The snow fell quietly as I closed the door behind me, the echo of an empty house lingering longer than it should. Every corner still held traces of Dustin — his drawings on the walls, the faint sound of his laughter etched into the silence. It had always been just him and me in that house, while Craig, our Alpha, was barely more than a ghost within it.

It hadn’t always been this clear to me. I used to hope. Foolishly.

Dustin’s final birthday wish had been so simple: a family celebration. One day. One night. Together.

Craig, my mate, only agreed after much begging. I should’ve known better. That night, he never showed up. Instead, my son — our son — took his final breath, alone but for me. His last wish, like so many others, left unanswered.

I buried Dustin alone, numb and hollowed. It was only after the funeral that the truth reached me: while I was lighting candles over our son's grave, Craig was with my sister Sonya, basking in the serenity of distant snowy peaks far beyond the pack’s territory.

The betrayal no longer stung — I had become used to being an afterthought. From the beginning, it was clear who Craig’s heart truly beat for. Despite the Moon Goddess binding us as mates, I had never been his choice. Sonya was.

Still, I had held on. For Dustin. Now, there was no reason left.

So I packed. Silently. Without confrontation.

As fate would have it, Craig returned as I was dragging my suitcase downstairs. And he wasn’t alone. In his arms was Sonya, giggling softly, her head nestled into his neck. She murmured something about feeling dizzy, and he responded with such tender concern, gently laying her on the couch like she might break.

He didn't even notice me at first.

When he finally did, his voice was flat. “Kristen, what is this about now?”

Sonya peeked up with a soft, apologetic smile. “I just wasn’t feeling well. Craig thought it’d be best if I rested here for a while. I hope that’s okay with you.”

It was absurd — of course it was just a bit of dizziness. But to Craig, it warranted more care than he ever gave me. I remembered when I’d been attacked by a rogue, blood trailing down my arm, and I’d begged for his help. His reply was ice-cold: “It’s not life-threatening. Don’t waste my time.”

I was his Luna, his wife, his mate — yet none of it ever mattered.

That night, as he pleaded for me to stay, as if he'd only just realized I existed, I looked at him one last time.

And I left.

Seeing them together made my stomach twist painfully. To watch him shower Sonya with such care and tenderness, while he hadn’t once bothered to check on his own son for years, ignited a furious storm inside me.

“Alpha... You want me out of your life, don’t you? Fine. It’s over between us. I’m leaving,” I said, my voice shaking with a mixture of rage and heartbreak.

He had never truly wanted me as his mate. He only accepted the bond because of the pressure from our allied packs and the ancient laws that forced our union. But in all that time, he never acknowledged me—or the wolf inside me. That neglect had sapped my strength, leaving my wolf’s spirit so fragile I felt only the Moonstone could mend it.

The Moonstone was a legendary family relic, handed down to the eldest child in our lineage. It was said to hold immense power, capable of healing the deepest wounds—especially the bond between a shifter and their wolf. I possessed it, yet until now, I had no intention of invoking its strength. People warned that such power carried a heavy burden, and I was afraid of the responsibility it demanded.

Craig always assumed my pain came from jealousy toward Sonya, never once truly seeing me. “Really?” he sneered bitterly. “Changing your tactics now, huh? You can’t manipulate me with Dustin anymore, so you’re using yourself instead?”

It had been about a year since Dustin began to weaken. His once-rosy cheeks faded, his appetite disappeared, and even the pack healer couldn’t diagnose his illness. His veins darkened unnaturally, as if his blood thickened beyond nature’s design. Fainting became frequent, and though we shifters heal quickly from wounds, he couldn’t even shake off a simple headache.

During those desperate times, I tried to reach Craig through mind-links, begging him to visit our son who longed for his father’s presence. But Craig refused to come. He accused me of using Dustin’s condition as a way to manipulate him and earn sympathy.

After nearly ten years of shared life, this was how little regard he had for me. I wiped my tears and said firmly, “Believe whatever you want. I’m done here.”

I began moving toward the door with my suitcase when Sonya suddenly spoke up, “Alpha, I overheard you wanted to celebrate Dustin’s birthday with the pack. You didn’t skip it to go on that mountain trip with me, right? Kristen’s upset...”

Craig’s voice softened, “Don’t worry. I know what matters. We can celebrate with them anytime, but once the snow melts, those peaks won’t be the same again.”

I scoffed, the coldness in my laugh cutting sharper than any blade, and kept pulling my suitcase toward the exit. Craig seemed to notice my resistance and hurried after me, grabbing my wrist with irritation. “It’s the middle of the night. Why are you rushing off now?”

He caught sight of my red, swollen eyes and hesitated. “Is that celebration really worth all these tears?”

His gaze, tinted with something almost like pity, fell on me. “Let me clear my schedule next month. I’ll spend time with Dustin then, alright?”

Next month? What next month did Dustin have left? If Craig truly cared, he wouldn’t be throwing empty promises around so casually. I yanked my hand free. “No, thank you.”

He stared at his open palm, stunned. He never imagined the person who clung to him so desperately would now pull away like a stranger. Trying to regain his footing, he stepped forward, but Sonya intercepted him, gripping his arm.

“Alpha, this is my fault. Even though I knew Dustin’s sickness wasn’t real, I shouldn’t have competed with a child for your attention. Now Kristen hates me for it.”

What?

“Faking... his illness?” My mind blanked, disbelief and rage crashing over me all at once. Before I could stop myself, my hand struck my sister’s cheek with a sharp slap.

The flicker of guilt that had briefly surfaced on the Alpha’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, fierce anger. He instinctively moved to shield Sonya behind him, narrowing his eyes as he fixed them sharply on me. “What do you think you’re doing? That’s your sister!”

I paid no mind to his outburst, directing my cold, unwavering stare straight at Sonya instead. “Mind your language. Whether or not we share blood, you have no right to disrespect my son.”

Sonya’s face fell, wounded and uncertain, as she looked up at Craig, her voice barely steady. “Alpha, please don’t let me come between you two. If Kristen won’t admit Dustin is pretending to be sick, then I’ll stop bringing it up.”

My heart pounded hard as I turned back to Craig, my tone low but firm, carrying all the weight of my resolve. “Do you honestly believe our son is faking it too?”

Craig’s silence was suffocating. His eyes darted around, scanning the empty room as if Dustin would suddenly appear out of thin air.

Trying to mask the irritation creeping into his voice, Craig finally asked, “Where did you take Dustin? I can’t sense him anywhere.”

His doubt cut deep. He couldn’t even believe that our son had been suffering for all this time. If only I had his strength—I would have summoned the finest healers to help Dustin immediately. But as Luna, my power was limited by the boundaries of our pack—and by Craig’s refusal to recognize me.

Had he bothered to come home even once, he would have seen the table covered in herbal medicines, and Dustin’s pale, fragile form lying quietly nearby. But he never did.

I remembered the day Dustin told me he didn’t have much time left. His voice was so weak, his eyes reflecting a truth too painful to deny. Though I clung to hope with every fiber of my being, I knew he was right, given how fast his health was failing. Dustin’s dying wish had been simple: to celebrate his birthday together, as a family.

Driven by desperation, I had begged Craig, even dropping to my knees in complete surrender. I grabbed his pants, my voice breaking as I promised that this would be the last time I ever troubled him. I said I was ready to let him go—to set him free. In that moment, my Alpha looked down at me, his eyes flashing with surprise and something else I couldn’t quite understand.

His voice trembled, laced with disbelief and a hint of happiness. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” I whispered, closing my eyes as tears spilled down my cheeks.

From the very moment I saw Craig, I had loved him fiercely. It was love at first sight—so obvious, everyone around us noticed. Even before I understood we were fated mates, my heart belonged to him. I had chased his attention, followed him everywhere, done whatever I could just to capture his heart.

But instead of reciprocating, Craig grew to despise me. His hatred peaked when, during his coming-of-age ceremony, he learned I was his destined mate. That revelation only deepened his bitterness; he had wanted Sonya by his side instead.

He had desired to be with her. Why hadn’t I stepped aside? Why hadn’t I let them be? I had been foolish to think he might change his mind. Because of my insistence, he had witnessed Sonya leave for another pack after she found her true mate there.

My parents had insisted I accept my fate and remain with Craig. They believed there was no escaping the bond we were meant to share. So Craig was forced into the mating with me, which left me as his Luna.

Our mateship ceremony was far from joyful. Craig had refused a grand celebration, saying I deserved nothing more.

Years later, when Sonya returned claiming her mate had died, I realized how pointless it was to compete with her.

Looking back, I had begged him once again, promising to leave him alone after all these years. That plea seemed to break the last barrier—he agreed only because he wanted to be rid of me.

But why? Why hadn’t he spent even a single final moment with Dustin? Why did he break his promise? It’s one thing for him not to love me, but Dustin is his son too. How could he be so utterly heartless toward him?