Skye

The words drop into the silence like stones into still water.

Jaxon's eyes narrow. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." My hands are steady now, even as my heart splinters. "Whatever sick arrangement you and Cassandra have planned, count me out. I won't be part of this."

"You don't mean that." Jaxon takes a step forward, and for a moment something flickers in his eyes—surprise, maybe, or anger. "Skye, you're my mate. You can't just—"

"Watch me."

I turn and walk out before he can see me fall apart. Before Cassandra can offer more poisonous sympathy. Before I do something stupid like tell him about the baby growing inside me—the baby that should have been his heir, but never will be now.

Behind me, I hear Jaxon call my name, sharp and commanding.

I don't stop.

I don't look back.

My hands tremble and my legs shake as I make the climb up the cliff to my secret hideaway, but I keep going until I reach the top. I found this place when I was fourteen, after one of the numerous times Cassandra humiliated me in front of the entire pack and I've been coming here ever since.

It's beautiful up here. Peaceful. Everything my life isn't.

I wrap my arms around my knees and let myself cry—really cry, the kind of gasping, ugly sobs I'd never allow anyone to see. My carefully applied makeup is probably running down my face in dark streaks. The blue dress Jaxon supposedly liked is creased and dirty from the climb up here.

I don't care.

Let it all fall apart. It was an illusion anyway.

"I knew I'd find you here."

I jerk my head up, my wolf surging with alarm before I catch the familiar scent. Warm brown sugar. Safe. Known.

Noah.

He's standing a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his dark hair slightly windswept. Those warm brown eyes that used to crinkle with laughter when we'd sneak away together are filled with concern now.

"Go away," I tell him, my voice raw.

"Can't do that." He moves closer, settling onto the rock beside me with the easy comfort of someone who's done this a hundred times before. "You're upset."

"Brilliant observation." I swipe at my face, hating that he's seeing me like this. "Shouldn't you be with your Alpha? I'm sure he needs his Beta to help manage the fallout from his dramatic wife."

Noah doesn't rise to the bait. He just sits there, solid and steady, the way he always has.

We used to do this all the time back when we were still best friends. I even wondered if we might be fated mates, though I was too busy crushing on Jaxon to give it much thought. Ridiculous, considering he was dating my sister and I’d never been brave enough to do more than admire him from afar.

But that was before everything went wrong. Before the night of my eighteenth birthday when Jaxon's scent hit me and I realized my best friend wasn't my mate after all. Before Noah pulled away from me, leaving me to navigate a loveless marriage and my new role as Luna alone.

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"For what? You didn't knock up my sister."

"Skye—"

"He still loves her.” I blurt out, the words spilling over before I can stop them. “Maybe he always has. And he ended up stuck with me. The pathetic girl who'd been crushing on him since she was fifteen, so desperate to be chosen that she'd accept any scraps he threw her way."

"Stop." Noah's voice is firm now, edged with something almost like anger. "Don't talk about yourself like that. You're not pathetic, Skye. You're the best Luna this pack has had in generations."

The praise makes my throat tight. "That won't matter when he divorces me."

"He can't." Noah's hand finds mine, warm and solid. "Even if he wanted to—which I don't think he does, not really—unbonding from a fated mate isn't something easily done. Especially not to replace you with someone who isn't even his true mate."

"He has a son with her." The words feel heavy. Final. "An heir. That changes everything."

"It changes the political landscape," Noah concedes. "But it doesn't change what you are to him. What you've been to this pack. You've been a better Luna than Cassandra could ever be—more compassionate, more dedicated, more—"

"More foolish." I pull my hand away. "I thought loving him would be enough to win his heart eventually. But I've wasted three years trying to make him love me, Noah. Three years of pretending everything was fine when it clearly wasn't. And all that time, he's been pining for my sister."

"You don't know that."

"I saw the way he looked at her today." My voice breaks. "Like she was the answer to a question he'd been asking for years. And I saw the way he looked at that boy. His son. There was... tenderness there. Something I've never seen directed at me."

Noah is quiet for a long moment. When he speaks, his voice is careful. "I was in the meeting room after you left. I saw how crushed you were. Hell, everyone saw it. And for what it's worth, Jaxon looked pretty shaken too."

"Shaken because his dirty secret got exposed."

"Maybe. Or maybe because he realized what he's about to lose."

Skye

I want to believe Noah. God, I want to believe that some part of Jaxon actually cares. But I've spent three years reading meaning into empty gestures, and I can't do it anymore.

"The elders won't let him cast you aside," Noah continues. "You've earned their respect. More than that—you've earned their loyalty. They won't support him stripping your title just because his ex-girlfriend came back with a convenient sob story."

His words spark something in me—a tiny flame of hope that I immediately try to smother. Because hope is what got me into this mess. Hope that Jaxon would see me. Love me. Choose me.

"You really think they'd stand with me?" I ask quietly.

"I know they would." Noah's voice is fierce now, protective in a way that reminds me of the boy who used to defend me from pack bullies. "And I'll stand with you too, Skye. I should have been a better friend these past few years. I let the distance between us grow because it was easier than watching you hurt yourself trying to please someone who couldn't see what he had."

The kindness in his words threatens to undo me all over again. "Noah—"

"I mean it. Whatever you need, whatever you decide to do—I'm on your side. Not Jaxon's. Not the pack's. Yours."

Something in my chest cracks open. It's been so long since someone chose me first. Since someone saw me as more than just the Luna, or Jaxon's reluctant mate, or Cassandra's inferior replacement.

"Thank you," I whisper.

We sit in silence for a while, watching the sun sink lower. Somewhere down there, Jaxon is probably planning his next move. And I'm up here, trying to figure out how to survive what comes next.

"You should come back," Noah says eventually. "Face this head-on. Show them you're not running scared."

He's right. I know he's right. The old Skye—the one who accepted everything without question—would already be on her way back, ready to apologize for making a scene.

But that Skye got her heart broken today.

That Skye discovered she's pregnant with a child her husband might not even want, now that he has a ready-made heir.

That Skye watched her husband hold her sister and realized she'd been living a lie.

"They'll expect me at dinner," I say, more to myself than to Noah. "And at the meeting. Jaxon will want me presentable and compliant, ready to stand beside him while he announces his bastard son to the pack."

"Skye—"

"He thinks I'll stay." The realization settles over me like a shroud. "He thinks I'll be so desperate to keep my title, so afraid of losing my place in the pack, that I'll accept whatever scraps he offers. A Luna in name only, while he builds a real family with Cassandra."

"You don't have to accept anything you don't want," Noah says carefully. "You have power here, Skye. More than you realize. The pack loves you. The elders respect you. Even if Jaxon can't see your worth, everyone else can."

His words should comfort me. And maybe a week ago, they would have. A week ago, keeping my title and my place in the pack would have been enough.

But that was before I felt the flutter of new life inside me. Before I realized that staying means raising my child in the shadow of Jaxon's son with Cassandra. Before I understood that I have something worth protecting now—something more important than a title or a bond or a marriage that was broken from the start.

Noah's watching me, waiting for a response. Waiting for me to agree to go back and fight for what's mine.

But what if it's not mine anymore?

What if it never was?

What if the real question isn't whether Jaxon can take my title away—but whether I even want it in the first place?

The walk back home feels like a death march.

Noah offered to come with me, but I sent him away. Whatever consequences wait for me, I need to face them alone. Besides, having the Beta escort me home like a wayward child would only make things worse.

The sun has fully set now, leaving the pack grounds bathed in the silver glow of the full moon. I can hear voices from the main hall—dinner must be starting. I wonder if Jaxon told them why their Luna didn't show up. If he made excuses, or if he simply let them draw their own conclusions.

My stomach churns at the thought of facing the elders tomorrow. I didn't just ask for a divorce in private. I announced it in front of the most powerful members of the pack, then stormed out like a petulant child throwing a tantrum.

Not exactly exemplary Luna behavior.

But what else was I supposed to do? Stand there and smile while my husband introduced his son with my sister? Pretend my heart wasn't shattering into a million pieces?

I pause at the edge of the tree line, staring at the house I've called home for three years. It's beautiful—all stone and timber, built to house the Alpha's family for generations. I used to imagine filling it with children. With laughter. With love.

Stupid.

Taking a deep breath, I force myself forward. Even if I want a divorce, I can't just abandon my responsibilities. Tomorrow I'm supposed to oversee the visiting pack's welcome ceremony. Next week, I'm scheduled to mediate a dispute between two families. And there's the hospital fundraiser I've been planning for months.

I can't let the pack down just because my personal life is imploding.

The front door opens before I reach it.

Jaxon fills the doorway, backlit by the warm interior lights. His expression is unreadable, but I can see the tension in his shoulders. His scent washes over me—cedarwood and amber, laced with something sharp. Anger, maybe. Or frustration.

"You came back," he says, and I can't tell if he's surprised or relieved.

"I live here." My voice comes out steadier than I feel. "For now, anyway."

His jaw tightens. "We need to talk."

"I don't have anything to say to you."

"Well, I have plenty to say to you." He steps aside, gesturing for me to enter. "You embarrassed me in front of the elders, Skye. You can't just—"

"I embarrassed you?" The words burst out before I can stop them. "You have a secret son, Jaxon. You've been hiding my sister's return for a month. But sure, I'm the one who caused a scene."

"Inside. Now." It's not a request. It's an Alpha command, and my wolf responds instinctively, my feet carrying me through the door even as I want to resist.

I hate that. Hate how the bond makes me vulnerable to his authority.

The house smells different. It takes me a moment to place it—jasmine and oak. Cassandra's scent, woven through the familiar cedar and rain that marks this space as ours.

No. Not ours. His.

I round the corner into the living room and stop dead.

There are boxes everywhere. Suitcases lined up against the wall. A child's toy—some kind of stuffed wolf—sitting on the couch where I usually read in the evenings.

And Cassandra, directing two pack members as they carry a dresser up the stairs.

"What is this?" My voice is barely a whisper.

Skye

Cassandra turns, and if I didn't know better, I'd think the guilt on her face was genuine. "Skye. I'm so sorry, this must look—"

"What is this?" I repeat, louder now.

Jaxon moves past me, his expression hard. "It's temporary. Cassandra and Liam need a place to stay until we can arrange something more permanent."

"More permanent." I stare at him. "You're moving them into our house."

"It's the Alpha's house," he corrects. "And Liam is my son. Where else would they stay?"

"Literally anywhere else?" My hands are shaking. "Guest quarters. A separate residence. Hell, there are empty homes all over pack territory. But you chose here. In our home."

"This is the most practical solution." Jaxon's tone is maddeningly calm. "Liam needs to be close to the pack doctor while he undergoes treatment. And as Alpha, I need to be available to him."

"How convenient." I turn to Cassandra. "And you're okay with this? Moving into your sister's home? Sleeping under the same roof as her husband?"

"It's just until Liam is better," Cassandra says softly. "I know it's awkward, but his health has to come first. Surely you understand that."

The thing is, I do understand. If a child is sick, of course he needs to be near medical care. Of course his father would want him close.

But that doesn't make this any less excruciating.

"How long?" I ask Jaxon.

"The doctor thinks a few months of treatment should—"

"A few months?" The room spins. "You expect me to live here with her for months? To watch you play house with my sister while I'm—"

I cut myself off before I can say it. Before I can tell him about the baby. Because standing here, watching Cassandra's belongings infiltrate my home, I realize with sickening clarity that he doesn't deserve to know.

"While you're what?" Jaxon's eyes narrow. "If you have something to say, Skye, say it."

"While I'm still your wife," I finish. "While we're still mated. Does that mean nothing to you?"

Something flickers across his face—too quick to read. "This isn't about us. It's about Liam."

"Everything is about Liam now, isn't it? Or about Cassandra. But never about me." I'm dangerously close to crying again, and I refuse to break down in front of them. "Fine. Move her in. Hell, give her my room while you're at it. I'm sure she'd prefer the view."

"Don't be dramatic."

"Dramatic?" I laugh, sharp and humorless. "I came home to find my husband moving his ex-girlfriend and their son into our house. But sure, I'm being dramatic."

"Skye—" Cassandra starts.

The sound that comes from upstairs cuts her off.

A wet, rattling gasp. Then nothing.

Cassandra's face goes white. "Liam."

She's running before anyone can react, taking the stairs two at a time. I hear a door slam open, hear her voice rise in panic.

"He can't breathe! Jaxon, he can't breathe!"

Jaxon is moving instantly, his Alpha instincts taking over. He bounds up the stairs, and I'm left standing in the living room surrounded by boxes and the fading scent of jasmine.

From upstairs, I hear Cassandra's voice, frantic and terrified:

"Save him, please! Jaxon, you have to save him!"

Jaxon never came back that night.

Or the next morning. Or the morning after that.

I heard from one of the pack doctors—not from my husband—that Liam had been rushed to the medical wing. Something about his lungs, a complication they hadn't anticipated. Cassandra hadn't left his side.

Neither had Jaxon.

Apparently my sister has always been his priority. He just fooled everyone into believing otherwise. And I fooled myself into thinking I mattered.

By the end of the week, Liam passed the dangerous period. Within hours, Jaxon had them moved back into the Alpha house. Not a word to me about it. I simply came downstairs one morning to find Cassandra's jasmine scent threaded through the kitchen again, and a small pair of shoes lined up neatly by the door.

The Alpha house has always served more than just the Alpha's family. Over the years, it has sheltered the injured, the elderly, the orphaned, the widowed. Anyone the pack deemed in need of care and proximity to leadership. It's tradition. It's duty.

And now, apparently, ex-lovers are part of that esteemed list.

So when Cassandra and Liam moved back in, no one questioned it.

But everyone noticed.

The whispers start small. A glance held a beat too long when I walk through the market. Two elders who fall silent the moment I enter a room. A young wolf—barely shifted—who asks me, wide-eyed and innocent, if it's true that the Alpha has found a second Luna.

I smile and tell her no. That Luna is a title, not a relationship. That the pack has only one Luna, and she's standing right in front of her.

The girl nods, unconvinced.

I don't blame her. Even I'm not sure I believe it anymore.

The days blur together after that. I perform my duties. I oversee the welcome ceremony for the visiting pack delegation. I mediate the family dispute. I smile and nod and do everything a Luna is supposed to do, all while my husband sits at the head of the table each night with Cassandra on one side and Liam on the other, and I sit at the far end like a guest in my own home.

At night, I lie in our bed—my bed now, really—and press my hand to my stomach. The baby is still early. Too early for any visible signs. But I can feel the change in my body already. The exhaustion that pulls at me like an undertow. The nausea that creeps in without warning.

I am bound to this pack by my title. Bound to Jaxon by a mate bond I didn't choose. And bound to this tiny life growing inside me—a life I can't tell anyone about. Not Jaxon. Not Noah. Not anyone, not yet.

Because if Jaxon finds out, he'll use it. Not out of love. Out of duty. The same cold sense of obligation that made him marry me in the first place. And I refuse to give him another reason to keep me on a leash.

So I swallow the secret and carry it alone.

I watch my life shatter in front of my eyes, and all I can do is keep my head held high when the world is tearing me apart.