A month ago

That same night, Alpha Ryder received a mind link from Selene, reporting rogue sightings near the pack; the excruciating pain in me made me rush into the infirmary alone.

While rushing, I ran into Rowan Crest, the dominating Alpha of Bloodstone and a close friend of Alpha Ryder, who had come to visit the pack.

Rowan helped me to the infirmary, which was when it should have been my mate.

Right there and then, the pack doctor broke the shocking news, "Luna Aria, it is with a heavy heart that I will announce you are pregnant, yet the baby's heart has stopped beating."

Oddly enough, after hearing the news, I was on cloud nine, relieved. As I left the infirmary, I knew it was time to sever our broken bond.

In a blink of an eye, I returned to my senses, seeing Alpha Ryder's stare darkened on me.

He never dared ask why I did it; he knew how often I tried to mind-link him only to be ignored and neglected.

"Well, that just proves how bad you are as a mother," he reasoned.

Then Alpha Ryder stood up, walked upstairs to his study, and shut the door.

For eight long years, I endured this forced mateship. We argued countless times, but it was always me who swallowed my pride and made amends.

Well, not anymore. I was tired and pleaded with the Moon Goddess to let all my sufferings end and let our bond be shattered.

Flashback.

The news dropped like a bombshell and astounded me to the core. When Ravenwood Pack's current Alpha threatened my father to be killed, as well as besieging our pack, we were terrified out of our wits.

"If none of you want to bite the dust, then I'll only ask for one thing," Alpha Ryder's father said, turning to me. "Let your goddess-like daughter be shoved into a mateship with my son, Ryder."

To prevent it from happening, he saw me as the solution, forcing me to mate with Ryder. I, Aria Steele, the trailblazing Luna of Moonshadow, had to endure my Alpha father's ill-conceived strategy.

When my father said, "Drink this potion, and you'll feel a powerful bond with Alpha Ryder."

Stunned, I was ready to flee the pack, but my Alpha father ordered the warriors to restrain me while forcing me to drink the potion in one gulp.

Instantly, my loathing for Ryder began to turn into affection. Despite my struggle to maintain my hatred, the forced bond ultimately made us mates.

Since then, my father reminded me, "Just accept your fate. Think of this as Moon Goddess' plan for your dream perfect future that I couldn't give you as a father."

Since then, I began to despise him and dreamed of meeting my real parents to learn my true story and avoid this fate.

At that moment, they sent me to Ravenwood Pack, heavily guarded and scared stiff that I might escape the pack.

Given our situation, the pack members and Alpha Ryder's parents didn't welcome me with open arms. Instead, they mocked me, believing I deserved to be treated as a slave rather than a mate.

Despite everything, the acceptance ceremony went ahead. With the elder's lead, I recited, "I, Aria Steele, Luna of Moonshadow, accept Alpha Ryder as my mate."

When I seized the moment to escape Ravenwood, I returned to our pack in the shadows to confront my father. Unfortunately, our argument ended with me being battered and brushed while he was drunk.

When Alpha Ryder sensed I was in torment, he rushed to rescue me now that we were mated. He scooped me up and brought me back to his pack, racing to the infirmary.

As the pack healer tended to my wounds, Alpha Ryder turned his back, his shoulders shaking and his hand constantly rubbing his face. The amused and baffled healer asked, "Alpha, it's not you who's been hurt; why are you so torn up?"

Shaking his head, he reasoned, "I know, but her pain is mine as well. We're mates. What do you expect me to feel?"

In the ward, Alpha Ryder awkwardly peeled an apple and said, "I don't want to feel this way anymore. Aria, please don't get hurt again. I'm begging you."

End of flashback.

In the present, I brushed it aside and didn't dwell on the burdens of this mateship. Instead, I threw myself into my duties as Luna, pushing forward with programs despite lacking full support from the Alpha and the Council of Elders.

Everyone doubted me because I was seated as Luna, and since then, no one dared to back me; only a few did.

All thanks to Alpha Rowan, who regularly dropped by our pack for Alpha Ryder and took the time to check in on me and see how I was holding up.

He always supported me wholeheartedly, even asking, "When will you end your mateship with Alpha Ryder? Don't be fooled."

However, I always replied, "When the time comes, my true fated mate arrives."

No one could rescue me from this trap, not even myself. The idea of rejecting this bond and stepping down as Luna felt like a distant dream.

When he once said, "I'm here to rescue you from all your suffering," I blushed but shook it off.

Since he was an Alpha and a friend of Ryder's, it was no shocker that he would also want to play with me.

"I endured lots of pain, Alpha Rowan. Don't string me along, too," I said, keeping zipping the fact that while he lent a hand to the infirmary, he was oblivious I lost my child.

With Alpha Ryder turning a blind eye to me, I had to put some distance between us and our home, opting to settle in a new rented apartment far from his shadow.

Even so, I didn't let my duties as Luna fall by the wayside. I kept serving the pack members while quietly devising a plan to reject him.

While I was away, Alpha Ryder never bothered to reach out through the mind-link to check on me. It seemed he was perfectly fine with my absence, but it raised eyebrows that he didn't have the guts to reject me.

On my third visit to the pack's infirmary since moving out of our home, the pack healer asked with concern, "Luna Aria, your condition seems to have worsened. Fret not; I'll prescribe some medicine for you."

Just as I was about to read the healer's prescription, Selene suddenly appeared, wandering around the infirmary.

Out of nowhere, the pack healer asked, "Luna Aria, given your situation, how is it that Alpha hasn't lifted a finger to be by your side?"

Selene stopped in her tracks, curiosity written all over her face. Before I could respond, she jumped in, explaining how hectic Alpha Ryder's schedule had been. Turning to face me, she added, "Luna Aria, I've heard about your situation from Alpha Ryder. You're still young, Luna Aria, and the Moon Goddess has blessed you with fertility."

Blessed or not, it had nothing to do with her.

That damn female warrior concubine still had the nerve to say that to me. She might have sounded concerned, but I knew deep down she was laughing her ass off.

"Worry less, as no more child is coming from me," I retorted hesitantly.

Unbeknownst to me, Alpha Ryder emerged, his eyes as dark as a stormy night. It's not surprising anymore. Alpha Ryder was there wherever his female warrior was, treating her like she was Luna while I was left in the dust.

Yet, it was too late for me to realize that the duel program I had created, intended to be led by me as their Luna, had been suddenly taken over by Alpha Ryder. He had handed it off to his trusted female warrior, Selene, believing she was far more suited for the role than I, a weak Luna who didn't even deserve the title.

As a result, Selene had been scratched by one of the pups under training, a fact the pack healer had tipped me off about. It was one of the reasons Alpha Ryder was on pins and needles, scared stiff that something worse might happen to her.

It was only a minor injury, but Alpha Ryder pulled out all the stops for her. At the same time, I, suffering from a severe illness due to a miscarriage, was left high and dry. Whether I was on my last legs or not, as long as his concubine was alive and kicking, it seemed he couldn't have cared less.

At that moment, it was my turn to pick up the medicine. As I held the bag, Alpha Ryder couldn't help but inquire, "Are you feeling unwell?"

When I turned a deaf ear to him and started to leave, he snatched the medicine from my hands and opened it to take a look.

"What on earth is this? When did you run into this trouble?" He demanded, acting like he was completely out of the loop about me, his mate. Not satisfied, he told me to stop dodging the question and demanded to know the truth.

Alpha Ryder thought fleeing from our mateship house was just a gimmick to buy time, but it wasn't. That's why, to this day, he had never bothered to ask where I was living or what I had been up to.

His cold and indifferent attitude drew curious glances from those around us.

I took the medicine from him and said quietly, "Everything you see is on the level. I'm fed up with our mateship. You weren't around when I needed you the most, and now that I'm on my own, holding the fort, you still have the nerve to blame me for wanting your attention. Alpha, don't forget I once asked for our bond to be shattered."

It was all true. Alpha Ryder was at a loss for words while Selene glared at me as if she were ready to shift into her wolf form and pounce at any moment.

When Alpha Ryder offered to drop me off at our mateship house while he took Selene to the warrior station, I declined, not wanting to be caught in the middle of their growing betrayal.

"Your Alpha duties are way more important than mine. No need. I can make my way home," I dismissed, even though he insisted.

I had no intention of returning, but when Alpha Rowan arrived and joined them, Alpha Ryder insisted I stay with Rowan. With the rogue threats, he wanted to be sure I was in safe hands.

Right then and there, Alpha Rowan accompanied me to my apartment. It was during this time that Rowan learned about all my suffering.

He became so furious with Alpha Ryder that he went through the roof, confronting him and questioning why he could turn a blind eye to my pain but couldn't stand to see Selene hurt.

His reaction left me puzzled. Since the day he kept visiting Ravenwood Pack, he had been unusually concerned about me. So I asked, "Who are you really, Alpha Rowan?"

Yet, he simply answered, "The Moon Goddess hears all your pleas. I'm here to lend a hand and help bring you back to your true mate."

With Alpha Rowan by my side, I felt safer in his company. Not only did he put my mind at ease, but he also seemed more determined to lead me back to my true mate.

Yet, I was in the dark about who my mate was and why Alpha Rowan knew my life better than I did.

When I questioned Alpha Rowan, he shot back, "Time will tell all. Your true mate has been searching for you for years, but it's too little, too late. You're already tied to Alpha Ryder."

It was still unclear what Alpha Rowan truly meant, but one thing was certain: I knew Alpha Ryder wasn't my destined mate but a forced one.

The day Alpha Rowan informed me about the Ravenwood Pack hosting a gathering and that he was one of the guests, I was taken aback.

It was surprising that no one from the pack had bothered to keep me in the loop, not even daring to mention the event to me.

Out of the blue, Alpha Ryder, still cold as ever that day, mind-linked me and said, "Zion, our son is sick. Get to the main pack house before six o'clock."

The pack was hosting the gathering at the same time, yet he used our son as a pretext for the invitation.

Worried sick, I mind-linked him to ask if he had already taken our son to the healer, but he didn't bother to respond.

Right then and there, as I made my way to the pack house, fully dressed, I realized I hadn't been mistaken—I had walked straight into the pack's gathering completely in the dark.

All the elders and Alpha Ryder's invited Alphas and Lunas from neighboring packs, including Alpha Rowan, to show up in full force.

Everyone was having dinner as usual, and my son was seated between Alpha Ryder and Selene. Anyone looking at them could see they were Alpha's son and wife, where I was supposed to be seated.

In no time, I approached my son, over the moon, to see him after a long stretch of focusing on his training. I asked if he felt under the weather, just as Alpha Rowan had mind-linked me.

Yet, my son's features were a mini-me of Alpha Ryder. Zion's face twisted with disgust as he brushed my hand away, eyeing me cautiously and seeking refuge with Selene.

It broke my heart to see my son, the future heir of Ravenwood Pack, feel disgusted over me, his mother.

Selene cradled my son affectionately and said sweetly, "Zion isn't sick. Where did you get that?"

Her slightly raised voice caught everyone's attention, and they turned to look at me with disdain. Gossip spread like wildfire, and I was labeled a careless Luna who couldn't even manage her son.

Everyone quietly chuckled, and embarrassment washed over me as I became the center of attention.

It felt like the whole pack, even some guests, were laughing at me, viewing me as a second-rate Luna, nothing more than a pawn on display, except for Alpha Rowan.

In the past, everyone in this pack gave me a hard time, knowing full well that I had become Luna to settle an unpaid debt. But I chose to grin and bear it for the sake of this forced mateship.

Fuming with anger, I confronted Alpha Ryder about his mind-link, especially since his true destined mate, Selene, had already told me Zion wasn't sick. My boldness stunned everyone, as I usually zipped my mouth when embarrassed.

In a flash, Alpha Ryder tossed aside his spoon and fork, his face turning icy as his eyes burned with intensity, asking, "It is true. Zion has been sick for days. Do you even have concern for him as his mother?"

"I said it was six o'clock, but you arrived late. Since you are late, you better leave this packed hall and have dinner with the servants," Alpha Ryder announced with authority.

As an Alpha of this pack, none could disobey his orders. When Alpha Rowan stood, he attempted to halt him. Still, I mind-link him, stopping him from interjecting, "Do not interfere, Alpha Rowan. Remember, this ain't your pack."

Not only did Selene, but also the elders, wait to see a good play.

With everyone's eyes on me, I stood my ground, keeping my composure. Then, smirking, I glanced around and said, "You disgust me."

As I was making my way out of the packed hall, Alpha Ryder finally lost his cool. In a flash, he stood up, seized my wrist, and darkened his stare at me.

In a loud voice, Alpha Ryder yelled, "No one, not even me as an Alpha, has permitted you to leave the packed hall!"

As stubborn as I was, I pushed him, causing the other guests to react, calling me an uncouth Luna with no manners.

Upon hearing that, Alpha Ryder reacted and even yelled more at me. When he had attempted to slap me in the face, Alpha Rowan's loud voice roared in rage, "Alpha Ryder, why in the first place have you mated to Luna Aria only to be embarrassed?"

"No one has the right to put my mate in shame, nor did I! My mate is mine, and anyone who attempts to hurt her will be punished!"

Shaking my head in fury, I thundered, "I, Luna of Ravenwood, will step down. Rest assured, I'll repay all my father's debts to you."