Chapter 1

“Be a good boy, Leo, and keep this a secret,” his voice was a low whisper. “I’ll buy you that toy you wanted.”

Leo hesitated for a second before nodding.

I fought back the tears stinging my eyes and went downstairs to pull myself together.

Just as I’d composed myself, I ran into Albert coming down the stairs.

He was wearing a large, black cloak, as if heading to some grand ceremony.

I swallowed the pain in my chest and asked, trying to sound casual, “Are you going out?”

Albert seemed surprised to see me. His eyes lingered on my face for a moment before his expression went back to normal.

“To meet with an important ally,” he said smoothly. “I’ll be back late.”

But I’d already seen the collar of the suit beneath his cloak.

I knew that suit all too well.

It was the one he’d worn to our mating ceremony.

After all these years, I thought it was tucked away in the deepest corner of our closet, never to be seen again.

But here it was, on him.

What felt like a blade twisting in my gut was the name newly embroidered on the collar in fine, delicate thread.

Maria.

I stared at the name, the pain so sharp it was hard to breathe.

Ever since Maria’s mate had died and she’d moved back to the Moonrise Pack, the pieces of my life with him started to disappear.

His usual cufflinks were replaced. His favorite jacket was gone. Even the familiar scent of fir that clung to him was now mingled with another woman's scent.

I’d tried to convince myself it was just a friend helping a friend.

But I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.

“Grace.” He reached for me, a familiar habit, as if to touch my cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

I turned my head, avoiding his touch.

His hand froze in mid-air. A flicker of annoyance crossed his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

“Grace, don’t make this a thing,” he said. “I’m just taking care of business. I’ll bring back gifts for you and Leo.”

With that, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

The kiss was so fleeting it wasn't comforting—it was an obligation.

Then he turned and left.

Watching his back as he walked away, I thought about our past.

For ten years, I’d stood by him, from his days as the heir of a mid-level pack to the Alpha of one of the most powerful packs in North America.

We survived resource shortages, internal pack turmoil, and pressure from rival alliances.

Every time a storm hit, everyone thought Albert was the one shielding us. But I was the one holding our world together in the shadows.

I always believed he valued me as much as I valued him, that he just wasn't good at showing it.

But now, I realized he’d carved out a place in his heart for someone else long ago.

At dinner, Leo kept his head down, his spoon clinking softly against the side of his bowl.

I watched him for a moment, then asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

He looked like he’d been holding it in forever. He finally looked up, his eyes already red.

“No matter what, you’ll never leave me and Dad, right?”

He must have sensed something. His little face was a mask of fear.

My heart ached. I knelt and stroked his hair. “Leo,” I asked softly, “if one day… Dad and I weren't together anymore, would you want to come with me?”

Leo just froze, completely lost.

I pulled him into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

Leo buried his face in my shoulder and cried without a sound.

Then, he suddenly looked up at me.

“You know about Auntie Maria and Dad’s ceremony, don’t you?”

“Dad told me it’s not a real mating. Mom, please don’t be mad, okay? He loves you.”

I said nothing, unwilling to shatter his innocent hope.

After dinner, the housekeeper took Leo upstairs for his bath. I was sitting alone at the empty dining table when my phone buzzed.

It was an anonymous text.

No name, just a picture and a message.

The picture was of Albert’s hand, a hand I knew better than my own. But the laurel wreath tattoo symbolizing our mate bond had been altered—a tiny letter ‘M’ was now etched into the design.

The message read: All I had to do was ask, and he let me leave my mark on him.

Another message came through.

So what if the ceremony is fake? He told me that in his heart, I’m his chosen one.

I knew it was from Maria.

I stared at the screen, my fingertips growing cold, a chill spreading through my veins until it reached my very bones.

My mind was made up.

I stood up, walked into the study, and opened the drawer. I pulled out the invitation I’d buried at the bottom months ago.

Lead Researcher, The Institute for Ancient Lycan Bloodlines.

Back then, I’d thought Albert couldn’t live without me, that the pack needed me, that Leo couldn’t be without his mother.

So I’d turned it down.

But now I finally understood. No one is irreplaceable.

I picked up my phone and dialed my old mentor’s number.

“Grace?”

“Is your offer still on the table?”

He sounded excited. “Of course.”

“I’m in,” I said. “I’ll be at the Southern Pack in three days.”

After hanging up, I forwarded the anonymous text and the picture to the pack’s most respected Elder.

With it, I sent a message: “I'm filing a petition to formally reject our mate bond.”

“I was done being his Luna.”