Chapter 3

Kya's POV

“And where are you going?” A voice stopped me on my tracks.

I swirled around to see Lady Patricia glaring at me. She was alone but her aura was enough security.

“Fresh air,” I said wishing she'd just let me be.

“I don't care what you've got to say. But you're going to step back into the hall and pretend nothing happened. Am I clear?”

My wolf growled, forcing me to remain still. Don't move an inch, she said.

Patricia cocked her head to the side and took a step towards me. She was about to strike me when a swift shadow whooshed out from the hall and grabbed her hand.

“You're not about to hit my bride, are you?” It was Alpha Thane. The next moment, the outside was crowded.

Patricia smiled and snatched back her hand. Then whispered, “Just wanted to remind her of her place in the grand scheme of things.”

“It's not yours to say that,” Thane said, and I wasn't sure what he meant by that.

He cast a cynical look at me and shook his head. “Why are you making a fool of yourself?” he said in a low voice.

His father appeared on a rail, looking down. Thane saw this and immediately grabbed me into yet another kiss.

The pretence and the scent didn't let me breathe. But Thane held me tight.

When he let go, he declared, “To further prove my love for you, Kya, I shall mark you again.”

I became scared and angry as his fangs shot out and aimed for my neck.

I moved away, covering my neck with my hair. Thane smiled thinly, his eyes flashing red. When he tried again, I still didn't let him. I couldn't bear to start all over again. I wouldn't be bound to a jerk that wanted to use and dump me.

The embarrassment burnt him so badly he broke out in a nervous laughter, unsure of what to do, especially as his father watched closely.

“I only wanted to give you my gift,” I said, causing a wave of surprise and interest in the crowd. “Then we can celebrate more. In private.”

Thane’s shoulders relaxed a bit as he shrugged them. “If that is it,” he whispered.

I dipped my hand in my purse and gave him a sealed envelope.

“The only catch, Alpha, is that you don't get to open it until thirteen days from now,” I said.

This shade of romantic mystery thrilled the Alpha. He glanced at his father to make sure he heard that.

He lifted the envelope. “I shall cherish this with all I have.”

“Just like you cherish Celine, yeah?” I whispered to the hearing of no one.

Later, the party resumed and since it was almost morning, everyone was getting exhausted.

Celine wasn't tired a bit. Her voice resonated in the hall as other she -wolves surrounded her.

“Acres of land covered in flowers?” she sneered. “That seems to be a gift befitting of a pauper farmer. My mate gave me an entire province, Emerald, to lord over. He also gifted me a Tesla covered in gold.”

“What kind of a mate is that, girl!” the girls cried in worship.

As I watched from the shadows, I bit down on my lips. I knew who this “mate” was— Alpha Thane.

I was about to leave when she added: “I only pity those who think their value in the pack is worth more than a sewage rat’s.”

Amidst the rising laughter, I slipped away. Thane was waiting near his car.

“Ready for your dinner?” he asked.

I stepped closer to him and a part of me wanted to slam him to the car and ask why he was doing this to me. Didn't he see I loved him?

“Do you have any pack duties for the next six hours?”

He shook his head and bragged, “I cancelled all. Tonight is for you and I, only. I can't wait to…” he put a finger on the neck of my dress, peeking… “take those into my mouth, Luna Kya.”

Halfway to the drive, his countenance changed. “Stop the car, Luke.” He then turned to me with easy regret. “The elders have called me for an emergency meeting. Seems the pack borders were attacked.”

I nodded. “I understand, the pack comes first.”

He pressed his lips to mine and told me to get down — please.

As the car sped away, a part of me was pushed beneath its turbo tires, crushed to death.

An hour later, his scent led me to where he was having the “pack meeting.”

It was in the apartment he'd bought for Celine. They were having dinner, laughing into each other’s teeth.

I stood there, burning with a pain that numbed me. My wolf couldn't even speak.

I got home and collapsed on the rugged floor, weeping uncontrollably. Jealousy gnawed at my insides, and the words I'd heard them say reminded me that it was only a matter of time before my position as Luna was destroyed.

The Alpha wafted into my room by 7 in the morning, his scent thick of Celine's. He had a bouquet of roses.

“I deeply apologise for my absence, Kya. I —”

“How was the elders’ meeting?” I interrupted him.

“The what? Oh, yeah. It…” He sighed, searching for the best lies. “It was really bad. The enemy broke in really badly. But I dealt with it.”

He stared at me. “Why aren't you hugging me? Is anything the matter?”

The scent. That odor of betrayal!

But I did hug him. Then I suddenly backed up. He frowned with his eyes.

I recollected myself and asked evenly. “Why's there a scratch on your collarbone, Thane?”

A huge flash of guilt and panic bolted across his eyes as he went silent. He wasn't looking at the scratch but at me.

Just then, his father walked in, a stick in his hand.

Chapter 4

Kya's POV

Alpha Thane covered the marks with his hand, fumbling with the collar of his shirt. “Oh, that? Must’ve been during sparring practice earlier. You know how rowdy the younger wolves get.”

I kept quiet, as I watched his guilt eat away at him through the cracks in his usually confident demeanour.

His father had no intention of staying for long. “I want to believe everything is going well,” he said.

Thane immediately cut in. “Of course, father, nothing could go wrong. I've treated her like the angel she is. Isn't that right, Luna?”

I mumbled a yes and pretended to go attend to the fire.

When I closed the kitchen door, I heard his father say, “Is there something strange going on in your Luna?”

“She's just being unnecessary jealous, father. She thinks I have anything to do with Celine. You all know that's a fallacy. My loyalty is to this pack and I shall vehemently fight anything that's threatens to disturb our peace.”

It was a shame how disloyalty had reduced Alpha Thane to a lying wimp. When his father left, I went back to the room and pointed again at the mark on his neck.

“You said that was a wound you got from practice?” I desperately needed him to tell me the truth. I wanted to find traces of his love for me.

But he stared blankly at me and before I could press further, Thane stood abruptly, his voice flustered. “I need a shower,” he announced, disappearing into the adjacent room.

As the water started running, a knock at the door startled me.

I opened it to find Celine standing there. She wasn’t initially from our pack, though her posture screamed confidence, and her emerald-green eyes sparkled with foreknowledge. She wore an outfit designed to arrest attention, and her jewelry—a necklace and bracelets adorned with red stones—gleamed under the neon light.

“Oh, Luna Kya,” Celine said sweetly, and anyone could be swooned by her voice. “I didn’t mean to disturb you this late. Alpha Thane left his briefcase at the council meeting, and I thought I’d deliver it personally.”

She held out a silver briefcase, but I immediately noticed that the scent oozing from her was the same surrounding Alpha Thane.

My insides burned with rage as my werewolf growled.

I stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in. “He’s in the shower. You can wait here if you’d like.”

Celine sauntered past me, her lips curling into a smile as if she’d won some unspoken battle. She placed the folder on the table with deliberate carelessness and then held up a small lunchbox.

“I also brought him a late-night snack, that's if you gracefully let me, my Luna,” she said, her voice laced with false coolness. “He didn’t eat much earlier.”

My gaze landed on the box, and my heart tightened. The smell of the pizza nd sauce inside was unmistakable—it was from the Silvery Shadows Cavern, the place Thane had promised to take me to for dinner tonight.

“He didn't eat much earlier?” I said, holding her gaze.

She shrugged with fake innocence. “A wild guess, I'd say, seeing that I am his personal assistant.”

It was clear enough that she was out to cause me trouble. She also didn’t need to say more; her actions were screaming the truth I already knew.

If this had been months ago, I might have lost control. I might have screamed, demanded answers, and turned the room upside down in a fit of rage. But now? I simply felt empty, all the years gnawing agape in the middle of my stomach.

“You’re very thoughtful,” I said in a leveled tone.

Before Celine could reply, Thane’s voice sounded from the bathroom. “Kya, did you move my cinnamon oil? I made plans to make use of it tonight, but I can't find it anywhere.”

I didn’t respond, my silence saying more than words ever could. The truth was, I had been slowly packing for days now, retrieving items that were mine.

Thane stepped into the room, a towel draped over his shoulders and his hair damp. His expression shifted instantly when he saw Celine.

“Celine? Why brings you here?” His voice was hoarse, almost tense, and his eyes flicked toward me, filled with unease.

Celine pressed her lips together in a mock pout, feigning innocence. “Alpha, I came to deliver your briefcase which contained the council's documents. They’re important for tomorrow’s meeting.”

Thane frowned, his jaw tightening. “Fine. Take them to the study upstairs.”

He turned to me, his tone softening. “Kya, it’s late. You should get some rest. I’ll deal with this and join you soon.”

I nodded, retreating to the bedroom. The moment I closed the door, I turned off the lights and moved to my hidden desk.

Sliding open a compartment, I retrieved a small device. The study wasn’t just a place for council discussions—it was also where I had hidden a surveillance cam weeks ago.

As I activated the device, the glowing screen revealed the study in real time.

What I saw made my blood run cold.