The heatwave had turned the Silvermoon Pack house into a furnace. For three days straight, temperatures soared past 100 degrees, and today, the ancient air conditioning system had finally surrendered to the relentless summer sun. I wiped sweat from my brow as I made my way through the main hall, my thin cotton dress clinging uncomfortably to my skin.

"The pups are having trouble breathing," little Emma, one of our youngest pack members, tugged at my skirt. Her cheeks were flushed crimson, dark curls plastered to her forehead.

"I know, sweetheart." I knelt down to her level, brushing damp hair from her face. "I'm going to fix that right now."

My wolf, Luna, stirred within me. *We should help them. They need us.*

"We will," I whispered internally.

I made my way to the medical supplies room, my legs weak from the heat. The medication fridge sat in the corner, its backup battery still functioning. Inside, I found a box of cooling patches—special adhesive strips infused with menthol and eucalyptus that could help lower body temperature.

"Only twenty left," I murmured, counting them carefully.

Not enough for everyone, but I'd make them count.

I loaded them into a small basket and began my rounds. First to the nursery, where three pups lay listlessly on their beds.

"Luna Scarlett!" Nurse Mira's eyes lit up when she saw me. "Thank the Moon Goddess."

I placed a patch on each pup's forehead, watching their tiny faces relax as the cooling effect took hold. "How are they?"

"Better now," Mira smiled gratefully. "You always know what we need."

Next came the elders' quarters. Elder Morris was propped up against pillows, his weathered face drawn with discomfort.

"There you are, my dear." His voice cracked with thirst. "I was just telling Martha how I could use some of that fancy cooling stuff."

I placed a patch on his wrinkled forehead, then handed one to his wife. "I'm sorry we don't have more, but these should help until the power comes back."

"Always thinking of others," Martha said softly, squeezing my hand.

I continued through the pack house—to the warriors' barracks, the kitchen staff quarters, even the Betas' offices. Each patch was received with gratitude, each person cooled by my efforts.

Finally, I reached the Alpha's quarters with the last cooling patch in my basket. My heart quickened as I approached Dean's door. Maybe this small gesture would remind him of what we once had—before Ada, before everything fell apart.

I knocked softly.

"Enter," Dean's deep voice commanded.

The room was dim, curtains drawn against the harsh sunlight. Dean sat at his desk, his powerful frame tense with heat and irritation. Ada lounged on the bed behind him, her hand resting protectively over her stomach—the stomach that carried a child I could never give him.

"You needed something?" Dean didn't look up from his papers.

I stepped forward, holding out the last cooling patch. "The power's still out, and it's getting worse. I've distributed the remaining cooling patches to the pack, and I saved the last one for you."

Something flickered in his eyes—recognition, perhaps even gratitude. For one hopeful moment, I thought he might acknowledge what I'd done.

Then Ada stirred behind him. "Dean, I'm feeling so hot. The baby must be uncomfortable."

Dean's attention immediately shifted to her. Without another glance at me, he took the patch from my trembling fingers and walked to Ada's side.

"Here, love," he murmured, placing it gently on her forehead. "That should help you and our pup."

"Our pup." The words sliced through me like claws.

I stood frozen, watching as he tenderly smoothed her hair back, completely oblivious to my presence. My chest tightened painfully as I realized what had just happened—he had taken the last piece of comfort I offered and given it to her without a second thought.

Luna growled within me. *Enough. We deserve better.*

Something inside me snapped. Years of neglect, of watching him choose her again and again, of being treated as less than nothing—it all crystallized into a moment of perfect clarity.

"Dean." My voice came out stronger than I expected.

He looked up, irritated at the interruption of his moment with Ada.

"I can't do this anymore." My hands shook, but my voice remained steady. "I, Scarlett Turner, Luna of the Silvermoon Pack, can no longer accept this treatment."

The room fell silent. Even Ada stopped fanning herself.

"What are you saying?" Dean's eyes narrowed dangerously.

I straightened my spine, meeting his gaze directly. "I formally request the dissolution of our mate bond."

Gasps echoed through the room as pack members who had followed me into the hallway heard my declaration. Dean's face darkened with fury, his Alpha aura beginning to pulse outward.

"You can't be serious," he growled, rising to his feet.

"I have never been more serious in my life," I replied, my voice unwavering despite the trembling in my limbs.

The pack watched in stunned silence as their Luna defied their Alpha for the first time in years—and I knew there was no going back from this moment.

The silence that followed my declaration felt like a physical weight pressing down on the room. Dean's eyes darkened to a dangerous storm-gray, his jaw clenched so tight I could hear his teeth grinding.

"What did you just say?" His voice was deadly quiet.

I swallowed hard but forced myself to meet his gaze. "You heard me."

Luna growled within me, lending me strength. *We will not back down this time.*

Dean rose slowly from his chair, his powerful frame unfolding like a predator preparing to strike. "You dare—"

"You will not speak of such nonsense again."

His Alpha tone hit me like a physical blow. The command wrapped around my throat, choking off any further words. But it wasn't just his voice—his Alpha aura expanded outward in waves of crushing dominance.

The pressure started at my shoulders, pushing down with impossible force. My knees buckled as the weight increased, driving me toward the floor.

"Dean," I gasped, fighting against the invisible force. "Stop—"

He didn't even look at me. His eyes were fixed on some point above my head, as if I were already beneath his notice.

"You forget yourself, Luna," he said coldly. "The mate bond is sacred. Chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. You will honor it as I do."

My legs gave out completely. I fell to my knees, the hard wood floor sending shocks of pain through my joints. Around us, pack members watched in horrified silence, their eyes wide but bodies frozen in place.

"Dean, please," I whispered, tears burning behind my eyes.

He finally looked at me then, and there was nothing of the man I'd once loved in those cold eyes. "You will learn your place."

The Alpha aura intensified, pressing down on my shoulders until I was forced to bow my head. My forehead touched the dusty floor at his feet.

"Look at your Luna," Dean addressed the pack, his voice carrying easily through the silent room. "This is what happens when one forgets their duty."

I couldn't lift my head, couldn't even close my eyes against the humiliation. Through my lowered lashes, I could see Ada's delicate feet step forward.

"Dean," she said softly, her voice honey-sweet with false concern. "Don't be so hard on her. This must be difficult for Scarlett."

Dean's aura eased slightly, allowing me to breathe again. I raised my head just in time to see Ada place both hands protectively over her stomach.

"Actually," she announced, her voice ringing clear through the room, "I have some wonderful news to share with the pack."

My heart stuttered in my chest. Something in her eyes told me what was coming before she said it.

"Dean and I are expecting a pup!"

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the gathered pack members. Several of the older women clapped their hands in delight. Even in my position of humiliation, I felt their joy like a knife twisting in my chest.

Dean's face transformed, the cold anger melting into proud joy. He reached for Ada's hand, placing it gently against his lips.

"A blessing from the Moon Goddess," he murmured.

But Ada wasn't finished. She turned to me, her eyes gleaming with malicious triumph.

"I know this must be hard for you, Scarlett," she said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Given what happened to your pup."

The room went deadly silent.

My breath caught painfully in my throat. The memory crashed over me—the rogue attack, Dean leaving me to protect Ada, the searing pain as I lost our child, the doctor's gentle words that I would never bear children again.

"That's enough," Dean growled, but not at Ada. At me.

I hadn't said a word.

"You've disrupted Ada's moment," he continued, his voice rising with anger. "You've brought negativity to such happy news."

I stared up at him in disbelief. "I didn't—"

"Silence!"

The Alpha command slammed into me with such force that darkness edged my vision. His aura flared again, ten times stronger than before, pressing down on me like a mountain.

"This is your fault," he snarled. "You can't stand to see others happy when you're so miserable."

The pressure built and built until something inside me cracked. The room spun violently, the faces around me blurring into smears of color.

I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't feel anything but the crushing weight of his power.

With a soft sigh that seemed to come from very far away, I collapsed fully to the floor.

The last thing I saw before consciousness slipped away was the pack watching in silence, their eyes averted from their Alpha's rage and their Luna's fall.

The darkness of my room felt suffocating as I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Night had fallen hours ago, but sleep eluded me. My body still ached from Dean's Alpha aura, the memory of being forced to my knees burned like acid in my veins.

A sharp pain lanced through my mind, making me wince.

*Scarlett.* Dean's voice invaded my thoughts, cold and commanding through our mind-link.

I pressed my fingers against my temples. *What do you want, Dean?*

*Ada needs fresh mangoes.* His tone left no room for discussion. *The baby is craving them.*

I sat up slowly, glancing at the clock on my nightstand. 11:45 PM. The market was twenty minutes away by car, and it closed at midnight.

"Now?" I whispered aloud, knowing he could hear me through our link. "It's almost midnight."

*Her cravings are getting worse.* Dean continued, his mental voice tinged with impatience. *She says the baby won't settle until she has them.*

Luna stirred within me, her presence warm but wary. *Be careful,* she cautioned. *Something feels wrong.*

I slipped out of bed, my bare feet silent against the wooden floor. Through our mate bond, I could feel Dean's irritation pulsing like a second heartbeat.

"The market might be closed," I tried again, hoping for some flexibility.

*Then wake them up.* His response was immediate, dismissive. *Tell them it's for the Alpha's chosen mate. They'll open.*

I moved to my closet, pulling out a light sweater against the night chill. The moonstone pendant around my neck—my grandmother's heirloom—seemed to pulse with a soft glow as I touched it for courage.

"I don't think—" I began, but Dean's mind-voice cut me off.

*Mangoes. Fresh ones. Within the hour.*

The command slammed into my consciousness with such force that I stumbled against my dresser.

"Dean, it's dangerous," I whispered, fighting against the pressure of his will. "The rogues have been getting closer to our territory. Marcus said—"

*Are you disobeying me?*

The question hung in the air, heavy with implication. Through our bond, I could feel his anger building, hot and volatile.

"No, I just—"

*If you don't bring those mangoes within an hour, you'll sleep outside tonight.*

The threat froze me in place.

*Ada's needs come first,* he continued, his mental voice hardening. *And if you can't understand that, you don't deserve to be here.*

The mind-link severed abruptly, leaving me alone with his words echoing in my skull.

Luna growled softly. *He has no right to treat us this way.*

"He has every right," I whispered back, tears burning behind my eyes. "He's the Alpha."

I grabbed my keys and a small purse, slipping the pendant beneath my shirt so it rested against my skin. The stone felt warm to the touch, as if responding to my distress.

The pack house was eerily quiet as I made my way through the darkened corridors. Most members were already asleep, their breathing deep and even. Only the night guards remained alert, their eyes tracking my movement with curiosity.

"Luna Scarlett?" One of them stepped forward as I reached the main entrance. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Just to the market," I replied, forcing a smile that felt brittle on my face. "Ada has a craving."

His brow furrowed with concern. "At this hour? The Alpha hasn't authorized any trips outside the territory tonight."

"I'm sure it will be fine," I said quickly, not wanting to admit that Dean was sending me out alone. "I'll be back before you know it."

The night air hit me like a wall as I stepped outside, cool and heavy with the scent of pine and distant rain. My car sat in the driveway, a lonely silhouette against the star-scattered sky.

As I slid behind the wheel, my pendant began to glow more brightly, casting a soft blue light across my hands.

"Grandmother," I whispered, clutching the stone. "Please watch over me tonight."

The engine roared to life, headlights cutting through the darkness as I pulled away from the pack house. The road stretched before me, empty and forbidding in the late hour.

I didn't notice the shadowy figures moving at the edge of the forest, their yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness as they tracked my progress away from the safety of pack territory.

I didn't see them signal to each other, or the way they melted into the shadows to follow me.

All I could think about was Dean's threat and the mangoes I needed to buy before the market closed.