Chapter 3

Leaving meant I would never again have to be his shadow, never again clean up his messes by moonlight.

Rachel was still saying something on the other end of the line, but I had stopped hearing her.

"Rachel, once a leaf falls, it cannot go back to the tree."

I put on my coat and walked out of the villa alone.

The evening breeze carried the scent of grass, and moonlight made the mountain path clear and bright.

I walked without direction, until I turned down a path through the trees and came upon the clearing.

The bonfire frame was already assembled. Garlands and white silk wound around every marble column, and candlestands stood in neat rows, waiting to be lit tomorrow night.

A warrior assigned to the preparations noticed me and walked over. After a brief silence, he spoke quietly.

"Selene, the Alpha has ordered us to keep tomorrow's arrangements as they are. The ceremony will proceed as planned, and the Luna crown will be placed in storage for now."

He paused, his voice dropping lower.

"The Alpha also said that Selene requested the dissolution of the mating bond herself. But leaving the Luna's place empty at the ceremony would make other packs think Dawnlight Pack is showing weakness."

"For the future of Dawnlight Pack, Roslyn will become Luna."

I nearly laughed out loud.

I stood before that ceremonial ground, prepared for me and no longer mine, and remembered many things.

The first time he took my hand, on a snowy night, when he said he would always protect me.

The time I fell ill with fever and he kept watch for three days and three nights.

I remembered the day he became Alpha, the gravity of it, the way he took my hand and said solemnly: I swear you will be the most honored Luna of the Dawnlight Pack.

But when Roslyn appeared, all that tenderness vanished.

He would always turn toward her first, whenever she needed him.

Because in his heart, she had always weighed a little more than me.

I drew a slow breath and turned back the way I had come.

Halfway along the path, an aged voice called out from behind me.

It was the former Luna, Margaret.

She stood in the moonlight, her eyes holding a sorrow I could not quite name.

"I’ve heard it all," she said, coming forward and gently taking my hands. "Go on, child."

"He will regret this."

I looked at her and said nothing.

She watched me with quiet warmth, her voice soft. "Some people only learn to cherish what they had after it is gone. But by then, you will not need to wait for him anymore."

I lowered my head. My eyes had grown warm.

"Thank you, Margaret."

It was time to leave.

Back at the villa, I looked around the room, my gaze moving slowly over every object.

All of these Kaelen and I had chosen together, before Roslyn came.

That lamp, he said, to light every one of my nights.

That painting, he said, so I would always remember how he saw me.

That set of dishes, he said, for every meal we would share for the rest of our lives.

I closed my eyes, my voice steady, and spoke to the maid.

"Throw all of it away."

Just as the maid carried out the last item, the front door swung open.

Kaelen walked in with Roslyn.

His eyes swept the empty room and his steps stopped dead. The smile at the corners of his mouth froze on his face.

He crossed the room quickly, a flicker of unease in his eyes, his voice urgent.

"Why did you throw everything out?"

I looked at him, not a ripple in my expression.

"Nothing much. It was getting old. Time for a change."

Kaelen was silent for a few seconds, a vague unease rising in him. He opened his mouth, about to say something.

Beside him, Roslyn tugged at his sleeve with a coy pout.

"Kaelen, you still haven't told Selene the nickname you picked for the pup."

I caught Kaelen's scent on Roslyn. They had grown that close already.

I gave a quiet, bitter smile and looked at Kaelen.

A flash of panic crossed his eyes. He rushed to explain.

"Selene, it was just something I said offhand. I didn't mean anything by it. Nothing is going on between us, I promise."

In the past, moments like this would have made me weep and accuse him.

But now I turned to Roslyn with a calm face and a hollow curve of my lips.

"Alright."

Whatever. I was leaving soon anyway.

The Luna's place was hers to take.

Roslyn's eyes reddened at once. She retreated behind Kaelen, her voice thick with tears.

"Kaelen, the way she looked at me was so cold. I really didn't mean anything by it. I only wanted to share my happiness with her."

Kaelen hesitated for a few seconds, then finally spoke.

"Roslyn, you went a bit too far this time. We agreed this was only a pretend bonding."

"You shouldn't have said those things. Selene is and always will be my true Luna."

Roslyn's expression went rigid. She pressed her lips together, stepped forward, and took hold of my arm.

"I'm sorry, Selene."

Before the words had fully left her mouth, I felt her fingertips shift. Wolf claws raked across my forearm.

I wrenched myself free, but she caught my sleeve. We toppled backward, slamming into the table.

The vase shattered behind us, shards skittering across the floor.

A jagged piece caught my ankle, and blood bloomed on the Persian rug like a flower in full bloom.

Kaelen instinctively bent down to help Roslyn to her feet.

Roslyn clutched her swollen ankle, her voice breaking.

"Kaelen, don't blame Selene. She must have been so angry she didn't know what she was doing when she pushed me."

I saw the look in Kaelen's eyes as he turned to me. It had gone cold again.

"Roslyn's health has never been strong, and she's carrying a pup. Even if she said something wrong, did you have to take revenge like this?"

I had thought I was past the point of hurting for him. But the tears came anyway.

On her word alone, Kaelen believed I had pushed her.

He drew her behind him, something like fury in his eyes.

"Apologize to Roslyn."