LOGINClara‘s POV“Alright,” I said with a small, calm smile. “Please take me to my old office Beta.”My father was a famous Gamma. Before he died, he left me his notes. And I’d spent years building my own training notes and records. All of it was stored in the drawers of that office, together with the necklace left by my mom. Those were the last pieces of my past I still had, and I wasn’t going to let anyone take them.We had barely walked into the hallway when I heard raised voices ahead.“What are you doing Brianna? This is Luna’s office! You can’t touch anything in here!”I froze. That voice… I knew it instantly. Harper.Her voice trembled, almost like she was holding back her anger, but I would never mistake her for someone else. Caleb and I had found her on the way to an Alpha Summit years ago. Abandoned by her parents, she was dangerously close to becoming a rogue. But I sensed her wolf, warm and righteous, so I brought her home and trained her myself. She was my proudest warrior.I
Clara’s POVCaleb’s hand froze around his phone. He turned his head toward me, and I pretended I didn’t notice a thing.He muttered, voice low and muffled, “We’ll talk later,” and set the phone down.I felt the tension rolling off him like cold air.“Who was it?” I asked.“Beta Logan. Pack business. I’ll deal with it tomorrow.” His voice was low, tired in a way he tried to hide. “Time to sleep.”I nodded and lay back down, closing my eyes. I could feel him next to me, but he stayed stiff. Still. Like he didn’t want to move a single inch.About an hour later, the sheets finally rustled.He sat up slowly, careful, trying not to wake me.I heard him reach for his phone, then footsteps rang. He tiptoed out into the hallway, the door creaking open.He spoke so softly, like he thought no one could hear him. But he forgot I was the strongest Luna wolf, even if I lost contact with Lyra now, I could hear everything.“I’m coming now babe.”The door closed, and I stared into the darkness wide aw
Clara’s POVWhen I got back to the packhouse, Caleb still wasn’t home.The maid who’d been assigned to watch me froze for a second when she saw me, then bolted inside. I knew she was going to call Caleb. Maybe even Frost. I let out a dry laugh. Of course she would. Frost had always been more like the Luna than I ever was.Every step hurt. My whole body ached, and the wounds burned like fire. I didn’t even bother with the maid, just felt my way down the hall to the infirmary.Our pack healer on duty tonight quickly helped me sit down, and started checking the cuts on my forehead and arm.“What happened?” she asked, frowning as she pressed disinfectant against my skin. The sting made me suck in a breath. “These look like rogue bites. Did something happen out there?”I didn’t want to talk about it. If I didn’t have to keep up this ridiculous “blind” act, I would’ve patched myself up already. I’d treated worse injuries before — a Luna who trained with warriors knew her way around wounds.
Clara’s POVWhen I woke up the next morning, Caleb was already gone. I washed up and started doing what I’d been doing for days—walking laps around my room, holding on to the bed and the walls, inch by inch. Caleb kept using “you need rest” as the excuse to keep me away from my children. He kept them hidden downstairs. So I had to get better. Fast.Thank goddess the practice was working. I could almost walk on my own now.Caleb didn’t come back for lunch. He mindlinked me around noon, told me he had a meeting with the ranked members and couldn’t eat with me. But I knew exactly where he was. Frost wasn’t even trying to hide her laugh in the background.I pushed her sharp, sugary voice out of my head and opened my computer. I searched for rental listings in other packs, flipping through page after page, imagining a future far away from this place.Then I called the maids and asked them to find gardeners to remove every single yellow tulip in this pack and replace them with roses—my flo
Clara’s POVIt’s been days since I came back, but I’ve barely seen Caleb. He kept saying he’s busy with pack affairs and comes back to our room long after I’ve fallen asleep.Today’s the same too. Now it was almost midnight. Finally, his steps echoed down the hall. He finally remembered that tonight, I wasn’t the Luna lying in a hospital bed—I was the mate waiting for him in this room.The door opened. My face softened on instinct, like I always did in the past few years. “Caleb? A busy day again?” I asked quietly. “Something difficult happened?”“Mm.” His voice was calm. “Nothing for you to worry about. Things you wouldn’t understand.”Right. As if I hadn’t once managed half the pack for him.He walked over and brushed his fingers over my cheek. “Why aren’t you asleep? Did I wake you?”That’s when I saw it.A red lipstick stain on his white collar. Frost’s.So all those nights… he was with her.I looked away.“You need more rest, love. Be good, hm?” He leaned in to kiss me goodnigh
Clara’s POVWhen the door closed behind him, the house finally breathed again. For a second, I could almost breathe too.I’d already decided to leave—betrayal had made the choice for me—but it didn’t make it easier to stand there, watching them touch each other like I didn’t exist. Every touch and every whisper reminded me of the sounds I used to make—the same ones she was making now. How ridiculous.My room even smelled like them.I looked around. Pale wallpaper. Wooden floors. Curtains printed with tiny leaves. Everything here was mine once. Five years ago, it was bright and warm, but now it looked faded and tired, like me.The bed was a mess. Of course it was. My mate’s mistress had been lying right there ten minutes ago.I cannot help but wonder how many times they had done it here, in this bed, on top of the vows we made?My photos on the nightstand were gone too. In their place stood a single frame of Frost and Caleb. They were wearing pack academy uniforms, standing close, and







