Chapter 3

“Lara, what the hell are you trying to do? Do you realize that every word you’re saying right now is akin to challenging me?”

Trevor’s voice was low, but it carried a faint tremor, laced with a kind of unease that even he did not seem to notice.

His hand reached out and clamped down on my shoulder like a steel vise.

“I’m the one atoning for you! You let your selfish desires harm the pack’s prodigy and yet you still dare to throw a tantrum in front of me?

“Do you think ‘breaking the mate bond’ is something you can just say on a whim? I won’t allow it.”

Helplessness crashed over me like a tide.

I remembered how I had not been blind to how close he and Rin were becoming under the guise of professor and student.

However, when I saw the way her timid, fragile face lit up with brilliance whenever she spoke about her field of study, my suspicion had shifted into admiration for her talent.

As the pack’s Luna, it was my duty to nurture that gift. That was why I chose to send her to the neutral lands to study.

I never owed Rin anything. Despite this, my Alpha remained fixated on condemning me as guilty.

I swallowed down the bitterness burning my throat and curved my lips into a calm, flawless smile.

“Don’t look at me like that, Alpha. If punishment is what you want for me, then isn’t the most fitting punishment for me to step down and let a more capable Luna take my place? You’ve already erased my name from our mate registry and replaced it with hers. That saves us the trouble of filing for bond dissolution.”

I met his gaze, every word falling slow and heavy from my lips.

“Sign it. Let her be Luna. I’ll accept it willingly.”

A flicker of unbridled joy flashed across Rin’s face, though she quickly lowered her lashes, hiding her triumph beneath a mask of meekness.

Still, my words seemed to hit a raw nerve. Trevor clenched his jaw so hard the words seemed to be scraped out of his throat.

“You’re desecrating the Moon Goddess’s witness!

“I registered with Rin because she had no family and the surgeons needed a mate’s consent for an emergency operation. Was I supposed to just stand there and watch her die?

“She’s just a young werewolf girl at the Academy who needed protection! To me, she’s no different than anyone else. She will never replace you.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Rin suddenly let out a loud sob.

“Luna, please, don’t pressure the professor anymore… Everyone in the pack knows how much he loves you… If it comes down to it, I-I’ll just leave the pack!”

“No!” The words burst from Trevor before he even realized it.

The air seemed to freeze.

I stared at his handsome yet unfamiliar face, feeling a gulf open between us, wider than it had ever been before.

Then, loud footsteps echoed from the doorway.

A squad of werewolves in black armor strode in. Their presence was overwhelming, each one bearing the insignia of the Werewolf Council.

“Alpha Trevor, Luna Lara, the Council’s Enforcement Division has received an anonymous report accusing Luna Lara of abusing her authority and persecuting the tribe’s Omega member, Rin.

“You are both required to come with us immediately. You will be taken to the central prison for questioning.”