CH. 2

The estate's gardens were empty, the winter air sharp and clean.

Luna walked until she reached the fountain at the garden's center, her breath misting in the cold.

Three years.

Three years since she'd defied her brothers and chosen Damon Treuman.

Three years since they'd tried to reason with her, explaining that Damon's interest in her was too calculated.

That she was making the biggest mistake of her life.

But she'd been so sure.

So certain that what she and Damon had was real. That her brothers were just being overprotective.

She'd been twenty-two and in love.

Or what she'd thought was love.

Damon had been charming, attentive, everything she'd dreamed of. He'd courted her properly, brought her flowers, whispered promises of the life they'd build together.

And when her brothers had refused to give their blessing, when they'd tried to forbid the mating, she'd made the worst decision of her life.

She'd cut ties with them.

She'd stood tall and told them they had no right to control her life. That she was choosing Damon. That if they couldn't accept her decision, she didn't need them.

The betrayal in their eyes as they'd begged her one last time to reconsider.

They'd known. They'd all known.

And she'd been too blinded to see the truth.

Damon had waited exactly three months after their mating ceremony.

Long enough to make sure the bond was permanent. Long enough to isolate her completely from her family.

Then he'd shown his true nature.

The first time he'd hit her, he'd apologized profusely. Blamed it on stress. Promised it would never happen again.

She'd believed him because she'd needed to believe him.

Because admitting the truth meant admitting her brothers had been right.

The second time, there were no apologies.

By the sixth month, she'd realized the horrifying truth.

Damon had never loved her.

He'd courted the Ashford princess. Seduced the royal bloodline. Trapped the key to political power.

Every sweet word had been calculated. Every romantic gesture had been manipulation. Every promise had been a lie.

And she'd given up everything for him.

Her family. Her home. Her brothers' protection.

All for a man who saw her as nothing more than a stepping stone to the Council.

Luna's wolf whimpered in pure despair.

She'd tried to warn Luna, sensing something wrong. But Luna had ignored her, convinced herself her wolf was just nervous about leaving their family.

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't listen.

But apologies couldn't undo three years of abuse. Couldn't erase the scars, the broken bones that had healed wrong, the poison slowly killing her wolf.

Couldn't bring back the strength they'd once had.

"There you are."

Luna spun to find Helen striding toward her.

"Shouldn't you be inside?" Luna wrapped her arms around herself. "Celebrating with Damon?"

"I wanted to talk to you." Helen's expression was unreadable. "Sister to sister."

"We're not sisters. Not anymore."

"No?" Helen tilted her head. "Because I'm fucking your mate? Luna, darling, you can't lose what you never really had."

The words hit like a slap.

Luna had known about the affair for years. Had smelled Helen's perfume on Damon's clothes, noticed the way they looked at each other when they thought she wasn't watching.

But hearing it said so casually, so cruelly, still hurt.

"Why?" Luna's voice came out as a whisper. "Why betray our family like this?"

Helen laughed. "Our family? Luna, I was never really family. I was the charity case. The orphan your parents took in out of pity."

Her gaze turned icy. "Do you know what it's like, growing up in the shadow of the perfect Ashford children? Watching you become the beloved princess, while I was just... there?"

"We loved you..."

"You tolerated me!" Helen's voice turned sharp. "Now I'm going to have everything you have."

She stepped closer. "Everything you were born into and don't deserve. Everything you threw away because you were too stupid to listen to your brothers."

The reminder cut like a knife.

"You know the best part?" Helen's smile turned cruel.

"Your brothers were right about Damon. They saw exactly what he was. And you destroyed your relationship with them for nothing."

"Stop."

"Why? Does the truth hurt?" Helen's voice dropped to a whisper. "You gave up everything, Luna. Your family, your home, your brothers' protection. And for what? Three years of abuse? Was it worth it?"

Tears burned Luna's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"What do you want, Helen?"

"I want you to know what's coming." Helen leaned in.

"Damon is going to reject you. Publicly. Once he's secured his Council position using your family's name, he'll have you committed to Silverpine Sanctuary."

The world tilted.

Silverpine Sanctuary. The psychiatric facility for wolves deemed too dangerous or unstable for pack life.

Wolves went there and never came back.

"He can't." Luna's breath caught. "The mate bond we share won't let him discard me."

"The mate bond was never consummated, Luna." Helen's smile widened. "Did you really think Damon wanted to touch you? You're broken. Your wolf is weak. Your bloodline is all you have."

She stepped even closer. "Once Damon has extracted every bit of usefulness from your name, you'll disappear. And I'll be the new Luna Treuman, standing beside him as he rises to power."

"My brothers won't fall for it."

"Your brothers will believe Damon when he tells them you've had a psychotic break." Helen cut her off. "After all, you cut them out of your life three years ago. You rejected their warnings, their protection, their love."

The words hurt because they were true.

"Why would they rush to help you now? Especially when Damon has been so careful, so concerned, such a devoted mate trying to help his struggling wife. They'll probably thank him for getting you the help you need."

Luna had burned those bridges. She'd chosen Damon over her family, and now she had no one.

"And the best part?" Helen's smile widened. "When you're locked away in Silverpine, screaming that you're not crazy, that Damon did this to you? No one will believe you.

Because you'll sound exactly like every other unstable wolf they've ever committed. You'll die there, Luna. Alone. Forgotten. While I take your place and your brothers move on with their lives."

Helen turned to leave, then paused. "This is what you get for thinking you were better than me. For being the princess while I was just the orphan."

She smiled triumphantly. "Enjoy your last few weeks of freedom. Because soon, you'll have nothing."

Without warning, Helen suddenly flew backward with a blood-curdling shriek that shattered the night.

Several guests rushed over, shocked, and surrounded Helen's writhing form.

"Luna!" Helen's voice was pure anguish, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her arm.

"Please, sister, you have to control yourself! I know you're in pain, I know today is difficult, but Damon's worked so hard for this moment. You can't let your illness ruin everything for him!"

Luna stood frozen, watching as Helen performed her act with Oscar-worthy precision.

The worst part? The guests were buying every word.

Their gazes turned judgmental, accusatory, looking at her as though she were a rabid animal barely contained.

The rumors about her deteriorating mental state had been circulating for months, but this public display would cement them as fact.

"You forgot to take your medication again, didn't you?" Helen sobbed, playing the concerned sister to perfection. "The doctors said this might happen if you missed doses. Please, Luna, let me help you. Let us help you."

The whispers started immediately, spreading like wildfire through the crowd.

"I heard she's been having episodes..."

"Poor Damon, dealing with this..."

"She should be institutionalized..."

"Please, everyone, go back inside. This is a private family matter. Luna just needs some space, some quiet. I'll handle this." Helen struggled to her feet, still playing the martyred sister.

The guests reluctantly dispersed, their whispers following them like a toxic cloud.

Helen's triumphant smile was pure evil, her eyes glittering with malicious satisfaction.

"I'll leave first, sister." With that, she swayed away.

Luna stood there, shaking long after Helen and the small crowd disappeared.

Everything was spiraling out of control.

She had to get out. The thought crystallized with sudden, desperate clarity.

She had to run.

But where? Damon controlled everything.

The estate, the pack, the territory. He had connections throughout the Northern Territories, allies on the Council, enforcers who'd hunt her down if she tried to escape.

And she had no one. No allies to call. No safe haven.

Luna's hands trembled as the weight of her decision settled over her.

She was going to run.

Even if death waited at the end of that road, she'd take it. Because dying free was better than living in this gilded cage, slowly poisoned, slowly erased.

At least she'd die knowing she'd finally made the right choice.

Even if it was three years too late.