The morning after the council meeting, I woke to Emma's gentle breathing beside me. She'd crawled into my bed during the night—something she did whenever she sensed my distress. My wolf stirred restlessly within me, still raw from yesterday's humiliation.

*Stay calm*, I told her. *For Emma*.

"Mama?" Emma's sleepy voice broke through my thoughts. "Are you sad?"

I smoothed her dark curls, so like her father's. "No, little moon. Just thinking."

"About the lady who talks to Daddy?"

My heart clenched. Even at six, Emma missed nothing. "Sometimes grown-ups have complicated feelings," I said carefully.

She nodded with a child's solemn wisdom. "Beta Marcus says she's going to be my new mama."

The wolf inside me snarled, clawing to break free. I took a deep breath, forcing her down. "Beta Marcus should mind his own business."

"Time for your lessons," I said, changing the subject. "And I need to check the territory boundaries."

As Luna—even if only in name—the morning boundary check was my responsibility. A tradition I'd maintained faithfully for seven years, regardless of Alexander's treatment.

After dropping Emma with the pack teacher, I headed toward the eastern boundary, my wolf's senses alert. The morning air carried the usual scents of pine, earth, and the lingering traces of last night's patrol.

Until something foreign cut through it all.

Vanilla and jasmine.

My steps faltered as I approached the Luna's trail—a special path that only the Alpha's mate was permitted to mark. There, hanging from a low branch, was Alexander's personal talisman: a silver wolf pendant he'd inherited from his grandfather.

My fingers trembled as I reached for it. The pendant reeked of Victoria's scent, deliberately placed where I would find it.

"Admiring my gift?"

I spun around. Victoria stood several yards away, her blonde hair gleaming in the morning light, her smile venomous.

"This doesn't belong to you," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

"Alexander disagrees." She approached slowly, confidently. "He gave it to me last night, after you went to bed alone. Again."

My wolf howled in rage, but I maintained my composure. "The Luna's trail is off-limits to you."

Victoria laughed, running her hand along the trunk of a nearby tree, deliberately leaving her scent. "Luna? Is that what you call yourself?" She moved to another tree, marking it as well. "Everyone knows you're just a placeholder, Sophia. A charity case my Alpha keeps around because you happened to save his mother."

"Leave. Now." My voice dropped dangerously low.

"Or what?" She stepped closer. "You'll use your Luna authority? We both know you have none. Alexander made that perfectly clear to everyone yesterday."

She was right, and we both knew it. Without Alexander's acknowledgment of our true bond, I had no real standing to challenge her.

"This territory belongs to the Sterling Pack," I said finally. "Not to you."

"For now." Victoria's smile widened as she continued marking trees along the Luna's trail. "But soon enough, these boundaries will recognize my scent as their Luna's. Emma already responds better to me than to you."

My control slipped. "Stay away from my daughter."

"Our daughter soon," she corrected, her eyes glinting. "I'm just getting her used to the transition."

I left before my wolf could break free, the pendant clutched so tightly in my palm that it drew blood.

---

The spring pack run came three days later. As tradition dictated, the Alpha led with the Luna and their offspring following closely behind. For seven years, Emma and I had taken those positions, even if Alexander kept his distance.

But tonight was different.

As the pack gathered in the clearing, Victoria arrived wearing one of Alexander's shirts, her scent mingled with his. The message couldn't have been clearer.

"Emma, come stand with your father," Alexander called, ignoring me completely.

My daughter hesitated, looking between us with confusion in her eyes.

"Go on," I whispered, though my wolf howled in protest.

Emma walked slowly toward her father, her small shoulders tense. Before she reached him, Victoria intercepted her, grabbing her hand.

"Let me take you to your daddy," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear. "We'll run together tonight, the three of us."

"But Mama always runs with me," Emma protested, looking back at me.

Victoria knelt to Emma's level, still holding her hand. "Your father wants us to be a family tonight. Don't you want to make him happy?"

Around us, pack members watched the exchange, their expressions ranging from discomfort to cruel amusement. Beta Marcus nodded approvingly.

"You're getting so strong," Victoria continued, leading Emma toward Alexander. "I can feel the Alpha blood in you. Your father will be so proud when you take your first shift."

Emma's face brightened at the praise—praise that should have come from me, her mother. As they reached Alexander, Victoria positioned herself between father and daughter, creating a perfect family tableau that excluded me entirely.

The whispers started immediately.

"The Alpha's finally making his choice clear..."

"Poor Emma, caught between them..."

"Victoria's already acting like the Luna..."

I took my place at the back of the formation, my wolf raging against the injustice. As the run began, I watched my daughter disappear into the forest between Alexander and the woman who was systematically stealing my life.

---

I returned to my quarters exhausted, my spirit as drained as my body. The run had been torture—watching from a distance as Victoria played mother to my child, as Alexander allowed it, as the pack accepted it.

Pushing open the door to the Luna's chambers—my chambers, at least in name—I froze.

Victoria stood by my dresser, the ceremonial Luna mantle in her hands. The embroidered cloak had been passed down through generations of Sterling Lunas, given to me by Alexander's mother when Emma was born.

"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded, my voice sharp with fury.

Victoria didn't even startle. "Just seeing what needs to be altered." She held the mantle against her body, examining her reflection in the mirror. "It's a bit plain for my taste. I'll have it redone before the summer solstice ceremony."

My ancestral chalice—the one I'd brought from my birth pack, one of the few connections to my past—sat on the dresser beside her, already filled with her scent.

"Get out," I growled, my wolf dangerously close to the surface.

"Alexander gave me permission to be here," she replied calmly, running her fingers over the chalice. "He thought I should familiarize myself with the Luna's duties. And possessions."

Something inside me snapped. In three strides, I crossed the room and snatched the mantle from her hands. "This isn't yours. It will never be yours."

Victoria's eyes narrowed. "Everything that's yours will be mine, Sophia. Your position. Your quarters." Her gaze drifted to a photo of Emma on my nightstand. "Your daughter."

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Touch my daughter again, and you'll discover exactly what I'm capable of."

For the first time, uncertainty flickered across Victoria's face. My wolf's rage must have shown in my eyes, because she took a small step back.

"Alexander won't always be there to protect you," I continued. "Remember that."

A slow smile spread across her face, confidence returning. "But he's here now."

The door opened behind me, and I didn't need to turn to know who stood there. Alexander's scent filled the room, his Alpha aura immediately pressing down on me.

"Is there a problem?" he asked, his voice deceptively calm.

Victoria's smile widened as she met my gaze, the challenge clear in her eyes. This was no longer just about stealing my mate—this was about erasing me completely.

I stood at Emma's bedroom door, watching her small chest rise and fall with each labored breath. The morning sunlight filtered through her curtains, casting a golden glow on her flushed cheeks. At six years old, she was already showing signs of her wolf's emergence—earlier than most cubs in our pack. My wolf stirred within me, sensing what was coming before I fully understood it myself.

"She has your strength," a gentle voice said behind me.

I turned to find Elder Miriam, Alexander's mother, standing in the hallway. Despite everything, she had always shown Emma and me kindness.

"She'll need the pre-shift blessing," I said quietly. "The signs are unmistakable. Her scent is changing."

Miriam nodded, her eyes reflecting concern. "The fever will come soon. We should prepare the ritual herbs and notify Alexander."

The mention of my mate's name sent a cold shiver down my spine. Three weeks had passed since Victoria's intrusion into my quarters, and Alexander had grown even more distant, spending most nights away from the pack house.

"I'll speak with him," I promised, though my wolf whimpered at the thought.

I found Alexander in his office later that afternoon, maps of neighboring territories spread across his desk. He didn't look up when I entered.

"Emma needs the pre-shift blessing," I said without preamble. "Elder Miriam agrees. Her wolf is stirring early."

Alexander finally raised his eyes to mine, his expression unreadable. "The Northern Pack has invited us to their hunting celebration. Victoria and I will be attending."

"This isn't about Victoria," I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. "This is about our daughter. The blessing must be performed before the fever peaks."

"The celebration is tomorrow night. We'll handle Emma's blessing when I return."

"Her wolf won't wait for your social calendar, Alexander," I argued, my patience fraying. "This is sacred pack tradition. You know that."

He stood, his Alpha aura filling the room. "Are you questioning my judgment?"

My wolf snarled inside me, protective maternal instincts overriding fear. "I'm reminding you of your duty to your daughter."

"I'll decide when the blessing happens," he said coldly. "The celebration strengthens our alliance with the Northern Pack. Victoria has already arranged our attendance."

Of course she had. I bit back a bitter retort and left his office, my hands trembling with suppressed rage.

---

The training field echoed with the sounds of combat the next morning. As one of the pack's senior warriors—a position I'd earned long before becoming Alexander's mate—I was responsible for drilling the younger members in defense techniques.

"Pair up," I called out, surveying the twenty wolves assembled before me. "Today we practice evasion tactics."

I demonstrated the maneuver with Delta Kira, showing how to dodge an attacker while maintaining balance for a counterattack. As the pairs began practicing, I noticed a group of younger wolves hanging back, whispering among themselves.

"Liam, Tessa, is there a problem?" I asked, approaching them.

Liam, a stocky eighteen-year-old with a perpetual smirk, exchanged glances with his companions. "Just wondering if we should be taking orders from someone who isn't really our Luna."

The training field fell silent. My wolf bristled beneath my skin.

"Your position in this pack is to learn and obey your superiors," I said evenly. "My position as your combat instructor has nothing to do with my status as Luna."

"That's not what Victoria says," Tessa chimed in, her voice carrying across the field. "She says a real Luna would have her mate's respect, not his pity."

Hot shame flooded my cheeks as snickers rippled through the group. This was Victoria's work—I could smell her influence on them, likely from a recent interaction.

"If you're questioning my authority," I said coldly, "perhaps you'd prefer to demonstrate your skills against me directly."

Liam's smirk faltered. Despite everything, my reputation as a warrior remained intact.

"No? Then get back to training. All of you."

They complied, but the damage was done. Victoria was systematically undermining me from every angle, emboldening even the youngest pack members to mock me openly.

---

That night, with Alexander and Victoria away at the Northern Pack celebration, Emma's temperature spiked suddenly. I woke to her whimpers, the sound echoing not just in my ears but in my mind—the first signs of a developing pack bond.

"Mama," she cried, her small body trembling beneath the blankets. "It hurts."

I gathered her into my arms, feeling the unnatural heat radiating from her skin. "I know, little moon. Your wolf is trying to come out."

"Too soon," she whispered, her eyes glassy with fever. "She says it's too soon."

My heart froze. Emma was already communicating with her wolf—a dangerous sign at her age. Without the blessing, the premature emergence could tear her apart from within.

As I held my daughter's burning body against mine, her whimpers grew louder, echoing in my mind with increasing urgency. Her wolf was fighting to break free, and without the ritual blessing to guide it, Emma's life hung in the balance.