The scent hit me first—death mixed with lavender, my mother's favorite flower. I stumbled through our cottage door, my legs still shaking from the public humiliation at the ceremony. The silence inside was wrong, too heavy, too final.

"Mom?" My voice cracked as I moved toward her bedroom.

I found her on the floor, still in wolf form. Her silver fur, once lustrous despite her age, lay dull and matted. A piece of paper was clutched between her teeth, the edges torn where her dying jaws had gripped it.

My knees hit the wooden floor hard as I gathered her into my arms. She was already cold. How long had she been lying here while I was forced to grovel at Sophia's feet?

"No, no, no..." The words tumbled out as I buried my face in her fur. My wolf howled inside me, a sound of pure anguish that I couldn't voice aloud.

With trembling fingers, I pried the letter from her mouth. The paper was stained with saliva and something darker—blood from where she'd bitten her own tongue.

*My dearest Luna,*

*If you're reading this, then the rumors were true. That woman has returned. I saw the ceremony preparations, heard the whispers. My wolf couldn't bear it—knowing what she'll do to you, what HE'LL let her do.*

*Run, my daughter. Before it's too late. She won't stop until she's destroyed everything you are. I've seen her kind before—*

The letter ended there, her final warning incomplete. My tears fell onto the paper, smearing the ink. Even in death, she'd tried to protect me.

A knock at the door made me flinch. Beta Marcus stood in the doorway, his expression carefully neutral.

"Luna," he said, though the title sounded hollow now. "The Alpha has departed for the Western Territory with the European delegation. He'll be gone for five days."

I stared at him, my mother's body still warm in my arms. "My mother is dead."

Something flickered in his eyes—pity, maybe—before his face hardened again. "The Alpha left instructions. You're to handle any... personal matters on your own. Pack resources are allocated for diplomatic purposes this week."

The meaning was clear. No pack funeral. No ceremonial rites. My mother, who had served this pack faithfully for decades, would be buried like a rogue.

"Get out," I whispered.

He left without another word.

---

I dug her grave myself, behind our cottage where the wildflowers grew. My hands bled from the work, but I welcomed the physical pain. It distracted from the gaping wound in my chest.

Pack members passed by throughout the day, but none offered help. Some slowed their steps, conflict clear in their eyes, but fear of defying their Alpha's implicit wishes kept them moving. Only Ellie lingered at the edge of the property, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry," she mouthed before Beta Marcus appeared and ushered her away.

As the sun set, I lowered my mother's body into the earth. I'd wrapped her in her favorite blanket, the one she'd made when I was born. No Elder came to speak the rites. No pack members gathered to howl her spirit to the Moon Goddess.

It was just me, alone, whispering the ancient words I'd learned as a pup.

"May the moon light your path. May the stars guide you home. May you run free in eternal forests, until we meet again."

My wolf added her own broken howl to the night.

---

I returned to the pack house three days later, my mourning period cut short by Luna duties that couldn't be ignored. The familiar hallways felt foreign now, tainted by whispers that followed me like shadows.

When I reached the Alpha wing, my belongings were stacked in boxes outside the door. A young omega I didn't recognize stood guard, shifting nervously.

"I'm sorry, Luna," she stammered. "Beta Marcus said... he said to tell you..."

"Just say it."

"You're to move to the omega quarters. Third floor, room twelve." She couldn't meet my eyes. "You'll still perform Luna duties, but the Alpha chambers are... occupied."

Through the closed door, I caught a whiff of Sophia's perfume mixed with Dominic's scent. My wolf whimpered, recognizing the intimate blend that spoke of shared space, shared air.

Shared bed.

"Thank you," I managed, gathering the first box.

The omega quarters were cramped and musty, a far cry from the spacious Luna suite. As I unpacked my few possessions in the tiny room, I found my mother's letter again.

*Run,* she'd written.

But where could a rejected Luna go? And who would I be if I wasn't Dominic's mate?

My wolf stirred restlessly as footsteps echoed in the hallway. Heavy. Deliberate.

The door opened without a knock, and Beta Marcus filled the doorframe.

"The Alpha returns tomorrow," he announced. "With new pack laws."

The pack meeting hall fell silent as Dominic entered, Sophia gliding beside him like a shadow. I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, trying to make myself invisible among the gathered wolves. Three days had passed since my return to the pack house, three days of sleeping in the cramped omega quarters while performing Luna duties that felt like a cruel joke.

"Tonight," Dominic announced, his voice carrying the weight of Alpha authority, "we finalize our alliance with the European Lycan Council."

I stood at the edge of the circle, dressed in the ceremonial white robe that marked my position as Luna. The garment felt wrong on my skin now, a lie wrapped in fabric. My mother's voice echoed in my mind: *Run, before it's too late.*

But where would I go?

Sophia's eyes found mine across the room, her lips curving into that same victorious smile I'd seen at the ritual grounds. She moved through the crowd with deliberate grace, a goblet of deep red wine in her hand.

"Luna Winters," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "How... dedicated you are, still performing your duties despite your... circumstances."

I forced myself to meet her gaze. "The pack comes first."

"Does it?" She stepped closer, her perfume suffocating me. "I wonder if your mother thought the same when she chose to abandon her responsibilities."

My wolf surged forward at the mention of my mother, a growl building in my throat. Before I could respond, Sophia gasped dramatically, her hand jerking forward. The red wine splashed across my white robe, staining the ceremonial garment like blood.

"She attacked me!" Sophia cried, dropping the empty goblet and clutching her wrist. "Your Luna just tried to assault a diplomatic guest!"

Murmurs rippled through the pack as Dominic strode forward, his eyes cold as he surveyed the scene. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but his Alpha tone cut through the air before I could speak.

"KNEEL."

The command hit me like a physical blow, forcing me to my knees. The wine-soaked fabric clung to my skin as I trembled before him.

"Apologize," he ordered, his voice devoid of the warmth I once knew. "Now."

With every pair of eyes in the pack watching, I bowed my head to Sophia. "I apologize for my behavior." The words tasted like ash in my mouth.

Sophia's fingers brushed my hair, that same false gesture of comfort that made my skin crawl. "I accept your apology, Luna. We all understand how... difficult things must be for you right now."

Dominic dismissed the meeting shortly after, but the humiliation clung to me like the wine on my robe. No one met my eyes as they filed out. No one offered help. I was alone in a pack full of wolves.

---

The forest welcomed me that night, its darkness a comfort rather than a threat. I slipped away from the pack house when most were asleep, carrying only a small satchel and the journal I'd found hidden beneath my mother's mattress.

In a small clearing, far enough from patrol routes to remain undisturbed, I knelt beside a patch of moonflowers. Their silver-blue petals glowed in the darkness, a natural remedy for pain that my mother had taught me to harvest years ago.

I opened her journal with trembling fingers, finding the page marked with a dried leaf.

*Healing paste for broken bones: Moonflower petals, crushed willow bark, river moss, bound with honey...*

My wolf hummed contentedly as I gathered the ingredients, this small act of defiance—returning to my abandoned dream of healing—soothing us both. For the first time since Sophia's return, I felt a flicker of peace as I mixed the herbs, the familiar motions bringing memories of happier days.

"What are you doing out here alone?"

I startled, nearly dropping the small mortar. Ellie stood at the edge of the clearing, her omega status evident in her hesitant posture.

"I couldn't sleep," I said simply, not hiding the herbs. Ellie had been the only one to show me kindness since my fall from grace.

She approached slowly, sitting beside me. "Your mother was teaching you, wasn't she? Before..."

"Before I became Luna," I finished. "Yes. She was the pack healer before her health declined."

Ellie watched me work in silence for a while. "You have gentle hands," she finally said. "Healer's hands."

I smiled sadly, looking down at my fingers as they methodically ground the herbs. "These hands are all I have left that's truly mine."

---

The morning pack run should have been invigorating—wolves racing through the territory, celebrating our connection to the forest and each other. Instead, I ran alone at the back of the group, the distance between me and Dominic a physical representation of our fractured bond.

Sophia ran beside him, her auburn wolf form sleek and powerful, occasionally brushing against his black coat in a display of intimacy that made my heart ache.

I was so focused on maintaining my distance that I almost missed it when Sophia suddenly yelped, her wolf form crumpling to the ground. The pack halted immediately, circling back as she shifted to human form, clutching her ankle.

"It was Luna," she gasped, tears streaming down her face as Dominic shifted beside her. "She ran into me deliberately—I felt her push me!"

I shifted as well, horror washing over me. "No, I was nowhere near—"

"SILENCE!" Dominic's Alpha command cut me off. His eyes, usually warm amber, had turned to cold stone. "Marcus."

Beta Marcus stepped forward, his expression grim.

"Break her hand," Dominic ordered, his voice eerily calm. "The right one."

My blood turned to ice. My right hand—my dominant hand. The one I used for mixing herbs. For healing.

"Alpha," I whispered, searching for any trace of the mate I once knew. "Please..."

But there was nothing in his eyes. No recognition. No mercy.

Marcus grabbed my wrist, his grip like iron. I didn't fight—couldn't fight against a direct Alpha command. As he positioned my hand against a nearby rock, I caught Sophia's eye.

She wasn't crying anymore. She was watching, her lips curved in that same victorious smile.

The crack of bones echoed through the forest, followed by my scream. Pain exploded up my arm as Marcus methodically crushed my fingers, one by one.

Through tear-blurred vision, I saw Dominic turn away, not even watching as he destroyed the last piece of me that remained whole.

My wolf howled in agony, not just from the physical pain, but from the final, terrible realization: The mate I had loved was truly gone. And if I stayed, there would be nothing left of me at all.