Addison’s POV
I had sworn to myself that I didn’t want to see Alpha Cole ever again. My heart had bled enough, and my wolf had howled in grief for nights until she was hoarse. But when Elder Naomi—the woman who had treated me like her own daughter—invited me to the Windsor Crescent Moon Gathering, how could I say no?
Naomi Windsor wasn’t just Cole’s mother. She had been a second mother to me ever since my parents died in the war. I couldn’t bring myself to reject her kindness.
So, days later, dressed in a long midnight-blue gown that matched the gathering’s theme, I stood at the entrance of the grand hall. The crescent moonlight streamed through tall windows, casting silver shadows across the polished floors. Wolves of high rank mingled in the glow of chandeliers, their voices weaving into a constant hum of gossip and laughter.
And then I saw them.
Cole and Athena. Even from across the hall, the sight pierced me like a dagger. They stood close—too close. Her hand brushed his arm as she leaned in, whispering something that made him smile. My stomach twisted. His smile. The one I used to believe belonged only to me.
My ears, sharper than any human’s, picked up the whispers before I even stepped inside.
“Look at them… Alpha Cole treats that omega as if she’s the real fiancée.”
“Poor Addison. She’s the one promised to him, the one meant to be Luna.”
“Gratitude can only excuse so much… he looks like a man in love.”
The words cut deeper than claws. I clenched my fists and drew a breath, my wolf pacing restlessly inside me, torn between lashing out and retreating.
I straightened my spine and walked into the hall. Immediately, every gaze shifted to me. Conversations stilled. The hum of gossip transformed into silence.
Even Cole’s eyes found me. For one fleeting moment, something flickered there—surprise, guilt, maybe even longing. He moved as if to approach me. But Athena, sly as ever, slipped her hand through his arm and stopped him with a soft smile.
I didn’t falter. I walked past them as if they were no more significant than shadows and took a seat at the far corner of the hall. My wolf whimpered, but I forced her into silence.
Cole hesitated, then allowed Athena to cling to him. He didn’t shake her off. He didn’t try again. That said more than words ever could.
The event unfolded, though for me it felt like time dragged its claws through my chest. Music played, goblets clinked, and yet the only thing I could hear was the constant hiss of gossip circling like vultures.
“Why hasn’t the Alpha claimed Addison yet?”
“She’s the rightful Luna.”
My head snapped up at that, and I realized they weren’t rumors anymore. Cole stood near the center of the hall, addressing a group of elders. His voice carried loud and clear.
“It was Addison’s choice to end things between us,” he said.
Gasps rippled through the room. Wolves turned, eyes darting between him and me.
My chest constricted. He didn’t even deny it. He announced it himself, casting me as the one who had abandoned him. My wolf whined low, confusion and betrayal twisting her insides.
The whispers grew sharper.
“The future Luna, walking away from her mate?”
“And the omega who saved the Alpha’s life. Two women, two fates.”
“One prayed to the Moon for his safety. The other bled for him.”
I wanted to scream that it wasn’t that simple. That I had prayed and bled and sacrificed more than they could ever know. But my words would be drowned out.
Amid the chaos, Elder Naomi’s voice rang sharp as a whip.
“Cole!” She stormed across the floor, eyes blazing. “Have you lost all sense? That girl you’re parading around is not your fiancée. Addison is. And you will treat her with the respect she deserves.”
The hall hushed. Elder Naomi’s fury was a force to behold, her aura radiating Alpha energy even though she was not the Alpha herself. Cole stiffened under her gaze, his jaw tightening.
But before the speculation could spiral further, I forced a smile. My lips trembled, but I held firm.
“There’s no need, Elder Naomi,” I said, my voice steady. “It’s true. We’re separated now. Alpha Cole owes me nothing.”
Murmurs erupted again, louder this time. My wolf whimpered, but I silenced her. I would not let anyone see me crumble.
The air in the hall grew suffocating. I needed escape. I slipped away to the balcony, where the night breeze kissed my skin and the crescent moon glowed overhead. I leaned on the railing, inhaling deeply, trying to calm the storm raging inside me.
But peace never lasts long when Athena is near.
Her footsteps were light, her perfume unmistakable. She joined me outside, a smirk tugging at her lips.
“You know,” she said sweetly, “it’s only a matter of time before Cole is mine completely. Elder Naomi can scold him all she wants, but she has no power over who he mates with.”
I said nothing, my grip on the railing tightening until my knuckles ached.
She leaned closer, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “Naomi only sides with you because she pitied you. Because she was friends with your dead mother. But pity won’t keep Cole by your side. Nothing will.”
My wolf snarled inside me, hackles raised. I tried to breathe, tried to let it pass. But then Athena struck the killing blow.
“After all, you don’t really have a family anymore, do you? They all died like cowards.”
My vision went red.
The crack of my palm meeting her cheek echoed across the balcony. Athena staggered back, her eyes wide. For one glorious second, the satisfaction of silencing her venom burned through my chest.
Then she began to cry. Loud, pitiful wails like a child. She clutched her cheek dramatically, spinning toward the doorway where the crowd had gathered, drawn by the commotion.
“She hit me!” Athena sobbed. “I was only telling her not to be angry with Alpha Cole. She overreacted!”
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd. Faces turned to me, some shocked, some condemning.
And then Cole arrived.
His eyes flicked from Athena’s tears to my hand, still trembling from the slap. His face darkened. He strode forward, grabbed my arm in a bruising grip, and hissed through clenched teeth.
“Apologize. Now.”
I stared at him, disbelief crashing over me like a tidal wave. This was the man who once defended me against every whisper, every accusation. The man who once knelt before me and swore he would always protect me. And now he looked at me like I was nothing but a nuisance.
“She mocked my parents,” I said, my voice shaking but loud enough for all to hear. “She mocked their deaths. I will never apologize for defending their honor.”
His eyes grew colder. His grip on my arm tightened. But I yanked free, my tears spilling at last.
Once, he would have believed me. Once, he would have torn the world apart to clear my name. But now… now I was lost to him.
I turned and walked away, the weight of every gaze burning into my back. My wolf howled inside, a sound of anguish and betrayal that echoed in my chest.
At the exit, I paused, desperate to leave, to escape this suffocating humiliation. But a hand caught mine—gentle, warm.
Elder Naomi.
“Please, child,” she whispered, her eyes soft with sorrow. “Stay a little longer. For me. Just one hour.”
My heart twisted. She was the only one who had never abandoned me, the only one who still treated me as family. I couldn’t deny her.
So I nodded silently, wiping my tears, and turned away from the doors. Instead of leaving, I walked deeper into the hall, searching for a quiet corner where I could breathe, where no one’s whispers could reach me.
