001

THE BREAKING POINT

LUNA

The ceramic plate slipped through my wet hands before I could catch it. The sound of it shattering against the marble floor echoed through the entire house like a gunshot.

My heart stopped.

I didn't even have time to look down at the pieces before the slap came. Hard. Fast. The force of it snapped my head to the side, and I tasted blood on my lip.

"You worthless thing!" Selene's voice was a shriek that made my ears ring. "Do you know how much that cost? Twenty thousand dollars! Twenty thousand! But what would a pathetic wolf like you know about money? You can't do anything right! All you do is sit at home like a lazy housewife, breaking things that don't belong to you!"

My cheek burned. My eyes stung, but I kept them down, staring at the shattered pieces of the plate. Each fragment felt like a piece of myself. My wolf whimpered inside me, curling into a ball of shame.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean—"

"Sorry?" Mira, my sister-in-law, clicked her heels across the floor until she was right in front of me. I could see her expensive shoes, the ones that probably cost more than everything I owned. "Sorry doesn't fix anything, Luna. God, I don't know how you trapped my brother. You're so useless. So broke. So worthless. Living off our pack's money like a parasite."

I wanted to say something. Anything. To remind her that I cleaned this entire packhouse every day. That I cooked every meal. That I did everything they asked without complaint. But the words stuck in my throat.

The sound of footsteps made me look up.

Damon. My husband. My mate. My Alpha.

He walked into the dining room, his expensive suit perfectly pressed, his hair styled the way he always wore it. His alpha aura rolled off him in waves, but none of it was protective. Not toward me. His eyes swept over the scene—his mother standing over me, his sister with her arms crossed, me on my knees surrounded by broken china.

He saw me crying.

I waited for him to say something. To ask if I was okay. To tell his mother to stop. To remember the bond we supposedly shared.

But his face stayed completely blank. Cold. Distant. Like looking at a stranger.

"Where's breakfast?" he said, his tone flat. "I'm hungry. And Kai needs to eat before school."

Kai.

My heart clenched at the mention of our son. The only good thing that came from this nightmare of a marriage. The only reason I stayed.

"Mommy?" A small voice came from the doorway.

I turned to see Kai standing there in his little school uniform, his backpack hanging off one shoulder. He was only five years old, with his father's sharp features and those piercing amber eyes that held more judgment than comfort.

"Good morning, sweetheart," I said, trying to smile through my tears.

He didn't run to me. Instead, he stood there, staring at me with an expression that looked too much like his father's. "Mommy, why are you always crying?"

The question hit me like another slap.

"Sweetheart, I—"

"Grandma says it's because you're too weak," Kai said matter-of-factly, repeating words he'd obviously heard too many times.

Something inside me cracked worse than the plate.

Selene smiled, a cold, satisfied smile. "That's right, Kai. Your mother is weak. That's why she cries all the time."

Kai nodded, like it made perfect sense. Then he walked past me, his small footsteps echoing in the silence, and went straight to his father.

"Daddy!" His whole face lit up in a way it never did for me.

Damon's expression softened—just slightly—as Kai reached up for him. He picked up our son effortlessly, settling him on his hip. "Good morning, Kai. Ready for school?"

"Yes! Are you taking me today?"

"Not today. Your mother will take you."

Kai's face fell. "Oh."

Just... oh.

Like the thought of spending time with me was disappointing.

I felt my heart shatter into as many pieces as that plate.

Selene jabbed her finger toward the mess. "Clean this up right now and serve breakfast. Move! And make sure Kai eats properly before school. He shouldn't suffer because of your incompetence."

I nodded, getting to my feet on shaking legs. My hands trembled as I picked up the larger pieces of the plate, trying not to cut myself. No one helped me. No one even looked at me anymore.

I swept up the rest, threw it away, washed my hands, and went to the kitchen. The food was already prepared—I'd been up since five in the morning making everything perfect. I loaded everything onto the serving trays and carried them to the dining room.

They were all seated now. Selene at the head of the table. Mira on her phone, already posting something on social media. Damon's younger brother, Ryker, slouched in his chair with that look on his face that always made my skin crawl. The way he looked at me sometimes... like a predator circling prey. Kai sat beside his father, swinging his little legs.

I set the first dish down in front of Damon.

The door burst open.

A woman walked in.

No. She didn't walk. She glided. Her clothes looked like they cost more than a car. Everything about her screamed wealth and power—the jewelry, the designer handbag, the perfect makeup, the expensive shoes. She was beautiful in a way that made me feel invisible. Her scent hit me immediately: jasmine and moonlight, strong and intoxicating. An Alpha female.

But that wasn't what made me freeze.

It was the way Damon looked at her.

His fork clattered against his plate. He stood up so fast his chair scraped against the floor, nearly knocking Kai off balance. The spoon in my hand stopped halfway to the next dish, suspended in the air.

His eyes locked with hers.

The whole room went silent.

Even my wolf went utterly still, sensing the danger.

"Damon!" The woman's voice was high and sweet, like bells. She ran toward him, her arms spread wide, her wolf's joy radiating off her in waves.

He caught her.

She jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. He held her like she weighed nothing, his hands gripping her waist, his face buried in her hair. I watched his chest expand as he breathed her in, his eyes closing like he was savoring something precious.

I stood there. Still holding the spoon. Still staring. My wolf howling in pain inside me.

"Oh my God, I missed you so much!" She kissed his cheek, then his jaw, then his temple, leaving a trail of lipstick marks on his skin. Her fingers tangled in his hair. "Three years was way too long! I can't believe I'm finally back!"

"I missed you too, Aria." His voice was soft. Warm. Tender. Full of emotion.

I had never heard him use that voice with me. Not once in our five years of marriage.

She giggled and nuzzled against his neck, her lips brushing against his skin. Right in front of everyone. Right in front of me. Right in front of our son.

My hand started shaking. The spoon rattled against the serving dish.

"Wow," Kai's small voice broke through the tension. He was staring at Aria with wide, awed eyes. "Aunty, you're really, really pretty."

Aria finally unwrapped herself from Damon but kept one arm hooked through his. She looked down at Kai, and her perfect smile widened. "Oh my goodness! Who is this adorable little pup?"

"Aria, darling!" Selene was on her feet, her face completely transformed. She was smiling. Actually smiling. I'd never seen her smile like that. "You're back! After three whole years! Come, come, sit down! Have you eaten? Luna, get another plate!"

Mira jumped up too, practically squealing. "Aria! Oh my God, you look amazing! Three years in the European packs and you come back looking like this? Is that from the Milan pack's designer? I love it!"

Aria's eyes sparkled. "Thank you! I just got back from the Shadow Moon Pack yesterday. Three years felt like forever, but I brought gifts for everyone!" She glanced down at Kai again, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "And who is this little heartbreaker?"

"That's Kai," Damon said, and I heard something in his voice. Something that made my blood run cold. "He's... five years old."

"Five?" Aria's eyes widened, and I saw her do the mental math. Her gaze flicked to me for the first time, really seeing me. Something shifted in her expression, but her smile didn't falter. "He's precious. Those eyes... just like yours, Damon."

"You're too sweet," Selene gushed, pulling Aria into a hug. "We missed you so much. Not like some people who contribute nothing to this family."

She looked directly at me when she said it.

Kai was still staring at Aria like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Aria followed Selene's gaze and seemed to really notice me for the first time. Her eyes took in my worn dress, my bare feet, my tear-stained face. "Oh, hello."

"Get Aria a plate," Selene snapped at me. "And make it quick. Our Aria deserves the best after being away for so long."

I turned to go back to the kitchen, my legs moving on autopilot.

"And get me some orange juice, Luna," Damon said, still holding Aria close. "Fresh squeezed."

Not once did he look at me. Not once did he acknowledge the bond we supposedly shared. The mate bond that should have made him feel my pain.

But I felt nothing from him. Just emptiness.

I walked to the kitchen. I took out a plate. My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped it too.

When I came back, Aria was sitting in the chair next to Damon, practically in his lap. She was feeding him from her fork, and he was laughing at something she said.

Laughing.

I had never seen him laugh like that. Not in five years of marriage. Not even when Kai was born.

I set the plate down in front of Aria, careful not to make eye contact with anyone.

"Thank you," Aria said sweetly. She looked up at Damon, running her fingers through his hair in an intimate gesture that made my stomach turn. "Three years, and you still look exactly the same. I was so worried you'd forget about me."

"Never," Damon said, catching her hand and kissing it. His eyes were soft, full of an emotion I'd never seen directed at me.

My chest felt tight. My wolf was whimpering, scratching at my mind, confused and hurt.

"Luna is Damon's mate," Mira said, but the way she said it made it sound like a joke. Like something ridiculous. "Though honestly, she might as well be the help. It's all she's good for."

Selene laughed. Aria's eyes widened.

My face burned.

"Mate?" Aria looked between me and Damon, her perfectly manicured hand flying to her mouth. "Oh! I didn't realize you'd found your mate while I was away, Damon."

"It's complicated," Damon said, his hand running down Aria's arm, his touch gentle and reverent.

Complicated.

Our mate bond was complicated.

Aria's face fell for just a second before she brightened again. "Well, I'm sure we'll all get along wonderfully." She leaned into Damon, whispering something in his ear that made him smile. Then she kissed his cheek again, slow and deliberate, marking her territory.

He closed his eyes, savoring it.

Something wet hit my hand. I looked down and realized I was crying again.

"Are you just going to stand there?" Selene barked. "Go do the laundry. The bathrooms need cleaning. And get Kai to school. Move!"

I turned to leave.

"Actually," Ryker spoke for the first time, his voice oily and low. He had that smirk on his face, the one that made me want to run. His eyes dragged over me in a way that made my skin crawl, made my wolf snarl in warning. "I need Luna to help me with something in my room later."

My stomach twisted.

"Later," Selene agreed, not even looking up. "Right now she has work to do. And Kai needs to get to school."

I walked out of the dining room, their laughter following me down the hall.

Behind me, I heard Aria's voice, bright and cheerful. "Damon, feed me this one!

I closed the door to the laundry room and sank to the floor, my hand pressed against my mouth to keep the sobs from escaping.

Three years.

Aria had been gone for three years, and Damon had waited for her.

All this time, he'd been waiting for her. I thought about the mate bond. The sacred connection between wolves that was supposed to be unbreakable. Supposed to be everything.

But mine was silent. Empty. One-sided.

This was my life.

This was my marriage.

This was my mate bond.

And I didn't know how much longer I could survive it.

No, no, I'm just overthinking. Damon loves me. He has to. We're mates.

They are just best friends