I sat rigid in my chair at the weekly pack council meeting, my fingers curled tightly around the armrests as Kyle stood at the head of the long oak table. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting his shadow long across the polished floor—a shadow that seemed to stretch toward me like an accusation.
"As Alpha of the Moonveil Pack," Kyle announced, his voice carrying that authoritative timbre that once made my heart race, "I have an important declaration to make."
I already knew what was coming. The whispers had been circulating through the pack for days after the Full Moon Run. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the public humiliation.
"It is with great honor that I formally recognize Amanda Chen as my true chosen mate," Kyle continued, gesturing for Amanda to join him at the front of the room.
She rose gracefully, her triumphant smile barely contained as she took her place beside him. Her fingers intertwined with his in a possessive grip that made Lyra snarl within me.
*He's making it official,* my wolf growled. *After everything we've sacrificed.*
Kyle's gaze swept across the council members, deliberately avoiding mine. "As you all know, Luna traditions dictate that when an Alpha discovers his true mate, adjustments must be made for the good of the pack."
Adjustments. As if I were merely an inconvenient piece of furniture that needed rearranging.
"This is unprecedented," Beta Liam spoke up, his brow furrowed. "Luna Sophia has served this pack faithfully for three years."
Kyle's expression hardened. "Are you questioning my authority, Beta?"
Liam's eyes dropped immediately. "No, Alpha. I merely—"
"Then it's settled," Kyle cut him off, squeezing Amanda's hand. "Amanda will begin taking on Luna duties effective immediately."
I scanned the faces around the table—council members I'd worked alongside for years. One by one, they averted their eyes, unwilling to meet my gaze. Only Liam glanced my way, a flash of sympathy crossing his features before he, too, looked down.
The silence in the room was deafening until Kyle spoke again. "That will be all for today. Council dismissed."
As chairs scraped against the floor and council members filed out, I remained seated, frozen in place by a mixture of shock and rage. Kyle and Amanda lingered by the door, her laughter floating back to me as she pressed herself against his side.
"Sophia," Kyle called without turning, "don't forget your place."
The double meaning wasn't lost on me.
* * *
The next morning dawned crisp and clear, a perfect day for the pack run that I now dreaded. I stood at the edge of the gathering, watching as Kyle organized the wolves into their traditional formation—mated pairs at the front, followed by unmated adults, adolescents, and finally, omegas at the rear.
My heart sank as Kyle and Amanda took their position at the very front, their bodies already half-transformed, fur beginning to ripple across their skin. The message was clear to everyone present: I was no longer his Luna.
*We should refuse to run,* Lyra suggested, her pride wounded. *We are still a Mitchell.*
"And show weakness?" I whispered to her. "Never."
I moved toward the back of the formation, each step feeling like a surrender. The pitying glances from pack members burned worse than any physical pain I'd ever experienced.
As I took my place among the omegas—wolves without mates or those who had fallen from grace—Amanda deliberately broke formation. She sauntered over to me, her transformation paused so she could speak.
"How the mighty have fallen," she murmured, brushing her shoulder against mine as she passed. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of your pack... and your mate."
Before I could respond, she added with a cruel smile, "That's the thing about being disposable, Sophia. No one remembers you once you're gone."
She returned to Kyle's side as he gave the signal to begin. The pack surged forward, a magnificent wave of fur and muscle, leaving me to run with the stragglers and the disgraced.
For the first time, I let Lyra's tears fall freely as we ran, the wind carrying away the evidence of my heartbreak.
* * *
Back in my quarters—which Kyle had already suggested I vacate soon—I sat cross-legged on my bed, eyes closed in concentration. The mind-link was difficult to establish over such distance, but I needed my father's counsel more than ever.
*Father?* I projected, focusing on the familiar warmth of his presence.
A moment passed before I felt the connection take hold. *My daughter,* came Alpha David Mitchell's steady voice. *I've been waiting for your call.*
*You knew this would happen,* I accused, unable to keep the bitterness from my thoughts.
*I feared it,* he admitted. *Kyle's ambition was always greater than his honor.*
I felt a wave of shame. *I've failed our pack. The territories—*
*Are secure,* he interrupted, his mental voice firm. *Did you think I would send my daughter into a political mating without protection?*
Confusion rippled through me. *What do you mean?*
*The treaties we signed,* he explained, *contain clauses that Kyle never bothered to read fully. Our core territories remain Mitchell land, regardless of your dowry. What he thinks he owns is merely leased, conditional upon your continued status as Luna.*
Hope flickered within me for the first time in months. *You protected me all along.*
*Of course I did,* his voice softened. *But now you must protect yourself, Sophia. Your worth is not tied to a mate who cannot see your value. Remember who you are—a Mitchell, a strategist, a leader in your own right.*
As our connection faded, I opened my eyes, a new resolve hardening within me. Lyra stirred, her silver form stretching awake with renewed purpose.
*What now?* she asked.
"Now," I whispered, my fingers tracing the Mitchell pack symbol etched into my medallion, "we remind them why they should have feared us instead of pitied us."
The game Kyle thought he'd won was only just beginning.
