Chapter 2

The sun was high overhead, casting a golden glow over the sparring grounds where the pack’s young wolves trained. I moved through the crowd, my steps purposeful, searching for the one face I needed to see. My heart pounded in my chest, a mixture of worry and anger driving me forward.

Then, I spotted him—Jake, my son, my heir. He sat alone behind the sparring rings, his knees drawn up to his chest, his face buried in his arms. His shoulders shook slightly, and my breath caught in my throat.

“Jake?” I called softly, approaching him slowly so as not to startle him further.

He looked up, quickly wiping his face with the back of his hand. His eyes were red-rimmed, and the faintest hint of a bruise marred his left cheekbone. My heart clenched.

“Mom,” he mumbled, not meeting my gaze. He tried to stand, but a wince crossed his face, and he clutched his side.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice tight with barely controlled fury.

He shook his head, looking away. “Nothing.”

I crouched down beside him, gently tilting his chin until our eyes met. “Don’t lie to me, Jake. Tell me the truth.”

For a moment, he remained silent, his lower lip trembling. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, he spoke. “They said… they said I’m not worthy of being the Alpha’s son. That I’m weak. That’s why Dad chose Connor instead of me.”

His words struck me like a blow to the chest. I reached out, pulling him into a tight embrace, ignoring the stiffness in his body.

“You are worthy, Jake,” I whispered fiercely. “You are strong and brave, and this has nothing to do with you. It’s your father who’s failed, not you.”

He pulled back slightly, searching my face. “Why, Mom? Why did Dad do this to me?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came. How could I explain the twisted dynamics of Alpha politics to my son? How could I tell him that his father’s pride and insecurity had led him to betray his own blood?

Jake’s voice cracked as he continued, “They call me… they call me ‘the future Alpha whose father doesn’t care.’”

The pain in his voice was a dagger to my heart. Inside me, Selene snarled, her growl shaking the foundations of my mind. “Those pups will pay for this,” she hissed. “They dare to speak of our son this way?”

I clenched my fists, forcing myself to remain calm for Jake’s sake. “Listen to me,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “You are not defined by what others say. You are my son, and you are worthy of every ounce of love and respect. Never forget that.”

He nodded, but the doubt in his eyes broke something inside me. I knew then that I couldn’t let this stand. I couldn’t let Ryan’s actions destroy my son’s confidence, his sense of self-worth.

Later that evening, as the full moon began to rise, Jake waited at the edge of the forest, his eyes fixed on the trees. The full moon was a time of celebration, a time when packs ran together under the light of the goddess’s gaze. It was also a time for tradition—a time when an Alpha took his heir on a run, bonding them together as they hunted beneath the moon’s silvery glow.

“He’ll come,” I told Jake, though I didn’t believe it myself. “Your father will be here soon.”

But as the hours passed, the moon climbing higher in the sky, Ryan did not appear. Other wolves began their runs, their howls echoing through the night, but my mate was nowhere to be seen.

Jake looked up at me, his eyes wide and hurt. “He’s not coming, is he?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing a smile. “Let’s give him a little more time. Maybe he’s tied up with pack business.”

But even as I spoke the words, I knew they were lies. Ryan wasn’t coming. He had chosen to ignore this sacred tradition, to abandon our son once again.

Jake’s face fell, and he turned away, his small shoulders shaking. I reached out, but he shook me off, walking away without a word.

As I watched him disappear into the trees, a cold fury settled in my chest. This was not the first betrayal, and it would not be the last. But it would be the one that broke the camel’s back.

Selene’s voice growled in my mind, a low, steady sound that matched the rhythm of my heart. “Enough,” she snarled. “This ends now.”

And for once, I agreed.