s her choice,” Damian replied indifferently, pulling Astrid closer to him. “I’ll accompany you instead.”
As they walked away, hand in hand, a storm brewed in my chest.
Three months ago, I’d stood by Damian’s side, dreaming of a future as his Luna.
I met him when he was a lone wolf, barely surviving after being exiled from the Nightclaw Pack.
For him, I turned my back on Moonshade and left my Alpha title behind, choosing to help him build Silver Fang.
We endured harsh winters, fought rogue attacks together, and rebuilt a pack from nothing. I trusted his promises of loyalty and love.
Years later, as Alpha of a thriving pack, he swore to mark me as his Luna.
And then Astrid arrived.
She was a rogue I had saved, found bleeding and near death at the pack's borders. She pleaded to stay, claiming she had no other pack to turn to.
Damian agreed, though at first, he dismissed her as a nuisance.
“She’s only here because of you,” he grumbled one night. “She’s untrained and a liability.”
But slowly, I watched his irritation soften into affection.
Damian began defending her clumsiness, personally guiding her through combat training, and giving her privileges no other wolf in the pack enjoyed.
Astrid wasn’t just a pack member anymore; she was a threat.
And Damian, the wolf I had loved, was blind to the betrayal in front of him.
