Joshua’s amber eyes bore into me, his Alpha aura radiating impatience. “Why are you always making a fuss, Raquel? It’s just a photo. We’ll find it later. Who are you trying to impress the moment you walk through the door?”
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. He knew exactly what that photo meant to me—it was the last remaining piece of my parents, lost in a fire when I was just a pup. Yet here he stood, indifferent, even as another she-wolf had taken my place in our home, in our pack.
Adele Patterson, the Gamma warrior, approached with a sickeningly sweet smile. Her scent, a mix of jasmine and something sharp, felt invasive. “I’m sorry, Luna,” she said, her tone dripping with mock sincerity. “A few years ago, I had some health issues, and since I didn’t have family or friends nearby, Alpha Joshua let me move in temporarily. I accidentally caused some chaos with all my belongings.”
“But now that you’re back,” she added, her eyes glinting with a challenge masked as regret, “I’ll move out immediately.”
Joshua’s face flushed, his Alpha composure slipping for a moment. “Adele, you’ve been through a lot. It took years for you to recover. I can’t let you live alone without someone to look after you.” He turned to me, his voice firm, as if expecting me to bow to his decision. “We have a guest room. Raquel can stay there. Make yourself comfortable here.”
The words stung, sharp and final. He didn’t even glance my way, didn’t consider my feelings. I was his mate—his *former* mate—yet he spoke as if I were nothing more than a pack member he could shuffle around.
I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow in the grand hall of the Silver Moon Pack’s mansion. The pack hierarchy had always been strict, but this—this was a cruelty I hadn’t expected. Joshua was entirely focused on Adele’s needs, blind to the fact that I had once been his Luna, his equal.
I didn’t want to argue further. The sooner I found that photo, the sooner I could leave this place behind. But after searching every corner of the room, it was nowhere to be found. As I knelt to check under the bed, Joshua grabbed my arm, his grip firm, his Alpha tone commanding.
“It’s late, and Adele needs her rest. Hurry up and get out; the guest room’s empty. You can tidy it up and settle in,” he said, dismissing my earlier insistence that I would leave.
Perhaps he thought I’d never follow through, that my words were just the angry outbursts of a scorned mate. I discreetly pulled my hand back, feeling a suffocating heaviness in my chest. Joshua was blind to how his words were centered around Adele, leaving no room for me.
Without another word, I quietly gathered the few belongings I had brought from my imprisonment and headed to the room he’d indicated. The so-called guest room was anything but; it was a storage room with a bed surrounded by piles of clutter, including my belongings thoughtlessly tossed in. It hadn’t been cleaned in ages. I lay on the bed with a bitter smile and soon fell into a deep, unintentional sleep.
In the middle of the night, strange noises woke me. The sound was coming from Adele’s room. I crept out of bed, the floor cold beneath my feet, and approached her door, slightly ajar. Through the gap, I witnessed a scene I dreaded—Joshua and Adele entwined together.
Though I’d long suspected their relationship, seeing it with my own eyes was a crushing blow. My wolf stirred in the back of my mind, a low growl of pain and betrayal. I stood there, fists clenched, feeling my blood boil and my mind go blank.
Adele was sitting on Joshua’s lap, her voice sultry and teasing. “Joshua, now that Raquel is back, does it mean we can’t be like this anymore?”
“Of course not,” he replied, his voice thick with desire. “She’s nothing. How can she compare to you? I’ve come to rely on you over these years.” They kissed passionately, their bond—whatever it was—obvious in their closeness.
I couldn’t bear to witness any more. I turned and fled, the humiliation and pain clawing at my chest. My wolf whimpered softly, a sound only I could hear, as I retreated to the cold, unwelcoming room that was now my prison.
