I woke up early on the morning of our seventh mate anniversary, my heart fluttering with anticipation. Seven years since Dylan had claimed me as his true mate, seven years of building our life together as Alpha and Luna of the Silvercrest Pack. Despite the recent strangeness between us, I had hoped today would bring us closer again.

My wolf, Luna, stirred within me. *He'll remember today,* she assured me. *Our day.*

I'd prepared everything—his favorite breakfast, a special gift I'd commissioned from the pack's silversmith, and I'd even arranged for the council meeting to be postponed so we could have time together. The traditional marking ceremony would come tonight, renewing our bond under the full moon.

"Dylan," I called softly, reaching across our bed. "Happy anniversary."

He grunted, barely opening his eyes. "Hmm? What day is it?"

Something cold settled in my stomach. "It's our anniversary," I said, keeping my voice light despite the weight in my chest. "Seven years since you marked me."

"Oh." He sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Right. Seven years."

No excitement. No warmth. Just... acknowledgment.

"I've made breakfast," I said, watching his face carefully. "And I have something for you."

"Carolina, I have that territory dispute meeting with the Northern Pack today." He was already reaching for his phone, his attention elsewhere. "We'll have to celebrate tonight."

"Tonight is the marking ceremony," I reminded him gently. "The full moon—"

"I know what tonight is," he cut me off, his tone sharper than necessary. "I haven't forgotten."

But he had. I could see it in his eyes, the way they darted around the room avoiding mine.

He disappeared into his closet, emerging minutes later in his formal Alpha attire. I followed him to his office, where he sat behind his desk, immediately engrossed in paperwork.

"Your gift," I said, placing the wrapped box on his desk.

He glanced up, distracted. "Thanks." He reached into his desk drawer, pulling out something that glinted in the morning light. "Here's yours."

I unwrapped it slowly. A pen. A cheap plastic pen with the pack logo stamped on it.

"This is...?" My voice caught.

"For all your Luna paperwork." He shrugged, already returning to his documents. "You're always saying you need good pens."

My wolf whimpered inside me. *This isn't right. This isn't our mate.*

I swallowed hard, tucking the pen into my pocket. "Thank you," I managed, though the words tasted bitter.

---

Later that day, I tried to reach him through our mate mind-link. It was something we'd done since the beginning—a sacred connection that allowed us to communicate regardless of distance.

*Dylan?* I projected, focusing on the familiar frequency that had always connected us.

Nothing. Not even an echo.

I tried again, stronger this time. *Dylan, are you there?*

Silence.

My wolf paced anxiously within me. *Something's wrong. The link is closed.*

I made my way to his office, but he wasn't there. Marcus, his Beta, informed me Dylan had gone to inspect the eastern border.

"He didn't mention anything to you?" Marcus asked, his eyes concerned.

"He's changed our mind-link frequency," I said quietly.

Marcus's expression shifted from concern to shock. "Without telling you?"

I nodded, the implications sinking in. Our mind-link was sacred—a connection blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. For Dylan to change it without telling me meant deliberately shutting me out.

"Why would he do that?" Marcus asked.

I had no answer.

---

The rubber ducks were everywhere now.

I found one on Dylan's office dashboard that evening, perched prominently where he couldn't miss it. Another appeared in the communal kitchen the next morning. By the third day, they were scattered around the pack training grounds.

My wolf growled each time we found one. *They're watching us. Marking territory.*

"They're just toys," Nellie said when I showed her the latest one I'd found in the pack library. "Probably the pups playing pranks."

But the pattern was too deliberate. Too specific.

"These aren't random," I insisted, turning the yellow duck over in my hands. "Look at how they're placed—always in Dylan's spaces, always where he'll see them."

Nellie took the duck from me, examining it closely. "You think they mean something to him?"

"I think they mean something to him and her," I said quietly.

That night, I found three more ducks hidden in our bedroom—one under my pillow, one in my cosmetic bag, and one tucked into my favorite book.

My wolf snarled, no longer able to ignore what was happening. *She's claiming our space. Our mate.*

I gathered all the ducks into a box and hid them in my private study. But I couldn't hide from the truth they represented.

As I closed the study door, my phone chimed with a message from an unknown number.

"Missing something, Luna?" the text read, followed by a photo of Dylan asleep in what looked like a hotel room, a single rubber duck placed prominently on the pillow beside him.

My hands trembled as I stared at the screen, the floral scent I'd detected on Dylan weeks ago suddenly flooding my memory.

Giovanna was back. And she wasn't hiding anymore.

The antiseptic smell of the pack clinic usually brought me comfort. Today, it only heightened my senses as I stepped through the sliding glass doors for my routine Luna visit. Dr. Elena Frost had requested I stop by to discuss the upcoming full moon ceremony's medical preparations—a task that should have been straightforward.

Instead, my wolf Luna immediately bristled within me.

*She's here.*

I didn't need to ask who. The jasmine and rose scent hit me like a physical force, making my nostrils flare and my eyes narrow. Giovanna.

"Good morning, Luna Carolina," Dr. Frost greeted me, her expression professionally neutral. "I've prepared those reports you requested."

"Thank you," I replied, my voice steady despite my wolf's growing agitation. "Were you expecting anyone else today?"

Dr. Frost hesitated, just long enough for me to notice. "Just the usual check-ups. Nothing out of the ordinary."

A door opened down the hall, and Giovanna emerged from one of the examination rooms. Our eyes locked immediately.

She looked exactly as I remembered—beautiful in that calculated way, with her dark hair falling in perfect waves and her smile revealing teeth too sharp for comfort. But something was different. Her scent was stronger, more deliberate.

"Luna Carolina," she purred, gliding toward me with the confidence of someone who believed they'd already won. "What a surprise."

My wolf surged forward, nearly breaking through my skin. I felt my eyes flash gold as Luna fought for control.

"What are you doing here, Giovanna?" I kept my voice low, aware of Dr. Frost's presence.

"Just some important pack business." Her smile widened. "I've been meeting with certain Alphas about... various matters."

The emphasis she placed on "Alphas" made my stomach clench. She was talking about Dylan. My mate.

"I'm afraid I don't recall seeing any visitors scheduled in the pack logs," I said, fighting to maintain my composure.

"Some meetings are too important for logs." She stepped closer, her scent overwhelming now. "Some bonds run deeper than paper trails."

My wolf snarled, and I felt my nails lengthening into claws. "You're trespassing on pack territory."

"Am I?" She glanced at Dr. Frost, who looked uncomfortably away. "I have permission to be here. From someone who matters."

Before I could respond, she brushed past me, her shoulder deliberately touching mine. "Give my regards to your Alpha," she whispered.

---

I found Dylan in his office later that afternoon, hunched over territory maps with Marcus. They both looked up when I entered without knocking.

"Carolina," Dylan said, his tone carefully neutral. "We're in the middle of something."

"It can wait," Marcus said quickly, gathering his papers. "Luna, Alpha."

After he left, I closed the door firmly behind him. "Giovanna was at the clinic today."

Dylan's scent shifted—alarm mingled with something else. Guilt? "What did she want?"

"That's what I'm asking you." I moved closer, watching his face. "She mentioned meetings with 'certain Alphas.' Your mother's birthday celebration is next week. Is she invited?"

"Carolina, you're being paranoid." He wouldn't meet my eyes, focusing instead on straightening papers that were already aligned. "Giovanna has pack connections. It's not unusual for her to visit."

"She's marking our territory," I insisted. "Those ducks—they're hers, aren't they? Some kind of reminder?"

"This is ridiculous." He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "You're making connections where none exist. First the ducks, now this? What's next?"

"The truth," I said quietly. "What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything." But his eyes darted to the door, then back to his desk. "You're being controlling. This isn't like you."

"Don't." I stepped closer. "Don't try to make this about me. I'm not paranoid or controlling. I'm your Luna. I can sense when something's wrong."

"Maybe you should trust me instead of your instincts," he snapped.

"And maybe you should remember who you're mated to," I countered.

He turned away, his shoulders tense. "I have work to do."

---

That night, my phone chimed with a message from an unknown number. My hands trembled as I opened it.

A photo loaded on my screen—Dylan, sleeping peacefully in what looked like a hotel room. His hair was tousled, his shirt unbuttoned. And on the pillow beside him, a single yellow rubber duck.

My breath caught as I read the accompanying message:

"Some bonds run deeper than Moon Goddess magic."

The phone nearly slipped from my fingers as the implications sank in. This wasn't just a taunt—this was proof. Someone had been close enough to Dylan to take this photo. Someone had access to him in his most vulnerable moments.

Someone who wasn't me.

My wolf howled inside me, a sound of betrayal and rage that echoed through my bones.

I stared at the photo until my vision blurred, memorizing every detail—the hotel room's generic beige walls, the way Dylan's hand rested on the duck, as if even in sleep he clung to it.

To her.

The message was clear: Giovanna wasn't just making a play for my mate. She already had him.