I stood outside Legend's office, my hand trembling as I raised it to knock. The championship victory still clung to my skin like sweat, but the triumph had curdled into something bitter and cold. Six years of waiting, of enduring, of believing—all of it led to this moment of confrontation. My knuckles rapped against the heavy oak door, each tap measured and deliberate, like the heartbeat of a woman who had finally run out of patience.
The door swung open, and there he stood. Legend Hayes, the Alpha's son, my fated mate, the man who had been a ghost at my greatest achievement. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, his usually commanding presence seemed muted, but his eyes—those eyes that had once looked at me with what I thought was love—were carefully blank.
'Juliana.' My name on his lips sounded like an accusation. 'I was wondering when you'd come.'
I stepped inside, closing the door behind me with a soft click that felt like the sealing of a tomb. 'Where were you tonight?' My voice was quiet, too quiet, but it filled the space between us like smoke.
'Border patrol,' he said, the lie slipping out with practiced ease. 'We had reports of rogue activity.'
'Don't.' The word cut through the air like a blade. 'Don't lie to me. Not now.' I pulled out my phone, the mind-link broadcast still glowing on the screen. The words burned into my vision: *Code 0143 confirmed. Welcome home, Waverly.*
Legend's jaw tightened, but he didn't flinch. 'You're being paranoid, Juliana.' His voice shifted, taking on the weight of his Alpha tone, the sound that made lesser wolves cower. 'Waverly needed support. She's been away for years, and her return is... complicated.'
The Alpha tone washed over me, but I didn't bend. Not this time. 'Paranoid?' I laughed, the sound sharp and humorless. 'You gave me her code, Legend. The one you swore was ours alone. You stood me up on the night I proved myself to this pack, and you went to her.'
'You're blowing this out of proportion.' His tone was cold now, dismissive. 'Waverly needed help adjusting. She's an old friend of the pack.'
'An old friend,' I repeated, tasting the words like poison. 'Is that what you call her when you're whispering in her ear? When you're giving her the codes that were supposed to be mine?'
His eyes flashed, not with guilt but with irritation. 'Enough, Juliana. This isn't about you.'
The words hit me like a physical blow. Six years of my life, reduced to an inconvenience. I turned to leave, my hand on the doorknob, when his voice stopped me.
'Where are you going?'
'To dinner,' I said, the words hollow. 'Since you missed the celebration, I figured I'd at least eat.'
His expression didn't change. 'Good. Waverly will be there. Try to be civil.'
I walked out, my spine straight and my heart breaking.
The dining hall was a sea of voices and clinking silverware when I arrived. My squad members waved me over, but I froze in the doorway. There, at the head table, sat Legend. And beside him, in the Luna's chair—the chair that should have been mine—was Waverly Wallace.
She was beautiful in that effortless way that made my chest ache. Her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her laughter carried across the room like music. She leaned close to Legend, her hand resting on his arm with casual ownership, and he didn't pull away.
Every eye in the room darted between us, waiting for the drama to unfold. I felt the weight of their stares, the silent judgment, the pity.
I walked to the table, my steps measured, and stopped directly in front of them. 'Waverly,' I said, my voice carrying just enough to cut through the dinner chatter. 'You're in the Luna's seat.'
Legend's gaze snapped to mine, hard and warning. 'She's a guest, Juliana.'
'A guest,' I echoed, the word tasting like ash. 'How fortunate for her.' I turned and walked out of the dining hall, the sound of Waverly's laughter following me like a curse.
The next morning, the punishment came. Border patrol—double shifts, back-to-back, with no rest. The same grueling schedule he'd forced on me after the Emerald Table incident, when I'd dared to accept a ride from another pack member.
As I stared at the assignment board, the memory of that humiliation crashed over me. History repeating itself, with Waverly at the center of it all.
'Again?' Nolan's voice came from behind me, his tone heavy with disbelief. 'He's doing this again?'
I nodded, unable to speak. The pattern was clear now, carved into my soul with brutal clarity. In Legend's world, my pain was the price of Waverly's comfort. And I was done paying it.
