Chapter 1
Through the window of our new den, I saw two familiar figures locked in a tight embrace under the moonlight.
I slipped off my high heels—gifts from Alpha Theron Brooks when he’d claimed me as his future Luna.
I had loved them once, but now they only brought pain, rubbing my paws raw. So I walked barefoot, the cool earth beneath me more comforting than the false elegance of those shoes.
With trembling fingers, I dialed a familiar number.
“Sis, I’m not going through with the mating ceremony. I need to come to you.”
My elder sister, Beta Elythia, paused only a second before responding, her voice steady but warm. “Little pup, you’re always welcome in my pack. Come home.”
I choked back a whine, my wolf restless with grief.
Then I heard her sigh, her protective instincts flaring. “I thought he was different… I never wanted you to hurt like this.”
“Nymeria,” she continued, her tone firm but gentle, “you’re young. The world is bigger than one mate bond. There are forests to run, hunts to join, a whole life beyond this pain. Whatever you choose, I stand with you.”
Until tonight, I, too, had believed Alpha Theron was different.
He had been strong, steady, a leader who commanded respect. He kept other she-wolves at a distance, his loyalty unquestioned. Even when pack duties weighed on him, he always made time for me—his chosen mate.
But tonight, at the victory celebration, Lythara Harris had appeared uninvited.
For the first time, my Alpha lost control—his glass shattered in his grip. For the first time, he snarled at me over nothing and abandoned me on the forest path.
If it had been any other she-wolf, I might have doubted my eyes. I might have given him another chance, waited patiently for years more, loyal to the bond I thought we shared.
But the female in his den was Lythara Harris.
The same Lythara who had tormented me for years, stolen my victories, mocked my status as a lesser wolf. The one creature I could never forgive.
And when I saw Alpha Theron pull her close, his hands possessive on her waist—I knew.
My wolf howled in grief, but my heart went silent.
I was done.
