Chapter 2

LIZABELLA

The truth was, everything I had said earlier, all that strength, and that fiery declaration that I would throw Jerry and Josie out of my Pack, made me sound like I was confident and unbreakable. Like I was strong enough to withstand whatever pain was clawing through my chest.

But I wasn’t.

My mate, the man I thought the moon goddess had chosen for me, had just declared another woman his mate. He had severed our bond, ripped through the invisible thread that once tied our souls together, caused me to lose our child, and now I was sending him away. 

And that meant that I would have to find another Alpha soon, before the elders started breathing down my neck again. 

They had never been comfortable with the idea of a woman leading the Pack alone. Even after my parents died and I took over leadership, they whispered and complained, saying, a woman can’t hold a Pack together. That was why I had been forced to choose a husband in the first place.

Jerry had seemed like the answer back then. Because he was the brave, loyal, and charming man who saved me from a rogue attack. I thought the moon goddess had blessed me when I realized he was my mate. 

But now, standing in the ruins of what used to be our bond, I could see it for what it was, a joke.

And to make it worse, he said he’d always been in love with Josie, my best friend.

A laugh almost escaped me, but it died in my throat. Instead, I felt my chest tighten until breathing became work. 

I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, and beg the moon goddess to explain why she’d done this to me. But I couldn’t, not here in front of anyone. I could already feel the eyes on me when I walked through the halls. 

If they saw me cry, it would only confirm what so many of them already believed, that I was too weak and emotional to lead.

So instead, I told myself I needed air.

I left the building quietly, not caring that my hair was a tangled mess or that I still had faint traces of tears on my cheeks. I passed the fountain, the scent of wet stone and lilies filling the air, and kept walking toward the Packhouse gate.

The two guards at the entrance straightened immediately when they saw me. “Luna.” One said, bowing his head.

“Open the gate,” I said simply.

They hesitated. “Would you like an escort, Luna? It’s not…”

“No,” I declared. “I just need a stroll. I’ll be fine.”

They exchanged looks, uncertain, but no one dared disobey me. 

“Yes, Luna,” one finally said. They bowed, then pushed open the gate.

I walked down the road, hands behind my back, the gravel crunching under my slippers. A few Pack members passed by in their cars, waving or nodding respectfully, and I waved back out of habit.

After a while, I realized this wasn’t helping. The road was too crowded with cars, Pack members, and tourists wandering too close to Pack territory. 

So I turned around and took the forest path. The trees stood tall as their branches swayed gently against the wind. 

I didn’t know where I was going. I just… walked. At some point, I realized I was crying silently with  tears slipping down my cheeks as I kept walking.

I had no idea how long I’d been out there. I just trusted that I could retrace my steps later, though a part of me didn’t really care if I couldn’t.

Then, out of nowhere, a scream shattered the silence.

I froze and my wolf, Reina, stirred immediately. My instincts screamed and ran the other way, but my pride and everything that made me who I was, said no.

So, I started running toward the sound. Branches slapped against my arms and face, but I didn’t care. The scream came again, clearer this time, and I ran faster.

When I broke through the trees, I saw werewolves dragging a young girl who couldn’t have been older than ten. 

She was fighting, kicking, and crying.

“Let her go!” I shouted before I could even think.

They turned sharply toward me, eyes glowing gold. One of them grinned, showing sharp teeth. 

I grabbed a thick branch off the ground and positioned myself. “Let. Her. Go.”

The biggest one, holding the girl, tightened his grip and the other two lunged at me.

I dodged the first strike but not the second so his claws grazed my arm, and the sting made me hiss. I swung the branch hard across the second one’s head and it cracked, but he barely flinched.

I could have shifted, but that would mean tearing through my clothes and stripping myself bare in front of them. It was the reason women were rarely allowed in battle; if our nakedness was seen, we would be tagged shameful. 

So I did the next best thing. I let my claws slip out. My fingers elongated, nails turning into sharp, curved blades as I slashed at the nearest wolf’s chest, earning a growl of pain. The other came at me again, and I ducked, kicking him backward.

My side burned where his claws had grazed me again, but I didn’t stop because the girl was still screaming, struggling against the one holding her.

“Run!” I shouted to her, but she couldn’t break free.

I swung again and the branch connected with one of their necks, snapping in two. 

One grabbed me by the arm, twisting it painfully. I gasped, stumbling back.

Then suddenly a series of gunshots rang out and the werewolf holding the girl jerked, howled, and collapsed.

Before I could move, more shots rang out and the other two fell, one after the other.

For a minute, everything went still so I rushed to the girl, grabbing her hand. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

I started to run, dragging her with me and then someone dropped down from the trees right in front of me.

He landed soundlessly, crouched low, his eyes glowing faintly under the moonlight. And the sheer power that radiated off him made my knees tremble. I stumbled back, falling onto the dirt, pulling the girl close.

And Reina,  howled inside me. ‘MATE! OUR MATE HAS ARRIVED.’

My eyes widened. 

‘No. No, no, no.’ This can't be happening. ‘Not now.’

I had just lost everything. 

My mate had cheated on me, rejected me, broken me and now the moon goddess thought this was funny? Giving me a second chance right here, in the middle of the forest?

I stood quickly, tightening my grip on the girl’s hand. “We’re leaving,” I muttered under my breath, pulling her behind me.

But before I could move, another figure dropped from the trees, right in front of me again.

And once more, Reina howled. ‘MATE!’

“What the…” I gasped, taking a step back and a third figure landed behind me.

I whipped my head around and for the third time, Reina's voice echoed in my head. ‘MATE. MATE. MATE!’

I blinked, frozen. “What the hell is going on?” I whispered, staring at my three Second-Chance Mates who now stood before me.