Chapter 2

The next evening, the entire Darkhollow estate was lit up, buzzing with energy for the annual Moon Festival.

I stood in the shadows of the staircase, a ghost in my own home.

Stanley came down from upstairs.

He was wearing an expensive, custom-tailored black suit. An obsidian stone, the symbol of his Alpha power, was fastened at his collar.

He looked handsome, powerful, and untouchable.

“Kids, time to go,” Stanley’s deep Alpha voice announced.

The twins ran to him, giddy with excitement.

“Listen,” Stanley said, ruffling their hair. “Selene has booked the entire Moonlight Hall for us. Tonight, we make her the center of attention.”

The boys let out excited howls.

Zane followed last, dressed in a sharp tuxedo. He didn’t even glance my way.

The front door opened, letting in a blast of cold air.

My family paraded out.

Not a single one of them asked if I wanted to come.

They just assumed I’d stay here. Waiting for them. Like a piece of rusty furniture.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

I walked into the kitchen, my stomach cramping with hunger.

I didn’t cook for myself. Instead, I turned on the tablet sitting on the counter.

The pack's private social media page was live-streaming the event.

And right in the center of the screen was my husband.

Stanley. With Selene on his arm.

She was wearing a silver, backless gown—the color of a Luna. The dress shimmered as she moved.

She was radiant.

Pack elders and high-ranking members swarmed them, bowing their heads in submission.

The chat feed scrolled wildly.

“Selene is so beautiful! She’s the Luna our Alpha deserves!”

“That other woman who never even shows her face should have been kicked out years ago!”

Past midnight, the front door finally opened.

Only Selene came back.

She reeked of expensive perfume and wine. She stalked toward me on her high heels.

She tossed a raw, bloody steak at my feet. It was from the Alpha’s private hunt.

Blood splattered onto my worn-out slippers.

“Eat up, you pathetic thing.” Selene sneered. “A shriveled body like yours needs a little raw meat just to keep you on your feet.”

I said nothing. I just stared at her.

My silence seemed to infuriate her.

She leaned in close, her lips brushing my ear.

“You know, Stanley complains about you,” she giggled. “He says you’re like a ghost he can’t get rid of. He thinks your side of the bed stinks of decay. He can’t even stand to touch you, but you just won’t leave.”

She left me with that poison and swayed her hips as she walked up the stairs.

I didn’t pick up the meat.

I turned and walked back to the small guest room on the first floor. My bedroom.

Three in the morning.

My eyes snapped open.

I smelled it. The heavy, sweet scent of a she-wolf in heat. It mixed with Stanley’s feral Alpha musk.

The smell cut through the hallway and stabbed into my senses.

I got out of bed and walked barefoot out of my room.

The master bedroom door was wide open. The room was empty.

I followed the faint sound of splashing water, walking step by step toward the pack’s private hot spring.

The closer I got, the thicker the suffocating scent of mating became.

I stopped at the frosted glass door.

It wasn’t fully closed. There was a crack.

Steam filled the air inside, mixed with the sound of bodies slapping together and the harsh, animalistic pants of beasts.

“Stanley… give me… give me more!”

Through the glass, I saw it all.

My mate. The Alpha I had loved for so many years. His muscles were coiled tight, his hands digging into Selene’s naked hips.

He slammed her against the pool wall, each thrust raw and savage.

Selene’s legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, her head thrown back in a high-pitched, saccharine scream.

Stanley let out a low growl.

“Selene…” he gasped, his voice ragged with a mix of rage and release. “You’re a thousand times better than that dead thing at home… I wish you were my Mate!”

The Mate-bond screamed. A tearing, violent agony shot through me.

I staggered back a step.

My stomach churned.

I spun around, slapped a hand over my mouth, and stumbled into the bathroom at the end of the hall.

I collapsed in front of the toilet, dry heaving.

I threw up nothing but sour bile until my throat burned and tears streamed from my eyes.

I felt my wolf snarling, begging to be let out.

But I held it back. I forced it down.

No. I couldn't do that. I couldn't.