Chapter 2

Four days passed faster than the wind. Everywhere I turned, pack members were posting pictures with Adeline.

Finn had also stayed at the pack house, leaving me alone at his house, where pack members assumed I was a maid.

Today was my birthday, and as usual, I knew I would celebrate alone. Being wolfless got me worse treatment than the omegas.

I was packing away the laundry when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Beta Derek rushed in, breathing heavily.

I jumped up, my heart racing.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen to Finn?"

Derek didn't answer. Instead, he shoved a white dress into my arms.

"Get dressed, Luna. We'll be late."

I frowned. Late for what?

Seeing my confused face, Derek said, "I almost forgot. Three weeks ago, Alpha asked me to bring you to the pack square on this day in this dress."

My heart jumped.

The pack square. And a white dress... What Lunas wear.

Today was my birthday. Could it be that even without my wolf appearing, Finn was finally going to keep his promise and reveal our bond to the pack?

With shaky legs, I changed into the dress and followed Derek.

The closer we got to the square, the louder the cheers became.

Flowers decorated the street. Balloons in my favorite colors, blue and red, lined every corner, and hundreds of pack members gathered around the arena in their best clothes.

A wide smile curved my lips as I pushed through the crowd to get to the front.

Then I saw the stage.

And the giant banner hanging above it.

[WELCOME HOME ADELINE]

My smile dropped.

This... It was never about me?

The crowd's thunderous applause caught my attention.

Adeline had just taken hold of Finn's extended hand to stand beside him on the stage. He kissed her hand, staring straight into her eyes.

A tear slipped down my cheek, which I hastily wiped.

"Dear pack members," Finn announced. "Thank you all for coming here to celebrate the most important woman in my li—"

His eyes caught mine, and he froze.

"Layla..." he murmured.

Many wolves followed his gaze, including Adeline.

Seeing me, she smiled brightly and walked down the stage.

"Layla!"

She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

"I have missed you. Thank you for coming to my welcome-back party," she said sweetly.

Her eyes drifted towards Finn, and a shy smile graced her lips.

"Finn has taken such good care of me since I got back."

My knees weakened.

"Your mate is a true gentleman."

She knew he was my mate.

"Honestly," she continued softly, "I don't know what I would've done without him. Finn really likes me."

My nails dug into my palms. I glanced at Finn, but he looked away and gulped.

I forced a fake smile onto my face. "That's good, Adeline. At least you both are happy."

She smiled and walked back to where Finn stood.

The guilty look in his eyes disappeared into a soft smile the moment his gaze left me and returned to her.

"Alpha," a voice tore through the air. "When will you mark Luna Adeline? The pack needs a Luna."

Derek, Adeline, Finn, and I stiffened, an awkward air growing among us.

Finn opened his mouth to answer when suddenly...

A howl tore through the air.

Everyone froze, eyes wide in terror. The next second, more howls filled the air.

"ROGUES!"

Everyone charged in different directions, parents shifting and carrying their pups to safety.

Three large rogue wolves stormed into the arena, taking confident strides like they owned the place.

They bared their teeth, lifting and flinging away the pack warriors that attacked them like they weighed nothing.

I whimpered as one of the warriors' injured bodies landed close to where I was hiding. The largest rogue, who had been slowly walking towards the stage where Finn was, halted.

Cold prickled my skin as his eyes turned and zoned in on my neck. My teeth chattered as he snarled and lunged towards me.

Oh no. He must have seen Finn's mark. Though well hidden, this rogue was definitely powerful enough to sense I was the alpha's mate.

"F-Finn, help me," I whispered shakily, closing my eyes as it raised its claws.

Seconds later, when nothing happened, I opened my eyes.

A big brown wolf stood before me, blocking the path of the rogue. They growled at each other, no one backing down. Then the rogue made eye contact with me, turned, and ran off with the other two in tow.

My chest swelled. I knew it. Finn cared for me.

"Finn," I called excitedly, hugging him from behind. "You saved—"

My words caught in my throat as the wolf shifted back into his human form.

It wasn't Finn, but Derek.