LOGINAstrid hated herself for noticing.She really did.But the moment she entered the GreyMoon training grounds the next morning—She noticed.Everyone noticed.A woman stood beside Damien.Tall.Confident.Beautiful.Dressed in a fitted red jacket that immediately drew attention.She wasn't clinging to him.Wasn't flirting.Wasn't trying too hard.Which somehow made it worse.Astrid slowed her steps.Her stomach tightening unexpectedly."Who is that?"A young pack member nearby blinked."Oh."The girl smiled."That's Valerie Blackthorne."Astrid frowned.The name sounded familiar."She's one of the strongest Alphas in the western territories."That got Astrid's attention."What is she doing here?"The girl shrugged."Council alliance negotiations."A pause.Then—"And she's single."Astrid's eye twitched.Across the field—Valerie laughed at something Damien said.Actually laughed.And Damien—Damien smiled.Not a forced smile.Not a polite smile.A genuine one.Astrid immediately hated
The divorce papers remained unsigned. Not because Astrid had decided to stay. But because every time she picked up the pen— Something stopped her. Something she refused to name. Three weeks passed. And Damien changed. Completely. No gifts. No flowers. No waiting outside her door. No searching for excuses to speak to her. Nothing. The house felt strangely empty without his obsession filling every corner. At first, Astrid enjoyed it. Then she noticed herself listening for his footsteps. And that realization annoyed her more than anything. Damien had returned fully to GreyMoon. Council meetings. Pack disputes. Training sessions. Border inspections. Every hour of his day seemed occupied. Every hour that used to belong to her. Now belonged to the pack. And the pack loved it. Because their Alpha was back. Stronger. Sharper. More focused than ever. Unfortunately for Astrid— So was Taylor. Taylor had discovered a new hobby. Damien. Not because she loved him.
The divorce papers remained unsigned.Not because Astrid had decided to stay.But because every time she picked up the pen—Something stopped her.Something she refused to name.Three weeks passed.And Damien changed.Completely.No gifts.No flowers.No waiting outside her door.No searching for excuses to speak to her.Nothing.The house felt strangely empty without his obsession filling every corner.At first, Astrid enjoyed it.Then she noticed herself listening for his footsteps.And that realization annoyed her more than anything.Damien had returned fully to GreyMoon.Council meetings.Pack disputes.Training sessions.Border inspections.Every hour of his day seemed occupied.Every hour that used to belong to her.Now belonged to the pack.And the pack loved it.Because their Alpha was back.Stronger.Sharper.More focused than ever.Unfortunately for Astrid—So was Taylor.Taylor had discovered a new hobby.Damien.Not because she loved him.Not because she wanted him.But be
The house was quiet the next morning. Unnaturally quiet. No flowers. No deliveries. No velvet boxes waiting on tables like emotional landmines. Nothing. Astrid noticed immediately. And somehow— That unsettled her more. She walked downstairs cautiously, expecting tension. Chaos. Another argument. Instead— Damien sat at the dining table in a black shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, reading through a stack of documents. Working. Actually working. Several members of the GreyMoon council stood nearby speaking in low voices while Damien listened with calm, precise attention. No obsession. No gifts. No fixation. Just the Alpha of GreyMoon. Astrid slowed slightly. One of the men noticed her first and immediately straightened. “Luna.” Astrid almost flinched at the title. Damien looked up briefly. Their eyes met. And unlike every other morning— There was no intensity in his expression. No desperation. No hunger. Just ackno
The house was quiet the next morning. Unnaturally quiet. No flowers. No deliveries. No velvet boxes waiting on tables like emotional landmines. Nothing. Astrid noticed immediately. And somehow— That unsettled her more. She walked downstairs cautiously, expecting tension. Chaos. Another argument. Instead— Damien sat at the dining table in a black shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, reading through a stack of documents. Working. Actually working. Several members of the GreyMoon council stood nearby speaking in low voices while Damien listened with calm, precise attention. No obsession. No gifts. No fixation. Just the Alpha of GreyMoon. Astrid slowed slightly. One of the men noticed her first and immediately straightened. “Luna.” Astrid almost flinched at the title. Damien looked up briefly. Their eyes met. And unlike every other morning— There was no intensity in his expression. No desperation. No hunger. Just acknowledgment. Then he returned to
The house was quiet the next morning.Unnaturally quiet.No flowers.No deliveries.No velvet boxes waiting on tables like emotional landmines.Nothing.Astrid noticed immediately.And somehow—That unsettled her more.She walked downstairs cautiously, expecting tension.Chaos.Another argument.Instead—Damien sat at the dining table in a black shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, reading through a stack of documents.Working.Actually working.Several members of the GreyMoon council stood nearby speaking in low voices while Damien listened with calm, precise attention.No obsession.No gifts.No fixation.Just the Alpha of GreyMoon.Astrid slowed slightly.One of the men noticed her first and immediately straightened.“Luna.”Astrid almost flinched at the title.Damien looked up briefly.Their eyes met.And unlike every other morning—There was no intensity in his expression.No desperation.No hunger.Just acknowledgment.Then he returned to the papers.“We’ll move the nor
Astrid’s POVI didn’t realize how far I’d walked until my legs started to ache.The city blurred around me—faces, sounds, movement—but none of it registered. My mind was still stuck in that café, frozen at the exact moment Sebastian looked at me like I was something fragile and wrong.Delusional.T
Astrid’s POV “You’re a match.” The pack doctor’s words landed softly this time. Not like thunder. Not like salvation. Just… words. My father and stepmother burst into tears, hugging me like I had just been returned from the dead. Their arms felt awkward around me—foreign. I stood still, accep
Astrid’s POVTaylor must have seen that comment too.Of course she did because within a few seconds of it appearing on the pack platform, she went live. I joined without thinking of course my old instincts were still twitching in my bones—curiosity brushing dangerously close to me. But the differe
Astrid did not plan the encounter.That, somehow, made it better.She was halfway down the east corridor with a stack of ledgers tucked under her arm—her ledgers now, pulled legally from the archives—when a soft gasp echoed ahead.“Oh—!”Astrid stopped just in time to avoid colliding with a delicat







