Two

Something inside me shattered. My wolf whimpered, curling inward.

How could he ignore me? The Moon doesn’t make mistakes. Why did this feel like one?

I didn't stop walking. Thankfully, no one seemed to be paying close attention. If I weren’t already the subject of enough gossip — the alpha’s daughter who had been replaced — I might’ve said to hell with tradition and stormed right up to Justin, demanding answers.

Why was every so-called gift from the Moon so terribly wrong?

Family. Friendship. Love.

Things that were meant to bring joy and light only ever curdled into sorrow.

My father stepped up behind me and casually linked his arm through mine, as if we were the closest of companions.

“There you are, honeypie,” he said lightly. “That sharp mind of yours working overtime, isn’t it?”

I blinked at him, thrown, but he nudged me forward before I could speak. Then he leaned in, his breath warm against my ear.

“You’re aiming for the biggest fish in the room. Let me make it easier for you.”

He paused, then added with a smirk, “I hear the Lycan prince has a taste for variety.”

My heart stuttered.

He kept going. “But you’re not just any woman, Rissa. You’re a force. A trained lawyer. You could trap him with a clause in a prenup, if nothing else.”

My throat thickened with the truth I hadn’t said aloud.

Justin is my mate.

I wanted to scream it, shove it in my father's face and force Justin to look at me. But the words tangled in fear.

Instead, bitterness clawed up. Even my heartbreak was currency to my dad.

He’d probably faint from joy, then wake up and then map out his next power grab.

Gold. Territory. A bailout.

I stopped walking.

Maybe that’s why Justin hadn’t looked at me.

Maybe the very idea of being mated to a werewolf from a crumbling pack disgusted him so much, he couldn’t even acknowledge it.

I was still spiraling when I realized we were now standing directly in front of him.

And he still wasn’t looking at me.

“My Prince,” my father said with a booming voice, full of praise and pomp. Justin gave him a bored frown. That tiny expression chipped at my father’s confidence. His smile faltered.

Then Justin’s golden-brown eyes finally landed on me, and my heart jolted so hard it stole the breath from my lungs.

My father noticed.

“Oh, my prince. Meet my paragon of beauty, my cherished daughter, Marissa. Sharp as a dagger, this one. Would you believe she was the prosecuting lawyer who secured our victory when the northern werewolves tried to steal our lands?”

Justin’s gaze raked over mine. Goosebumps broke out across my skin. I was praying, please see me. Look at me and feel the bond.

Then he did the unthinkable.

He turned to his lover beside him.

“Nice pitch, Marcus,” he said coolly. “But as you can see, I’m already well accompanied.”

A hot shame crept down my spine.

His response clearly pleased his lover, rewarding him with a pat on the arm. I knew her by name. Wendy. Everyone did. The Eastern Lycan King's daughter, famous for her beauty and pedigree.

But was Justin so in love with her that he couldn’t even offer me the dignity of acknowledging the bond before rejecting me, if he truly found me so revolting?

My brain raced, scrambling for answers as they turned away and walked off.

My father’s hand clamped down tighter on my arm.

He cursed under his breath.

“Proud bastard.”

When he turned to me, his disapproval was written all over his face. His eyes scanned my dress with disdain.

“You wore grey to a festival and expect anyone to notice you? Go change into something that doesn’t make you look like a bloody widow.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not your bargaining chip. Leave me alone.”

That lit the fuse.

“That mouth is the reason no man has claimed you at twenty-five. But I swear, I’ll find someone to tame that spirit before you’re too old for anyone to bother with.”

I didn’t flinch. I’d heard this too many times to count.

He shoved me toward a marble alcove where a group of Alphas and their Betas lounged on couches, sipping dark liquor and exhaling clouds of cigar smoke. The stench burned my eyes as they looked up.

Alpha Darius of the Northern Pack pushed himself to his feet. He was in his late forties, with a neck as thick as a bull’s and teeth yellowed by years of nicotine. Rumors followed him like shadows — three wives buried, and no one brave enough to ask how they died.

Darius’s filthy eyes dragged over my body, slow and invasive, like he was appraising breeding stock.

“Marcus. I see your precious daughter is still unclaimed.”

“Unfortunately,” my father grumbled, his grip tightening on my arm.

“I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man alive,” I snapped.

My words startled them both. Even my father was speechless. Then a flicker of amusement crossed Darius’s face.

“Pity. With a mouth like that, you’ll just age into a bitter, forgotten woman.”

There it was — my entire worth, boiled down to my womb and willingness to keep quiet.

My father exploded. “You’re impossible, Marissa. Completely unmanageable. Now I finally understand why Alan left you.”

That was a low blow. The mention of my ex-fiancé sent a jagged pulse through me. I tore my arm free, trembling with rage, and turned to leave.

I crashed directly into the Lycan Queen.

Her gaze flicked over me for a second before shifting to my father. My pulse stumbled. My wolf stirred with a desperate new thought.

Tell her. She is his mother. She’ll make him see reason.

The words burned on my tongue. But what if she already knew? What if this was all by design?

A rejection delivered not just by my mate, but by his mother, before witnesses.

I didn’t have to wonder for long. Standing just behind her, arms folded across his chest, was Justin. He was watching me now, his face unreadable except for the faint downturn of his lips.

A reckless spark of hope lit inside me... until the Queen spoke.

“Is public humiliation customary in your pack’s treatment of women?” she asked my father, her voice slicing through the room.

He forced a strained smile. “Your Majesty, this is just a misunderstanding. An introduction gone awry—”

“It’s no wonder your pack is falling apart,” she said flatly, cutting him off.

A collective gasp rippled through the gathering. No one spoke to an Alpha like that, especially not in his own hall.

Alpha Darius puffed out his chest. “With all due respect, Your Majesty, you’ve already been claimed and bred. You understand the value of practical arrangements.”

Before the Queen could respond, Justin’s voice rang out, low and razor-sharp. “Don’t speak to my mother like that, you rotten bastard.”

He didn’t raise his voice, but the authority in his tone was chilling.

The Lycan guards along the walls shifted. Hands moved subtly toward weapons. Justin’s eyes locked on Darius, daring him to push further.

Gooseflesh rose along my arms. He had defended his mother fiercely but said nothing about me.

He had heard every word and met it with silence.

The Queen turned back to my father. “I married by choice. Your daughter deserves the same freedom. Perhaps you should focus on your pack’s dwindling resources instead of using her as collateral.”

My father’s face darkened. “Our troubles are temporary.”

The Queen's eyes returned to me.

“Would you consider joining the Royal House’s legal counsel?”

A soft gasp escaped me. What was this? Her son wouldn’t acknowledge our bond, and she was offering me a job?

This wasn’t kindness. It was a calculated move in a game I didn’t yet understand.

My father’s hand clamped on my arm again, trying to regain control. “My Queen, that’s generous but unnecessary. You already have more qualified lawyers. My daughter is... a drop in the ocean.” His voice shifted, sensing a different angle. “What our pack truly needs is your help—”

“You want my help? Then give me your best minds. Let them serve in my court. Accept my offer, or let your pack rot. The choice is yours.”

The room held its breath.

Despite the whirlwind in my chest, one truth stood clear: I couldn’t stay. Not under my father’s thumb. Not in a pack that measured my worth by how well I could obey or reproduce.

I turned to my father and spoke quietly, but clearly enough for the Queen to hear. “We have no pride left to cling to. The Queen’s offer is more than fair.”

A smile touched her lips. “Smart girl.”

My father took a moment, then rearranged his face into the practiced expression of public approval. He turned to the room.

“If the Royal Court sees such value in my daughter, then I am proud to offer her service. For the good of the pack, of course.”

Moments ago, I was a burden. A disgrace. Now, I was a golden ticket.

Justin’s hands clenched at his sides. His eyes flicked to me, and then dropped.

He said nothing.

My chest ached with the silence.

He was holding something back.

But I was determined to break that silence and find out what game he was playing.