Chapter 3

Two years later. A quiet house on the outskirts of a human town. My sanctuary.

I knelt in the backyard, hands buried in soil as I tended to the herbs that lined the fence. Lavender. Healing roots. Moonleaf. The work steadied my breath, grounded me. I had rebuilt my life from ash, far from the Silver Fang Pack, far from him.

Until he came back.

"Miss Aitana," Brynn called softly from the front door, her voice tight. "There's someone here… from the pack."

I stood slowly, brushing dirt from my hands.

He was here.

I felt it before I saw him—the pull of the bond, like a ghost tugging at my ribs. The scent of cedar and rain filled the air an instant before the gate opened.

Josiah.

He stepped into the yard like he belonged there, like he hadn't put an arrow through my chest and poison in my veins. His warriors spread out behind him, cloaked in black. Brynn tensed beside me.

But I stood tall.

His eyes met mine, and something flickered—relief. Longing. Guilt?

"Aitana," he breathed, stepping forward. "When did you wake up? Why didn't you come to me?"

I didn't move. Didn't speak.

He reached for me, and I lifted the trowel in my hand between us—not as a weapon, but as a warning.

"I woke up during the fire," I said calmly.

The color drained from his face.

"You knew?" he whispered.

I tilted my head, watching him. "Did you think I burned quietly? That I died obediently, like a good little Luna?"

He flinched at the word.

"I waited for you," he said, voice breaking. "For two years, I searched. I brought in healers from every pack. I never stopped hoping."

I laughed. Soft. Bitter. "Hope? Is that what you call sedating me and stealing my wolf?"

Josiah's jaw clenched. "You don't understand what happened—"

"I understand perfectly," I cut him off. "You chose her. You let them strip me of everything."

"She was pregnant," he said, almost pleading. "The pack needed an heir."

"And you needed a convenient excuse to betray the mate bond."

He stepped back like I'd struck him. "I never meant to—"

"But you did," I whispered. "And now you're here. Why?"

Josiah looked at me, eyes wild. "Because I still love you, Aitana. Because I made a mistake."

I smiled coldly. "Congratulations, Alpha Josiah. On the birth of your heir."

He blinked. "What?"

"Estella's son," I said, every word deliberate. "Strong, isn't he? Pretty eyes. Not yours, though."

Josiah froze.

His silence told me everything.

He didn't know.

I turned away, walking toward the garden. "You raised another man's child and called him your heir. You let your mate rot in a coma while your mistress played Luna."

"I didn't know!" he snarled. "She told me—"

"She told you what you wanted to hear," I said. "And you believed her because it was easier."

He stepped closer again, desperation leaking from every word. "Come back with me. I've restored your quarters. The pack will welcome their Luna if you return."

Brynn moved to speak, but I stopped her with a flick of my fingers.

I looked at Josiah—not the boy I once adored, not the Alpha I had dreamed of standing beside—but the man who had destroyed me, and now begged me to rebuild him.

And I smiled.

"Alright," I said softly. "I'll go with you."

His relief was instant. He stepped forward, arms open, eyes shining. "Aitana, my Aitana—"

"Don't touch me," I said, voice sharp.

He froze. Confused. Hurt.

But I was done explaining.

Let him think I'd forgiven.

Let him believe I still loved him.

Because I had a plan.

I had studied healing, recovery, stealth. I had watched my enemies build their kingdom of lies.

Now I would walk back into it.

And tear it down.

He didn't see the blade I tucked into my boot before we left.

He didn't see the glint in Brynn's eyes as we locked gazes for one final shared promise.

He didn't see the storm I carried inside.

But he would.

Soon.