I tossed my phone onto the table, frustration simmering as I stared at the bandage on my hand. My chest felt tight, but it wasn’t from the sting of the cut. No, it was the weight of three years of insults, provocations, and silent sacrifices…all because of Lila.

For three years, she had played this game, goading me at every opportunity. Every sly comment, every feigned act of kindness, was a dagger she twisted in my side.

And Harlan? He wasn’t blind. He wasn’t stupid. He knew. He knew exactly what Lila was doing. But every single time, he chose to look the other way.

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as I paced the small room. The cold floorboards creaked beneath my bare feet, and the walls seemed to close in, suffocating me. Maybe I’d been a fool all along. For years, I told myself to endure it. After all, I owed Harlan’s family everything.

The Moonshine alpha and his mate had taken me in when I had no one. My parents had died in a rogue attack when I was barely six. I still remembered the night I was brought to the pack house, clutching the tattered blanket my mother made for me.

It was Harlan’s parents who held me when I cried, who fed me, clothed me, and treated me like one of their own. Harlan and Ronan became my family. They taught me how to fight, how to stand tall, and how to survive.

And now…

I clenched my fists, nails biting into my palms as fresh tears spilled down my cheeks. How could I even think about leaving?

Everything I had, everything I was, I owed to them. Walking away would make me ungrateful, disloyal.

But staying…staying was killing me.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my shoulders trembling as the tears came harder. I buried my face in my hands, the sobs wracking my body. I cried for the love I had lost, for the bond I thought we shared, for the betrayal that cut deeper than any wound.

I cried for Ronan, who had died trying to save me. For the guilt that suffocated me every time I saw Harlan’s golden eyes filled with blame.

And I cried for myself, for the woman I used to be before this endless cycle of heartbreak turned me into someone I barely recognized.

The storm outside mirrored my anguish, rain pattering against the window like a thousand tiny needles. The wind howled, shaking the house.

I don’t know how long I stayed like that, curled up in a ball on the bed, but eventually, exhaustion pulled me under, my tears soaking the pillow beneath me.

The sound of the front door slamming open jolted me awake. My heart sank.The scent of pine and rain filled the air…Harlan’s scent. But there was something else mixed in…anger.

Before I could fully sit up, the lights flicked on, flooding the room in harsh brightness. Harlan was there in an instant, his golden eyes blazing as he yanked me out of bed.

“Anya,” he growled, “what the hell is wrong with you?”

I blinked, and I was feeling disoriented, “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb.” His grip on my arm tightened, “Why did you call Lila a bitch? Don’t you know what she’s been through? Don’t you know she only has Shadow left to remind her of Ronan?”

Lila appeared in the doorway, cradling the wolf pup in her arms. Shadow’s coat was pure white, with bright amber eyes that mirrored his mother’s. He let out a small, plaintive whimper, trembling as if sensing the tension in the room.

Lila buried her face in the pup’s fur, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. When she looked up, tears clung to her lashes like fragile crystals, her lip trembling as if she’d been utterly devastated by my words.

“Harlan,” she whispered, “please don’t be mad at her. I’m sure she didn’t mean it. I only sent her the photo to reassure her, to let her know there was nothing going on between us.”

She sniffled, clutching Shadow tighter. “Anya, I promise you, I’ll never call Harlan for anything again. Even if I’m dying, I won’t bother him. I swear.”

The sight of her frail, pitiful, made my blood boil. And just like that, Harlan’s rage evaporated.He pulled her into his arms.

“Don’t say that,” he murmured. “I’ll always come when you need me, Lila. Always.”

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails pierced the skin of my palms, drawing blood. This was the man who used to hold me like that. The man who used to whisper those words in my ear. And now, that was reserved for someone else. When he turned back to me, his golden eyes were cold.

“You’ve disappointed me, Anya,” he said. “I’ve told you time and time again not to pick fights with Lila. But you don’t listen. You can’t stand the fact that I care about her, can you? She’s like a sister to me, and you turn it into something ugly. Why?”

I opened my mouth to speak, to defend myself, but he cut me off.

“This isn’t about Lila,” he continued, “This is about your guilt. You know you’re the reason Ronan is dead, and you can’t handle it. So you lash out. But I won’t let you take it out on her. Do you understand me?”

His words hit like a physical blow, and I staggered back, the air knocked out of me…Guilt… He always came back to that.

No matter how many times I tried to explain, no matter how much I begged him to believe me, he refused. In his eyes, Ronan’s death was my fault.

And nothing I did would ever change that.

Desperation clawed at me as I grabbed my phone to show him the messages Lila had sent. But when I opened the app, her messages were gone. She deleted the messages and all that remained was my reply: a single voice note.

“You bitch.”

Harlan’s jaw tightened as he listened to it.

“That’s all I needed to hear,” he said.

Lila stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. “Harlan, it’s okay. I don’t want to cause any more trouble. Just... don’t be too hard on her, okay?”

She was showing her fake compassion. My rage bubbled to the surface, and I raised my hand, ready to wipe that smug look off her face, but before I could do it, Harlan moved faster than I thought possible. He stop me by catching my wrist in mid-air.

“Don’t,” he growled, and his grip was firm but not painful. Even now, he wouldn’t hurt me not physically. But emotionally? He was a master at that.

He turned to Lila. “Go outside. I’ll handle this.”

She nodded, casting me one last triumphant glance before disappearing behind the door. When Harlan released my wrist, his golden eyes bore into mine.

“I don’t know who you’ve become, Anya,” he said, “But this? This isn’t the woman I have chosen as my mate.”

And then, without another word, he walked away, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence, the weight of his judgment pressing down like a stone on my chest.

The silence of the morning was suffocating, a heavy blanket pressing down on my chest. My heart ached, the wound fresh and raw, as I lay there in the cold stillness. It was as if everything had stopped. The world outside the window might as well not exist for all I cared.

I couldn’t bear it any longer, dragging myself out of bed, I moved sluggishly. My limbs feel heavy, every movement an effort. I reached for a simple dress, a muted gray that matched the storm raging in my chest and slipped it on without much thought. My fingers trembled as I tied my hair back into a messy bun, the strands refusing to cooperate.

When I looked into the mirror, I flinched. The reflection staring back at me was almost unrecognizable. My eyes were red-rimmed, hollow, devoid of the fire that once burned there. My skin was pale, and my lips pressed into a thin line. I looked like someone who had given too much and received nothing in return.

I stepped out of the room and as I descended into the foyer, something unfamiliar caught my eye…two large suitcases parked neatly by the staircase.

I froze.

“Whose are these?” I asked the maid.

The maid, startled by my sudden appearance, and she hesitated for a moment before answering. “These belong to Miss Lila, ma’am,”

“Lila?” The name hung in the air like a curse.

“Yes, Luna Anya,” she replied. “ Alpha Harlan instructed us to prepare the guest bedroom for her. These are her things.”

I felt the ground shift beneath me. She was here. She was moving in. My breathing grew shallow, my chest tight as I turned on my heel and stormed toward Harlan’s study. The door was slightly ajar, and I pushed it open without bothering to knock.

Harlan sat behind his desk, pen in hand, papers scattered in front of him. His golden eyes flicked up to meet mine.

“Harlan,” I said, my voice trembling with barely contained anger.

“Anya, what’s the matter now?”

“What’s the matter?” I repeated, “I wake up to find Lila’s luggage in the foyer, and I’m being told you’ve arranged a room for her. That’s the matter!”

Harlan sighed, leaning back in his chair as though my outburst were nothing more than a nuisance. “Don’t make this a big deal, Anya.”

“Not a big deal?” I snapped. “You’re moving her into the house…Our house…And you didn’t even think to tell me? Do you realize how humiliating that is?”

“She needed a place to stay,” he said, as if that explained everything. “It’s not like she has anywhere else to go.”

I stared at him, in disbelief. “You can’t be serious,” I whispered. “This is her plan, Harlan. She’s manipulating you, and you’re letting her.”

“Enough, Anya! I won’t stand here and let you insult her. Lila’s been through enough. She’s family, and I’m helping her. That’s the end of it.”

“Family?” I said bitterly, “She’s not your family, Harlan. She’s a parasite, and she’s sinking her claws into you.”

“You’ve changed, Anya,” he said. “You’ve become bitter, jealous, and impossible to reason with. This isn’t the woman I grew up with. This isn’t the woman I chose as my mate.”

I blinked back the tears threatening to spill, my throat tightening with the effort to hold them in.

“You’re right,” I said, “I’ve changed. Because I had to. Because the woman you fell in love with wouldn’t have survived this…survived you.”

“Maybe choosing you was a mistake,” he said, the words like a dagger to my heart.

“If that’s how you feel,” I said, “then maybe you’re right. Maybe this was a mistake.”

Harlan didn’t respond immediately, but when he did, almost resigned. “Maybe it is.”

I stood frozen, my entire world crumbling around me. My heart shattered into pieces as the words hung in the air, and I couldn’t breathe.

I turned, blindly stumbling toward the door, the tears already streaming down my face. But as I stepped into the hall, I stopped cold.

Lila was there. Standing just outside the study, her back pressed against the wall, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and mock concern. Her lips twitched upward, but she tried to hide it, playing the innocent.

She’d been listening.

“You just can’t help yourself, can you?” I said to her and I glared at her.

“Anya,” she said sweetly, “I didn’t mean to overhear. I was just... passing by.”

“Save it,” I snapped, “I know what you’re doing. I know exactly what you are.”

Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, “But I’m sorry if I’ve upset you.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t have the energy. Instead, I turned and walked away, leaving her standing there with that sickly sweet smile plastered on her face.

When I reached my room, I collapsed onto the bed, sobs wracking my body. Lila had won. She had slithered her way into my home, into Harlan’s heart, and no matter how much I fought, he would always choose her over me.I cried until there were no more tears to shed.

A FEW DAYS LATER

The days dragged by like a slow-moving storm. I kept my distance from Harlan, shutting myself away in my room or occupying myself with the endless arrangements for the ceremony. The pain still lingered, but I buried it beneath the tasks that demanded my attention.

Harlan didn’t come looking for me, and I didn’t seek him out. We lived in the same house but moved as strangers, the silence between us colder than any argument could have been. Lila, on the other hand, had settled into the house as if she’d always belonged. She walked the halls like a queen surveying her kingdom, giving orders to the staff and involving herself in every detail of the upcoming ceremony. I didn’t want her to get on my nerves.

That morning, I stepped into the garden, the soft scent of roses and jasmine wafting in the cool breeze. The arrangements were nearly done, but my mind was elsewhere, lost in a tangle of emotions I couldn’t untangle.

“Careful with those lilies,” I called to one of the servants, “They’re for the centerpiece, and I don’t want them bruised.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the servant replied, adjusting his grip on the delicate flowers.

“Move the vases closer to the fountain,” I instructed another, gesturing toward the shimmering water. “They’ll reflect better in the light there.”

The servant hesitated. “But Miss Lila said…”

I cut him off, “I don’t care what Lila said. Follow my instructions.”

He nodded quickly, avoiding my gaze as he carried the vases to the fountain.

I turned to the head gardener, who was supervising the placement of the pergola. “That beam looks uneven,” I pointed out, shading my eyes against the sun. “It needs to be secured properly before the flowers are added. I don’t want it collapsing halfway through the ceremony.”

The gardener nodded,“I’ll have it fixed right away, Luna anya.”

As I gave the last set of instructions, I caught a faint scent that made my breath hitch. Pine and earth. Strong, grounding, and utterly unforgettable.

Kael.

My body stiffened, my chest tightening involuntarily. I didn’t turn around, refusing to acknowledge his presence, but my wolf stirred immediately, her energy rippling through me like a caged storm.

Ignore him, I told myself firmly, gripping the clipboard in my hands so tightly my knuckles turned white.

But my wolf had other ideas. She growled low, pushing against my restraint, I turned back to the gardener, forcing myself to focus. “Make sure the dais is cleaned and polished before the flowers are set. I don’t want a single speck of dirt visible.”

“Yes, Luna Anya,” he replied, before hurrying off.

I handed the clipboard to another servant and stepped back, my eyes scanning the arrangements. Just as I let out a breath, a loud creak broke through the quiet.

I looked up to see the pergola’s wooden beam splintering, the heavy structure groaning as it gave way. My body froze, my heart lurching in terror as the beam plummeted toward me.

“Anya!”

In a split second someone strong arms wrapped around me, and push me on the ground. We hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of me. My body landed on top of him, the solid warmth of his chest cushioning my fall. His arms were still around me, strong and protective, holding me against him as if letting go wasn’t an option.

For a moment, everything stay stilled. The beam crashed mere inches away, sending a tremor through the ground, but I couldn’t focus on that. All I could hear was his heartbeat fast, and powerful beneath me, a rhythm that matched the wild pounding of my own.

My hands were splayed against his chest, and I could feel the rise and fall of his breathing, shallow and rapid. His scent surrounded me, pine and earth, grounding yet intoxicating. My wolf stirred, restless and yearning, her energy rippling through me like a live wire.

I tilted my head up, and our eyes met. Silver, intense and blazing with something unspoken. For a long moment his gaze held mine captive. My breath hitched, my chest tightening as I felt the pull between us.

“Anya, are you hurt?” He asked me but my body didn’t react the way I expected. I felt my wolf respond immediately, pushing against the surface, urging me to answer. She wanted to be near him, to feel his presence more than anything.

I’m fine, I sent back, trying to push the words past the overwhelming pull inside me. The world around us seemed to fade, leaving only the two of us, caught in the silence that hung thick in the air.

Don’t make me feel like this again, his wolf growled, low and possessive, I couldn’t speak. My throat tightened, my body frozen beneath him, and my wolf surged forward, craving his touch.

Kael, I tried again, but the word was just a whisper lost in the tension between us.

Our wolves fought for dominance, and the connection between us was so raw it burned. His hand gently cupped my face, his touch leaving an imprint on my skin.

You scared me, his wolf murmured through the bond. You shouldn’t freeze like that.

I wanted to say something, anything, but all I could do was stare up at him. The words wouldn't come. Instead, the only thing that filled the space between us was the rising storm of our wolves, pushing and pulling, unable to break free.

“Anya!”

The sharp call of my name shattered the moment.

We both turned to see Harlan striding toward us, and his gaze flickered between us, lingering on how close Kael was to me.

“What happened here?” he demanded,

“The pergola beam broke,” Kael replied, “I pulled her out of the way.”

Harlan’s expression softened when he looked at me. “Anya, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, trying to sit up. But the moment I moved, a sharp pain shot through my ankle, and I gasped.

“ You don’t look like,” Harlan said, before I could say anything in one smooth motion, he scooped me into his arms as if I weighed nothing.

“Harlan, I can walk…”

“You’re not walking,” he interrupted, “You’re hurt. Just let me take care of this.”

As he carried me back to the house, I glanced over his shoulder. Kael was still standing in the garden, his gaze fixed on me.

Kael… I whispered inside my mind, but it was more a plea than a question.

Harlan noticed, his arms tightening around me protectively. “Kael,” he called over his shoulder, “thank you for helping her. But I’ll take it from here.”

Kael didn’t respond, his jaw clenched as he nodded once. His eyes never left mine, and as the distance between us grew, I felt an ache in my chest that I couldn’t explain.

Once inside, Harlan carried me straight to my room and laid me gently on the bed.

“Stay here,” he instructed, as he brushed a strand of hair from my face. “I’m calling the healer.”

“Harlan, I don’t need…”

“You do,” he cut me off, leaving no room for argument. His hand lingered on my cheek for a moment, his thumb brushing against my skin. “You scared me out there.”

I looked up at him, startled by the vulnerability in his voice.

“Please,” he added. “Just let me take care of this.”

Before I could respond, he turned and left, his absence leaving a strange void in the room.