Chapter 0002

•CATHERINE•

Leo flashed a proud smile as he gestured toward the woman standing beside him. “This is Mary Whitlock, Cat. She’s the genius behind the Omega Academy.” He introduced her after his speech. “Our warriors wouldn’t be half as skilled if it weren’t for her. I’m planning to announce her as one of us tonight. Once she’s linked to the pack, she’ll be able to communicate with everyone.”

I nodded slowly, keeping my expression neutral.

Through the mind link, I reached for Leo’s presence, “I thought our pack only accepted rogues or mates. Has a new exception been made?”

Leo paused for a beat on the other end of the link, “I’ll explain later,” he replied curtly, before closing the mind link without another word.

I kept my tone even, though the whispers behind me twisted something tight in my chest.

“Poor Luna...”

“She’s standing there like she’s invisible.”

Their voices blurred into noise. I didn’t need to hear the words to know what they were saying.

I kept my chin high. A Luna doesn’t crumble in front of her pack.

Leo’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Our warriors would’ve come back injured or worse if not for Mary. “She’s done more for this pack than you ever have,” Leo said.

My wolf, Nyra, growled inside me, matching the rumble from Ranger, Leo’s wolf, through the bond.

“I see,” I replied quietly. “Then I’m glad the pack has benefited from her work.”

 Leo shot me a quick, unreadable look—surprised, perhaps, that I hadn't caused a scene.

Mary stood a little taller beside him, smiling as though she already belonged here.

Nyra’s voice echoed softly in my head. ‘Not now. Don’t lose control. Let them think you’re calm and don’t let them think you’re weak.’

I inhaled sharply and said nothing.

“Everyone!” Leo’s commanding tone silenced the murmurs. “I have an announcement to make.”

All eyes turned to him as he took Mary’s hand and stepped forward. The sight of his fingers tightening around hers made my chest tighten painfully.

“Mary Whitlock will be a member of our pack tonight, under the full moon. From this night on, she and her wolf, Maya, are one with the Crescent Moon Pack!” he declared proudly.

The crowd erupted in applause, and Mary smiled at me, mocking me. I gulped and looked for Brian so we could leave, but he was clinging closely to his father.

I decided to leave so they would celebrate together.

But before I reached the door, Leo’s voice snapped through the air. “Cat? Don’t go yet. We present ourselves as a united front tonight.”

His Alpha command caused a shiver down my spine, and Nyra let out a low growl.

I closed the door and walked inside, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from my eyes. People kept laughing and dancing, and I couldn’t make out what some were saying in the blur.

When Leo’s Beta and Gamma were done with their speeches, we were taken to the pack’s training ground to welcome Mary as one of us.

As Luna, I stood beside Leo while Mary changed into a white garment meant to symbolize purity and acceptance.

Leo leaned close to my ear. “Smile, Catherine, and accept her warmly. It’s in your best interest. When this is over, we’ll go back to being a happy family with Brian, and you won’t ask questions. Understand?”

I didn’t turn to him. “Are you threatening me?” I whispered, eyes locked on Mary as she knelt under the moonlight.

“No,” he scoffed. “But I won’t tolerate another scene. You’ll obey me as your Alpha.”

“Is she your mistress?” I asked through the mind link, snapping my gaze toward him.

For a moment, his eyes flared red, the faint color that always appeared before he shifted, and his jaw tightened. He didn’t need to answer. His silence was enough.

"Catherine, don’t jump to conclusions.” he growled, “Show some gratitude and stop embarrassing me.”

The ritual began. Mary knelt beneath the moon, dressed in white.

His stare burned into me, “Welcome Mary Whitlock into the pack, now.”

Brian’s face flashed in my mind, and my breath hitched. I couldn’t risk losing him. Not tonight.

I stepped forward when the silence demanded it. “Mary Whitlock,” I said, my voice steady as stone. “As Luna of the Crescent Moon Pack, I welcome you and your wolf, Maya.”

My gaze didn’t leave hers. “May the Moon Goddess watch over your choices. You may shift.”

She smiled sweetly before she screamed, her bones breaking. The crowd cheered, and Leo smiled proudly behind me.

I watched her shift beneath the moonlight, every bone snapping like a promise I intended to break later.

The pack cheered. Leo smiled.

A strong sense of unease welled up inside me. Would my life be affected by this from now on?

******

Back in my room, the laughter from the celebration still echoed through the pack house. I sat on the bed, numb, staring at the muted glow of the television across the room.

A reporter’s voice filled the silence.

“Dr. Elias Wolfe, the renowned Lycan medic, saved yet another critically injured soldier today. His recovery methods have been called miraculous…”

The screen showed him—confident, calm, a faint smile on his lips as he treated a patient.

My breath caught.

Elias.

My childhood friend.

The boy who shared textbooks with me.

The young man whose mind matched mine in the medical academy.

We used to dream of changing the world together.

Until I married Leo… and lost all contact with him.

On the screen, Elias turned to the camera—bright-eyed, brilliant, everything he was always meant to be.

The reporter asked, “Is there anyone who influenced your journey as a medic?”

Elias paused, thoughtful. Then he smiled—soft, almost nostalgic.

“Once,” he said, “I had a partner. If she were still practicing medicine, I’m certain she’d be extraordinary.”

My heart squeezed so tight it hurt.

He still remembered.

I reached out and touched the screen lightly, my fingers brushing the image of the life I once dreamed of.

Once, I used to shine like that, too.

I swallowed hard, shook my head, pushing the memories of the past aside, and forced myself to face my life head-on.

It’s already 9 o’clock—why hasn’t Leo come back yet?