Crystal K
The day the new Pack House was finished, my mother, Aria, the Luna, announced the room assignments.
Every space in the three-story mansion was claimed.
The top floor was the Alpha and Luna’s suite.
The room next to it—the biggest, the most beautiful, with moonstones embedded in the walls to soothe a wolf’s soul—was for Chloe.
Chloe’s father died ten years ago in the Blood Moon War. He sacrificed himself to save my brother, Jasper.
After that, my family adopted her. The whole pack treated her like a hero’s orphan, protecting her at all costs.
I traced the blueprints with my finger. Room by room. My name wasn't there.
I asked my mother. She paused, then spoke in that gentle, matter-of-fact tone.
“Eliana, you have to go to the border to prove you’re worthy of being the next Luna. If I give you the best room now, the pack will question it.”
“Chloe is different. Her father gave his life for us. We’re all she has. This room is an honor she deserves. It will help her heal.”
My brother, Jasper, was already excitedly talking to Chloe about building a hot spring on her terrace, one that would catch the moonlight.
And my mate, the future Alpha Rhys, was personally overseeing the decorations, making sure Chloe’s room was perfect.
I sat in the great hall, watching them all. So busy. So happy.
I wasn't forgotten.
Worse. They all subconsciously believed that to repay that debt, I should give up everything.
Even my own mate had become part of the compensation package.
Fine. If there was no place for me in the Pack House, the symbol of our future, then I’ll give it all up.
I unlocked my phone. An email from the Lycan Research Institute sat in my inbox.
I signed the contract. A ten-year commitment to the “Wolf Gene-Origin Project.” No contact with the outside world.
This time, I was really leaving.
And I was never coming back.