Chapter 3

On the tenth day in the Omega quarters, it was the anniversary of the day the Moon Goddess had bound Rhys and me as mates.

I had spoken to him about it yesterday.

I needed to know, one last time, where we stood.

"I remember, Eliana," he had promised, stroking my hair with a gentle look in his eyes. "Tomorrow night, it's all about you."

So I set up a dinner by the moonlit lake.

His favorite rosemary-roasted meat, and the fruit wine I’d brewed myself.

I waited by the lake for two and a half hours.

The fat on the meat had congealed. The wind had blown out the candles a dozen times.

At six o'clock, Rhys didn't show up.

His second-in-command did.

The man was rushed, his eyes darting everywhere but at me.

"Rhys can't make it," he mumbled. "Chloe had another nightmare about her father. Rhys is with her. He's helping her through a panic attack, calming her wolf."

I looked at the cold, ruined dinner.

I just felt tired.

"I understand."

I calmly packed everything up and walked back to the Omega quarters alone.

Taking a shortcut past the other side of the lake, I stopped.

Through the trees, I saw them.

Under the moonlight, Rhys's large frame blocked the cold wind.

Chloe stood before him, eyes red, trembling.

In Rhys's hands was a glowing Moonflower.

A sharp pain shot through my heart, a spike of agony through the mate bond.

In pack lore, the Moonflower represents an Alpha's absolute, eternal protection.

Rhys had promised me that on the day of our bonding ceremony, he would place the most beautiful Moonflower in the pack in my hair.

Now, he held that flower in both hands and gently placed it in Chloe's palm.

"Pray to the Moon Goddess, Chloe. As long as I'm here, no nightmare can touch you."

Chloe choked back a sob.

She leaned into his broad chest like a frightened fawn.

"Thank you, Rhys," she cried, clutching his shirt. "I don't know how I'd survive without you…"

Rhys didn't push her away.

He placed a large hand on her back, stroking it gently, calming her.

I stepped out from the trees, snapping a dead branch under my foot.

The sound was sharp in the quiet night.

Rhys's head shot up.

The moment he saw me, a flicker of panic crossed his face.

But he didn't move away from Chloe.

"This is what you 'remembered'?" I asked coldly, my eyes fixed on the Moonflower.

Rhys frowned, his voice laced with annoyance. "Eliana, don't start. Chloe is in a bad way. She needs comfort."

"It's our anniversary," I said, my voice flat, pointing at the flower. "And you gave her the flower of protection?"

"It's just a flower! It’s a symbol!"

Rhys's voice rose. "Eliana, I love you. But as the future Alpha, I have a duty to comfort every member of this pack, especially the daughter of a hero! You should understand that, not get jealous!"

"Eliana! You are being incredibly selfish!"

The sound of rushed footsteps. My brother, Jasper, came running.

He shoved Chloe behind him and glared at me like I was the enemy.

"Chloe is in so much pain she almost passed out! And you're only thinking about your stupid anniversary? Do you even have a heart?!"

Jasper’s words hit me like a physical blow.

I looked at the three of them.

My mate. My brother.

Protecting another girl, with me on the outside.

The villain.

The mate bond felt like it was being ripped apart.

But I didn't shed a single tear.

A strange calm washed over me.

"Fine," I said, nodding.

Rhys stared, surprised by my easy surrender.

I didn't look at any of them again. I just turned and walked away into the night.

Back in the cold, damp Omega quarters, I locked the door and drew the curtains, blocking out the world.

I opened my contacts. [Rhys 🤍 My Mate].

I tapped edit. Deleted the heart. Deleted the title.

I typed his full name: [Rhys Valerius].

A clean cut.

Then, I pulled up my personal accounts.

Two thousand dollars in my savings account. Enough for a one-way plane ticket to the Institute headquarters, with plenty to spare.

I wouldn't take a single cent from this family.

Sixteen days until I reported to the Institute.

The room was an icebox, but my heart was still.

I stared at the ceiling, accepting the cruel truth.

In Rhys’s world, “duty” would always come before “love.”