"To ten years of the Rosewood Pack." Nathan raised his glass high. The crystal caught the glare of the ballroom chandeliers, scattering fragmented light across the hundreds of faces gathered below.

I stood beside my Alpha husband. My posture remained perfectly straight. I wore the gold gown he selected, played the role he demanded, and kept my expression entirely neutral.

"We have faced rogue attacks, harsh winters, and border disputes," Nathan announced into the microphone. "But we stand stronger today than ever before. And to the future."

His gaze drifted past the cheering crowd. It locked onto the front row.

Catherine stood there. She wore a fitted crimson dress that highlighted the slight swell of her stomach. Beside her stood Oliver, my thirteen-year-old son.

"Oliver, come up here," Nathan commanded.

The applause faltered. A confused murmur rippled through the pack members. Oliver climbed the stairs to the stage. He wore a tailored black suit, looking entirely too much like his father. He stopped right between us.

"Dad?" Oliver asked.

Nathan placed a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder. "It’s time, son. Do what we talked about."

I turned to my husband. "Nathan, what is this?"

"A necessary transition," Nathan murmured. He leaned close, ensuring the microphone wouldn't pick up his words. "Catherine is carrying the next heir. The pack needs stability right now. Having Oliver pass the ring shows everyone we are united."

"You want our son to strip me of my title?" I asked.

"It softens the blow, Maddie. It keeps it within the family. Just accept the reality of the situation."

"You think this is softer?" I asked. "Making him do your dirty work?"

"He agreed to it," Nathan shot back. "He understands the pack comes first."

Oliver turned to face me. His jaw set in a rigid line. He avoided my eyes, fixing his stare entirely on my left hand.

"Give it to me, Mom," Oliver demanded.

"Excuse me?" I kept my tone flat. The silence in the massive ballroom was absolute. Hundreds of wolves watched us.

"The Luna Ring." Oliver held out his open palm. "Dad says it belongs to Catherine now. Hand it over."

A sharp ringing pitched high in my ears. I stared at the boy standing inches away.

Seven years ago, a Rogue tore through our borders and dragged him into the woods. Oliver was six. When I found him, he lay bleeding out on the dirt, his small chest shredded by claws. I didn't hesitate. I grabbed a silver blade, sliced my own wrist open, and forced my Luna healing blood into his mouth. I poured my vitality into his veins until my heart nearly stopped.

Now, he stood here demanding the symbol of my rank for his father's pregnant mistress.

"Oliver," I started. "Do you know what this ring represents?"

Catherine stepped closer to the edge of the stage. She offered Oliver a wide, encouraging nod. "Go ahead, sweetheart. Tell her."

"I know exactly what it means," Oliver snapped. He lifted his chin. "Catherine told me everything. You just wear the silver. You couldn't even give Dad another pup. But she is carrying the true Alpha bloodline."

He jabbed a finger toward my hand. "It represents the real Luna."

The words slammed into me. All the tension drained out of my muscles, leaving a hollow void behind.

Nathan leaned in again. "Don't make a scene, Madeline. Hand it over. He's just a kid. Don't punish him for my choices."

I looked at Nathan. His eyes held a pathetic plea wrapped in an Alpha's warning. Then I looked back at my son. The boy I bled for glared at me with pure contempt, his mind entirely poisoned by months of Catherine's whispers.

I didn't scream. I didn't cry.

I smiled.

"Good," I whispered.

I twisted the heavy silver band off my finger. It slid free easily. I dropped it into Oliver's waiting palm.

The metal clinked against his skin. He immediately spun around and jogged down the steps. He marched straight to Catherine and pressed the ring into her hand.

She slipped it on. It hung loosely on her finger, but she held her hand up toward the crowd anyway. The pack remained dead silent.

"Thank you, Oliver," Catherine cooed. Her voice carried easily to the first few rows. "You're going to be such a wonderful big brother."

Oliver beamed. "I know. I'll teach him how to fight."

"I'm sure you will," she said, pulling him into a brief hug.

Nathan exhaled a loud sigh of relief beside me. "See? That wasn't so hard. We can still be a family, Maddie. We just have to adjust. You'll still have a place here."

I didn't answer him. I turned my back on the Alpha of the Rosewood Pack.

"Where are you going?" Nathan grabbed my elbow.

I yanked my arm away. "I'm leaving."

"The ceremony isn't over. I still have to announce her official title."

"Mine is."

I walked off the stage. The crowd parted for me immediately. No one spoke. No one reached out to offer comfort. They simply watched the former Luna walk toward the exit.

The night air hit my face as I pushed through the heavy double doors. The silence of the empty parking lot felt vast and cold.

I pulled my phone from my clutch. My fingers moved quickly over the glass screen. I found the contact and hit dial.

It rang twice.

"Madeline?" The gruff voice of my lawyer, Marcus, came through the speaker. "It's late. Is everything alright at the anniversary gala?"

"Marcus, I need you to draft some papers tonight."

"Divorce?" he asked.

"Yes. But that's not the priority." I walked toward my car. I hit the unlock button on my fob.

"What do you need?"

"I want to initiate the termination of my guardianship."

A heavy pause stretched over the line. "Oliver's guardianship? Madeline, you're his mother. You have full maternal rights."

"Not anymore." I opened the car door and slid into the driver's seat. "Draft the relinquishment forms. I am signing over full custody to Nathan. I want zero legal ties to that boy."

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Marcus asked. "Once you file these, Nathan can legally bar you from seeing him. You lose all say in his upbringing."

"He already made his choice," I said. "Have them ready by tomorrow morning."

"I'll draw them up. Where will you go?"

"Away from Rosewood."

I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. Gripping the steering wheel, I looked back at the glowing windows of the packhouse.

They wanted a new family. They were about to get exactly what they asked for. And they would quickly learn what happens when a pack loses its only true healer.

I zipped the canvas duffel bag shut. The metal fastener scraped loudly in the quiet bedroom.

The door swung open. Nathan marched in, Oliver trailing right behind him.

"You are actually packing?" Nathan asked. His brow furrowed in disbelief. "Over a piece of jewelry?"

"I told you I was leaving," I said.

Oliver crossed his arms. "Let her go, Dad. She ruins everything anyway."

I turned to face the boy. He wore a heavy leather jacket I had never seen before.

"You missed your combat tutoring this morning," I said.

"Catherine said I didn't have to go," Oliver shot back. "She let me take the motorcycle out on the dirt trails."

"You are thirteen years old," I said. "You have no license. And you were drinking last weekend. I smelled the alcohol on your clothes."

"It was just a few beers!" Oliver yelled. "Catherine gets it. She actually lets me live. You just want to control every single second of my day."

Nathan placed a heavy hand on Oliver's shoulder. "The boy has a point, Maddie. Your parenting is suffocating."

I stared at my husband. "My parenting?"

"Yes," Nathan insisted. "You are entirely too traditional. You treat him like a prisoner in a training camp, not a teenager."

I looked at Oliver. My mind flashed back to his first shift.

Three years ago, the change had ripped through his small body, violent and uncontrollable. He had screamed in agony as his bones snapped and reformed. I had stayed on the floor of the containment cell all night. I held his thrashing, panicked wolf form against my chest. I let his wild claws shred my arms until the sun rose, bleeding for hours just to keep him grounded.

Now, he stood here complaining about combat drills.

"I was training him to survive as an Alpha," I said.

Oliver sneered. "I don't need your training. Catherine told me the truth."

"What truth?" I asked.

"About the Royal Twins," Oliver said. He puffed out his chest, looking incredibly proud of his secret knowledge. "When her babies are born, they get the Alpha title. I am just adopted. I am not in the succession line anymore."

The absolute foolishness of his words struck me.

"So I don't have to do your stupid drills," Oliver continued. "I get to be free."

Catherine had poisoned him completely. She convinced him to surrender his birthright willingly, buying his loyalty with skipped classes and cheap beer.

"Is that what she told you?" I asked.

"Yeah," Oliver said. "She said I deserve a normal life."

I didn't argue. I didn't explain the pack laws he was so eagerly throwing away. I reached into my purse and pulled out the thick manila envelope Marcus had delivered an hour ago.

"What is that?" Nathan demanded. He stepped forward, his Alpha instincts flaring at the sight of legal documents.

"Your freedom," I said directly to Oliver.

I pulled a pen from the nightstand drawer. I flipped the document open to the final page.

"I am leaving your education fund intact," I stated. I pressed the ink to the paper. I signed my name in a swift, sharp motion. "But I am officially revoking all inheritance arrangements."

Nathan's eyes widened. "What?"

"The downtown commercial properties, the pack business shares, the offshore accounts," I listed. "They all revert to my maiden name immediately."

"You cannot do that!" Nathan snapped. He reached for the folder.

I pulled it back. "They are my personal assets, Nathan. Brought into this marriage by my family."

"He is your son!" Nathan yelled.

"He is not my son anymore," I said. I tossed the folder onto the mattress. "You made sure of that last night."

Oliver glared at the heavy stack of papers. "Keep your money! Catherine will give me whatever I want. She actually cares about me."

I picked up my duffel bag and slung it over my shoulder.

"I am sure she will," I said.

I walked out of the master suite. I didn't look back at either of them.

The grand staircase lay empty. Most of the pack members were still recovering from the anniversary gala. The silence in the massive house felt heavy, thick with the aftermath of last night's public betrayal.

Oliver had rushed past me in the hallway, eager to find his new mother figure.

As I reached the bottom step, I paused.

He stood frozen outside the parlor doors. The heavy mahogany panels were cracked open just an inch.

I stayed on the landing. I didn't speak. I simply watched the rigid tension seizing his shoulders.

Inside the parlor, Catherine's voice rang out. It sounded bright and painfully sharp.

"Of course I bought him a motorcycle, Sarah," Catherine laughed.

Oliver flinched. His hands balled into tight fists at his sides.

"If he breaks his neck on it, it just solves my problem faster," Catherine added.

A woman's voice murmured something indistinguishable through the phone.

"No, Nathan doesn't care," Catherine continued. "He thinks I am bonding with the boy. It is honestly hilarious. The kid is so desperate for approval, he will do anything I say."

Oliver stopped breathing. His shoulders hiked up toward his ears.

"He even humiliated Madeline in front of the whole pack last night," Catherine boasted. "Handed the ring right to me. Like a good little dog."

Sarah murmured another response.

Catherine sighed loudly. "I know. But I will not have to pretend much longer."

The parlor grew quiet for a brief second.

"Once my babies are born, that adopted brat needs to get out," Catherine stated coldly. "I am not sharing my twins' inheritance with some stray."

Oliver took a shaky step backward. His face completely drained of color.

He turned his head and looked toward the stairs. His wide, panicked eyes met mine.

I held his gaze. I didn't offer a comforting smile. I didn't rush across the foyer to hold him.

I turned the knob on the front door and walked out into the sunlight.

The gymnasium bass rattled the metal bleachers. Dozens of teenagers spun across the hardwood floor, their formal wear a blur of bright colors under the flashing strobe lights.

I remained by the folding tables in the far corner. The shadows concealed my presence perfectly. I didn't want to be at the Pack School annual dance, but my signature was still required on Oliver’s final semester release forms.

The music abruptly died. The overhead fluorescent lights buzzed to life, washing the room in a harsh, sterile glow.

Principal Thorne tapped the microphone on the center stage. "And now, the presentation for our Junior Warrior of the Year."

Oliver jogged up the wooden steps. He wore the same heavy leather jacket from this morning, completely ignoring the school’s formal dress code.

"Thank you," Oliver said, grabbing the silver trophy from Thorne. He stepped up to the mic stand. "I didn't prepare a speech. I just want to thank the person who actually supports me."

He didn't look toward the back corner. His eyes locked onto the front row.

Catherine stood there, clapping enthusiastically.

"She lets me make my own choices," Oliver announced to the entire room. "She understands what I need. So, thank you... Mom."

A collective gasp swept through the gymnasium.

The silence that followed was absolute. Three hundred pack members shifted uncomfortably. Parents whispered behind raised hands. Teenagers exchanged wide-eyed glances. Every single person in the room knew I was the one who had bled to save his life.

I didn't rush the stage. I didn't scream his name.

I picked up a paper cup from the refreshment table and took a slow sip of water.

A heavy set of footsteps approached from my left. Nathan shoved past a group of gossiping mothers, his jaw clenched tight.

"You are just going to hide back here?" Nathan demanded.

"I am waiting for the principal to bring me my paperwork," I replied.

Nathan scowled, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Everyone is watching you, Madeline. You are making this incredibly awkward."

"I haven't moved an inch," I pointed out. "Your son is the one holding the microphone."

"He is expressing gratitude," Nathan snapped. "You should be generous about this. Bless the child for having a second mother."

I lowered my cup. I looked my husband straight in the eyes.

"Bless him?" I asked.

"Yes," Nathan insisted. "A good woman would be happy he feels so loved. Instead, you stand in the dark radiating bitterness."

A soft, amused laugh escaped my throat.

Nathan blinked, clearly thrown by the sound. He expected tears or rage. He didn't know what to do with genuine amusement.

"What is funny?" he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl.

"You," I said. "You actually believe this little performance."

Before Nathan could argue, Catherine appeared. She navigated the crowded floor with exaggerated care, her hands resting protectively over the slight curve of her stomach.

"Nathan, there you are," Catherine said. She leaned against his arm.

She turned her gaze to me, flashing a brilliant, manufactured smile.

"Madeline," Catherine cooed. "I hope Oliver’s little speech didn't upset you. He just spoke from the heart."

"I am entirely unaffected," I said.

Catherine frowned, clearly disappointed by my lack of a breakdown. She rubbed her pregnant belly again, making sure the gymnasium lights caught the silver Luna ring hanging loosely on her finger.

"I just want peace between us," Catherine said loudly, ensuring the nearby parents could hear every word. "I promise I will treat Oliver and my unborn children equally. They will all get the exact same love from me."

My mind immediately flashed to the conversation I overheard hours ago.

*If he breaks his neck on it, it just solves my problem faster.*

*I am not sharing my twins' inheritance with some stray.*

I looked at her hands resting on her stomach. Then I met her fake, sympathetic stare.

"You'd better remember that," I said quietly.

Catherine flinched. The absolute certainty in my voice shattered her practiced smile. She took a tiny step backward, hiding behind Nathan’s shoulder.

"Stop threatening my mate," Nathan warned. "She is extending an olive branch."

"I simply gave her some advice," I said.

Principal Thorne finally scurried over. He held a manila folder against his chest, looking terrified to interrupt the Alpha.

"Luna Madeline," Thorne stammered. "I mean, former Luna. The transfer papers are ready."

I took the folder from his shaking hands. "Thank you, Principal."

"Transfer papers?" Nathan asked. "What transfer?"

"Oliver's," I said. "I signed away my guardianship this morning, remember? He is legally your problem now."

I turned my back on them and walked toward the exit.

"Madeline!" Nathan barked.

I pushed the heavy metal doors open and stepped out into the cool night air. The oppressive bass of the gymnasium faded the moment the doors swung shut behind me.

Gravel crunched beneath my shoes as I crossed the empty parking lot. My phone vibrated in my jacket pocket.

I pulled it out and answered on the first ring.

"Marcus," I said. "Did you file the custody relinquishment?"

"It’s done," my lawyer replied. His voice sounded tight, buzzing with adrenaline. "But that isn't why I am calling."

I reached my car and unlocked the door. "What did you find?"

"I submitted the inquiry to the Pack Council this afternoon," Marcus explained. "Councilman Griffith just finished reviewing the financial audit."

"And the trust fund Nathan established for Catherine?" I asked.

"It is exactly what you suspected," Marcus said.

I paused with my hand on the door handle. "Tell me."

"Nathan bypassed the standard Alpha accounts," Marcus said. "He set up a private pregnancy trust for Catherine and seeded it with three million dollars."

"Where did he pull the money from?"

"The emergency winter reserves," Marcus answered. "He drained the pack's disaster relief fund to buy her loyalty."

A cold thrill shot down my spine.

"That violates the Pack Asset Regulations," I said.

"Directly," Marcus confirmed. "Article Four prohibits any Alpha from using survival funds for personal domestic affairs. The Council is furious, Madeline. This isn't just a minor infraction. It is a criminal breach of leadership."

I looked back at the glowing windows of the school gymnasium. Inside, Nathan was busy playing the proud Alpha, entirely unaware that the ground was rotting beneath his feet.

"Does Nathan know the Council found out?" I asked.

"Not yet," Marcus said. "They are convening an emergency tribunal tomorrow morning. They want to strip his financial authority."

"Let them," I said.

"Madeline, if he loses financial control, Catherine’s trust gets frozen immediately. She won't have access to a single dime."

I smiled into the phone.

"Good," I said. "Draft a petition for my immediate departure from the territory. I want to be gone before the tribunal starts."

"I will have it ready in an hour," Marcus promised.

I ended the call and slid into the driver's seat. The engine roared to life, cutting through the quiet night.

Catherine wanted my title, my ring, and my son. She was about to find out how little those things mattered when the Alpha's empire finally collapsed.