Chapter 2

I forced myself to pull away from the heartbreaking scene unfolding before me. Their intimate embrace, those words Raymond spoke with such tenderness to Giana—each moment was another dagger in my heart. With tears streaming down my face, I backed away slowly, praying to the Moon Goddess they wouldn't notice me.

"We need to be more careful," Raymond's voice reached me as I retreated. "I'm taking over as Alpha soon, and everyone's eyes are on me."

I froze in my tracks, straining to hear more.

"It's impossible," Giana whispered back, her voice carrying a vulnerability that seemed perfectly calculated. "Aurora is always hovering around you like a shadow, never giving you a moment's freedom. Every minute we're apart feels like torture."

Raymond sighed deeply. "I know. The only time I can breathe, the only time I feel truly happy is when I'm with you."

Their words cut through me like claws. An unwanted shadow? Was that how Raymond saw me? After everything we'd shared, after all the years I'd devoted to him, to us? The pack dinners I'd organized to impress his parents, the countless hours studying pack laws to be a worthy Luna—all of it meant nothing.

I took another step back, my mind still reeling. My foot caught on a fallen branch, and the sharp crack echoed through the quiet forest.

Raymond's head snapped up instantly, his eyes scanning the darkness with predatory precision. His body tensed as he positioned himself protectively in front of Giana.

"Who's there?" he demanded, his voice carrying the unmistakable power of an Alpha command.

I considered running but knew it was pointless. With my heart pounding painfully against my ribs, I stepped out from the shadows, the moonlight revealing my presence.

"Aurora?" His expression shifted from alert to accusatory in an instant. "Did you follow me here?"

Before I could answer, he was already moving Giana further behind him, shielding her as if I were some kind of threat. The gesture hurt almost as much as his words—Raymond had once protected me that way too.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, eyes flashing. "I've already made myself clear—why are you still pestering me? What exactly do you want from me?"

His harsh tone made me flinch. I'd never heard him speak to me this way, not in all our years together. The Raymond I knew was gone, replaced by this stranger who looked at me with nothing but contempt.

"I—I didn't follow you," I stammered, my voice barely audible. "I came here to think. I never expected to actually find you here."

Giana peeked out from behind Raymond, her lower lip protruding in a perfect pout. "Oh no," she said with exaggerated concern, "did I intrude on your special place?"

Raymond's expression darkened further. "This isn't our special place," he said dismissively. "That was just a childish game, nothing serious."

He turned to face me fully. "Aurora, you know Giana. She’s my fated mate. I just discovered our bond recently."

His words hit me like a physical blow. Fated mate. The sacred bond every werewolf dreamed of finding. Something I had secretly hoped Raymond and I shared, despite my wolf never confirming it. The ultimate connection that transcended choice and free will—the one thing I could never compete with.

"Your fated mate..." I echoed numbly.

"Yes," Raymond said, his voice softening only when he glanced at Giana. "And I need you to keep this quiet. No one can know about this—especially not my parents."

The realization dawned on me slowly. A rogue girl as the mate of an Alpha heir? Neither Raymond's family nor our pack would ever accept this union. The Alpha's mate needed to be someone who understood pack politics and traditions.

Someone like me.

I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Raymond's expression remained cold. "I didn't find the right moment," he replied flatly. "Nor did I think it was necessary."

"Not necessary?" I echoed in disbelief. "After fifteen years of friendship?"

His eyes narrowed. "Besides, I couldn't be certain you wouldn't run straight to my parents and expose everything."

The accusation stung worse than any physical pain, like salt rubbed into an open wound. After all we'd shared, all the secrets I'd kept for him over the years, did he really think so little of me? Did he truly believe I would betray him?

"Raymond," I stepped forward, trying to keep my voice steady. "If you had just told me from the beginning—"

"Would it have changed anything?" he interrupted sharply. "Would you have stepped aside? Would you have given up on the idea of us being together?" His eyes pierced into mine. "Be honest, Aurora. Do you actually have feelings for me?"

The direct question caught me off guard. For years, my feelings had been so obvious that I never needed to voice them. Everyone knew. Everyone except Raymond, apparently.

I opened my mouth to confess everything, but something in his expression stopped me. The way he looked at me now—like I was a burden, an obstacle to his happiness—made the words die in my throat.

"Are you kidding? Feelings for you?" I said instead, forcing a laugh that felt like glass in my throat. I playfully rolled my eyes at Raymond. "We've seen each other practically every day since we were in diapers. If anything, I'm tired of your face by now."

I nudged his shoulder with mock exasperation. "Honestly, I've just been hanging around to make your parents happy. My father would disown me if I didn't play along with the whole 'future Luna charade."

The lie tasted bitter, but I couldn't bear to lay my heart bare only to have him trample it further.

Relief washed over Raymond's face, so evident it was another blow to my already shattered heart. "That's what I figured," he said, relaxing visibly. "You should leave now. It's late."

Dismissed. Just like that. As if I were a servant he no longer needed.

With as much dignity as I could muster, I turned to go. Each step away felt like walking through quicksand, my body heavy with the weight of broken dreams.

I had barely reached the edge of the clearing when I heard Giana's voice, deliberately loud enough for me to hear.

"Aurora is so noble, beautiful, and capable," she said, her tone laced with calculated innocence. "Do you really feel nothing for her? Everyone thinks you're perfect together."

I paused, unable to stop myself from listening for Raymond's response.

"I have never had feelings for Aurora," Raymond stated firmly, his voice carrying through the quiet forest. "From beginning to end, we were just neighbors—all those rumors are baseless." There was a brief pause. "In my eyes, Giana, you are everything. I love only you."

The tears I had been fighting to hold back all day finally broke free.

**

I took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy oak door to my father's study. The familiar scent of old books and leather greeted me, but today it brought no comfort.

My father looked up from his desk, his reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. As Beta of the pack, he always seemed to be buried in paperwork.

"Aurora," he acknowledged, setting down his pen. "What is it?"

The words I'd rehearsed all the way here suddenly caught in my throat. I cleared it and stood taller, channeling my wolf's strength.

"Father, I need to speak with you about the engagement," I began. "Raymond and I... we won't be getting engaged."

His expression darkened instantly. He removed his glasses and set them carefully on the desk.

"What did you just say?" His voice was deceptively calm.

I forced myself to continue. "I don't want to be Luna. And Raymond doesn't want me to be Luna either."

My father's chair scraped against the hardwood floor as he stood abruptly. His tall frame loomed over me, his eyes flashing with fury.

"Have you lost your mind?" he snapped. "The entire pack already knows about the engagement. Do you have any idea what you're saying?"