Chapter 2

Two in the morning.

Leo was curled up on the wolfskin rug in the living room, his small body trembling.

I’d set up the ritual space perfectly.

But the most important person was missing.

"Mommy... is he... not coming?" Leo’s voice was choked with tears. He looked at me with wide, pleading eyes.

I knelt beside him, fighting to keep my voice steady as I stroked his hair.

"The Alpha... he has very important work. It's okay. Mommy can guide you."

The words felt like ash in my mouth.

Without an Alpha's presence, the ritual was incomplete. Dangerous. The backlash from the pack's collective soul could shatter his spirit.

My hand shook as I dialed Seth’s number one last time. Once. Twice.

No answer.

Just as I was about to give up, the screen lit up.

Not a call. It was a news alert from the Wolf Chronicle.

The headline screamed in all caps: ALPHA SETH CLAIMS BLACKWOOD BETA UNDER THE GODDESS'S GAZE.

My finger tapped the link before I could stop myself.

The screen showed the banquet after the ceremony.

With everyone watching, Seth cupped Sarah's face. And he kissed her. Deeply.

In our world, for an Alpha to kiss a non-mate under the moon... it’s a public vow. A deliberate defiance of fate.

The comments scrolling below the live feed burned my eyes.

"The Goddess witnesses! Our Alpha has chosen a stronger path!"

"This is the Luna our pack needs! A noble bloodline, a brilliant mind!"

And the caption beneath it stabbed me through the heart:

Where Will Defies Destiny, a Legend Is Born.

A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my chest. The mate bond. Screaming. His public betrayal felt like a blade twisting in my soul.

"Mommy... I... I don't feel good..."

Leo grabbed my hand. His own spirit was in turmoil from the long, anxious wait.

There was no more time.

I dropped the phone and pressed both hands on Leo’s small chest.

If his Alpha father abandoned him, then his mother would build him a fortress.

I summoned all my power. I wasn't soothing him. I was building a fortress inside his mind. A shield to sever him from the crushing weight of the pack.

"Look at me, Leo," I whispered. "Listen to my voice. Now... with me... howl..."

I tilted my head back and let out a low, gentle howl, using my own strength to guide him.

Leo followed, his voice trembling. He let out the first, and loneliest, howl of his life.

When it was over, I was drenched in cold sweat, my energy completely drained.

I stumbled to a mirror. A single streak of white hair now fell across my forehead, born from pure exhaustion and heartbreak.

The clock read 4 a.m.

I heard the front door open downstairs.

Seth was home.

I pushed myself off the wall, went to my study, and pulled a document from the drawer. Then I walked downstairs.

The living room reeked of alcohol and Sarah's cold, woody scent.

Seth was loosening his tie.

He took one look at my pale face and drained spirit. There was no guilt in his eyes. Only pure disgust.

"Still using Leo to get my attention? Twelve years, Viola. Aren't you tired of the same pathetic game?" He rubbed his temples, his voice dripping with scorn. "Don't forget how you got into my bed in the first place."

He didn't even ask about Leo's ceremony.

So that’s what I was to him. The scheming woman who drugged him to get a title. Twelve years of devotion was just an act. My penance.

In that moment, the last flicker of hope I had for him died.

I held the document out to him.

The Release Papers.

"Sign it," I said. My voice was hoarse, but steady. "Congratulations. You can finally be with the 'stronger' choice."

Seth glanced at the title and let out a cold, dismissive laugh. He thought it was another one of my pathetic tricks.

Just then, his phone rang.

It was Sarah's voice. "Seth, I'm at the guest wing, but the guards don't seem to know who I am. They won't let me in. Can you come over?"

Seth's expression softened instantly. "Wait there. I'm on my way."

He hung up, flipped to the last page of the agreement without a glance, and scrawled his name across the signature line.

"If this will keep you quiet for a few days," he tossed it back at me, his voice like ice, "take it. And stop wanting things that don't belong to you. Know your place."

He turned and strode toward the door.

His hand was on the doorknob when he froze.

He clutched his chest, his face suddenly pale.

I felt it too. The first crack in our bond, a phantom pain from his signature.

"Damn..." Seth swayed, pounding his chest. "This wine... has a hell of a kick."

He didn't look back.

He mistook the agony of his soul splitting in two for a bad hangover.

I watched him disappear into the night. I didn't cry.

I turned and walked back to Leo's room.

Leo was asleep, but tear tracks stained his cheeks. He was curled up under the covers, mumbling in his sleep. "Dad... monster..."

I walked over and gently held him, resting my chin on his damp forehead.

"No, Leo. You're not a monster. You are the bravest wolf."

I stared out the window at the slowly lightening sky, my gaze hard as stone.

"From now on, we don't wait for anyone," I kissed my son's head, whispering the final verdict.

"We don't have an Alpha anymore."