When I was at the werewolf academy, Alpha Lucas Owens, the reserved heartthrob of the Silver Moon Pack, pursued me for two years until I finally agreed to be his mate. On the day we established our mate bond, I handed him three cherished items and said, “Alpha, these are the most important things in my life. Please never lose them, because if they’re gone, you’ll never find me again.”

We were happy, moving hand in hand towards our future as Alpha and Luna of the pack. With my support, his leadership grew stronger, and the pack thrived. But everything changed when his former mate, Aubree Garcia, a rogue werewolf, returned. She tore up our mate bond token, and Lucas, who had never spoken harshly to me before, said, “It’s just a token. We can get another. Why are you making such a fuss? Apologize to Aubree.”

He had always trusted me, but suddenly, when Aubree was attacked while wandering rogue territory, he doubted me. “Valerie, I told you, Aubree and I are just friends. Why won’t you understand? You sent someone to attack her. Now, apologize to Aubree.”

The day I saw the token on Aubree, my hope vanished. I was determined to reclaim the three items that meant the world to me. It was only when those three items disappeared that Lucas became frantic.

“Why is something I gave you now with Aubree?” I attempted to keep my emotions in check, striving not to let them erupt.

In a pack-wide announcement, Aubree flaunted the necklace I had painstakingly designed, now prominently displayed around her neck. This necklace was the first I had created all by myself, and it was the piece that had earned me recognition among the packs. It held immense significance for me.

“What are you talking about, Valerie? You’re being unreasonable,” Alpha Lucas snapped in a distant voice over the mind link. “Why are you so hostile towards Aubree now? Just because we’re mated, doesn’t mean everything I own is yours.”

His words cut deeper than any claw. I realized he’d forgotten the significance of the necklace, forgotten it was one of the treasures I’d entrusted to him. There was no point in continuing the conversation.

“My necklace,” I managed to grit out.

Finally, there was a pause on the other end of the link, his aura flickering with unease. “Valerie, it was a mistake on my part. I’ll get it back from Aubree.”

Alpha Lucas’s voice was tinged with panic, but I no longer wanted to listen. I painfully severed the mind link. Reflecting on the past year since Aubree’s return, I suddenly felt it was time to leave. I realized I had been deceiving myself all along. When Lucas and Aubree took pack missions alone, I thought it was purely professional. When he came home late, reeking of rogue territory, I told myself it was pack business. Even when strange marks appeared on his body, I assumed they were from training. But now, I understood I could no longer lie to myself. This mate bond needed to end.

After severing the link, I decided to go to the pack house to retrieve my necklace. However, just as I reached his office, unusual sounds drifted through the door.

“Aubree, why don’t you return the necklace for now? I’ll get you a more suitable one later,” Alpha Lucas’s voice was gentle, and suddenly I realized it had been ages since he’d spoken to me that way.

“Alpha, did you call me over just to take back this necklace? It seems I can never hold a place above Valerie in your heart. Just a single call from her, and you’re retrieving a gift you gave me,” Aubree’s voice lingered.

“That’s not true, Aubree…”

“It’s fine, Alpha. After all, you’re mated to her now, so naturally you have to go along with her demands. I can’t keep you any longer.”

Aubree’s words left the office in silence. Nearly a minute passed before Alpha Lucas spoke again. “Beta, find a way to replicate a necklace identical to the one Aubree is wearing…”

He said this right in front of Aubree, intending to create a duplicate for me. Didn’t he understand how much that necklace meant to me?

I couldn’t listen any longer and pushed the office door open. Alpha Lucas still held the mind link open. When he saw me, a flicker of panic crossed his face. “Luna, have you forgotten to knock before entering the Alpha’s office?”

His words left me speechless.

Luna? Those words reverberated in my mind, repeatedly wounding my soul. The words I had planned to say got stuck in my throat, impossible to utter. Perhaps realizing the inappropriateness of his words, Alpha Lucas finally paused, looking at me.

"Luna Valerie, try not to dwell on it. It's just difficult to handle unexpected interruptions at work."

Alpha Lucas massaged his temples, his alpha aura flaring with frustration. I didn’t reply, instead stepping toward Aubree, the rogue who had disrupted our peace yet again. Her presence was like a thorn in my side, one that Lucas seemed unwilling to remove.

"Give me back the necklace," I said, my voice dry but resolute.

Amusement flickered in Aubree’s eyes before she feigned sadness, her gaze darting to Lucas. Her scent—sharp and bitter—filled the room, a stark contrast to the floral notes that usually accompanied her manipulative words.

"I get it, Luna Valerie. I’ll return it to you," she said, her voice trembling as though she were the victim.

Her hands moved to her neck, but before she could remove the necklace, Lucas stepped between us, his broad frame shielding her. Aubree flashed a dazzling smile, her eyes daring me to challenge her.

"Luna Valerie, what’s your problem? Can’t you let go of your obsessive possessiveness?" Lucas said, his alpha tone cutting through the air like a command.

"Aubree hasn’t done anything for over a year, so why are you still after her?" he continued, his voice rising. "Apologize to her."

I stared at him, my heart sinking. How many times had he coldly demanded I apologize to Aubree? Before she returned, he had never spoken to me like this—never used his alpha tone against me.

"The necklace is mine," I said, my voice steady despite the ache in my chest.

"You already gave it to me; it’s mine now," Aubree interjected, her tone sweet but laced with poison.

"If the necklace means so much to you, how about this: pick any necklace you want, ten even, however expensive, and I’ll buy them all for you," Lucas said, his voice growing louder, his alpha aura pressing down on me.

I wondered if he still saw me as his Luna or if Aubree had already taken my place. But hadn’t I already given up?

I reached for the necklace in Aubree’s hand, but Lucas reacted swiftly, his hand striking my cheek. The sting on my skin echoed the pain in my heart.

"Luna Valerie! Are you ignoring me now?" he barked, his alpha tone sharper than ever.

"Alpha Lucas, don’t be harsh. If the necklace belongs to Luna Valerie, return it to her," Aubree said, her voice soft and sorrowful, though her eyes glinted with mockery.

As expected, Lucas raised his voice again. "Apologize to Aubree, or this won’t end today!"

Aubree gave me a playful look, silently mouthing, "Say sorry, or I’ll throw the necklace away."

She then pretended to toss the necklace out the window. Watching her toy with it—a symbol of my dedication and love—like a mere trinket, I finally bit my lip and lowered my head.

"I’m sorry," I said, the words tearing at my soul.

"Louder, unless you skipped breakfast," Lucas demanded, his alpha tone leaving no room for defiance.

"Don’t act like that, Alpha Lucas. I’m not holding grudges," Aubree said, handing over the necklace.

I reached out to take it, but before I could touch it, the necklace slipped from her fingers, shattering on the floor. I stood frozen, staring at the fractures in the radiant purple crystal I had painstakingly polished for months.

"Oh dear, I’m sorry, Luna Valerie. I just couldn’t hold onto it," Aubree said, her voice dripping with false regret.

"Luna Valerie, when will you learn to be polite, like Aubree?" Lucas said, his tone harsh. "When you’re wrong, apologize. Why stubbornly fight it?"

Their voices faded, and all I could feel was the same break in my heart as in the purple crystal now lying in pieces. My wolf whimpered softly in the back of my mind, a reminder of the bond that felt just as fractured.