Years later, when I turned 18, everything changed. My father, driven by a desire for more power and territory, began to look down on my mother, who was just an ordinary she-wolf before she became Luna. He sought out the daughter of a powerful Alpha from another pack, seduced by the promise of greater power. He abandoned my mother, rejected her as his mate, and instead mated with that other woman, becoming the Alpha of the Shadow Crest Pack.

That was how selfish he was.

He moved to that pack without a second thought, leaving us behind. "You and Ophelia should come with me," he had said, his voice devoid of any fatherly warmth. "There’s no future for you here."

But I couldn’t abandon my mother. "I’m staying with Mom," I had said, my voice firm. "She needs me."

Ophelia, however, was different. She craved the power and prestige our father’s new position offered. She chose to follow him, leaving me and our mother behind without a second glance.

The day she left, I stood at the edge of the pack’s territory, watching her walk away. "Ophelia," I called out, my voice trembling. "Don’t go."

She had turned to me, her eyes cold and distant. "This is our chance, Claire," she said, her voice devoid of emotion. "I won’t waste it."

In the years that followed, I earned Caspian's resentment. He blamed me for everything—for keeping him from joining Ophelia, for holding him back, for being the reason he was stuck in Bloodvenom Pack. Especially after I became his mate, his hatred for me only grew.

From a young age, I had always followed Caspian around like a shadow. I adore him, admire him. And when I turned 18 and discovered he was my mate, I was overjoyed. I thought it was fate, that we were meant to be together.

But Caspian didn’t see it that way. When I told him we were mates, his reaction was anything but what I had hoped for. "No," he had said, his voice cold and distant. "This isn’t right. I was supposed to be with Ophelia."

I was devastated. "Caspian, please," I had begged, tears streaming down my face. "We’re meant to be together. You can’t just leave me."

But he had been determined to reject me, to leave with Ophelia and follow her to the Shadow Crest Pack.

And then, my mother fell ill. On her deathbed, she made Caspian promise to take care of me, to stay by my side, because I was his fated mate. He agreed, out of respect for the woman who had raised him up, but I knew in his heart he resented her for forcing him to stay.

And back when my Alpha father left, he left the pack for me to lead. Back then, I knew Caspian had always craved power, so I willingly made him the Alpha, content to remain in the background as the Luna. However, even after we mated, he never announced me as his Luna.

One day, I confronted him about it. "Caspian," I had said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Why haven’t you announced me as your Luna?"

His response was like a slap in the face. "Your mother forced me to mate with you. And now you want to be Luna too? Dream on, Claire. The position of Luna will always be reserved for your sister."

His words stung more than any physical blow ever could. I had nothing left to say. I couldn’t fight him, couldn’t make him love me. The most important place in his heart was reserved for the most precious person—Ophelia.

But I had one last request, one final act of desperation: Kylo’s trip to the ocean. I was ready to let him go, to set him free. Yet he still refused to spend one last moment with our son. It was one thing for him not to love me, but how could he be so heartless toward Kylo? His own flesh and blood?

I stared at Caspian with a mix of disappointment and fury. The man who once appeared as flawless as a painting now only inspired revulsion in me. His eyes, which had once softened when he looked at me, were now cold and unyielding. I had always found solace in those eyes, but now, they felt like a reminder of how far we had drifted.

Before I could voice my thoughts, Ophelia’s voice cut through the tension. “Alpha, my foot hurts, and so does my face. Can you check if it’s swollen? I wonder if it will affect tomorrow’s Alpha gathering that we will attend.”

Caspian’s attention snapped to Ophelia, his concern for her evident in the way he gently cradled her in his arms. She had taken full advantage of his sudden shift in focus, leaning into him as if she were a fragile porcelain doll. The slap I had landed with all my might had left a red handprint on her fair cheek, and her eyes were now brimming with crocodile tears.

Seeing Caspian tenderly wiping her tears away was a painful reminder of what we once shared. I could still remember how he used to be kind to me when we were younger—how he would help me up if I fell and wipe away my tears with the same tenderness he now reserved for Ophelia. The realization that those moments were long gone, replaced by this cruel charade, was almost unbearable.

“Claire,” Caspian said, his voice cold and devoid of the warmth it used to hold. “Apologize to your sister.”

I lifted my chin defiantly, straightening my spine. “No!” I said firmly, not willing to give in. The audacity to defy him, to challenge him like this, seemed to surprise him. It was almost as if he couldn’t reconcile this version of me with the one he used to know.

The irony wasn’t lost on me. When I was falling for him, I was cautious, meticulous around him, always hoping to earn his approval. I had given him my genuine affection, fearful that he might turn away from me. But nothing I did was ever enough. I could never measure up to Ophelia in his eyes.

Caspian looked taken aback for a moment, but his surprise quickly hardened into resolve. He settled back on the couch with Ophelia nestled in his arms, his gaze fixed on me with an almost casual air. “Claire, don’t make me angry,” he warned.

His wolf guards, who had been silent witnesses to the scene, stepped forward, blocking my path. With a steely glare, they escorted me back in front of Caspian and Ophelia.

Caspian’s posture was relaxed, but the pressure in the room was suffocating. He sat there with his legs crossed, his eyes locked onto me with an unnerving calm. “Apologize to Ophelia,” he said again, his tone brooking no argument.

Ophelia flashed me a challenging smile, then turned to Caspian with a feigned sweetness. “It’s okay, Alpha. Claire didn’t mean it.”

Caspian’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at her with a mixture of pity and affection. “Ophelia, you’re too soft-hearted. You treat her like a sister, but she’s never seen you that way.”

Then, turning his attention back to me, his eyes turned steely and harsh. “Anyone who hurts Ophelia will pay double.”

A memory flashed before my eyes—of being cornered by young wolves from a rival pack when I was just a child. Caspian had appeared like a guardian angel, fiercely defending me against my attackers. The person who had once stood as my protector was now standing by someone else, his loyalty and affection given away to another.

The realization hit me like a blow to the chest. The very man who had fought for me, who had once meant the world to me, was now determined to teach me a lesson in humiliation. His gaze was filled with anger, and his resolve was unwavering.

He signaled to the guards, who roughly forced me to kneel before him and Ophelia. As I bowed my head, my wolf howled in my mind, her pain and fury echoing my own. I could feel her struggling to break free, but I kept her restrained.

One of the guards stepped forward, his hand raised to strike me. Just as he was about to land the blow, Ophelia intervened, her voice filled with an affected concern. “Alpha, she’s still my sister. Men can be too harsh, and I’m afraid they might hurt her.”

Caspian looked at her with a hint of approval. “If she really needs to learn a lesson, I should do it,” Ophelia said, her tone dripping with false sweetness.

Caspian didn’t object. With a smug satisfaction, Ophelia raised her hand and slapped me twice. Her long nails cut into my cheek, leaving a trail of blood and pain. She looked at Caspian with a falsely troubled expression. “Alpha, what should we do? I’ve hurt Claire.”

Caspian snorted dismissively. “She deserves it, Ophelia. You’re too kind, worrying about her even though she hurt you first.”

The guards released me, and I fell to the ground, my body aching from the impact. I looked up at Caspian, anger burning in my eyes. “Claire, you owe Ophelia an apology,” he said, his voice cold and unyielding.

Owe her? It was she who had slandered my son, Kylo. The injustice of it all was overwhelming. I could feel the resentment and hurt bubbling up inside me. Caspian had always taken her side, no matter what. I scoffed, the anger in my voice unmistakable. “In your dreams! I hate you!”

As I faced Caspian, my eyes were devoid of the affection that once lingered there, replaced now with a cold, unrelenting hatred.

“Claire,” Caspian’s voice carried an air of frustration mixed with an unexpected softness. “Just do as you’re told, and you can have whatever you want. I can accompany your son or even grant you the title of my Luna.”

The words he spoke were like a mockery of the dreams I once held. I had yearned to be his Luna, to share a life with him, but in reality, his public life was always entwined with Ophelia. To the world, she was his Luna, his mate, his constant companion at gatherings with other Alphas and neighboring packs. I had been a shadow, a secret never acknowledged. And now, when I no longer desired what he offered, he wielded it like a weapon to coerce me into submission.

The pain in my face was sharp, but I masked it with a steely resolve. Meeting his gaze squarely, I said, “No need, Alpha. We’re done.”

The disbelief in his eyes was palpable, as though my rejection was something impossible to happen.

Caspian’s lips curled into a sneer. “What’s this? Not coming to me, pretending to need me to play with your son anymore?”

His words dripped with a scornful edge. Before I could retort, Ophelia interjected, her voice dripping with feigned concern. “Claire, stop deceiving Alpha Caspian. If Kylo were really dying, why would you be here alone?”

My patience snapped. “Shut up! You have no right to mention Kylo.”

Ophelia’s face fell into a mask of hurt, but I saw the satisfaction in her eyes. “Okay, I won’t mention it then. Don’t be mad at me, Claire.”

Her crocodile tears did little to mask her true intentions. Caspian, now thoroughly provoked by my reaction, chuckled coldly. He pulled out his phone with deliberate slowness as if he wanted to do something that would hurt me to the core.

With a sinister grin, he dialed Beta Clayton and put the call on speaker, ensuring I heard every word. “Beta Clayton, find out everything about Claire’s son, especially his whereabouts. If he’s in the pack’s infirmary, stop his treatment immediately.”

The air thickened with the weight of his threat. His gaze held mine, a cruel glimmer of satisfaction dancing in his eyes as if he believed this would break me. I responded with a grim, resigned smile.

The tension in the room was evident as Beta Clayton’s voice crackled over the speaker. [Alpha Caspian, Kylo has passed away. It happened the day after you disappeared.]