Chapter 3
Jake stood frozen at the forest's edge, his young body trembling as he stared into the darkness. Through our pack's mind-link, I felt what he felt—saw what he saw. Ryan's dark grey wolf form racing through the northern territory, playfully nipping at Connor's heels while Vanessa's brown wolf kept pace beside them. The joy radiating through the link was unmistakable—my mate was happy, content, and completely unbothered by the son he'd abandoned on the night of their sacred run.
Selene howled in anguish within me. *He's not even trying to hide it anymore.*
Jake's shoulders began to shake, his ceremonial shorts hanging loosely on his thin frame. He'd been so proud when he put them on, so certain his father would remember this time.
"He's... he's laughing with them," Jake whispered, his voice cracking. "Connor tripped over a log and Dad... Dad caught him."
I moved toward my son, but before I could reach him, his knees buckled. He collapsed onto the damp earth, his face contorted in grief too profound for his thirteen years.
"He promised," Jake sobbed as I gathered him into my arms. "He swore on the Moon Goddess that tonight would be our night."
I held him tightly, feeling his tears soak through my shirt as his body shook with each painful sob. The ceremonial markings I'd carefully painted on his shoulders—symbols of strength and legacy that were meant to be blessed by his father during their run—smeared against my skin.
"Why doesn't he want me, Mom?" Jake's question pierced my heart like a silver blade.
I had no answer that wouldn't destroy what little faith he had left in his father. Instead, I rocked him gently, the way I had when he was small, letting my Luna's aura wrap around him protectively.
"We don't need him," Selene growled. *We're stronger without him.*
For the first time, I didn't silence her.
---
Three days later, I pushed open the heavy oak door to my Luna office, my arms laden with ceremonial texts for the upcoming harvest blessing. The familiar scent of sage and moonflower that I'd cultivated over eight years should have greeted me—instead, my nostrils filled with artificial vanilla.
Vanessa stood behind my desk, her hands rearranging the sacred Luna relics that had been passed down through generations of Silvermoon Lunas. My grandmother's crystal moon pendant now sat askew beside a collection of gaudy scented candles.
"What are you doing in my office?" I demanded, dropping the books onto a side table with a loud thud.
Vanessa turned, her expression one of practiced innocence. "Luna Madison! I was just freshening things up a bit." She gestured around the room. "Ryan mentioned that the space needed a more... contemporary perspective. Something less outdated."
The implication hung in the air between us. I was the outdated element she was referring to.
"These relics are sacred to the Luna bloodline," I said, moving to reclaim my grandmother's pendant. "They're not decorations to be rearranged at your whim."
"Oh, I know," she cooed, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "But Ryan specifically asked me to help modernize the Luna's role. He feels the pack needs to evolve beyond some of the more... restrictive traditions."
Selene snarled. *She's marking our territory. Claiming what isn't hers.*
"Get out," I said quietly, my Luna authority resonating in each syllable.
Vanessa's smile faltered, but she recovered quickly. "Of course, Luna. I've finished anyway." She sauntered toward the door, pausing at the threshold. "By the way, Connor is so excited about his training with Ryan tomorrow. It's wonderful how he's taken such an interest in my son's development, isn't it? Almost like... family."
The door closed behind her with a soft click that felt like a thunderclap.
I stormed through the pack house, my rage building with each step toward Ryan's chambers. Pack members scattered from my path, sensing the fury radiating from their Luna.
I found him in his study, reviewing territory maps with two Delta warriors.
"Leave us," I commanded, not caring that I'd overstepped by dismissing his meeting.
The Deltas looked to Ryan, who nodded his permission, his jaw tightening at my interruption.
"What is Vanessa doing in my Luna office?" I demanded once we were alone.
"Helping," he replied coolly. "The pack needs to evolve, Madison. Some of your approaches are becoming outdated."
"My approaches?" I stepped closer, feeling our mate bond strain further. "Or is it me you find outdated, Ryan?"
He sighed, as if I were a child throwing a tantrum. "You're overreacting. Vanessa has some excellent ideas for modernizing pack protocols. I've asked her to assist with the Luna duties that you seem too... traditional to adapt."
"You had no right," I said, my voice dangerously low. "The Luna office is sacred space, passed down through my bloodline."
Ryan's eyes flashed amber. "Everything in this pack house belongs to the Alpha. I decide who accesses what."
The Beta-Alpha connection between them hummed in the air—that secondary bond that allowed them to work closely together. But Ryan had twisted it into something inappropriate, something that undermined our primary mate bond.
"You missed Jake's ceremonial run," I said, changing tactics. "He saw you with Vanessa and Connor through the mind-link."
A flicker of guilt crossed Ryan's face before his Alpha mask slipped back into place. "Pack business came up. I'll make it up to him."
"Like you made up missing his first shift ceremony? His birthday? When does it end, Ryan?"
He stood, towering over me. "When you stop questioning my authority as Alpha. Vanessa understands her place. Perhaps you should remember yours."
The dismissal stung like a physical blow. I left his chambers with my dignity intact, but my heart splintering.
That night, as I prepared for bed, I reached for my Luna amulet—the symbol of my authority and the physical manifestation of my connection to the Moon Goddess. The velvet-lined box where I kept it sat empty, the impression of the silver crescent moon pendant clear in the fabric.
My amulet was gone.
Selene's rage merged with my own as the realization dawned. This wasn't just about Ryan's emotional betrayal anymore. This was a calculated power play.
*He's trying to erase us,* Selene growled. *But we won't disappear quietly.*
I closed the empty jewelry box with trembling hands. No, we certainly wouldn't.