Chapter 3

"Stella, this is the biggest buck of the hunt. Eat. Keep your strength up."

At the banquet table on the lawn, Julian carved the thickest, bloodiest cut of rare venison. He dropped it right onto Stella's plate.

Tonight was my mating ceremony.

Yet the entire square cheered only for Stella. Just minutes ago, she walked back into the pack lands with a signed peace treaty, ending decades of war with the Northern Pack.

Julian turned to me. He hacked off a chewy, gristly scrap with raw veins and shoved the plate my way.

"Chloe, eat something."

The thick stench of raw blood hit my nose. I looked at the red puddle on the plate, my stomach twisting with nausea.

"Julian, I cannot eat raw meat," I said, keeping my voice flat. "I am wolfless. Raw meat makes me sick. It tears my stomach up. Why did the kitchen not make a single cooked meal?"

Julian's hand froze in midair.

Every bit of softness left his face. His brows snapped together in irritation.

"Chloe, do you have to throw a tantrum now?" he hissed, his Alpha tone bleeding through. "Everyone worked themselves to the bone setting up this ceremony. Who has time to start an extra fire just to cook your food?"

"Exactly!" My mother sneered from the side, looking at me like I was dirty street trash. "You do not even have wolf instincts, yet you whine about a little blood! Your sister just saved this pack at the negotiation table. Must the whole family cater to a defect?"

My father frowned, his lip curling in disgust. "Don't eat, then. Starve. Do not ruin tonight for this family."

I looked at them.

These people shared my blood. In their eyes, my weakness was just drama, and my very breath was a mistake.

I did not argue. I quietly pushed the plate away.

The ache in my chest was gone. Only numb, empty silence remained.

My mother turned to Julian. Her sneer instantly morphed into an eager, fawning grin.

"Julian, every Alpha from the nearby packs is here tonight. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!"

Julian wiped the grease and blood from his hands. "Go on."

"Stella pulled off a miracle. We need to announce the treaty right at the ceremony! Let the other packs see our strength, and let everyone honor Stella!"

I snapped my head up, staring at them in disbelief.

A mating ceremony was sacred. My own mother wanted to turn it into Stella's victory party.

Julian glanced at me, torn for a split second. "Wait..."

He knew how long I waited for this night.

Then he caught the sparkle in Stella's eyes. He sighed, reaching out to wrap his fingers around my hand.

"This is huge for our pack. What if we push the ceremony back a little?" He looked into my eyes, talking himself into it. "Everyone knows you are my Luna anyway. You don't mind, right?"

He did not wait for my answer. He signaled his butler.

"Cancel the vow reading beneath the Sacred Moon Tree," Julian ordered. His voice rang loud and clear against the night air. "Clear that slot. Stella speaks then."

The butler froze, his eyes darting to me. "Alpha... the vows seal the bond before the Moon Goddess. Without them, the Luna has no real authority..."

"I said cancel it!" Julian barked, slamming his Alpha aura down like a hammer. "Since when do I repeat myself?"

The butler bowed his head instantly. "Yes, Alpha."

The three of them huddled together, laughing and talking about stage lights, seating charts, and the guest list.

Julian even reached out to adjust the diamond pin on Stella's dress himself.

Not one of them looked my way.

I was his bride-to-be. My vows were gone. I sat there like a ghost.

I stood up and walked away from the crowd.

The bonfire roared. The drums beat on. Nobody noticed me leave.

Back in my tiny guest room, I pulled my travel bag from beneath the bed.

It was light. I had almost nothing to pack.

The fancy dresses that never fit right, the cheap trinkets Julian tossed my way, I left them all behind. None of that belonged to me.

I pulled open the bottom drawer. Inside lay my worn, dog-eared notebook.

It held all the soothing herbal recipes I gathered over the years to manage my weak human body. It was the only thing in this whole estate that was truly mine.

I slid the notebook into the bag and pulled the zipper shut.

Clean and done.

A thunderous howl suddenly ripped through the night sky outside my window.

The pack was hailing Stella, their hero.

I tossed the strap over my shoulder. I walked to the window and looked down.

Stella stood right at the center of the lawn, bathed in firelight. She leaned against Julian, but her pretty eyes held an ugly flash of greed.

She tugged at Julian's sleeve. Her voice carried right up to my window, sweet and manipulative.

"Julian, it's such a shame," Stella pouted. "I risked my life for this treaty. But tonight is your mating ceremony. Everyone will forget my speech the second your ceremony starts."

The lawn went dead silent around them.

I stared at Julian's back.

He looked down at Stella with pure, sickening adoration.

I prayed for twenty years for him to look at me like that. Just once.

Then, Julian gave the order that broke everything.

It severed the very last shred of hope clinging to my soul.

"Then the ceremony waits for you," Julian said, his voice ringing with absolute power.

He grabbed Stella's hand and raised it high for the pack to see.

"Butler, listen up! The mating ceremony moves to midnight! Tonight, prime time belongs to Stella!"