Chapter 2

The packhouse dining hall buzzed with the usual evening chatter, the warm glow of chandeliers casting golden light across the long wooden tables where our pack members gathered for the communal meal. I sat in my designated seat beside Caspian, picking at the roasted venison on my plate while my stomach churned with a different kind of hunger—the secret I'd been carrying for three weeks now.

My hand drifted unconsciously to my still-flat belly, where new life grew in silence. Our child. Caspian's child. The discovery had filled me with a desperate hope that maybe, just maybe, this would change everything between us. That he would remember why he'd chosen me as his mate, why he'd marked me on this very night two years ago.

But as I watched him across the table, his attention focused entirely on Meadow Hansen, that hope withered like autumn leaves.

"My pack," Caspian's voice suddenly boomed across the dining hall, his Alpha aura expanding to command absolute attention. Every conversation died instantly, forks pausing midway to mouths, all eyes turning toward their leader.

I looked up at him, my heart hammering against my ribs. Something in his tone, in the way his jaw was set with grim determination, made Luna whimper anxiously in my mind.

*What is he doing?* she whispered, but I already knew. Deep in my bones, I already knew.

Caspian stood, his imposing figure casting a long shadow across the table. "Tonight marks an important anniversary for our pack," he began, his dark eyes sweeping across the room before landing on me with cold calculation. "Two years ago, I took a mate to strengthen our bloodline and ensure our pack's future."

The words hit me like physical blows. Not 'I found my mate.' Not 'I fell in love.' Just clinical, businesslike terms that reduced our bond to nothing more than a strategic alliance.

"But tonight," he continued, his voice growing stronger, "I announce my true chosen mate ceremony with Meadow Hansen, daughter of Alpha Hansen of the Northern Territories."

The dining hall erupted in shocked murmurs. I felt the blood drain from my face as every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me, some filled with pity, others with curiosity, a few with barely concealed satisfaction at my downfall.

Meadow rose gracefully from her seat, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders like liquid sunlight. She moved to stand beside Caspian, her hand sliding possessively onto his arm as she smiled radiantly at the pack.

"The ceremony will take place in one week's time," Caspian announced, his Alpha aura pressing down on the room like a suffocating blanket. "I expect every pack member to attend and show their respect for your future Luna."

I tried to stand, my legs shaking beneath me, but Caspian's Alpha command slammed into me like a physical force. "Sit," he ordered, his voice cutting through the air with devastating authority. "And listen."

My body betrayed me, muscles locking in place as his Alpha power overrode my will. I remained frozen in my chair, forced to witness my own humiliation as pack members whispered behind their hands.

"Eva has served her purpose," Caspian continued, his words precise and cruel. "But a pack needs a Luna who can truly stand beside their Alpha, not merely occupy the position."

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of everyone. My hand pressed harder against my stomach, protecting the secret life within me that suddenly felt like my only anchor in this storm of betrayal.

Meadow's voice rang out, sweet as poisoned honey. "I want everyone to know that I hold no ill will toward Eva. She's been... adequate as a placeholder. I'm sure she'll find her true calling elsewhere."

The patronizing sympathy in her tone was worse than outright cruelty. Around us, pack members shifted uncomfortably, some avoiding my gaze entirely while others stared with morbid fascination.

"The mate bond between Eva and myself will be formally severed after the ceremony," Caspian announced, each word driving deeper into my heart. "Until then, she will continue her duties as pack healer, nothing more."

Finally, blessedly, his Alpha command released its hold on me. I stood on trembling legs, my chair scraping against the floor in the sudden silence. Every face in the room watched me, waiting to see if I would break, if I would beg, if I would make a scene that would give them something to gossip about for weeks.

Instead, I lifted my chin and met Caspian's cold stare with what little dignity I had left. "Congratulations," I managed, my voice barely above a whisper but carrying clearly in the hushed room. "I hope you'll be very happy together."

Then I turned and walked from the dining hall, my spine straight and my steps measured, even as my world crumbled around me. Behind me, conversation gradually resumed, but I could feel their stares burning into my back like brands.

Only when I reached the safety of my quarters did I allow myself to collapse against the door, my hand pressed protectively over the child Caspian didn't even know existed—the child who might be the only thing left of the love I'd foolishly believed we shared.