Chapter 2

When I returned to the pack from the Council of Elders, I saw Lilian's latest post.

The caption read, "I only had a fever, and someone still went out of his way to get me precious Moondew. Couldn't ask for a more dependable Alpha!"

In the photo, Lilian was smiling as she held up the vial of Moondew my father had given me. A wolf stood with his back to the camera behind her.

I recognized him immediately.

He was my husband—my Alpha.

The comments were already pouring in.

Some gushed over how sweet they were together and wished them a lifetime of happiness.

Others were asking if Lilian was the Luna of the Moonlight Pack.

I stared at the post without shedding a single tear.

I'd cried enough when I lost my pup. Whatever love I had left for Leo and whatever hope I'd still placed in him had died that day too.

My father had been right all along.

Leo was never going to be the mate I needed, no matter how convincing his promises had once sounded.

Three years ago, I'd fallen for Leo the moment I met him. My father had only agreed to let us marry because I refused to give Leo up.

Before I left home, he gave me one final warning. "Never build your life around someone else, Aurora. The only person you can always count on is yourself."

Then his expression softened.

"And if you ever grow tired of the life you've chosen, remember this. The Frosthaven Pack will always be your home."

My father had even opened the northern trade routes to Leo's pack so I could have a better life here. It was an exception he'd never made for anyone before.

At the time, I'd dismissed his warning as a father worrying too much about his daughter.

Then came my Luna Ceremony. Leo's vows brought me to tears and moved the entire pack. After that, I never once doubted him.

When Lilian came back, all the promises he'd made before the Moon Goddess became meaningless.

I was still the Luna of the Moonlight Pack; I was still Leo's mate. However, his heart and attention belonged to someone else.

The day Leo found out I was with a pup was the only time in months that he came home willingly. He held me with such care, as though I were suddenly the most precious thing in the world.

"We're going to have a pup."

For a while, I let myself believe it meant something.

I thought he still cared about me. I thought our pup might bring him back to me.

Then he took the one thing that could have saved our pup and gave it to Lillian for a simple fever.

This morning, the pack doctor placed a small container in my hands.

Inside were the remains of the pup I'd carried.

It was the first time I'd ever seen my pup, and I was already saying goodbye.

The memory made my chest tighten, but there were no tears left.

I took out my phone and sent my father a message. "I've changed my mind. I'm ready to take over the northern trade routes."

The funeral for our pup was set for three days from now.

Once it was over, I would leave the Moonlight Pack for good.

But there was one last thing I needed to do first.

I called Leo. As usual, he didn't answer.

So I sent him a message instead, telling him when the funeral would be held.

It was a long time before he finally replied.

Even through a screen, I could feel his anger. "Aurora, I already told you I'll come home to see you and the pup once Lilian is better. How much longer are you going to keep this up?

"I'm an Alpha. Looking after the members of my pack is my responsibility. You're the one who keeps imagining there's something more between me and Lilian. All this jealousy and suspicion can't be good for the pup, either.

"And now you want to reject me and hold some fake funeral? Is threatening your Alpha the only way you know how to get what you want? Have you ever considered what you'll do if I actually accept your rejection?

"Stop playing these games just to get my attention. Admit it, Aurora. You can't live without me."

I stared at his messages, almost amazed by the arrogance of them.

Leo was the Alpha of the Moonlight Pack. One call to the pack hospital was all it would take to learn the truth, but he hadn't even bothered.

He was too wrapped up in Lilian to spare a moment to find out whether his own pup was still alive.

Whatever was going on between them had crossed the line of an Alpha simply looking after a member of his pack a long time ago.

But it didn't matter anymore.

Neither did he.