Chapter 2

The morning sun filtered through the pack hall's tall windows as I took my usual seat in the back row, hoping to blend into the shadows. The weekly pack meeting had drawn nearly everyone, their voices creating a low hum of conversation that died the moment Alpha Sincere entered with Rosalie at his side.

She looked radiant in a form-fitting emerald dress that complemented her blonde hair perfectly. Her arm was linked possessively through Sincere's, and she surveyed the room like a queen inspecting her subjects. When her gaze found mine, her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Before we begin today's business," Sincere announced, his voice carrying easily across the packed room, "my chosen mate has some observations about our pack's current... inefficiencies."

Rosalie stepped forward, her voice carrying a false sweetness that made my skin crawl. "Thank you, Alpha. I've been observing our pack dynamics, and I believe there's an issue we need to address." Her eyes locked onto mine with predatory precision. "Our current Luna appears to be struggling with her duties. Perhaps it's time to consider whether someone so... fragile... should represent our pack's strength."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. I felt heat rise in my cheeks, but Willow stirred with unexpected strength in my mind. *Show them who you really are.*

I stood slowly, my legs steadier than they'd been in years. "If I may, Alpha," I said, my voice carrying further than I'd expected. "I'd like to address these concerns."

Sincere's eyebrows rose, clearly surprised by my boldness. "Speak."

"In the past six months, I've overseen the cultivation of medicinal herbs that saved twelve pack members from the winter fever outbreak," I began, my voice growing stronger with each word. "I've managed the pack's food distribution during the supply shortage, ensuring no family went hungry. I've counseled three young she-wolves through their first shifts and mediated two territorial disputes between neighboring families." I paused, meeting Rosalie's increasingly hostile stare. "Perhaps the question isn't whether I'm too fragile to represent our pack's strength, but whether true strength lies in serving one's people rather than simply appearing powerful."

The hall fell silent. I could see approval in some faces, surprise in others. But it was Sincere's expression that caught me off guard—for just a moment, something flickered in his dark eyes. Pride? Admiration? It was gone so quickly I might have imagined it.

Rosalie's smile turned brittle. "How... noble. Though I wonder if—"

"That will be enough," Sincere cut her off, his tone sharp. "We have other matters to discuss."

As the meeting continued, I caught him glancing at me several times, his expression unreadable. When it finally ended, I hurried toward the exit, hoping to escape before anyone could corner me.

I didn't make it.

"Christina." Sincere's voice stopped me in the hallway outside the pack offices. I turned, expecting his usual coldness, but found him standing closer than necessary, his imposing frame blocking my path.

"Yes, Alpha?"

He stepped closer still, and I caught the familiar scent of pine and burnt wood that always clung to him. But there was something different about his expression—softer, almost vulnerable.

"You spoke well today," he said quietly, his voice lacking its usual commanding edge.

Before I could respond, his hand rose to cup my cheek. The touch was gentle, almost reverent, and I froze in shock. His thumb traced along my cheekbone as he leaned closer, inhaling deeply.

"You still smell like rain and lavender," he murmured, his voice rough with an emotion I couldn't identify. "After all these years..."

For a heartbeat, the cruel Alpha who had tormented me for six years vanished, replaced by the young man I'd once known. The one who had looked at me with wonder when we'd first felt the mate bond spark between us.

"Sincere," I whispered, my heart hammering against my ribs.

His eyes darkened, and I heard his wolf's rumbling purr through our bond—the first time Titan had acknowledged me as anything other than a burden in years. "Mine," he breathed, the word carrying an ache that matched the one in my chest.

Then footsteps echoed down the hallway, sharp and deliberate.

"There you are, darling," Rosalie's voice cut through the moment like a blade. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Sincere's hand dropped from my face as if I'd burned him. The warmth in his eyes died, replaced by the familiar coldness that had become my reality.

"What is it, Rosalie?" His voice was clipped, professional.

She glided closer, her smile predatory as she slipped her arm through his. "I was hoping to discuss dinner arrangements. I have some special requests for tonight's meal." Her gaze flicked to me dismissively. "I'm sure Christina won't mind handling the preparations. After all, it's what she does best—serving others."

The dismissal in her tone was clear, but it was Sincere's response that shattered the fragile hope that had bloomed in my chest.

"Of course," he said, his voice returning to its usual commanding coldness. "Christina, see that Rosalie's requests are met. My real mate deserves the best."

The words hit me like physical blows. Real mate. As if six years of marriage meant nothing. As if the moment we'd just shared had been nothing more than my imagination.

"Yes, Alpha," I managed, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.

As they walked away together, Rosalie's laughter echoing off the stone walls, I pressed my back against the cool surface and closed my eyes. The brief glimpse of the man Sincere might have been only made his cruelty cut deeper.

But something had changed. That moment of tenderness, however brief, had awakened something in me that I'd thought was dead. Willow stirred restlessly in my mind, her voice stronger than it had been in months.

*He still feels it,* she whispered. *The bond is there, buried beneath his pride and pain. But sister... I sense something else coming. Someone else.*

I pushed away from the wall, straightening my shoulders. Whatever game Sincere and Rosalie were playing, I wouldn't be their pawn much longer. The moonflower's promise echoed in my memory—change was coming.

I just had to be ready for it.

That afternoon, the pack buzzed with unusual activity. Word had spread quickly through the mind-link network—Lycan Prince Kayson Hernandez would be arriving for an official diplomatic visit. The entire pack house had been transformed, with the finest decorations brought out and the formal dining hall prepared for a feast worthy of royalty.

I stood in the great hall with the rest of the pack, wearing my most formal dress—a simple but elegant navy blue gown that had been my mother's. The fabric felt strange against my skin after so many years of wearing plain work clothes, but tonight demanded formality.

The massive oak doors swung open, and a hush fell over the assembled wolves. Alpha Sincere stepped forward to greet our distinguished guest, Rosalie at his side playing the perfect Luna.

Then Prince Kayson entered, and the very air seemed to shift.

He was tall and commanding, with dark hair and the kind of quiet confidence that came from true power rather than the need to prove it. His presence filled the room without demanding attention—it simply commanded it naturally.

But it was his eyes that stopped my breath.

Deep blue, like the ocean during a storm, they swept across the crowd with calm assessment. When his gaze found mine across the packed hall, the world tilted on its axis.

Electricity shot through me, a current so powerful it made my knees weak. Every nerve ending came alive, and the air between us seemed to shimmer with invisible energy. I couldn't look away, couldn't breathe, couldn't think of anything except the way he was looking at me—as if he'd been searching for me his entire life.

Willow exploded to life in my mind, her voice ringing with joy and certainty I hadn't felt in years.

*True mate,* she sang, the words echoing through every fiber of my being. *Our true mate has found us at last.*