Chapter 1

My future mate vanished for three months. When he finally reached out, it was just because his "little sister" was hungry.

***

I was out patrolling the pack borders. Suddenly, the phone on my hip buzzed.

[Leg hurt. Get to Shadowwood Plaza now. Pick me up. — Cade]

That was it. No greeting. No explanation. Just the usual, entitled demand. It was like I wasn't an Alpha's daughter. I was just his errand runner, ready to go whenever he snapped his fingers.

I didn't even stop to change my uniform. I signaled the patrol post, turned on my heel, and sprinted toward the Shadowwood Forest.

The last message I got from him was three months ago.

Our packs were part of the Northern Alliance. Since I was a kid, the Elders had kept repeating the same thing—

"Trista and Cade, they are meant to stand together at the altar."

He once promised me, facing the entire forest, "I'll throw you the biggest mating ceremony. The Moon Goddess will bless us."

The air was warm that day. The moonlight was perfect. I honestly thought that was my fate.

Then, not long after, he stole one of the pack's Obsidian War Cruisers for a joyride. He ended up crashing straight into Hazel's house. Her last living relative was killed in the yard.

The old man, his hand smeared with blood, grabbed Cade's wrist and whispered, "Please, take good care of Hazel..."

After that, she was always there. A shadow trailing behind him.

Hazel moved into his pack territory.

Her fragile figure was everywhere: the training field stands, the Academy halls, the corners of Alliance gatherings.

At first, she was super sweet. She'd call me "future Luna," always looking scared of making me angry. Then, the provocations got bolder.

One time, I just pushed her out of my way. She immediately fell, hitting the ground, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Cade rushed over. He held Hazel close and his voice was full of blame. "She's been through enough. Can't you just leave her alone? You need to cool off for a while."

"Cooling off" meant he disappeared from my life for three whole months. He spent that time taking Hazel on trips.

I forced the memory away. I pushed down the dull ache in my chest.

When I reached the main plaza in the forest, the "injury scene" was nothing like I expected.

Silver string lights and banners were woven through the tree trunks. The bonfire was huge, making the stone floor warm to the touch. Long tables were loaded with roasted meat and beer kegs. The smell of meat, beer, and perfume mixed together. A crowd of young werewolves was howling with laughter. Their noise shot right up into the night sky.

It was a party.

Someone laughed loudly. "See? I told you. She comes running when he calls. And she leaves when he says so."

"The Alliance's top warrior. Just a useful hand. So easy."

A wave of laughter exploded around the group. It felt like salt poured over my almost-healed pride.

Cade slowly set down his drink. His eyes swept over me, from the top of my head to the tips of my boots.

"Your speed is decent," he said, like he was praising a well-trained dog. "Hazel's hungry. Go bake an apple pie."

The moment he spoke, I thought I had misheard him.

I stared for two seconds. Then, I found my voice. "You called me back from border patrol just to bake her an apple pie?"

"Yeah." His tone was impatient, like I was the one being unreasonable. "Hurry up. Hazel gets really upset when she's starving."

"I'm busy." I turned to leave.

The guys who had been heckling me suddenly blocked my way. They completely cut off the path. "If word gets out, people will think the Alliance is falling apart."

I fought the urge to shift and bite them. I reached for my phone in my pocket. The moment my fingers touched the screen, someone snatched it away.

"Why the rush?" The guy dangled the phone between his fingers. "You just got here. What's the big deal about staying for a minute?"

The next second, he let go.

"CRACK—"

The phone hit the stone floor. It instantly broke in half. The cracked screen looked like a shredded web.

"Oops. Slippery hands," he shrugged, looking innocent. "Guess it wasn't built very well."

My knuckles went white. My fingertips were freezing. "You—"

A cup of icy berry wine suddenly splashed down over my shoulder.

"Slippery again." The guy feigned concern. "Why am I having so many accidents tonight?"

The whole plaza erupted in laughter. A few low wolf howls mixed in, as if this was just some dumb game, not a blatant insult to an Alliance warrior.

"Stop it, guys..." A soft voice drifted from the bonfire.

Hazel pushed through the crowd. "Trista, I'm so sorry. Cade wouldn't have called you if I hadn't said I wanted your apple pie."

She reached out and gently grabbed my wrist. Her voice dropped low, like she only wanted me to hear. "Please don't be mad at him, okay? He's been taking care of me these past three months."

"I woke up crying from nightmares about Grandma, and he sat in the hall with me until morning. I got a fever, and he carried me to the doctor's office..."

I couldn't hold back anymore. I slapped her.

"Trista! Are you insane?—" Cade's furious roar cut through the wolves. He shoved through the crowd and instantly pulled Hazel into a hug.

His gaze was a knife pinning me to the spot. "Trista, how could you hurt her again and again?"

Cade took another step forward. He pointed at the ground near Hazel's feet and used the absolute command only an Alpha could use. He spoke slowly, emphasizing every word. "Kneel."

The entire plaza went silent. Even the crackle of the bonfire seemed deafeningly loud.

I thought I misheard him. "What did you say?"

"Kneel down and apologize to Hazel," Cade repeated. "We'll pretend tonight never happened, and the mating ceremony is still on. Otherwise..."

A small laugh escaped me, but it was cold, frigid. Even the wolf inside me went quiet.

"Then we're done." I cut him off.

Cade froze for a second. "What did you say?"

I lifted my chin and looked right at him. "As of today, I am no longer your future Luna."