Chapter 3

Cassandra reached out and put a hand on Derek’s arm. The wolf inside me, Nox, snarled. But I quieted her and stilled with resolute conviction.

I took a step forward, steeling my spine, standing up straight, wrapping myself in an illusion of courage and dignity. The wolves of Derek’s pack didn’t yet fully see me as their Luna, and I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of showing how unsure I suddenly felt, how threatened.

Joe stepped up next to me, his eyes narrowing as if I were his prey.

“They’ve been together since they were kids, Mia,” he said. He wasn’t trying to be subtle or quiet. Everyone in the room could hear him.

“If it weren’t for Derek’s father passing away, if Derek hadn’t had to stay here and take over as Alpha-”

“Joe,” Derek warned, his voice sharp as a blade.

But Joe just kept talking, every word out of his mouth a needle that seemed to pierce my skin.

“They were supposed to go on a trip,” he went on. “Derek and Cassandra. Around the world. They’d been planning it for years.”

Caroline slid in to back up her mate. “It’s true,” she said, linking her arm through Joe’s. “We all knew what it was. An engagement trip.”

Derek looked thunderous, but a smile slid up Cassandra’s cheeks, snake-like.

“If Derek hadn’t had to stay here and deal with everything that happened, he would have gone on that trip and they never would have been separated,” Joe continued. “It was a temporary split-up. This wedding day would have been theirs.”

Derek growled, the sound low and menacing. I noticed Cassandra took a step away from him.

“If we hadn’t lost his father, our Alpha, you,” he spat, “a rogue…never would have stood a chance.”

I felt the floor tilt beneath me.

My fingers tightened around my bouquet, petals crumpling under my grip. I had heard pack members mentioning Cassandra before.

But this? This was something he had never told me.

I glanced at Derek, searching for any sign of denial. His jaw was tight, be he said nothing.

Derek’s mother stepped forward. Silverclaw’s once great Luna, and the woman who had taken me under her wing and schooled me in the ways of leading a pack the last few months, who had been so impressed with how quickly I picked everything up, did her best to break the tension.

“Mia and Derek are about to be married,” she reminded the gathered pack, her voice warm but firm. “Let’s give them some privacy.”

I turned to give her a grateful look, but she was already leading the way, shuffling the gathered masses out of the hall. I turned to Derek instead.

The moment stretched between us, unspoken words hovering in the air. Cassandra lingered, her eyes locked onto Derek’s face before she finally turned and swept from the room, taking the remnants of my confidence with her.

When we were alone, I forced myself to meet Derek’s gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” My voice came out steadier than I felt.

Derek exhaled slowly, rubbing a hand over his face before answering.

“Because it doesn’t matter. I chose you.”

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to let this moment pass and allow myself to be swept back up in the excitement of our wedding.

Inside me, my wolf called to his. I stepped closer, pressing a soft kiss against his lips.

For a second, he hesitated—just long enough for doubt to creep in—but then he responded, his hands gripping my waist, his kiss deepening. The mate bond flared between us, igniting a warmth in my chest. It was enough.

It had to be enough.

But Cassandra’s words—and Joe’s—echoed in the back of my mind.