Evelyn hummed as she walked through the halls of the Moonfire Pack mansion, a basket of fresh-baked cookies in her hands. Her silver ring glinted in the afternoon light streaming through the tall windows. Being Luna—the Alpha's wife and pack mother—meant taking care of everyone, but today these treats were special, just for Victor.
"He's going to love these," she whispered to herself, smiling. Five years of marriage, and she still got butterflies thinking about her husband.
The mansion was quiet today. Most pack members were out training or working in town. Perfect timing for a surprise visit to Victor's office. He'd been so busy lately, staying up late and missing meals. These chocolate chip cookies—his favorite—would make him smile for sure.
As she rounded the corner to the Alpha's wing, voices drifted through the half-open door of Victor's office. Evelyn slowed her steps. Victor wasn't supposed to have any meetings today.
"You're the only one who truly understands me, Celeste." Victor's voice was soft, tender in a way Evelyn hadn't heard in weeks.
Evelyn froze. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest.
"The Luna doesn't deserve you," purred a silky female voice. "She's not strong enough for an Alpha like you."
Evelyn's hands trembled, nearly dropping the basket. Carefully, she placed it on a nearby table and crept closer to the door.
Through the crack, she saw them. Victor sat in his large leather chair, and perched on his desk was Celeste Ravencroft—the stunning daughter of a neighboring pack leader. Her long dark hair fell in perfect waves around her shoulders, and her red lips were curved in a smile that made Evelyn's stomach twist.
"Evelyn tries," Victor sighed, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "But you're right. She doesn't understand the pressures of being Alpha."
Evelyn's breath caught in her throat. Each word felt like a knife stabbing her heart.
"She's weak," Celeste leaned closer to Victor, her fingers trailing along his arm. "The pack needs someone stronger by your side. Someone like me."
Victor didn't pull away. Instead, he took Celeste's hand in his. "I've been thinking the same thing."
The floor seemed to tilt beneath Evelyn's feet. This couldn't be happening. Not Victor. Not her husband who had sworn to love her forever under the full moon. Not the man who had marked her as his mate, creating a bond that was supposed to be unbreakable.
"What about our Luna bond?" Victor asked, his voice low.
Celeste's laugh was cold and sharp. "There are ways to break it. Ancient magic. I've been researching for months."
"Months? You've been planning this?" Victor didn't sound angry. He sounded... impressed.
"For you, my Alpha, I'd do anything." Celeste leaned down, her face inches from Victor's. "Just say the word, and I'll make sure Evelyn Royce is no longer in our way."
A small gasp escaped Evelyn's lips. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
Victor's head snapped toward the door. "Who's there?"
Panic surged through Evelyn's body. She backed away as the door swung open, revealing Victor's tall frame. His blue eyes widened when he saw her.
"Evelyn." Her name hung in the air between them. Not "my love" or "darling" as he usually called her.
Behind him, Celeste appeared, a smug smile on her perfect face. "Well, well. The Luna herself, sneaking around and spying. How... undignified."
Evelyn's eyes burned with tears. "Victor, how could you?"
Victor's face hardened, any trace of surprise vanishing. "You weren't meant to hear that."
"Obviously!" Evelyn's voice cracked. "I was bringing you cookies. I thought you might be hungry because you've been working so hard." She pointed to the abandoned basket. "But I guess you've been 'working' on replacing me!"
Celeste snickered, placing a possessive hand on Victor's arm. "Don't make a scene, Luna. It's not becoming."
Victor didn't push Celeste away. He didn't defend Evelyn. He just stood there, watching her with cold eyes that no longer held any warmth or love.
"Five years," Evelyn whispered. "Five years of marriage. I've done everything for this pack. For you. I thought we were happy."
"Happy?" Victor scoffed. "The pack needs strength, Evelyn. You've always been too soft, too kind. Celeste understands what it takes to lead."
Each word felt like another stab to Evelyn's heart. She took a step back, then another. "So everything was a lie? Our love? Our promises?"
"Not a lie," Victor said flatly. "A mistake."
The world spun around Evelyn. A mistake. That's all she was to him. A five-year mistake.
"I think it's best if you pack your things," Celeste said coolly. "The Alpha quarters should be cleared by tonight."
"You don't give me orders!" Evelyn snapped, her hands balling into fists. Deep inside, she felt her wolf rise up, angry and hurt. "I am still Luna of this pack!"
Victor stepped forward, his expression grim. "Not for long. The pack meeting tonight will announce changes in leadership."
"Tonight?" Evelyn gasped. "You were going to tell everyone tonight without even talking to me first?"
Victor's silence was answer enough.
Evelyn backed away, tears streaming down her face. Her chest felt like it might crack open from the pain. "I loved you, Victor. With everything I had."
For just a moment, something flickered in Victor's eyes—doubt? regret?—but it vanished as Celeste squeezed his arm.
"Love is weakness," Celeste said. "The pack deserves better."
Evelyn turned and ran, her vision blurred by tears. She raced through the mansion halls where she had once walked proudly as Luna. Pack members stopped and stared as she passed, but she didn't slow down.
Outside, the afternoon sun felt too bright, too cheerful for her shattered world. Evelyn ran toward the forest, her safe place since childhood. Once under the cover of trees, she collapsed against a large oak, sobs tearing from her throat.
"How could he? How could he?" she cried, pounding her fist against the rough bark until her knuckles bled.
Her wolf howled in pain inside her, the betrayal cutting through both human and animal spirits. The mate bond that connected her to Victor pulsed with hurt, but she could feel it already weakening, as if his rejection was physically breaking it.
Evelyn didn't know how long she sat there, crying until no more tears would come. The forest grew darker as the sun began to set. The pack meeting would start soon. Victor and Celeste would announce their plans. Everyone would know she had been cast aside.
"I can't face that," she whispered, hugging herself tightly. "I can't stand there while they destroy everything I thought was real."
A twig snapped nearby. Evelyn jumped up, quickly wiping her face.
"Who's there?" she called, trying to sound stronger than she felt.
A tall figure stepped out from behind the trees. Evelyn tensed, ready to defend herself, when she recognized her brother's familiar face.
"Lucien!" Relief flooded through her. "What are you doing here?"
Lucien Royce, Alpha of the neighboring Silver Creek Pack, rushed to his sister's side. "I came as soon as I heard rumors of trouble." His eyes narrowed as he took in her tear-stained face and bloodied knuckles. "What did he do?"
As the words poured out of Evelyn, telling her brother everything she had seen and heard, Lucien's face darkened with rage.
"I'll kill him," he growled, his eyes flashing wolf-amber. "No one treats my sister this way."
"No!" Evelyn grabbed his arm. "Violence won't solve anything. I just... I need to leave. I can't be here anymore."
Lucien pulled her into a tight hug. "Come home with me. The Silver Creek Pack will protect you."
Evelyn buried her face against her brother's shoulder, taking comfort in his familiar scent. But as the last rays of sunlight disappeared from the forest, a strange feeling washed over her. She pulled back, frowning.
"Lucien, something's wrong. I feel... weird." A wave of dizziness hit her, making her stumble.
Lucien caught her, his expression changing from concern to alarm. "Evelyn, your eyes!"
"What about them?" she asked, suddenly finding it hard to focus.
"They're fading. The Luna glow is disappearing." Lucien's voice was tight with worry. "He's doing it already. He's breaking the mate bond!"
Pain shot through Evelyn's body, radiating from her heart outward. She gasped, clutching her chest.
"It hurts!" she cried, dropping to her knees. "Lucien, it hurts so much!"
Lucien knelt beside her, holding her shoulders. "Stay with me, Evelyn. Focus on my voice."
But the pain was overwhelming, like nothing she had ever felt before. As darkness crept into the edges of her vision, Evelyn heard distant howls from the direction of the pack house.
"The meeting," she whispered. "They're announcing it."
Lucien's face was the last thing she saw before blackness claimed her. But as consciousness slipped away, a final, terrible thought crossed her mind: this pain wasn't just from a broken heart or a severed mate bond.
There was something else—a flutter, a spark of life she hadn't noticed before. A secret growing inside her that changed everything.
And Victor would never know.