Chapter 1

Evelyn's POV

The table was set for ten, a massive feast spread out, but I was the only one sitting there.

Dawson, an omega, cleared my plate without even looking at me. Her movements were sharp, efficient.

"Luna, next time you want a private dinner, give us a heads-up," she grumbled, stacking the china. "This is a lot of extra work for us."

I set my napkin down and said nothing.

She started taking everything away, piece by piece.

Just before she left, she leaned in with a "friendly" tip. "Alpha Adrian and Ethan are with Charlotte tonight. You can wait up all you want, but they aren't coming home."

Charlotte again.

She was Adrian's childhood sweetheart, the beta's daughter. Everyone always thought she'd be the one to mate with him.

But in the end, I was the one who mated with him. I was the Luna of the Blackwood Pack.

But apparently, having the title doesn't mean you have the seat.

Or more like, I never really had it to begin with.

My phone buzzed. It was a video from Charlotte.

In the clip, she was tucked into a man's chest. The camera wobbled, showing Adrian. He was stroking her hair with a look of pure tenderness—a look he had never given me.

Then Ethan, my own son, burst into the frame. "Charlotte, will you be my mommy? I hate Evelyn!"

Charlotte looked at the camera, acting all frail. "I can't, sweetie. How could I take someone else's place? Your daddy has a mate."

Ethan started throwing a tantrum, tugging on Adrian's pants. "I don't care! Daddy, kick that woman out! I want Charlotte!"

Adrian frowned, but he just rubbed Ethan's head and pulled Charlotte closer. "Okay, okay. I promise, Charlotte will stay with us from now on. Happy?"

Charlotte leaned into him and flashed a smug, winning smile at the camera. The screen went black.

She wanted me to know. Even on my birthday, my husband and my son chose her.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. It was just... over.

Six years of trying was enough. It was time to let go.

I put my phone down and went to the bedroom to pack.

After midnight, I heard the front door.

Adrian pushed the bedroom door open. Ethan was clinging to his leg, half-asleep.

Adrian's eyes went straight to my suitcase.

His face darkened.

"What now?" he snapped, like I was just another problem to deal with. "What are you throwing a fit about this time?"

I didn't get up.

"I'm rejecting you. I want to end our mating."

Adrian looked at me, then at the suitcase, and let out a dry laugh.

"Evelyn, it's midnight."

"I know. And I'm done. I'm rejecting you."

He stopped. His eyes drifted to the coffee table—to the birthday cake with the melted cream and the burnt-out candles.

He let out a cold snicker. "And where exactly will you go? You're nothing without this pack."

"Not your problem."

"Evelyn!"

"Just accept the rejection, Adrian."

He stepped closer, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What about Ethan? He's a Blackwood. He stays here. You really want him to be a motherless pup?"

I froze. I'd nearly died giving birth to that boy. Of course it hurt.

I looked at Ethan standing in the doorway, hoping for something—anything. "Ethan," I said softly. "Do you want to come with me?"

Ethan glared at me, his little face twisted in anger. "Go with you and be a rogue? You're a horrible mommy!"

He ran over and hugged Adrian's leg. "Daddy, don't let her take me! I don't want her! She's a bad woman!"

His voice was shrill. "She's just a useless housewife! She's not good enough for you! That's what Grandma says too! Charlotte should have been the Luna!"

I looked at the son I raised, watching him beg for another woman to be his mother.

I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my palms. I didn't cry.

"Fine," I said. "I don't want him either."

I stood up and looked Adrian right in the eye.

"I, Evelyn Carter, reject you, Alpha Adrian of the Blackwood Pack, as my mate. May the Moon Goddess be my witness."

Ethan stopped crying. Adrian's hand slipped from the boy's shoulder.

Ethan reacted first. He tugged at Adrian's sleeve. "Daddy, say it! She said she doesn't want me! Agree to it!"

Adrian didn't look at his son. He was staring at me.

After a long, heavy silence, he finally stepped toward me. "Fine. Don't come crawling back."

"Don't regret this."

He took a breath. "I, Alpha Adrian, accept your rejection. May the Moon Goddess be my witness."

The second he said it, it felt like my chest was being ripped open. My wolf screamed inside me.

The pain was insane—like boiling lead running through my veins. Adrian doubled over too, gripping the table until his knuckles turned white.

Breaking a bond hurts more than I ever imagined.

Suddenly, Adrian's phone rang.

He answered it immediately. I knew it was Charlotte by the look on his face.

He hung up and grabbed Ethan's hand. "Ethan, let's go. Charlotte collapsed."

Then he looked at me, while I was still gasping from the pain. "You got what you wanted. Now stop acting out and put your clothes back. We won't be home tonight, but I expect coffee and breakfast to be ready when we get back."

He didn't wait for an answer. They both just walked out.

I let out a cold laugh, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out of that house without looking back.