“Lucien’s throwing fits again, and now you’re doing the same?” Nathan snapped, his voice rough with impatience. His golden Alpha eyes flashed as his jaw tightened. “He’s only a cub. You’re the grown one here. Why can’t you meet him halfway? When he’s older, he’ll understand.”
I leaned back against the bed, exhaustion weighing down my bones after a full day of pack affairs and patrol scheduling. “I just came back from dealing with territory disputes,” I murmured. “I’m worn out, Nathan. Please don’t pile more problems onto me tonight. I don’t have the strength to argue.”
What I wanted to say was simple: I didn’t need him to fix anything. I only needed him to hear me.
But to him, every word I spoke sounded like whining.
The warmth drained from his face. The desire that had lingered in his gaze a moment earlier vanished, replaced by frost.
“I still have reports to finish,” he said flatly, already turning away. He yanked the door open and let it slam shut behind him. “Don’t wait up. I won’t be sharing a bed with you tonight.”
I didn’t even bother counting how often he abandoned me like that anymore. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped being his Luna and turned into something disposable—used when convenient, forgotten the rest of the time.
But tonight was the last time I would let anyone treat me like a spare.
I sat at the dining table until dawn, my fingers sticky with glue, trying to piece my mother’s shattered jade bracelet back together. It was a foolish effort. Wolf jade fractures deep; no cheap adhesive could ever make it whole again. Still, I kept pressing the fragments together, whispering silent apologies to her memory.
By the time I looked up, pale sunlight had begun to creep through the windows.
Mrs. Everwood sent me a message, asking me to come over. I pulled on a coat and left without breakfast.
She was waiting in her sitting room when I arrived, worry etched into every line on her face. She exhaled heavily when she saw me.
“I heard about last night,” she said. “Lucien is stubborn—he takes after Nathan far too much. But you’ve raised that cub since he could barely walk, Everly. Somewhere in that heart of his, there’s still room for you. You just need to be patient.”
Then she reached out and took my hand. “Are you truly prepared to abandon the family you’ve worked so hard to build?”
Her question made my throat tighten.
But what kind of family survives without love?
My thoughts drifted to Celeste, the sister I had lost.
She and Nathan were bonded since they were young wolves—training together, running together, growing into their fated roles side by side. They were admired by every pack in the region. A perfect Alpha and Luna.
Until the night Celeste never came home.
Nathan’s spirit shattered with hers. He became hollow, neglecting his duties, barely noticing Lucien’s cries. Mrs. Everwood was terrified her grandson would grow up without a mother’s warmth, so she came to me with a desperate plan: step into Celeste’s place. Become Lucien’s guardian. Hold the pack together until Nathan healed.
So I sacrificed five years of my life.
I molded myself into the perfect Luna, turned Lucien into the golden cub the elders adored, shouldered Nathan’s grief, and swallowed every slight.
And still, I never earned a single ounce of their love.
To Nathan, I was nothing more than a body he reached for in moments of need.
To Lucien, I was an enemy.
How could something so broken ever be called a family?
Mrs. Everwood finally stopped trying to persuade me. Instead, she slid the divorce documents across the table. “Once you sign these, you’re free.”
My heart pounded as I picked up the pen. I didn’t hesitate.
That evening, when I returned to the manor, the sky was already dark. My key no longer worked. Confused, I knocked, but no one answered.
Then the door cracked open.
Lucien stood there with his arms folded, eyes full of contempt.
“Well, well,” he scoffed. “Look who remembered this place exists. Why didn’t you just die somewhere today? Then you wouldn’t have to cook for me and Dad anymore.”
He was furious I hadn’t prepared his meals. I had once taken cooking lessons just to accommodate his sensitive stomach. Back then, he’d hugged me after dinner and chirped,
“Mommy, your food is the best in the pack! I want to eat it forever.”
Now he wouldn’t even let me step inside.
The sky growled. Thunder rolled overhead, and rain burst down in sheets. In seconds, I was soaked.
“Lucien,” I said softly, water dripping from my hair. “Please let me in. I’ll get sick out here.”
He laughed. “Why should I care? You wanted to leave so badly—why don’t you stay gone?”
A sweet voice floated from behind him. “Lucien, who are you talking to?”
Ophelia Byrnes approached in towering heels, slipping her arms around his shoulders like she belonged there.
Her lips curved when she saw me.
“Oh. It’s you. Sorry, darling, but Nathan said he’d be with me tonight. You’ll have to find somewhere else to sleep.”
Then she turned to Lucien brightly. “Come on, sweetheart. Dinner’s ready. Your dad’s waiting.”
Lucien grinned and took her hand. “I love eating with you, Aunt Vee. You’re the best.”
