The Morning After

Eliana's POV

The sun rose through the curtains like it had no idea what happened last night.

I hadn't slept.

My eyes were swollen, my throat raw from crying, and my body ached from lying in the same position for hours. The mating portrait on the mantle stared back at me—two smiling wolves, so hopeful, so naive.

I should have burned it.

The bed beside me was empty. Jakel hadn't come to our chambers last night. He'd probably stayed with Kaylee, comforting her after the terrible ordeal of being photographed in her underwear.

I laughed.

It came out broken.

I forced myself to stand, my legs stiff and heavy. The bathroom mirror showed me a stranger—dark circles under her eyes, hair tangled, lips pressed into a thin line. She looked like someone who had been drowning.

She had been.

I showered. I dressed. I didn't bother with makeup. What was the point?

When I stepped into the hallway, the pack house was quieter than usual. A few wolves nodded at me as I passed, but no one spoke. No one asked if I was okay. They all knew about last night. They had all watched me get pushed into that pool.

And they had all laughed.

I made my way to the dining hall, though I wasn't hungry. I just needed to see if he was there. If he would look at me. If he would finally apologize.

He wasn't.

The dining hall was mostly empty—just a few early risers picking at their breakfast. Lila, the young omega who had always been kind to me, looked up from her plate. Her eyes widened when she saw me.

"Luna," she whispered. "Are you alright?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out.

"I heard about last night," she continued, her voice low. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't right. None of it was right."

Her words hit me harder than I expected. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"Have you seen Jakel?" I finally managed.

Lila's expression flickered. "He... he left early this morning. With Kaylee. They went to Silver Lake."

Silver Lake.

Kaylee's favorite place. The place she had been talking about for weeks. The place Jakel had promised to take her for her moonweek celebration.

Of course.

"When did they leave?"

"Before dawn."

Before dawn. While I was lying in our bed, crying, he was packing for a trip with her.

I thanked Lila and walked out of the dining hall. My feet carried me back to our chambers—our empty chambers—and I stood in the middle of the room, trying to breathe.

His jacket was draped over the chair by the window.

The one he had wrapped around Kaylee last night.

I picked it up. It still smelled of her—that cloying floral scent she always wore, like roses left too long in water. I should have thrown it across the room. I should have burned it.

Instead, I reached into the pocket.

His phone.

He must have forgotten it in his rush to leave. Or maybe he didn't care. Maybe he knew I would never look.

I shouldn't have.

But my fingers were already moving, swiping across the screen. His passcode was still our bonding date. A bitter irony.

I opened his messages.

There was a group chat at the top. I had never seen it before.

The Original Crew (12 members)

My heart stopped.

I opened it.

---

Kaylee: Just arrived at Silver Lake! The cabin is perfect. Jakel really outdid himself this time. 🏡

Alex: Alpha always takes care of his favorites.

Kaylee: He's giving me the whole east cabin for my moonweek celebration. Don't tell the Luna tho... she gets so territorial lol.

Marcus (border patrol): She's not even a real Luna. Just some omega who got lucky.

Kaylee: Don't be mean, Marc. She tried her best. It's not her fault she's not one of us.

Alex: The Original Crew forever. Outsiders not welcome.

Kaylee: Not welcome at all. Remember when she tried to join us for the full moon run? Cringe. 😂

Marcus: I still can't believe Jakel actually mated her. Talk about settling.

Kaylee: He was lonely. I was away visiting my grandmother. Things happen. But he knows where his heart is. 💕

Alex: Speaking of which... when are you finally going to make an honest wolf of our Alpha?

Kaylee: Patience, boys. Patience. 😉

Marcus: The Luna is so clueless. She actually thinks he loves her.

Kaylee: She's not clueless. She's just... hopeful. It's kind of sad actually.

Alex: Not sad. Pathetic.

Kaylee: Don't be cruel, Alex. Some wolves are just born to be placeholders.

I scrolled down.

The messages went on for months. Years. Mocking me. Laughing at me. Calling me an outsider, a placeholder, a joke.

And then I found it.

A private message between Jakel and Kaylee, dated three nights ago.

---

Jakel: I wish things were different.

Kaylee: I know. Me too.

Jakel: If you hadn't left...

Kaylee: Don't. We can't change the past. You have your Luna. I'm just your sister. Remember?

Jakel: You're more than that and you know it.

Kaylee: Then why won't you mark her?

Jakel: Because...

Kaylee: Because what?

Jakel: Because I'm still waiting for you.

---

The phone slipped from my fingers.

It clattered to the floor, the screen still glowing with those words that had just shattered what remained of my heart.

Because I'm still waiting for you.

Everything made sense now.

The delayed marking. The way he always defended her. The way he looked at her like she hung the moon and stars.

I had been a placeholder. A convenient Luna to fill the space while he waited for his real love.

And now, on the morning after my humiliation, he was with her. At Silver Lake. In the cabin he was giving her.

I picked up the phone and screenshotted everything. Every message. Every cruel joke. Every confession.

Then I called my brother.

"Change of plans," I said, my voice steady despite the tears streaming down my face. "I need everything on Silver Lake. The east cabin. Who owns it. Who has access."

"Eliana? What's going on?"

"I'm done being a placeholder, Marcus. It's time to show them exactly who they're dealing with."

I hung up and stared at the mating portrait one last time.

Then I smiled.

It was time to go hunting.

---

I packed a small bag—just the essentials. Clothes. Money. The screenshots on my phone.

I left the mating portrait on the bed.

Let him find it when he returns. Let him wonder where I went.

At the door, I paused.

Lila was standing in the hallway, her eyes wide.

"Luna? Where are you going?"

I looked at her—this kind girl who had been the only one to ask if I was okay.

"Somewhere I'm wanted," I said softly. "Somewhere I matter."

"Will you come back?"

I smiled.

"One day. But not as the same wolf."

I walked out of the pack house and into the morning sun.

Behind me, the Rhinewood Pack continued as if nothing had changed.

Ahead of me, Project Crescent was waiting.

And so was my brother.

---

The drive to Silver Lake took three hours.

I didn't tell Marcus I was coming. He would have tried to stop me. He would have said it was too dangerous, too soon, too risky.

But I needed to see it.

I needed to see the cabin Jakel was giving to her. I needed to see where he spent his nights when he wasn't with me.

The main lodge was easy to find—a sprawling structure of timber and stone overlooking the lake. But I didn't go there.

I went to the east cabin.

It was smaller than I expected. Cozy. Private. Hidden from the main lodge by a line of thick pines.

Perfect for secret meetings.

I parked my car a mile away and walked the rest of the distance, staying low, staying quiet.

The cabin lights were on.

I crept closer, my heart pounding in my chest.

Through the window, I could see them.

Jakel was sitting on the couch, his arm around Kaylee. She was curled into his side, her head on his chest.

They looked... peaceful. Content. Like they belonged together.

My stomach turned.

"You should have seen her face," Kaylee was saying, her voice light and amused. "When you pushed her into the pool. I thought she was going to drown right there."

Jakel didn't laugh. He didn't defend me either.

"She can't swim," he said quietly.

"I know." Kaylee giggled. "That's what made it so funny."

Silence.

Then Jakel spoke again.

"I shouldn't have done that."

Kaylee sat up, her eyes narrowing. "What?"

"Pushed her. I shouldn't have pushed her."

"She deserved it," Kaylee said sharply. "She hit me. She embarrassed me in front of everyone. She's lucky that's all you did."

Jakel was quiet.

Kaylee's expression softened. She reached up and touched his cheek.

"Jakel. You know she's not right for you. She never was."

"I know."

"Then why are you still with her?"

He didn't answer.

Kaylee leaned closer. "I'm here. I've always been here. I'm the one who understands you. I'm the one who loves you."

Jakel looked at her—really looked at her.

And then he kissed her.

I watched from the window as my mate kissed another woman. I watched as his hands tangled in her hair, as she pulled him closer, as they fell back onto the couch together.

I didn't cry.

I didn't scream.

I pulled out my phone and took a picture.

Then another.

Then a video.

When I had enough, I slipped back into the shadows and walked to my car.

My hands were steady.

My heart was ice.

Jakel thought I was a placeholder. He thought I was weak. He thought I would never fight back.

He was wrong.

I started the engine and drove back toward the Crescent Line.

Tomorrow, I would call the council.

Tomorrow, I would present my evidence.

Tomorrow, I would begin the end of everything Jakel loved.

But tonight, I would sleep.

Because I had a war to win.

And I needed my strength.

END OF CHAPTER TWO