Chapter 2

Irwen’s POV

For werewolves, strength is everything.

Even now, in a world where we walk carefully, where we no longer bare our claws so easily, power remains the currency that shapes our lives. It dictates leadership, determines respect, and decides who is worthy of being followed—or feared.

And today, the most powerful wolves of the realm were gathered in one room.

It was a meeting of Alphas. The topic: a volatile conflict between two southern packs. A territory dispute that had nearly erupted into war. A war that could have revealed our kind to the humans—something we had avoided for centuries.

And I had stopped it.

The moment the final agreement was signed and the last words of the peace accord faded into silence, a sense of relief swept through the chamber. The tension that had clung to the room like a storm cloud slowly began to ease. The long table—once filled with raised voices and heated opinions—now hummed with quiet approval and murmurs of success.

I remained composed, hands folded in my lap as I sat among the other representatives. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, alert, proud. We'd done it. A fragile alliance had been sealed, and the looming threat of war between the southern packs had been averted.

Then his voice broke through the soft murmur of the room.

“Lady Irwen,” Alpha King Kairos said, rising slowly from his seat at the head of the table.

The air shifted again, tension returning—but in a different form. Every gaze followed his, turning toward me. I stood, spine straight, chin lifted, and met the eyes of the most powerful werewolf in existence.

Kairos was a force—cloaked in black and gold, radiating command with every breath he took. There was no mistaking the power coiled beneath his stillness, no ignoring the authority in his deep voice. When he spoke, the world seemed to listen.

“You’ve done what many thought impossible,” he said, his words calm but cutting through the silence like steel. “You diffused a conflict that threatened not just the packs involved, but the secrecy of our entire kind.”

My heart skipped.

I bowed my head slightly in acknowledgment, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Thank you, Alpha King. I only did what I believed was right.”

He studied me for a moment—his gaze sharp, unblinking, as if he could see past my skin and into the thoughts I hadn’t spoken.

“Humility,” he said, a faint curve at the corner of his mouth. “A rare quality, especially among those in power. You handled this situation with wisdom and grace. You’ve earned the gratitude of the council... and of your king.”

There was a shift in the room. A murmur of agreement. A few surprised glances. Praise from Kairos wasn’t something handed out freely.

Then he asked, “What would you have as a reward?”

My breath caught.

This was the moment I had waited for.

And I would not waste it.

The moment I had been waiting for. I took a breath, my heartbeat steady despite the tension in the room. This was no longer just a political meeting—it was about to become personal.

“I want a divorce,” I said clearly, firmly. “From Alpha Darien.”

The words hung in the air like a strike of thunder.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the table. Dozens of heads turned in disbelief. Some eyes widened. Others frowned in disapproval. Whispers buzzed around the room like bees disturbed from their hive.

“You can’t be serious—”

“A Luna asking for divorce from her mate? That’s—”

“Blasphemy—”

“Enough,” Kairos said sharply, silencing the room with a single word.

His dark eyes didn’t leave mine. “Why?”

I hesitate for a moment. This is not a topic I could easily bring up, my privacy, but I need to tell him the depth of my emotion in this matter.

“Because I’m still a virgin, Alpha King Kairos,” I said.

Silence fell again. But this time, heavier. Colder.

Even Kairos blinked. “Are you joking?”

I shook my head. “I wish I were.”

“We have been married for two years. He has never touched me. Not once. Not as a mate. Not as a man.”

Gasps erupted. A few women clutched their chests. Some Alphas glanced awkwardly at their own mates, and some reached for their mates—as if trying to tell them that they would never do the same.

“It is… possible he is impotent,” I added, my voice calm, measured. “Or perhaps, unwilling. Either way, I refuse to be chained to someone who sees me as a burden. Or worse… invisible.”

Kairos narrowed his eyes, clearly deep in thought. Then he turned to the Elder seated near him. “We need Elder Varan to confirm this. And while waiting, I need someone to get Alpha Darien to see me.”

For a second, it seemed time had stopped. Then, Elder Varan was one of the oldest wolves alive, gifted with rare insight—one who could sense truth through bloodlines and bodies. The room held its breath as the door opened and an old woman slowly approached me.

Kairos said what he needed from her, before she raised her hand, barely touching my forehead. Her eyes glowed silver for a brief moment.

Then she pulled back and turned to the Alpha King.

“She speaks the truth,” the Elder said quietly. “She is untouched.”

A storm of voices erupted, some furious, some ashamed.

And then—The door burst open.

Darien.

He looked disheveled, as though he had rushed here. His usual controlled expression was replaced with panic. His dark hair was messy, his clothes wrinkled, and his eyes searched the room until they landed on me.

“Irwen, what are you doing?” he asked, almost breathless.

He turned quickly to Kairos, voice quivering as he spoke. “Forgive her, Alpha King. She’s only saying these things because she’s upset with me. I’ve been… occupied with pack matters, and perhaps I’ve neglected her more than I should have.” He paused, forcing his voice to crack just the right way, then added, “But I love her. I don’t want a divorce.”

His eyes sought mine, as if willing me to back down. His expression was carefully crafted—eyes wet with false guilt, lips parted in feigned vulnerability. But I saw right through it.

It was all a performance.

A desperate, last-minute act.

Lies.

Two years of silence could not be erased by a trembling voice and a forced display of regret. Two years of cold shoulders, of being treated like a ghost in my own home. Of lying awake in a bed big enough for two, always on the farthest edge, untouched. Of smiling in public, maintaining the illusion of a perfect Luna, all while I was silently breaking. I had carried that weight alone, protecting his image even as it shattered mine.

But no more.

I rose slowly, keeping my spine straight and my expression composed, even though my heart was pounding in my chest.

“Alpha King Kairos,” I said, my voice calm but resolute, “with your permission, I’d like to show something to the council.”

Kairos nodded once, silently gesturing toward the large screen at the end of the room.

With steady hands, I moved to the central console and retrieved the small drive I had hidden within my cloak’s inner seam. I had held onto it for days, unsure whether I would use it. I had wrestled with guilt, with fear, with the thought of shame—but truth was a heavier burden to carry in silence.

I made my choice.

I chose freedom.

The screen flickered to life.

The room dimmed slightly as the video began to play.

Darien’s office. I had come back to retrieve my phone, thinking to surprise him with a quiet visit and maybe, foolishly, a little affection. But what I found instead… was betrayal.

There he was, half-dressed, his arms wrapped tightly around another woman—Selena. His childhood friend. Their bodies tangled with the ease of routine, not a one-time mistake. His voice—low, hoarse—moaned her name like she was his everything.

Not once had he ever said mine like that.

My jaw clenched as I forced myself to watch again, to relive it. To prove it.

The clip ended.

And so did the illusions.

Silence fell like thunder.

Some Lunas turned away, their faces flushed with shame. A few Alphas muttered beneath their breath, clearly disgusted. And others looked at Darien as if they no longer recognized him—as if he had revealed a rot hiding beneath polished armor.

But my gaze was fixed elsewhere.

But what held my attention… was Kairos.

He stood at the head of the room, his jaw tense, his brows furrowed, and his eyes hard as stone. A king’s gaze—measuring, merciless….