Chapter 4

I didn't sleep a wink. The next morning, I was jolted awake by a flood of notifications on my phone.

[SHOCKING! Black Moon Pack's Future Luna's Most Private First Shift Video to be Auctioned on the Black Market!]

The blood froze in my veins.

Because those videos… only Kaelen had them.

My hands trembling, I opened our mental link. "You did this?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end, then his nonchalant reply. "I did. So what?"

I clenched my fist. "Why?"

"I was disappointed in you last night, Estelle," he said, his tone lecturing. "A future Luna should understand the bigger picture. You shouldn't have embarrassed Cassandra."

"So you took my most private video to be auctioned off?" My voice was shaking with rage.

"Those videos were always mine to do with as I please," he replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Since you won't listen, you can deal with the black market yourself. Remember this, Estelle. This is the consequence of disobedience."

The mental link snapped shut.

I stared at the auction information on my phone and took a deep breath.

Ten o'clock. Less than two hours to go.

I changed into a black tactical suit, tied up my hair, and drove straight to the black market.

The market was located in an abandoned warehouse district on the edge of the city, a place where the filthiest deals in the werewolf world were made.

When I pushed open the warehouse doors, the place was already buzzing with noise. Rogue wolves, bounty hunters, all sorts of lowlifes were gathered here, the air thick with the stench of blood and cheap alcohol.

On a giant screen, they were playing the video of my first shift at eighteen.

The agonizing contortions of my first transformation, the screams as my bones reshaped, and the helpless, terrified figure I became, huddled in a corner afterward.

"Look at that body, tsk tsk…"

"The Black Moon Luna, ha! Now everyone can get a look."

"Starting bid ten million? Worth it."

Filthy whistles and lewd comments came from all directions.

"Enough!" I threw back my hood and strode toward the stage.

The hall fell silent instantly. Every rogue wolf and bounty hunter recognized me.

The auctioneer swallowed hard. "Miss Estelle, you… what are you…"

"I'm buying back all the master copies."

A scar-faced rogue wolf stepped forward. "So what if you're the future Luna? In the black market, money talks. Status means nothing."

"I'll say it again," I said, my voice human but my posture radiating the threat of my wolf form. "Stop the auction."

"Thirty million dollars. Is that enough?"

I scanned the room, my cold gaze enough to intimidate these desperados. The aura of an Alpha's mate still carried immense weight.

The auctioneer's face went pale. He nodded repeatedly, and under the pressure of the enormous sum and my unspoken threat, he quickly terminated the auction and handed all the master copies over to me.

After handling everything, I got back in my car, my hands still shaking. The funds I had set aside to help build the Black Moon Pack with Kaelen were now being used to clean up the mess he had created.

The irony was crushing.

The mental link opened again.

"Finished so quickly?" Kaelen's voice came through, tinged with surprise. "I thought you'd be crying and begging me to call it off."

"I handled it," I replied, my voice dangerously calm. "With my own money."

"With money?" he scoffed. "Estelle, do you think money can solve everything? This was a lesson for you, to teach you what obedience means."

"I understand," I said, feigning submission.

"Good." His tone was more satisfied now. "Remember this lesson, Estelle. As long as you accept Cassandra's presence, our Luna Ceremony can proceed as planned. You will still be my Luna. She is just a… diversion."

I didn't respond.

"Stop sulking," he continued. "I'll give you time to think it over. In one week, I expect to see a more compliant Estelle."

I severed the mental link.

Sitting in the empty living room, I suddenly remembered my eighteenth birthday. It was the day of my first shift. Kaelen had been by my side, gently stroking my hair, telling me not to be afraid.

"Estelle, you are the most beautiful wolf in the world," he had said then.

Now, he had turned that beauty into a commodity. He had used my vulnerability as a tool to punish me.

I opened my social media.

A new post from Cassandra: a photo of a fifty-million-dollar diamond necklace, with the caption, "Thank you to my Alpha. I'm the happiest female in the world."

The comments below were all fawning praise:

"You're so lucky, Cassandra!"

"The Alpha is so good to you!"

"That necklace is absolutely stunning!"

I closed my phone, my face a mask of indifference.

There was no jealousy, no anger, not even sadness.

Because I knew it was all about to end.

The next evening, Kaelen came home. But he smelled wrong. It was no longer the familiar scent of pine that I knew, but a cloying sweetness mixed with cheap perfume.

It was an Omega's scent. Cassandra's scent. He had been staying with her, and her smell had completely saturated him. The scent of our own mate bond had faded until it was almost imperceptible.

"Estelle," he said my name, but his eyes were glued to his phone. "There's a business gala tomorrow night. You're coming with me."

The same commanding tone as always.

"Alright," I replied calmly.

He looked up, frowning. "You've been… different lately."

"How so?"

"I can't put my finger on it," he shook his head. "It's like you've become… very obedient? And the scent of our bond isn't as strong as it used to be."

I smiled faintly. "I'm probably just tired."

He didn't seem to doubt it. Just then, his phone lit up with a notification. He glanced at it, and his expression immediately softened. The flicker of concern he'd shown me vanished into thin air.

"It's Cassandra," he said casually, typing a reply. "She saw a new limited-edition bag she wants. I have to go order it for her."

As I watched his retreating back, I silently counted the days.

Three more days.

In three days, the Elders' ruling would be final.

And he hadn't even realized the true reason our bond was fading. He probably wouldn't notice until it had withered to nothing.