Prologue
Pain seared Layla’s neck, her mating mark burning as if a hot poker were pressed against her skin. Slapping a hand over her mark and clenching her eyes, she breathed through the pain. After a few moments, she regained her composure and collected her thoughts. Her mark had never burned like this, so she worried about its implication. Was Xander in danger?
Layla left her office and went in search of her Alpha mate. As Luna, she’d been working late to keep the pack running smoothly. Xander should be working alongside her since, as Alpha, half the workload was his. Unfortunately, her mate couldn’t be bothered with the more trivial details of the day-to-day duties of his station. Xander enjoyed the power and the privilege but left the rest for her to handle. She felt the familiar ripple of irritation whenever she thought of her mate. Had Xander not been shirking his duties, like usual, she wouldn’t have had to interrupt her own work to seek him out. Again.
Layla closed her eyes and asked her wolf to scent their mate. He was at their shared cabin. Did he get too drunk – a feat for a werewolf – and fall in the shower? She ran to their cabin and opened the door cautiously, slipping quietly into the house on the off chance there really was danger. Then, upon hearing the noises from their bedroom, she pulled upright and froze.
Her mate wasn’t injured. He was fucking someone else. Her wolf howled in her mind, the rage and devastation she felt bringing Layla to her knees. How could he do this? Betraying the mate bond was unthinkable.
Needing to see for herself and her wolf, Layla got to her feet and slowly crept down the hallway. The door was ajar, so everything was laid out before her. There was Xander, balls deep inside a young pack member who’d barely reached maturity. The girl Layla had warned him about, and he’d brushed off her concerns. She’s young, he said. It’s just a silly crush, he said. Maybe, but it was a crush Xander was taking full advantage of.
Layla felt sympathy for the girl, who undoubtedly had delusions about becoming the new Luna. But Layla knew that would never happen – Layla was far too valuable to be replaced by such a silly girl. The pack would suffer, and even her spineless Alpha understood that.
At the thought of the pack, Layla’s heart ached. She would have to leave them behind. A Luna was valuable to the pack, but the Alpha was essential. And she could not – would not – tolerate this betrayal. She knew Xander was weak and selfish, but she’d never dreamed he’d betray their bond like this. The pack would lose all respect for him. This level of self-destructive behavior went beyond anything he’d ever done before. He had to know the ramifications of this.
As much as she wanted to confront Xander and put the fear of the Goddess into the girl, Layla didn’t trust herself to keep from killing her mate. And given that her wolf was curled up in the back of their mind, keening from the pain of their mate’s betrayal, Layla knew she needed to get away from Xander as quickly as possible.
She closed her eyes and summoned the icy indifference so familiar to her. It was the only thing that protected her from the constant emotional upheaval being mated to a man like Xander entailed. With one final look at her former mate and his plaything, Layla turned and walked out of their shared home. There was nothing here she needed; any important possessions she kept in her office, where she often slept after a long day of completing pack duties.
Before heading back to her office to begin finalizing her departure, Layla stopped at the home of their Beta. Luke, looking rumpled from sex and grumpy at her intrusion, answered the door and grunted a response. Normally she would tease him for being in such a state, but her current mood was not conducive to playful humor. She just wanted to hand over the reins and get the hell out.
“Gather the team. My office. One hour,” she ordered, turning and walking away without a greeting or an explanation.
“Yes, Luna,” she heard him mutter. Layla knew he would do as she asked.
Arriving back at her office, Layla sat down at her desk and focused on what she needed to do to make her exit - what needed delegating, and to whom. She also needed to make sure Luke understood the details so he could oversee their transition and aid in training the next Luna.
Luke walked in and headed straight for her as if he’d heard her unspoken thoughts. Layla explained the situation as succinctly and dispassionately as she could. Luke was furious. As an honorable man, he could not comprehend betraying his mate. A mate was to be cherished and cared for. Deliberately hurting them was unforgivable, and it was a spit in the face to the Moon Goddess.
Layla knew Luke wanted to convince her to stay. But he also understood the depth of Xander’s betrayal, so he refrained. Besides, it was not his place as Beta to question the will of the Luna. And for the moment, she was still the Luna. So, if that meant assisting her in leaving the pack, that was what Luke would do. Layla not only understood this, but she counted on it. It was the only reason she could leave with a clear conscience. Her faith in Luke was absolute.
Xander was jealous of Luke and thought Layla had wanted Luke as her mate, but she felt nothing more for Luke than the affection she would have for an older brother. And after Layla’s father had abandoned her and her mother for a life with less responsibility, Layla didn’t want any mate at all. When she’d first been mated to Xander, his behavior was so like her father’s that she’d been horrified.
Layla had wanted to leave the pack then, convinced she would suffer the same fate as her mother. But Layla had done her duty and accepted her mantle as Luna. And despite being mated to Xander, Layla enjoyed the role. Because of this, she’d allowed Xander a great deal of leeway, compensating for his irresponsible behavior by picking up the slack herself. But betraying the mate bond was not something she would let slide. She would not be the same broken woman her mother became. Layla would go somewhere no one knew her and start a new life. Maybe she’d even live among the humans. They were predictable. She liked predictable.
The last members of the team trickled in and Layla took a deep breath. Then announced bluntly, “The Alpha has betrayed our mate bond. I called you here because I will be stepping down as Luna and leaving the pack.” Layla told them. Just then, Xander strode in. He looked around at the gathering and smirked.
“Called another meeting without me, huh? Because why would the Alpha need to know what’s going on in his own pack, right? But I see you made sure to invite Luke.”
Rage at his insinuation lit through Layla. She’d barely ever hugged Luke, while Xander had fucked someone else. His audacity made her want to shred him with her claws. The low growl from her wolf echoed her sentiments.
“You were busy. I didn’t want to disturb you.” Layla looked Xander directly in the eyes, something only she could get away with, letting him know she knew exactly what he was busy doing. His eyes widened with shock as he understood her insinuation. Then his face crumpled with pain. That pissed her off even more. How dare he betray her and play the victim?
“You knew? And you said nothing?” he whispered.
“What would have been the point? You made your choice. Now I’m making mine.” Layla raised her voice so the whole room would hear. “Alexander Price, Alpha of the Coastal Pack, I reject you as my mate and sever the mate bond.” Layla enjoyed Xander’s gasp of shock and watched with dark pleasure as he dropped to his knees, clutching his heart where their mate bond dissolved. It hurt her too, but it was nothing compared to the pain of his betrayal.
With her eyes on his, Layla approached Xander and crouched in front of him so they were eye-to-eye. His face was contorted in shock and agony.
“You seem surprised Xander. Did you think that I would allow you to fuck your way through the pack while I did your job for you? You had to know this was coming when you decided to stick your dick in that girl.” Layla didn’t give him time to answer. She wasn’t interested in excuses. And she just didn’t care. She stood up and kicked him onto his back. He lay there, staring up at her with that same pitiful look. Disgusted, she asked, “Do you accept?” Xander held her gaze for a few long moments. But he must have recognized her resolve and nodded in agreement.
“I accept,” he whispered. She nodded back.
“Good,” she said. “My only regret is not being able to watch whoever kicks your ass to take your position as Alpha. Without a Luna, Timothy could challenge you and he does our taxes.” Layla sneered at Xander. “I can’t believe I was mated to such a weak wolf. But now finally I’m finally free of you. I regret losing my pack, but I made them strong. And once they replace you, they’ll have a bright future.”
She gazed at him for one final moment, then turned, grabbed her single bag of belongings, and walked out without looking back.
