Chapter 2

My mother's voice came through the mind-link, sharp and commanding—the voice of an Alpha who'd spent decades running her pack without apology.

"Honestly, Evie, it's about time. The New Moon Pack your stepfather left you isn't the biggest or the strongest, but it's yours. You'll be Alpha in your own right. No more answering to anyone. No more playing second fiddle."

A year ago, I would've argued with her. I would've said that being with my fated mate was the only thing that mattered. That power and titles meant nothing compared to love.

I'd been an idiot.

Because here was the truth Lucian had spent nine years teaching me: in the Thorne Pack, love wasn't love. It was currency. And I'd been broke from day one.

"When are you coming home?" my mother asked. "The elders want to prepare your succession ceremony. There are protocols. Traditions. You can't just waltz in and expect a crown."

I glanced at the calendar on the wall. Ten days. In ten days, it would be the tenth anniversary of the day I met Lucian. The day the bond snapped into place between us. The day I'd felt that electric jolt of recognition and thought, This is it. This is the beginning of everything.

I'd been right about that, at least. It was the beginning. The beginning of a decade spent chasing a man who never once looked back.

"I'll be there," I said quietly. "I just have one more thing to finish here."

I ended the call—and realized Lucian was standing right behind me. He'd slipped into the room without a sound, the way he always did. Predator's habit.

"What's happening in ten days?" His eyes were fixed on the calendar. "Who were you talking to?"

"Just a friend." I set my phone face-down. "Discussing a fresh start."

"The pack still has a place for you, Evie. You don't have to leave. Even with Sienna as Luna, there are other positions. Administrative roles. Advisory seats. You've got nine years of experience—we can find something that fits."

He genuinely didn't get it. He'd spent nine years watching me circle him like a moon trapped in his gravity, and it had never once crossed his mind that I might have my own orbit. My own gravity. My own sun.

"Nine years, Lucian." My voice didn't shake. "Nine years as your future Luna. Do you know what the pack calls me when your back is turned? The ghost. The stand-in. The woman who'll never wear the crown."

"Evie—"

"You want to know why I kept asking for the bonding ceremony? Why I kept pushing? Because I was tired of being invisible. I was tired of being the one who did all the work while you got all the glory. I was tired of waiting for you to choose me."

His expression flickered. For half a second, I saw it again—that same fear I'd glimpsed at the assembly. Then Sienna's voice floated up from downstairs, sweet and cloying.

"Lucian! The council meeting's about to start. You know how the elders get when you keep them waiting."

He hesitated. Looked at me. And then the mask slipped back into place. "We'll finish this conversation later."

"No," I said. "We won't."

I don't know exactly when it all fell apart.

The first time I brought up the bonding ceremony, we were still young. Barely two years into being fated mates. Lucian had laughed, pulled me close, pressed his forehead to mine. "We're too young," he'd whispered. "Bonding too early kills the passion. We've got our whole lives ahead of us."

I'd believed him. I'd lain awake all night beside him, staring at the ceiling, picturing the ceremony we'd have someday. Moonlight streaming through the windows. The pack gathered to witness. His voice, steady and sure, speaking the ancient words that would bind us together forever.

The second time, I went all out. Candles. Fresh flowers. Handwritten vows on parchment paper. I waited in our quarters for hours.

He never came.

I found him later in his study, deep in conversation with his Beta. I stood outside the door, the parchment still clutched in my hand, and I heard him say, "The spark with Evie is gone. It's been gone for a while. She's predictable. Safe. But she's my fated mate. I don't want to hurt her."

A pause. Then, quieter: "Does she seriously not see that I don't need her the way I used to?"

I stood in that hallway, my vows growing damp with sweat from my palms, and something inside me started to die. Not all at once. Just a small, quiet death. The death of a hope I hadn't even realized I'd been carrying.

The third time, I didn't bother with candles or flowers. I stood before his parents and the entire council of elders and proposed to Lucian myself. I offered to give up everything—my title, my standing, my claim to be Luna. No power. No status. Just him. Just us. Just the bond we were always supposed to have.

He said no.

He walked out without even looking back. "Evie, I'm exhausted from having to explain basic things to you day after day. Just try to understand me. For once."

Lucian in his custom suit. Sienna in her designer dress. Walking side by side, they looked like the perfect Alpha-Luna pair. The kind of couple that photographers loved to feature in pack publicity. The kind of union that strengthened alliances and secured trade routes.

I watched them disappear around the corner. Then I started packing.

Nine years of my life in this villa. Every piece of furniture, every painting, every carefully chosen detail—I'd picked it all out when we first moved in together. I'd believed this was our forever home. I'd believed a lot of things.

I used to think he loved me. I used to think the man who held me on cold winter nights, who kissed my forehead before important meetings, who whispered promises in the dark—I used to think that man was the real Lucian, and the cold, distant Alpha was just a mask he wore in public.

Now I understood. They were both masks. I was just the only one who didn't know the script.

I left the framed photos on the wall. Left the jewelry on the dresser. Left the engagement ring—still unworn, still waiting for a ceremony that was never going to happen—on his pillow.

On my way out, I pressed a kiss to the doorframe of our bedroom. Not because I'd miss it. Because I needed to remember what it felt like to walk away from something I'd once loved with my whole heart.

He wanted to end our bond? Fine.

I'd do it for him.