The numbers on the financial report blurred before my eyes as I rubbed my temples, trying to focus. Being Luna of the Silverfang Pack came with responsibilities I'd never imagined ten years ago when we'd arrived as young rogues. Now, I was responsible for managing the pack's resources while Cade—my mate, my Alpha—focused on what he called "more important matters."

A harsh knock interrupted my concentration, though no one had bothered to actually wait for permission before entering. The door to my small office in the Pack House annex burst open with enough force to rattle the framed photo on my desk—me and Cade, taken shortly after we'd arrived here, both smiling with hope for our future.

"Still hiding in your little cubbyhole, Luna?" Estella's voice dripped with false sweetness as she sauntered in, her designer heels clicking against the wooden floor. "I thought you might want to see this."

She slammed a heavy folder onto my desk, sending papers scattering to the floor. I didn't bother to pick them up immediately, instead fixing my gaze on the woman standing before me. Estella was beautiful in that calculated way that made my skin crawl—perfect makeup, expensive clothes, and a smile that never reached her eyes.

"What is it, Estella?" I kept my voice level, though my wolf stirred restlessly inside me.

She flipped open the folder with manicured fingers and slid a document across the desk. "The deed to The Aerie. Signed by your Alpha—my Cade—this very morning."

The paper felt heavy in my hands. The Aerie was a secluded cliffside villa on the edge of our territory—luxurious, private, and worth more than most pack members would make in a lifetime.

"He bought it for me," Estella continued, leaning closer, her floral perfume suffocating me. "Said my scent mixes better with his Alpha pheromones. Something about how our wolves just... click." She clicked her fingers together for emphasis. "Unlike some bonds that have grown stale."

My fingers tightened on the paper. "If you're trying to hurt me, Estella, you'll need to try harder."

She laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Hurt you? Oh, sweetheart, I'm just stating facts. Everyone knows Cade deserves a Luna who can handle his... needs." Her hand traced down her body suggestively. "And apparently, that's not you anymore."

After she left, her perfume lingered like poison in the air. I collapsed into my chair, the deed still clutched in my hand. My eyes fell on the photo of young Cade and me, and something inside me cracked.

"Sofie," a voice whispered.

I looked up, expecting to be alone, but a figure had appeared sitting on the edge of my desk. It was Cade—but not the cold, powerful Alpha he'd become. This was eighteen-year-old Cade, wearing his favorite torn flannel shirt, his eyes bright with the love he once had for me.

"Don't let go, Sofie," he pleaded, his voice breaking. "Please. I know I promised to protect you. I know I promised..."

I reached out to touch his cheek, but my hand passed through cold mist. He wasn't real—just a hallucination born of my breaking heart.

"You're not him anymore," I whispered as tears burned my eyes.

The phantom Cade's eyes filled with tears that spilled down his translucent cheeks. "I'm still here, somewhere. Don't give up on us."

But as quickly as he had appeared, he faded away, leaving me alone with the deed and my shattered hopes.

---

That evening, I found myself standing in the doorway of the master bedroom, watching as Cade—the real, twenty-eight-year-old Alpha Cade—adjusted his cufflinks in preparation for yet another late-night meeting.

"You bought Estella a house," I said quietly.

He didn't even look at me as he straightened his tie. "I bought an investment property."

"The deed has her name on it."

Finally, he turned to me, his eyes flashing with irritation. "A King needs more than one sanctuary, Sofia. Stop acting like a jealous pup." His voice hardened as he used his Alpha Command. "You are Luna; act like it."

The weight of his command pressed against me like a physical force, but something inside me pushed back. In the corner of the room, the phantom Cade appeared again, silently weeping as he watched his future self destroy everything they had once built.

I looked between the two versions of my mate—one crying for what we'd lost, the other indifferent to my pain as he adjusted his perfect appearance.

"Cade," I whispered, "do you even remember who we used to be?"

He frowned, checking his watch. "I have a meeting. We can discuss your insecurities another time."

As he walked past me toward the door, I caught a glimpse of something in his eyes—not love, not regret, but calculation. And in that moment, I knew the boy who had promised to protect me was truly gone.

The invitation to the annual Moonlight Gala arrived on my desk, embossed with the Silverfang Pack's emblem—a wolf's head with a silver crown. I traced the raised design with my fingertip, remembering how excited I'd been about our first gala ten years ago. Back then, Cade had spent hours practicing his dance steps, determined not to embarrass me in front of the high-ranking wolves.

"How formal do I need to be?" I'd asked him, twirling in my homemade dress.

He'd pulled me close, his eyes bright with mischief. "Wear whatever makes you feel like a queen, Sofie. You're mine, and that's all that matters."

Now, as I held the invitation, those memories felt like they belonged to someone else's life.

"The car will be ready at seven," Cade announced from the doorway of my office. He didn't bother to enter, just stood there checking his phone. "Wear something... modest."

I looked up, catching his reflection in the window behind him. "Modest?"

"The special guests need to be the center of attention tonight." His eyes flicked to mine briefly. "Not you."

Special guests. I didn't need to ask who he meant.

"I understand," I said quietly, though I didn't. Not really.

After he left, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out a folded piece of paper I'd hidden there months ago. The rejection letter I'd started but couldn't finish. My fingers trembled as I read the words I'd written:

"I, Sofia Reed, reject you, Cade Foster..."

I folded it again and slipped it into my pocket. Not as a threat, but as a reminder—a talisman of courage I might need tonight.

---

The ballroom glittered with crystal chandeliers and the jewelry of high-ranking wolves. I stood near the wall, nursing a glass of champagne I hadn't touched, watching Cade work the room. He was magnificent in his tailored suit, his Alpha aura commanding attention wherever he went.

"Sofia." Estella's voice cut through my thoughts. She approached with two goblets of deep red wine, her silver gown matching Cade's tie perfectly. "I brought you something."

She held out one of the goblets. "A peace offering. The elders are watching."

I smelled it before I saw it—the metallic tang of wolfsbane floating on the surface of the wine. My wolf stirred uneasily inside me.

"What is this really?" I asked quietly.

"Just wine." Estella's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Unless you're afraid?"

Before I could respond, Cade appeared at my side, his hand heavy on my shoulder. "Drink with Estella," he growled low in my ear. "Do not embarrass me in front of her father."

I looked up at him, searching for any sign of concern. There was none.

"It's just wine," he added, his Alpha command pressing against me like a physical weight.

My fingers tightened around the goblet. The rejection letter in my pocket seemed to burn against my thigh.

"To peace," Estella said sweetly, raising her glass.

I raised mine and drank.

The effect was immediate. Fire spread through my veins, my wolf howling in agony as the wolfsbane attacked her. I dropped the goblet, glass shattering across the marble floor as I clutched my throat.

"Sofia!" Someone gasped.

The room spun around me. Through blurred vision, I saw Estella's satisfied smile, the elders' shocked faces, and Cade's expression of irritation rather than concern.

"She can't hold her wine," he announced to the crowd, scooping me up into his arms. Not gently—I felt his fingers dig into my skin. "My Luna needs to learn her limits."

As he carried me out, I heard whispers behind us. "Poor thing... can't even handle one glass..."

"She's always been weak..."

The last thing I saw before the doors closed was Estella raising her untouched goblet in a silent toast.

---

"She'll be fine," the pack doctor said, checking my vitals after administering the antidote. "Her wolf is strong, but wolfsbane is no joke."

Cade paced the clinic room, checking his watch every few minutes. "How long until she's stable?"

"Already stabilizing," the doctor replied. "But she should rest here overnight."

"I can't stay," Cade said immediately. "The Gala is falling apart without me there to manage the fallout from this... incident."

I wanted to call out, to ask him if he even cared that I'd been poisoned. But my throat was raw, my voice a broken whisper.

"I need to return," he continued, straightening his tie. "You'll be safe here."

As he turned to leave, I saw him—the phantom Cade—slipping into the room. Eighteen-year-old Cade moved to my bedside, his translucent form curling up on the floor like a guard dog protecting me.

"I'll stay with her," my phantom whispered, though I was the only one who could hear him.

The real Cade left without a backward glance, the door closing with a soft click that sounded like goodbye.

The wolfsbane still coursed through my system, making my limbs heavy as I dragged myself from the clinic bed. The doctor had said I should rest, but the walls were closing in on me. I needed air—needed to escape the sterile smell of antiseptic and the memory of Cade's indifference.

"Sofia," the night nurse called as I slipped past her station. "You shouldn't be up yet."

I nodded weakly but kept moving. "Just... need some fresh air."

The Pack House was eerily quiet at midnight. Most wolves would be at the after-gala celebrations, leaving the corridors empty and silent. I followed the moonlight streaming through the windows, my bare feet silent against the cold marble floors.

The gardens beckoned beyond the glass doors—a sanctuary of shadows and silver light. I pushed outside, breathing deeply of the night air. The wolfsbane made my senses dull, but I could still smell the night-blooming flowers and the pine trees that bordered our territory.

Then another scent caught my attention—Cade's distinctive Alpha musk, mixed with Estella's cloying perfume.

I moved instinctively toward the stone benches nestled among the hedge maze. Voices drifted through the foliage, hushed but clear in the still night.

"She looked like she was dying," Estella's voice trembled with false concern. "It scared me, Cade."

"You're safe now," Cade murmured, his voice gentle in a way it hadn't been with me in years. "I've got you."

I peered through the hedge. Cade sat on the stone bench, his arm around Estella's shoulders as she leaned against him. Her face was buried in his chest, shoulders shaking with what appeared to be sobs.

"But what if she tries to hurt me again?" Estella asked, looking up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "What if she hurts our pup?"

My breath caught in my throat. Our pup?

Cade stiffened slightly, but he didn't pull away. Instead, his hand moved to rest protectively over Estella's stomach.

"The heir?" he asked quietly.

"The stress isn't good for the baby," Estella whispered, her hand covering his. "I need you to protect us."

Beside me, the phantom Cade materialized, his translucent form trembling with rage and grief. He clapped his hands over his ears but couldn't block out the words. A silent scream contorted his features as he fell to his knees beside me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him, though I wasn't sure why I was apologizing. For what Cade had become? For what I was about to lose?

---

Morning light streamed through the office windows as I stood before Cade's desk. He didn't look up from his paperwork, though I knew he'd scented me the moment I entered.

"You should be resting," he said flatly.

"We need to talk about Estella."

His pen paused mid-signature. "What about her?"

"I want you to fire her from her consultant position."

That got his attention. He looked up, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Fire her? Why?"

"Because she's undermining me. Undermining us." I stepped closer, placing my hands on his desk. "This is still our pack, Cade. Ours."

He leaned back in his chair, studying me with cold eyes. "You think this is about jealousy?"

"I think this is about respect," I countered. "For our marriage. For our bond."

Cade laughed—a short, dismissive sound that cut through me like a knife. "She brings value to this pack, Sofia. Connections. Resources." His eyes narrowed slightly. "You bring... nostalgia."

The rejection letter in my pocket felt heavier than ever.

---

"I thought we could visit Thomas this weekend," I said carefully, watching Cade's reaction. Thomas—my brother who had stayed behind when we left the Black Moon Pack. The brother who had warned me about what power would do to Cade.

Cade's jaw tightened. "Why would we do that?"

"To reconnect. To remember where we came from." I hesitated before adding, "To remember who we were."

"You mean who I was," he corrected, his voice hardening. "That boy doesn't exist anymore, Sofia."

"He does," I whispered. "Somewhere inside you."

"I don't look back," Cade said firmly, turning away from me to stare out the window. "Neither should you."

Behind him, the phantom Cade appeared, his young face etched with sorrow as he watched his future self reject everything they had once stood for.

"Border dispute meeting," Cade continued, dismissing me with a wave. "Marcus is organizing it. I need to be there."

Of course he did. Estella's father—always pulling the strings.

As I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of something in Cade's eyes—not regret, but calculation. And in that moment, I knew there would be a third test. One he would fail just as spectacularly as the first two.