Chapter 2

Lysera

“What are we going to do about this whole thing?” Mother asked. “The pack would be expecting Isyra’s bump to show in a few months.”

“We’ll just arrange for Isyra to have a miscarriage after her party. We’ll say it came from the stress of the party and the pressure of having the pack’s future resting on her shoulders.” Father’s tone was smug. “The pack will feel sorry for Isyra, and it will finally silence the mouths of those who have been saying you’re not the Alpha’s mate, so you shouldn’t be the Luna.”

Only a few people were saying that. In the pack, anything the Alpha said went. Everybody followed without questioning.

“Father, you always have the most brilliant ideas.”

“Of course I do. I’ve contacted the doctors and arranged everything already, so that’s settled.” Father spoke to Isyra. “All you have to do is make sure you do a lot of laborious things tonight, and then we’ll talk about the particular day you’ll pretend to have the miscarriage.”

“After this, Henry would never leave me. He’d feel sorry for me and keep me by his side forever.”

“That’s my girl.”

I stayed pressed against the wall, my heart hammering loud and fast in my chest. I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Isyra was not pregnant. My parents and sister were fooling the pack and deceiving the Alpha.

I shook my head, not wanting to think about what would happen to my family if this was discovered or if Isyra was unable to pull off the miscarriage.

I could run to Alpha Henry right now and tell him everything… but would he believe me?

Alpha Henry would think I was jealous of my beautiful and radiant sister, who shone brighter than the stars. They would say I was angry that she was going to become the Luna while I was nothing.

But if they were discovered, I could be punished alongside her.

There was nothing I could do but hope and pray that Isyra would pull it off and become the Luna, even if that was what I had always wanted for myself.

I slowly pushed myself off the wall and retreated to my room, moving as soundlessly as I could.

_____

I stood at the sideline, trying my best to appear smaller than I was.

Tonight was supposed to be mine too. My twenty-first birthday. The day I had prayed for, the day I had counted down to like it was salvation. But nobody was here for me.

Nobody even remembered that today was also my twenty first. All eyes were on Isyra.

The pack circled Isyra like she was the Moon Goddess herself, laughing, cheering, clapping as though they hadn’t just stolen something from me. Their voices rose in a chorus of admiration and gratitude that made my stomach twist.

“Happy birthday, Luna-to-be!”

“May the Moon Goddess bless you!”

“You’re glowing, Isyra!”

“And congratulations to you too, Alpha Henry.”

The last part always came with grins and bows.

Alpha Henry stood beside my sister, tall and powerful, dressed like the king he was. The moonlight kissed the hard edges of his face, making him look almost unreal. His hand rested on the small of Isyra’s back, steadying her as the elders spoke blessings and prayers around them.

Isyra leaned into him like she belonged there. Like he was hers.

My chest ached in a way I didn’t have words for. It wasn’t anger or bitterness, it was the hollow pain of being forgotten. Not a single person had looked at me tonight.

Getting your wolf was supposed to be a moment your family celebrated, a night where you were talked about and your existence mattered. But for me, there was nothing. No smiles and no pride or even an acknowledgment that this night was mine too.

I stood there surrounded by people and felt completely alone, like I had always been—seen only when I was useful, and invisible the rest of the time.

But I did none of that.

I swallowed my bitterness and forced it down until it sat like poison in my chest. I pressed my lips together and stood still.

The moon rose higher, bright and round, watching from above like it didn’t care who suffered under it. And the longer the ceremony dragged on, the more restless I became.

Something inside me was clawing.

A strange heat stirred in my blood. My bones ached—subtle at first, then sharper—like my body was impatient… like it was waiting.

Waiting for something.

My wolf.

It was almost time.

I glanced around carefully. My father’s eyes, the ones that had been warning me to behave, were no longer on me

.

He was busy laughing with the elders, his voice loud and proud as if he had personally gifted the world my sister. My mother hovered around Isyra, adjusting her gown, smoothing her hair, smiling widely like a proud mama.

No one was watching me.

This was the perfect opportunity to sneak away, get my wolf, and return before my father noticed I was missing. If I stayed here, the moon would force me to shift, and it would take attention from Isyra. My father would kill me. The pack would say I was trying to steal the spotlight.

So I slipped away quietly.

I moved behind the crowd and into the shadows, keeping my head lowered and my footsteps light as I headed in the direction of the woods just behind where the celebration was taking place.

It was close enough that I could change and return before anyone noticed I was gone.

My heart raced with excitement.

This was it.

I ran deeper into the trees where moonlight broke through the branches in silver streaks. The air was colder there. It was sharper, clean, freeing. My lungs filled with it like I was breathing freedom for the first time.

Then the heat inside me surged.

It wasn’t painful the way I had imagined it would be.

It was… wild.

Like something that had been asleep for years finally woke up and stretched.

My skin tingled. My spine arched. My muscles tightened as though they were being pulled into place by invisible hands. I quickly pulled off my clothes.

And then—

A sharp crack.

A rush.

I fell forward, breath stolen from my throat, and when I landed, it wasn’t on hands and knees anymore.

It was on paws.

I blinked once.

Twice.

The world looked different.

Larger… brighter.

I could smell everything—the damp earth, the sap in the trees, the distant scent of smoke and roasted meat from the celebration, the perfume on the pack members carried by the wind.

I lowered my head and stared at my legs.

Fur.

White fur, clean as snow under the moonlight.

My chest swelled with something so intense it nearly shattered me.

I did it.

I finally had my wolf.

A sound escaped me—half laugh, half choked sob—but it came out as a soft whine. I threw my head back and let out a low howl, quiet enough not to be heard over the celebration, but full of everything I had ever wanted.

My wolf.

I leapt forward, running through the woods, paws barely touching the ground. I was so fast, it made my stomach flip with thrill. I darted between trees, jumped over fallen branches, rolled in the grass just because I could.

My heart felt light.

Like I could fly.

Like nothing could touch me.

A snap of a twig sliced through the night.

I froze instantly, ears pricking.

The smell hit me before I saw her. It smelled of sweet floral perfume.

Isyra.

Her gown was white and flowing, shining against the darkness. Her hair fell over her shoulders like silk, and on her lips sat a wide smile—bright and beautiful, the kind that made everyone fall at her feet.

For one stupid moment, hope surged.

Maybe she followed me because she realized today wasn’t supposed to be only hers. Maybe she wanted to see me shift. Maybe she was happy for me. Maybe she—

“Well,” she said lightly, clapping her hands once. “Look at you.”

Her gaze dragged over my white fur with open amusement, slow and deliberate, as if she were inspecting something beneath her. Then she laughed. The sound was soft and mocking.

“So this is what you ran off to do while everyone was celebrating me?” she asked. “Turning twenty-one and still no one even bothered to look for you. How sad.”

She circled me, her heels crunching against the fallen leaves.

“Did you notice?” she continued casually. “Not Mother. Not Father. Not a single soul remembered you existed.”

Her smile sharpened.

“Of course not. Tonight is mine.”

I stayed where I was, my heart thudding painfully against my ribs.

Isyra stopped in front of me and placed a hand over her stomach. The gesture was gentle, almost reverent. Her smile softened, her eyes drifting, unfocused, as if she were staring into a future only she could see.

“My baby,” she murmured. “The future Alpha.”

There was pride in her voice. Something almost dreamy.

For a fleeting moment, I wondered if she believed it herself—if she had told the lie so many times it had become real to her.

Then her gaze snapped back to me, sharp and accusing.

“And you,” she said coldly. “Standing there, pretending you don’t want what’s mine.”

I stiffened.

“You’ve always wanted my life, Lysera,” she went on. “Don’t deny it. You’ve always been jealous. Of me. Of Henry. Of everything.”

Jealous?

The word didn’t make sense. I had never reached for Henry. Never competed. He had chosen her openly, broken ancient laws for her, damned the consequences without hesitation. I had accepted that long ago.

But Isyra had never believed that. And I was finally beginning to understand that she never would.

She had taken everything from me—love, attention, even space to exist—and still she feared I would steal from her in return. Because to her, that was how the world worked.

“You can’t stand it, can you?” she said bitterly. “That I’m getting married. That I’m carrying his child. That I’ll be Luna… and you’ll be nothing.”

I wanted to tell her she was wrong. That I had never wanted her life. That I had only ever wanted peace. But before I could speak, Isyra tilted her head, studying me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Did you really think I didn’t know you were listening earlier at the house?” she asked lightly.

My blood ran cold. I took a step back, claws digging into the soil. She laughed softly, as if my fear delighted her.

“I saw you,” she continued. “Hiding there like a little rat. But don’t misunderstand me, Lysera.”

Her eyes gleamed under the moonlight with a dark light.

“I didn’t stop Father from catching you because I wanted to help you.” She stepped closer. “I stopped him because I have a better plan.”

A better plan? I was still trying to understand what she meant when Isyra lifted her hand. Her nails elongated and in one swift motion, she tore into her palm.

Blood bloomed bright and red beneath the moon.

I recoiled, my wolf jerking back as the metallic scent slammed into my senses.

Isyra didn’t flinch. She laughed.

She smeared the blood into the back of her skirt, staining the white fabric, then dragged her nails across her arms and face, tearing skin until crimson streaked down.

Then she dropped to the ground, rolling and smearing herself in dirt and blood.

I stood frozen, horror rooting me in place. What was she doing?

Isyra glanced up at me once, her mouth curving in a sharp smile.

And then she screamed.

“HELP!” she shrieked. “SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

She scrambled away from me like I was a monster.

“LYSERA! STOP! PLEASE—STOP!”

My heart stopped.