Chapter 2

I stood frozen in the dim corridor of the pack house, my hand pressed against the cold stone wall for support. The whispers in the mind-link hadn't been meant for me—a careless slip between two betas who thought their mental walls were secure. But I'd heard it clearly, the words echoing in my mind like a death knell.

*"Alpha Alexander is transferring his marking rights to Victoria tonight. The ceremony's being prepared in secret."*

Lyra clawed at my insides, her silver form pacing frantically within my consciousness. *It can't be true. Our mate wouldn't do this.*

But even as she protested, we both knew. The empty bed. The missed council meetings. The way his eyes slid past me when we spoke. Alexander had been slipping away for months, drawn by Victoria's manufactured helplessness and fabricated heroism.

I pushed away from the wall, my legs unsteady as I moved through the corridor. The marking ceremony was sacred—the physical manifestation of the mate bond blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. To transfer it...

*He can't,* Lyra whimpered. *We're his destined mate.*

The sound of footsteps ahead made me freeze. Alexander rounded the corner, his tall frame silhouetted against the torchlight. For a moment, I saw a flash of the boy I'd grown up with, the one who'd promised me forever under the full moon. Then his eyes met mine, and all I saw was a stranger.

"Isabella." His voice was flat, devoid of the warmth that once made my name sound like a caress on his lips.

"Is it true?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Are you transferring your marking rights to Victoria?"

His jaw tightened—that familiar tell when he felt cornered. "Who told you?"

"So it is true." The confirmation hit me like a physical blow. Lyra howled in agony, the sound reverberating through my bones.

Alexander's eyes darted past me, checking the empty corridor. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"How exactly did you want me to discover you were betraying our mate bond?" My voice shook with rage and pain. "A formal announcement? A note left on my pillow?"

"The mate bond is an outdated concept," he said coldly. "Victoria needs me. She saved my life. She's vulnerable without protection."

"And what am I?" I stepped closer, close enough to catch his scent—once comforting, now tainted with Victoria's cloying perfume. "What about our promise? Our future?"

"Things change, Isabella." His voice took on that condescending Alpha tone he'd started using with me lately. "The pack needs strong leadership, not outdated traditions."

Lyra's fury merged with mine, burning away the shock. "You mean the pack needs a Luna who plays the damsel instead of an equal partner."

His eyes narrowed. "Victoria understands what I need."

"What you need," I repeated, the words bitter on my tongue. "Not what the pack needs. Not what the Moon Goddess ordained. What you want."

"This conversation is over." He moved to brush past me.

"You're right," I whispered. "It is."

Something in my tone made him pause, his eyes meeting mine one last time. For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw regret, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

He left me standing alone in the corridor, the echo of his footsteps fading along with the last remnants of my heart.

---

The Great Hall buzzed with activity as pack members prepared for the evening meal. I entered silently, my eyes immediately finding Alexander and Victoria at the center table. She was draped against him, her hand possessively on his arm, her laugh tinkling artificially through the room.

I approached my usual seat, the one that had been mine since childhood—beside Alexander, where the future Luna belonged. Victoria's eyes met mine, a flash of triumph in their depths.

"Oh, Isabella," she said sweetly, "I was just admiring your necklace. The moonstone is so beautiful."

My hand instinctively went to my throat, where my grandmother's moonstone pendant hung. The precious stone enhanced a wolf's abilities, a family heirloom passed down through generations of Lunas.

"May I?" Before I could respond, Victoria reached for the necklace, her fingers brushing my skin.

What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Her hand "slipped," catching the delicate silver chain and yanking hard. The chain snapped, and the irreplaceable moonstone crashed to the stone floor, shattering into countless glittering fragments.

A cry of anguish tore from my throat as I dropped to my knees, desperately trying to gather the broken pieces. The moonstone—my grandmother's legacy, my connection to generations of Lunas before me—destroyed in an instant.

"Oh!" Victoria gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in mock horror. "I'm so sorry! It was an accident!"

I looked up at Alexander, waiting for him to recognize this for what it was. Instead, he was already pulling Victoria into his arms, soothing her as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"It's alright," he murmured to her. "Isabella knows you didn't mean it."

As I knelt there, surrounded by the shattered remains of my heritage, watching Alexander comfort the woman who had deliberately destroyed it, something broke inside me far more precious than any necklace.

Lyra's growl rumbled through my chest. *He will regret this day until his last breath.*

I gathered the broken pieces of moonstone into my palm, each fragment cutting into my skin. The pain was nothing compared to the knowledge that crystallized in that moment:

Alexander had made his choice.

And so had I.