The mate bond pulled me forward like an invisible thread, drawing me toward Marcus's office. I'd felt his summons through our connection—a flutter of emotion that suggested he needed me. My heart swelled with the familiar warmth that came whenever we were apart and I knew we would soon be together again.
I smoothed down the front of my dress, a pale blue silk that Marcus had once said brought out the color of my eyes. Being Luna Queen had taught me the importance of appearance, of always presenting the perfect image alongside my Alpha King.
"He probably wants to discuss the Northern Alliance treaty," I murmured to myself as I approached his office door. "Or perhaps the new pups' ceremony."
My hand reached for the ornate handle, and I pushed it open without knocking—a small privilege of being his Luna, his mate, his equal in all things.
The sight that greeted me froze the blood in my veins.
Marcus stood behind his massive mahogany desk, his powerful frame hunched over Diana—my younger sister—who was sprawled across the polished wood. Her legs were wrapped around his waist as he violently thrust into her, his canines buried deep in her neck. The sickening sound of flesh tearing filled the air as he re-marked her, claiming her as his.
"Oh God, Marcus, yes!" Diana screamed, her head thrown back in ecstasy, her fingers clawing at his shoulders.
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. My mind refused to process what my eyes were seeing.
"Elena," Marcus growled without turning, "you should have knocked."
He knew I was there. He'd sensed me the moment I entered, just as I had sensed him through our bond. Yet he didn't stop. Instead, he pulled his canines from Diana's neck with a wet, sucking sound and plunged them back in deeper, making her scream louder.
"I'm not done here," he said coldly, finally glancing over his shoulder at me. His eyes were glowing amber with lust and power. "Since you're here anyway, you might as well watch the whole show."
A searing pain suddenly erupted from my neck, so intense that I gasped and clutched at it. Something warm and wet trickled between my fingers. Looking down, I saw crimson staining my pale dress.
"My mark," I whispered in horror. "It's bleeding."
Marcus's lips curled into a cruel smile as he continued his assault on Diana. "That's right, Elena. The mate bond is breaking. Consider yourself lucky—most rejected mates don't get to witness their replacement."
The pain intensified, becoming unbearable as my mate mark began to tear. I fell to my knees, a scream tearing from my throat as I felt the sacred bond between us shredding like tissue paper.
"Diana is my true Luna now," Marcus declared, pounding into my sister harder. "She understands power. She doesn't bore me with her endless diplomacy and kindness."
Through tears of agony, I watched as Diana's eyes met mine. There was no guilt there, no shame—only triumph and malice.
"Sister," she called out, deliberately moaning louder as Marcus thrust deeper. "You should feel honored. Your husband's technique is incredible. He says I'm so much tighter than you ever were."
I bit my lip until I tasted blood, trying to remain dignified despite the excruciating pain and humiliation. The mate mark continued to tear, sending waves of agony through my entire body.
"I wonder why you never satisfied him," Diana continued, her voice breathless with pleasure. "Was it you who was frigid? Or maybe he just prefers someone who isn't so... perfect all the time."
Marcus growled in approval, his movements becoming more frantic as he approached his climax. "That's it, Diana. Tell your sister how it feels to be fucked by a real Alpha."
I closed my eyes, unable to watch anymore, but I couldn't block out the sounds—the wet slap of their bodies, Diana's screams of pleasure, Marcus's guttural grunts.
"I'm coming," Marcus roared, slamming into Diana one final time before collapsing slightly, still buried inside her.
When he finally pulled out, Diana slid off the desk and sauntered toward me. I was still on my knees, clutching my bleeding neck, trembling with pain and shock.
"Get up," she hissed, kicking at my leg. "You're an eyesore."
Marcus straightened his clothes, not bothering to clean the blood from his lips—my blood from where he'd torn out his mark. "Guards!" he called.
Two massive wolves appeared instantly at the door. "Yes, Alpha King?"
"Take the former Luna away," he ordered dismissively. "And make sure she understands her new quarters will be in the servants' wing."
As the guards roughly pulled me to my feet, Diana leaned close to my ear.
"You always had everything handed to you," she whispered venomously. "Now watch me take it all."
They dragged me from the office, my legs barely supporting me as I stumbled through the pack house corridors. Pack members stopped to stare, their expressions ranging from pity to disgust to outright amusement.
"The Luna Queen is bleeding," someone whispered loudly enough for me to hear.
"Alpha King has rejected her," another replied. "Chose her sister instead."
Laughter rippled through a group of younger wolves. "Can't even keep her mate satisfied. What kind of Luna is that?"
Someone spat at my feet as I passed. "Pathetic."
The mate mark burned like fire against my skin, still tearing, still bleeding. Each step was agony as I stumbled forward, the whispers and jeers following me like shadows.
"Look at her," a female wolf sneered. "The fallen Luna Queen."
As they dragged me through the main hall, I caught sight of my reflection in one of the grand mirrors that lined the walls. My face was pale with shock, my neck covered in blood where the sacred mark of my mate was slowly being erased forever.
In that moment, something inside me began to change—something ancient and powerful stirring beneath the surface of my shattered heart.
