Chapter 1

I stood frozen among the pack members, the monthly meeting's usual chatter falling into stunned silence. My heart hammered against my ribs as I watched my mate—my Alpha, my husband of eight years—betray our son with nothing more than a casual announcement.

"As Alpha of the Silvermoon Pack," Ryan declared, his voice carrying that authoritative timbre that once made me weak at the knees, "I've decided that Connor Collins will take the open position in the elite Alpha training program."

The pack hall erupted in hushed whispers. Everyone knew that position belonged to Jake—our son, the pack heir, who had trained tirelessly for months to earn his place. I felt the stares, some pitying, some curious, all wondering what the Luna would do now that her mate had publicly chosen another wolf's child over his own.

Inside me, Selene howled in outrage. *He's doing it again. He's choosing her over us. Over our pup.*

My wolf had seen this coming long before I allowed myself to acknowledge it. The way Ryan leaned toward Vanessa during pack meetings. The canceled family dinners. The training sessions with Jake that Ryan always seemed to miss.

I watched Vanessa's smug smile as she placed her hand on Connor's shoulder. The boy stood tall, chest puffed out with unearned pride while my Jake sat three rows back, his young face a mask of confusion and hurt that broke my heart.

"Ryan," I said, my voice cutting through the murmurs. Heads turned. A Luna rarely questioned her Alpha in public. "There must be some mistake. Jake earned that position."

Ryan's eyes met mine, and I searched for any trace of the wolf I'd fallen in love with—the one who'd once whispered he couldn't lead without me by his side. Instead, I found only cool detachment, as if I were merely another pack member overstepping my bounds.

"The pack needs what's best, Luna," he replied, emphasizing my title rather than my name. "Connor has shown exceptional promise. End of discussion."

Selene clawed at my insides. *He used his Alpha tone on us. On his mate.*

Vanessa's scent—that cloying artificial vanilla that couldn't compare to a true mate bond's natural fragrance—wafted toward me as she stepped closer to Ryan. The territorial display wasn't subtle.

I felt our mate bond stretch thin, like a thread about to snap. Eight years ago, that bond had been unbreakable, forged in love and trust when I'd supported him through his rise to Alpha. Now it felt like a chain, tethering me to a man who no longer saw me.

I maintained my composure through the remainder of the meeting, though every fiber of my being wanted to drag Jake away from this toxic environment. My mother's words echoed in my mind: *"An Alpha who leans too heavily on his Luna will one day resent her strength."* How right she had been.

That night, after Jake had cried himself to sleep, I confronted Ryan in our quarters.

"You humiliated our son today," I said, my voice low but steady. "You took what he earned and gave it to Vanessa's boy."

Ryan loosened his tie, not even bothering to look at me. "Connor is better suited for the program."

"Better suited?" I stepped closer. "Or is his mother better suited to warming your bed?"

That got his attention. His eyes flashed amber—his wolf rising to the surface. "Watch yourself, Madison."

"No, you watch yourself," I countered, feeling Selene's strength merge with mine. "If you don't reverse this decision, I will reject our mate bond."

The threat hung in the air between us. Rejection was sacred, final—a severance of the Moon Goddess's blessing that would diminish us both. Ryan's face registered shock before settling into a sneer.

"You wouldn't dare," he said, using his Alpha tone to press down on me. "Where would you even go? This is your pack. Your home."

I felt the weight of his command but stood firm. "A home requires love, Ryan. When's the last time you showed that to Jake? To me?"

He turned away, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. "Another dramatic Luna episode. I'm going to bed."

As he walked away, I felt something inside me harden. The mate bond between us shivered like a plucked string, and in that moment, I knew. This wasn't just another fight. This was the beginning of the end.

Selene growled in agreement. *He doesn't see us anymore. But he will... when we're gone.*

Chapter 2

The morning after confronting Ryan, I woke with a hollow feeling in my chest. Our mate bond felt like a frayed rope, holding us together by the thinnest of threads. Selene paced restlessly in my mind, her anger a constant presence I could no longer ignore.

I went through the motions of my Luna duties—approving pack meal plans, mediating a territory dispute between two families, reviewing security reports. All while my thoughts remained fixed on Jake and the pain in his eyes when his father had given away his hard-earned position.

"He'll get over it," Ryan had said dismissively at breakfast, not even looking up from his phone. "Pack life is about learning to handle disappointment."

I'd bitten my tongue until I tasted blood.

By midday, I headed to the training grounds to watch the young wolves' combat session. The arena was filled with the sounds of playful growls and the thud of bodies hitting the dirt as adolescent wolves practiced their skills. Connor Collins stood in the center ring, being personally coached by one of our best Delta warriors—another of Vanessa's arrangements, no doubt.

But Jake was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's my son?" I asked the training master, trying to keep the worry from my voice.

He avoided my eyes. "He... completed his exercises early, Luna."

Selene growled, sensing the lie. I scanned the area, following my instincts until I caught Jake's scent—tinged with the metallic note of blood.

I found him behind the equipment shed, sitting with his back against the wall, arms wrapped protectively around his ribs. His eyes widened when he saw me, quickly wiping away tears with the back of his hand.

"Mom! I was just... resting."

I knelt beside him, gently lifting his training shirt to reveal angry purple bruises spreading across his side. "Who did this to you?"

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled, pulling away from my touch. "I deserved it."

"Jake," I said firmly, tilting his chin up. "No one deserves this. Tell me what happened."

His eyes—so like his father's before power had corrupted him—filled with fresh tears. "They said I'm not worthy of being the Alpha's son. That Dad gave my spot to Connor because he knows I'm weak."

My heart cracked. "That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Jake's voice broke. "Dad never comes to my ceremonies. He missed my first shift ceremony last month. He's training Connor now instead of me."

I pulled him into my arms, careful of his injuries. "Your father's actions reflect on him, not on you."

"The other pups call me 'the future Alpha whose father doesn't care,'" he whispered against my shoulder. "They say I'll never lead the pack because Dad is already choosing a new family."

Selene's growl reverberated through my entire body, so powerful that Jake pulled back to look at me with wide eyes.

"Mom? Your eyes..."

I blinked, knowing they had shifted to my wolf's silver. The maternal rage coursing through me was almost uncontrollable. This wasn't just about Ryan's neglect of me anymore—he was breaking our son.

"Let's get you healed," I said, helping him to his feet. "And Jake? You are worthy. More worthy than you know."

As the pack healer tended to Jake's ribs, my mind raced with plans. I could no longer wait for Ryan to remember his responsibilities. Something had to change.

---

The full moon hung heavy in the night sky, its silvery light bathing the forest in an ethereal glow. I watched from our cabin porch as Jake stood at the forest edge, dressed in the traditional ceremonial shorts for the father-son pack run.

Today was supposed to be special—the day Ryan would finally take Jake on the sacred run that every Alpha does with his heir when they turn thirteen. Jake had been talking about it for weeks, his excitement palpable.

"He'll be here," Jake said, more to himself than to me. "He promised."

I said nothing, but Selene whimpered. We both knew what was coming.

One hour passed. Then two.

The pack mind-link hummed with activity as other wolves began their moon runs. Through it, I caught flashes of Ryan—his dark grey wolf form racing through the northern territory. With him ran a smaller brown wolf and a chocolate-colored adolescent.

Vanessa and Connor.

Jake's body went rigid. I knew he'd seen it too through the pack link—felt his father's contentment as he ran with another woman's son on the night meant for them.

"Jake..." I started, moving toward him.

He stood motionless, still staring into the forest, waiting for a father who had chosen another family over his own.