Chapter 3

This wasn't the first time I'd told Leo I wanted to end our mate bond.

He'd never taken me seriously. He always assumed I was speaking out of anger.

He'd tell me to calm down and stop saying things that hurt him, then win me over with the same sweet promises.

"Aurora, you're my one and only mate. You're the only Luna I'll ever choose."

Everyone in the Moonlight Pack believed I could never bring myself to leave him.

Leo believed it most of all.

He thought this time would be no different. Eventually, I would give in, forgive him, and everything would go back to the way it was.

This time, I didn't even reply.

On the day of the funeral, I stood alone before my pup's grave and said my final goodbye.

No one came with me.

Leo had used his authority as Alpha to forbid anyone in the pack from taking part in what he called my little performance.

Even now, he was convinced I was lying.

A car sent by my father was already waiting outside the cemetery to take me home to the Frosthaven Pack.

I took one last look at the grave, then turned away.

I was ready to leave without another word.

But before I could take more than a few steps, I saw Leo at the end of the path; Lilian was right beside him.

The two people responsible for my pup's death had come together.

Even at my pup's funeral, Leo couldn't bring himself to leave her behind.

Lilian looked perfectly healthy, a rosy glow in her cheeks.

The sight of her took me straight back to that night.

Lying there helpless as I felt my pup's life slowly fading away, knowing there was nothing I could do to stop it.

Leo glanced past me toward the grave, his expression turning cold.

"I can't believe you actually went through with this. You were so jealous of Lilian that you staged a funeral for our pup just to spite her. I'm disappointed in you, Aurora."

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"So what are you going to do about it? Accept my rejection?"

Leo faltered for a moment before his brows drew together.

"Why are you bringing that up again?"

Before I could answer, Lilian stepped forward to stand beside him. "Aurora, you're the Luna of this pack. You can't keep throwing a tantrum whenever something doesn't go your way.

"This never needed to become such a big deal. You nearly dragged the entire pack into it. I was the one who convinced the Alpha to come here today so the two of you could talk things out."

I looked her up and down. "That's funny. When exactly did you become the Luna of the Moonlight Pack?"

Lilian's eyes immediately reddened. She recoiled as if I'd frightened her, then gave two weak coughs.

"That's enough, Aurora!" Leo snapped, reaching out to steady her. "Stop upsetting her."

He moved protectively in front of Lilian. "She's never done anything to you. Why are you always attacking her? You even lied about our pup dying just so you could blame her!"

I stared at him for a long moment before a bitter smile crossed my face. "Stop pretending you care about our pup. If you really cared, where were you when he was dying? Where were you when we lost him?"

"How long are you going to keep lying to me, Aurora?"

Lilian hurried between us, her eyes filling with tears. "Please, don't fight because of me! I'm sorry!"

Leo immediately softened. "Don't worry. None of this is your fault."

Watching the two of them, I suddenly found the whole thing exhausting.

I had nothing left to say. I stepped around Lilian and headed for the exit.

But just as I passed her, she let out a startled cry and stumbled sideways.

"Lilian!" Leo caught her before she hit the ground.

When he looked at me again, he was barely holding back his anger.

"How could you attack a member of your own pack? If anything happens to Lillian, even being my Luna won't protect you from the consequences!"

I didn't bother defending myself.

I didn't care enough to.

"You won't have to punish me. I'm leaving on my own." I turned away, but footsteps followed me.

"Stop!" Leo grabbed my arm.

I turned back, ready to pull myself free, only to find him frozen. We were standing so close that there was no way he could miss it now.

Something about me had changed. My scent wasn't the same. And the presence he'd once been able to sense from the pup I carried was gone.

Leo's eyes slowly dropped to my stomach. All the anger drained from his face as his voice trembled. "Aurora… Where's our pup? Where is he?"