Chapter 2

Rain hammered Blackwood Territory on the day I was discharged.

By the time the hired car left me at the pack house, my coat was soaked through and muddy water ran from my hair.

Finn took one look at me and covered his nose with theatrical disgust.

"You smell like wet dog!"

He peeked at Vivienne. When she laughed, he grinned, pleased that his performance had worked.

He did not hate me. Hurting me was simply one of the many things he had learned could make her smile.

Vivienne sat beside the fireplace in my Luna robe.

Adrian had placed that robe over my shoulders himself after my Luna ceremony. Silver thread traced the Blackwood crest across the collar, and the fabric still carried the faint cedar scent of the pack house.

My sister wore it as casually as a borrowed sweater.

I said nothing and turned toward the stairs.

Adrian came out of the kitchen, his brows drawing together.

"Vivienne set aside her work to care for Finn. You may not feel grateful, but you do not need to punish her with that expression."

"You're right." I stopped on the first stair.

"So she can have your gratitude, the Luna title, and you. Shouldn't we reject the mate bond?"

Adrian's face went cold.

"You have just lost a pup. You are grieving and unstable. A mate rejection is not a threat you use to frighten your family."

Vivienne rose slowly, gathering my robe around her.

"Elara, Adrian punished Finn. As for me, I had no idea he would take anything I said seriously. You cannot destroy your family because grief has made you jealous."

Adrian stepped between us without thinking.

"Finn is responsible for his actions," he said. "Vivienne did not put the cake in his hands or order him to deceive you."

Apparently a six-year-old should have understood death on his own, while the adult who repeatedly described the benefits of my miscarriage had merely chosen an unfortunate phrase.

"Vivienne has explained herself," he said. "This discussion is over."

I no longer wanted to argue. Upstairs, I packed my identification, work records, clothing, and the restoration tools that had been gathering dust since Finn was born.

On the dressing table, I placed a signed civil divorce petition, a mate rejection declaration, and papers granting Adrian sole custody of Finn.

Then I removed the Luna signet from my finger.

The mating mark remained on my neck. It would require a healer and a Moon Council proceeding to remove, but one day that scar would be gone as well.

Downstairs, Adrian returned to the kitchen to finish dinner for Vivienne.

In six years, the only meal he had ever brought me was a bowl of cold oatmeal after Finn's birth.

Vivienne posted photographs of the dinner on MoonNet. One image showed the table crowded with her favorite dishes. Another showed Adrian at the stove with his sleeves rolled to his elbows.

[There is always one person who remembers everything you love.]

Adrian's mother commented within a minute.

[Some women are born to be Lunas. Even the Moon Goddess makes mistakes.]

His younger sister added a row of hearts.

I tapped the like button. The post disappeared the next time I refreshed the page.

When I carried my suitcase downstairs, Adrian was waiting in the entry hall.

"That post was a joke," he said. "Do you truly need to leave the pack house over a few careless words?"

"The documents are upstairs. Meet me at the Moon Council office tomorrow morning."

Finn wrapped both arms around Adrian's leg.

"Let her go. Does that mean Aunt Vivienne can stay here tonight?"

He pulled the moonstone charm from his neck.

When Finn was four, a fever prevented him from completing his first partial shift. I spent three nights at the Moon Shrine to have that stone blessed for him.

He pushed it into my palm.

"I don't like this one anymore. Aunt Vivienne can get me a prettier one."

"All right."

I placed the charm in the cold ash box beside the fireplace.

Then I walked out into the rain.