CHAPTER 3

ONE MONTH LATER

RING!!!

RING!!!

“The number you’ve dialed is unavailable. Please try again later.”

“Ugh! I hate this!” Cassandra groaned, frustration etched on her face as she tossed her phone onto the bed. “It’s been a month since he left, and I still can’t reach him. So annoying!”

Just then, a voice called from outside her room. “Knock, knock.”

Cassandra turned toward the door and sighed when she saw who it was. “What are you doing here, Joana?”

Joana raised a brow. “What? Don’t tell me you forgot—we’re going for a run.”

Cassandra let out another sigh before running a hand through her hair. “Give me a minute. I’ll be right out.”

“Sure thing!” Joana grinned before stepping back into the hallway.

20 MINUTES LATER

“Cassandra, slow down!” Joana shouted, panting as she struggled to keep up.

Cassandra glanced back with a playful grin. “Oh, come on, Jo! You’re just too slow~” she teased, effortlessly picking up her pace.

The two had been inseparable since childhood, growing up side by side within the pack. Joana and James were the Beta’s children, and the three of them had always been close.

Both James and Cassandra had reached the age of 22 without discovering their fated mates—until a month ago, when Cassandra finally found hers.

For years, they had been inseparable, bound by a love that began when they were just 17. They had always believed that no mere mate bond could ever come between them.

“I’ll tell Scott you bullied me when we get back! Just wait,” Joana pouted, 

“Don’t you dare!” Cassandra shot her a glare, eyes narrowing in warning.

She hated the thought of Scott—her older brother and the Alpha of their pack—lecturing her again just because Joana ran to him with her complaints. As Scott’s mate and the Luna of the pack, Joana had a way of making him take her side every time.

“But seriously, Cassy, I wonder who your mate will be. Someone as perfect as you must have an extraordinary match.” Joana placed her hands on her hips, her gaze shifting away as if avoiding Cassandra’s eyes.

A heavy silence settled between them, the once lively forest now eerily still. Cassandra's heart skipped a beat, an inexplicable tension creeping into her chest.

Without realizing it, they had stopped running, their feet rooted to the ground. The only sound that remained was their uneven breathing, echoing in the quiet wilderness.

“Joana! You know better than anyone how much I hate talking about that!” Cassandra said, annoyed, breaking the silence and making Joana flinch.

“I love James. You of all people should know by now I’ll always choose him. We grew up together. You know I never liked anyone but him since we were nine!”

Joana lowered her head and bit her lip as if holding herself back from saying something to Cassy.

“B-but Cassy…” Joana looked up and met Cassandra’s eyes.

“You know, Joana, I’ve noticed you’ve been acting strange ever since you attended that birthday party in the Winter Pack.” Cassandra’s voice was sharp, her frustration evident. “You keep bringing up my mate, and James hasn’t answered a single one of my calls since you left him there! What the hell is going on?”

Her heart pounded as she searched Joana’s face for answers, but her best friend wouldn’t meet her gaze.

The Winter Pack was one of the largest and most powerful in existence. While the Red Moon Pack, where Cassandra and Joana belonged, held equal standing, there had never been hostility between them. In fact, their relationship had always been strong—built on years of alliance and mutual respect.

“I’m sorry, Cassy. I can’t help it… You know how much I loved Clint before I realized your brother was my mate. The feelings I had for him suddenly felt so wrong, as if they had never existed.”

Joana took a hesitant step toward Cassandra, concern evident in her eyes.

“Cassandra, you’re my friend, and I don’t want you—or my brother—to get hurt.”

Cassandra scoffed, shaking her head. “Don’t worry. I would never hurt your brother, and I know he’d never hurt me.” She turned away, preparing to continue their run, but Joana’s next words made her freeze.

“He found his mate…” Joana’s voice was barely above a whisper, but it rang in Cassandra’s ears like thunder.

Her body went rigid. Slowly, she turned around, her heart pounding wildly.

“What did you just say?” Her voice was unsteady, a mix of disbelief and rising panic.

Joana lowered her gaze, avoiding Cassandra’s piercing stare.

“Say it again,” Cassandra demanded, stepping closer. When Joana remained silent, Cassandra grabbed her shoulders, her grip tight and desperate.

“LOOK AT ME, DAMN IT!” she shouted, her voice cracking.

Joana squeezed her eyes shut, inhaled sharply, and finally forced herself to say it.

“He’s gone, Cassy. He marked his mate after I left him that day in the Winter Pack…”

Silence.

Cassandra’s hands trembled against Joana’s shoulders. Her breath hitched, her stomach twisted painfully, and for a moment, it felt as though the ground beneath her had crumbled away.

Cassandra let out a short, forced laugh, shaking her head. “Come on, Jo. You really think I’m going to fall for this again? You’ve done this before.”

She took a step back, crossing her arms as if shielding herself from the truth Joana was trying to force upon her. “James wouldn’t do that to me. He told me, Jo. He told me a mate bond couldn’t change what we have.”

Joana’s expression twisted in frustration. “Cassy…”

“No,” Cassandra cut her off, her voice suddenly sharp. “He loves me. He’s just… busy. He’s probably—”

“Busy?” Joana snapped, her voice laced with disbelief. “It’s been a MONTH, Cassandra! A whole damn month, and you’re still making excuses for him?”

Cassandra’s lips parted, but no words came out.

“If he really loved you the way you think he does, would he have ignored your calls? Would he have left you in the dark like this?”

The weight of Joana’s words settled over Cassandra like a suffocating blanket, squeezing the breath from her lungs.

But still… she shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “He promised…”

Joana’s face softened, her frustration giving way to something else—something close to pity. “Cassy, please… wake up.”

PAK!

Joana fell to the ground, her cheek stinging from the force of Cassandra’s slap.

“That’s enough, Joana! Now you’re getting on my nerves!” Cassandra’s voice trembled with anger, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.

Joana touched her burning cheek but didn’t retaliate. Instead, she looked up at Cassandra with teary eyes. “Stop lying to yourself, Cassandra! I know you have doubts about my brother’s actions. You just won’t accept the thought that he’s gone for someone else!”

Cassandra’s breath hitched. A storm of emotions swirled inside her—denial, anger, desperation.

“Then why?” she murmured, barely audible.

“WHY? WHY? WHY?!” she suddenly screamed, her body shaking.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have stopped him! I could have reminded him that it was me he loved, not some mate he just met!”

Joana wiped her tears, her voice breaking as she replied, “You’d be in more pain if you heard it directly from him—that he no longer loves you after finding his mate. I didn’t want to hurt you, Cassy.”

“THEN WHY BOTHER TELLING ME NOW?!” Cassandra’s voice cracked, her vision blurring with unshed tears. “DO YOU THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO TELL ME AFTER A MONTH?! WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE WHETHER IT’S BEST FOR ME TO HEAR IT FROM HIM OR NOT?! I’D STILL BE HURT NO MATTER WHAT! AT LEAST IF HE HAD CONFESSED HIMSELF, I COULD HAVE VENTED MY FRUSTRATION!”

Joana’s shoulders trembled as sobs wracked her body. “I know I was wrong… I’m so sorry, Cassy. I’m so sorry…” she whispered, lowering her head in shame, tears streaming down her face.

Cassandra’s breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps as she stared at Joana, her eyes filled with raw hatred. Neither of them moved for what felt like an eternity—only the sound of their quiet sobs filled the air.

Minutes passed, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, Cassandra straightened her back. Her tears stopped. Her expression hardened.

Joana watched in disbelief. They had been friends since childhood, and Cassandra had always been strong—more mature than most, fiercely competitive, and never one to accept defeat. But now, as Joana gazed into her friend’s red, swollen eyes, she saw something that shattered her heart.

Defeat.

She never wanted to hurt her. She had wished, more than anything, for Cassandra and her brother to stay together. But now, looking at the emptiness on Cassandra’s face, Joana realized there was nothing left to say. Nothing she could do to undo the pain.

Cassandra’s gaze bore into her, hollow yet burning with something unreadable. Joana swallowed hard, guilt pressing down on her like a crushing weight.

“Let’s go home, Joana. I’m tired now…” Cassandra said, her voice devoid of emotion. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.

Joana remained on the ground, watching as Cassandra’s figure grew smaller, until she finally disappeared from sight.

She let out a heavy sigh.

She could still remember the way her brother’s face had lit up with joy when he found his mate—the excitement in his eyes before she left him at the Winter Pack.

“Jo, I found my mate! I never thought I could be this happy! I feel like the happiest man in the world right now!” James exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement.

Joana choked on her drink, coughing violently as his words sank in.

“What did you just say, brother?” she asked, voice trembling slightly.

“I said I found my mate!” James repeated, grinning from ear to ear.

Joana stared at him, brows furrowing. “Wh-what? Why are you so happy?”

James blinked at her in confusion. “Because I found my other half?”

Her stomach twisted at his response. “What about Cassandra? You’re not leaving her for your mate, are you?”

The moment she said those words, James’s smile faded. His expression darkened as he took a step back, as if something within him had suddenly shifted.

“That… What we had was… just…” He trailed off, brows knitting together.

“I… I don’t know… I feel like I don’t remember ever loving her…” His voice was laced with uncertainty, guilt creeping into his eyes as he looked at Joana. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

After that, James didn’t even say goodbye when Joana left the Winter Pack.

He had only sent a simple text—one to Joana and another to Cassandra—saying he had some business to take care of before heading home.

But after Joana arrived back at the Red Moon Pack, another message came through.

"I marked my mate. Tell Cassandra I'm sorry."

Her hands trembled as she stared at the screen.

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Cassandra right away. The thought of seeing the pain in her best friend’s eyes terrified her. But no matter how long she delayed it, the truth wouldn’t change.

No matter how she said it, it would still hurt.

"It can’t be helped," she murmured to herself.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly stood up—only to be slammed to the ground by an unseen force.

Joana groaned, her vision spinning. But before she could process what had happened, a clawed hand was already swinging toward her, sharp and merciless. She had no time to react, no time to dodge.

The last thing she managed to do before her world went dark was send a desperate mind-link to Cassandra, who was wandering aimlessly in the woods.

"Cassy… help me…"