Chapter 1

Estelle's POV

Cassius Blackwood had cheated.

The thought didn't explode in my mind. It didn't rage or scream. It settled instead like ice—slow, deliberate—sealing every emotion beneath its surface.

I stood outside the Alpha Council Chamber.

The black stone walls glimmered coldly in the firepits' glow, their surfaces carved with the Thunderclaw Pack's wolf crest. The sharp lines looked as though they might spring to life at any moment. Cassius's pheromones saturated the air—icy, commanding. Once they had grounded me. Now they pressed down like a weight on my chest.

The wolf inside me growled low. I forced it back.

I raised my hand and knocked.

"Come in."

The voice was deep, familiar.

I drew a steady breath and pushed the door open.

Cassius was bent over paperwork at the long conference table. He'd removed his coat, his shirt collar loosened, fatigue etched faintly into his features—though his sharpness remained. The Northern Conference had only just ended. He'd returned to the Pack at dawn and come straight here.

I approached with a smile calibrated to perfection.

"Busy?" I placed the documents beside him. "These need your signature. As soon as possible."

The question was polite; my actions weren't optional. I flipped to the marked pages, my fingertips lingering just long enough—neither intimate nor aloof.

He barely skimmed them. His pen moved without hesitation, signing page after page.

Cassius Blackwood.

The strokes were decisive. Unquestioning. Just like him.

It was absolute trust—and complete disregard.

"Good work," he said flatly.

I gathered the papers and asked, out of habit, "Will you be returning to the main residence tonight?"

His pen never paused.

"No. I have business."

"Understood." I inclined my head. "I'll take my leave."

The smile vanished the instant I turned away.

Like moonlight retreating, leaving nothing but barren ground behind.

As I walked past the inner lounge adjoining the council chamber, my steps faltered—just slightly.

A sound drifted out.

Not the rough breathing of post-training exertion, nor the restrained noises expected of an adult wolf. It was lighter. Softer. Like a small animal startled awake.

I glanced sideways.

On the coffee table lay several packets of overly sweet human snacks. A half-finished drink sat abandoned, long gone cold. On the floor, a nude-pink high heel rested on its side, the stiletto slim and elegant—definitely not mine.

The scents told the rest.

Cassius's pheromones, intertwined with another presence—unfamiliar, young, bold enough to sting the senses.

I didn't linger. I didn't open the door.

There was no need.

I lifted my foot to leave the chamber when—

The lounge door swung open.

"Cassius?"

The voice belonged to a young woman.

Clear. Unguarded. Intimate in a way that needed no explanation.

The air froze.

She stood in the doorway, dressed casually, her collar unfastened, hair loosely tied back. A lingering smile faded when she noticed me. She hadn't expected an audience.

"I—" She hesitated. "I didn't know you were busy."

Cassius's expression darkened.

"Who told you to come out?" he asked.

His tone wasn't loud—but it was cold enough to cut.

She bit her lip, her gaze flicking toward me with curiosity tinged by something sharper. Defiance, perhaps.

"I just wanted to ask," she said quietly, "if tonight's training was canceled."

I said nothing.

But my wolf was fully awake now.

The scent in the room sharpened.

"Leave," Cassius ordered.

She hesitated, then slowly retreated back into the lounge.

When the door closed, the atmosphere felt compressed, as if the air itself had been crushed.

I spoke evenly. "Is the council chamber now open to anyone?"

He didn't answer right away.

"She doesn't know the rules yet," he said at last. "I'll deal with it."

"Will you?" I asked. "Or do you think she's already earned the privilege of breaking them?"

He stood and walked toward me.

"Estelle," he said quietly, "don't fixate on this."

For a moment, I nearly laughed.

"Which part?" I asked. "An Alpha allowing a foreign pack member into the inner circle? Or allowing her to interrupt your work?"

Silence.

I met his gaze and articulated every word.

"Or is it that, in your eyes, I no longer deserve respect?"

His throat worked.

"You're exhausted," he said. "Go rest."

It wasn't an explanation.

It was a dismissal.

I turned and left without another word.

The corridor to my office felt longer than usual. It had always been Luna's office—if never officially acknowledged as such.

The moment I closed the door behind me, my strength drained away. I collapsed into the chair and exhaled slowly.

From the stack of documents, I drew out a single, separately bound agreement.

—Mate Bond Dissolution Agreement.

On the final page, the Alpha's signature stood bold and unmistakable. I traced the curve of his penmanship, and memories surfaced unbidden.

Moonlight. His hand in mine. His voice declaring to the Pack that I would become his Luna.

His mother's cold gaze. Her sneer as she reminded me that an Alpha never belonged to just one woman.

And my certainty—foolish, absolute—that we would be different.

Looking back, it was almost laughable.

He'd taken a younger woman to the Northern Conference. Brought her back. Hidden her in the Pack. Even in the council chamber. He reveled in youth, admiration, secrecy—convinced he was clever.

I pulled my hand away, photographed the signed page, and sent it to his mother.

[He has signed.]

The terms had been finalized a week ago.

I had initiated the dissolution, agreeing to erase my history as Luna. In exchange, I would receive enough assets and territory to ensure my permanent departure.

One month.

In one month, I would disappear entirely from Cassius Blackwood's world.

A knock sounded.

"Come in."

The door opened. His Beta stepped inside.

He set a black wooden box carved with wolf motifs on my desk. "The Alpha instructed me to deliver this."

I opened it.

Inside lay a set of diamond jewelry—Luna regalia. Cold, brilliant, unmistakably valuable.

Another image rose to the surface—

A young woman with short hair, wrapped in a bathrobe, absentmindedly toying with the necklace. Dim light. Rumpled sheets. Marks on her collarbone that hadn't yet faded.

My stomach twisted.

"Thank you," I said, lifting my gaze. My eyes were ice.

The Beta stiffened. "The Alpha chose it himself. It's one of a kind."

One of a kind.

I laughed softly.

"How thoughtful," I said. "Even with everything else, he still remembered to prepare a gift."

The Beta's face paled.

"Luna… there's one more thing."

"Speak."

"The guest from the Northfall Pack," he said carefully. "The Alpha wants you to arrange temporary lodging and oversee her acclimation training."

I laughed again.

"Say that once more."

He swallowed. "Alpha believes it's more appropriate for you to handle it."

Appropriate.

For the betrayed Luna to house her Alpha's lover.

I stood and stepped closer.

"His exact words?"

"Yes."

"Did he specify," I asked quietly, "whether this was a request—or an order?"

The Beta said nothing.

That was answer enough.

"Very well," I said. "Tell him I'll take care of it."

Relief flickered across his face as he turned to leave.

Once the door closed, I stared at the jewelry as though it were something obscene. I photographed it and sent the image to my contact at the underground auction house.

[Sell it. Donate the proceeds to orphaned low-ranking wolves.]