My hand tightened around the phone, my fingers trembling as I read the messages between Ezra Silvan, my mate, and his packmates.

“The poor little she-wolf probably doesn’t even know your real mate, Lyra, is coming back,” Ezra’s Beta had commented.

A cold ache settled in my chest. The "little she-wolf" they referred to was unmistakably me. I’d seen this before in Ezra’s conversations with his friends. And Lyra—his “real mate”—was a she-wolf of another pack?

“What will you do when Lyra gets back?” Ezra’s Gamma asked. “She won’t put up with your little she-wolf.”

“I’ll handle it,” Ezra replied, his words casual, almost too calm.

My blood went cold. “Handle it”? Was that his way of saying he’d be rid of me?

Before I could process that thought, another friend piped up. “You’re not planning to ditch her, are you?”

“Can’t do that,” Ezra replied, as if it were a trivial matter. “She’s been in my bed for five years.”

The chat filled with laughing emojis. My hand clenched into a fist. To Ezra and his pack, I was nothing but a placeholder—an inconvenience until Lyra returned.

“Don’t be that guy, man. If Alpha Dorian finds out, you’re really in for it.”

“What’s the problem?” came the dismissive reply. “If Dorian and his sister are fine with it, I can be Ezra’s mistress too.”

My grip on the phone tightened until my fingers began to ache. I could barely breathe as I waited for Ezra’s response.

“I’ll make it up to Cressida,” he wrote flatly, like he was signing off on a business deal.

“After all, she’s been with me for five years.”

The group exploded with more crude jokes. “She must perform great in bed if she’s stuck around this long, second only to Lyra.”

“Of course. Cressida seems so obedient. It’s always the quiet ones who surprise you…”

I set the phone down, the weight of their words pressing into me like a physical blow. I struggled to steady my breath before I dialed my brother’s number, my pulse still hammering in my ears.

“I’ve decided to return home for the arranged mating ceremony, Dorian.”

….

My voice was steady, yet it carried a weight that hung heavy in the air. On the other end of the line, Dorian Blackthorn, my elder brother and the Beta of the Obsidian Moon Pack, exhaled in relief. “Finally,” he said, his voice edged with triumph. “So, you’re done with him, then? I always knew that human wasn’t good enough for you, Cressida.”

The mention of him—Killian—made my chest tighten, but I kept my voice calm. “I’ll tie up loose ends here,” I murmured softly. “I just need two weeks. As for the ceremony, I’ll leave the preparations to you and Father.”

“Leave it to us,” Dorian said briskly. “The pack’s Elders have already chosen someone worthy of you—strong, loyal, and from a bloodline that complements our family’s lineage. You’ll like him, Cressida. He’ll treat you well.”

I nodded silently, even though he couldn’t see me.

“Oh, and make sure to invite Ezra Silvan,” Dorian added. “He’s the Alpha’s Alpha now, and you stayed with him during your time at the Celestial Pack. You owe him for looking after you when you first left.”

The mention of Ezra sent an ache through my chest, but I masked it with silence. After a pause, I replied, “He can’t come.”

Just as the words left my lips, the door to my apartment swung open. I quickly ended the call, my heart racing as the scent of cedar and storm clouds filled the air.

Ezra Silvan stepped inside, his sharp golden eyes locking onto mine. His lips curved into that familiar smirk that always set my wolf on edge. “Can’t come where?” he asked, his tone laced with curiosity.

To my mating ceremony, I thought bitterly, but I kept my face composed. “Nowhere important,” I said coolly, brushing past him.

Ezra’s smirk widened as he shrugged off his leather jacket, revealing a faint scar running along his collarbone. “Talking to Dorian again?”

I hummed in response, heading toward the bedroom, but before I could escape, Ezra grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his arms. His grip was firm, but his touch carried that same familiar heat that always made my wolf stir, despite my better judgment.

“Did you tell him about us?” he asked, his voice dropping an octave.

I allowed a small smile to flicker across my lips, though it didn’t reach my eyes. “Didn’t you say you didn’t want him to know?”

Ezra let out a low chuckle, his breath warm against my neck. “If Dorian found out his precious sister was tangled up with his best friend, he’d drag me back to the Obsidian Moon Pack and string me up by my tail.”

His teasing tone made my wolf bristle. I pulled away slightly, my gaze meeting his. “So, Ezra... am I really your mate, or just someone you’re passing time with?”

The question caught him off guard. He raised an eyebrow, his smirk faltering for a fraction of a second. “Not my mate?” he echoed. “Cressida, we’ve lived together for six years. I’ve held you in my arms every night. Do you really think I’d do that for anyone else?”

His words felt hollow, their weight diminished by the truths I had uncovered. I looked away, avoiding his piercing gaze. “I... I’m not feeling well tonight,” I muttered, stepping back.

Ezra didn’t press further. He laughed softly, ruffling my hair in that familiar way that used to make my heart flutter. “Still so shy, little wolf,” he teased before heading to the bathroom.

The sound of the water running was a faint backdrop to the storm brewing in my mind.

Mate?

Or just another replacement?

The first time I met Ezra Silvan was six years ago. He had been Dorian’s closest friend, his unwavering Gamma. Every time Dorian came home, Ezra was by his side—charming, confident, and utterly untouchable.

I had been a young, naive wolf, drawn to his sharp grin and effortless swagger. When I left the Obsidian Moon Pack to study among the Celestial wolves, it was Ezra who Dorian entrusted to look after me.

At first, Ezra treated me like a shadow. I was just Dorian’s little sister, someone who didn’t belong in his world of power and dominance. He spent his days training, racing across the pack lands, and, as I soon learned, charming every she-wolf who crossed his path.

It wasn’t until my second year in the Celestial Pack that things shifted. One night, Ezra came home late, reeking of whiskey and exhaustion. He collapsed on the couch, and I hesitated before awkwardly draping a blanket over him.

My hand brushed against his cheek, and his eyes snapped open, glowing faintly in the dim light.

“Do you like me, little wolf?” he asked, his voice rough and teasing.

I froze, stammering out a denial. But he chuckled softly, his golden eyes locking onto mine. “Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen the way you look at me.”

Before I could respond, he pulled me into a kiss, one that left me breathless and unsure of what had just happened.

From that moment on, everything changed.

Ezra, the untouchable Gamma, suddenly seemed grounded. He stopped chasing after meaningless flings and started spending more time with me. It was intoxicating, the way he made me feel seen, wanted, important.

For years, I defied my family’s pleas to return home and accept a mate of their choosing. I stayed in the Celestial Pack, clinging to the bond I thought we had. But Ezra never wanted anyone to know.

“Dorian wouldn’t understand,” he’d say whenever I brought it up.

It wasn’t until recently that I finally understood why.

At a pack gathering, Ezra had gotten drunk, and one of his friends let something slip.

“Don’t fall for him,” the wolf had said, his voice full of pity. “Ezra hasn’t been the same since Lyra.”

That was the first time I heard her name. Lyra, his first love. The she-wolf who had shattered his heart before I ever met him.

I pieced the rest together on my own. Lyra was everything Ezra wanted, and every woman after her—myself included—was just a shadow of her.

He became an Alpha because of her. Lyra had once said, “A true wolf finds purpose in power,” and Ezra had taken that to heart.

Every kiss, every promise, every moment we shared was just a ghost of what he had once given to her.

I couldn’t do it anymore.

Six years of love, loyalty, and longing had been wasted. I refused to let myself be a stand-in any longer.

So now, as I sat in the quiet of our shared apartment, listening to the sound of the shower, I made a decision.

I was going home.

And Ezra Silvan? He would remain in the past, where he belonged.

My internal clock woke me up at dawn, the warm glow of the early sun peeking through the curtains. My wolf stirred faintly within me, sensing the quiet of the morning. Despite the peace around me, my mind was far from settled.

As soon as my eyes opened, I spotted Ezra Silvan standing by the mirror, adjusting his shirt. He usually slept late, his nights filled with pack patrols or his personal escapades. To see him up so early was unusual—this might have been a first.

Hearing me stir, he turned, his sharp golden eyes scanning me before his lips quirked into a playful grin. “What do you think?” he asked, gesturing to his perfectly tailored outfit.

Ezra always had a way of making even the simplest clothes look elegant. Today, though, he’d clearly put in extra effort. His black shirt hugged his lean, muscular frame, and his charcoal-gray jacket was tailored to perfection. Once, the sight of him like this would have made my wolf’s heart race. But now? It only left me cold.

I nodded, keeping my voice steady. “You look fine.”

He smirked, apparently satisfied. “I’ve got a pack meeting today. Be good while I’m gone,” he teased, his tone casual. “I’ll bring you something sweet when I get back.”

He ruffled my hair like I was a pup and turned to leave. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room filled with silence once more.

I pushed back the covers and made my way to the kitchen, planning to grab a quick cup of coffee. That’s when I noticed his phone on the counter. It wasn’t like Ezra to leave it behind; he was always glued to it.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I reached for it, my fingers brushing against the screen. It lit up instantly, revealing a message from someone saved in his contacts as “Lyra.”

The name sent a chill down my spine.

“Ezra, it’s been six years. I’m so happy we’re finally meeting today. Are you looking forward to it as much as I am?”

My breath caught in my throat, and I felt my wolf stir uneasily within me. Lyra. The name whispered through my mind like a cruel reminder. She was the one. The she-wolf who had left him years ago. His first love.

Now, I understood why he was up early, dressed to perfection, his face practically glowing. He was meeting her.

The door opened suddenly, and Ezra walked back in. He froze when he saw me holding his phone, his eyes narrowing. “Did you... look at my phone?”