Seven years after my mate Yosef’s death, I stood before his grave, intending to honor his memory. But as I approached, I found his tombstone missing, the earth undisturbed as if it had never existed. My heart raced, and I quickly returned to Silver Moon Pack territory, seeking Alpha Ernesto.

“Alpha,” I said, my voice trembling, “Yosef’s grave is gone. Please, check the pack’s records. Where is he buried?”

Alpha Ernesto looked at me with a mixture of pity and regret. “Ariella,” he said gently, “Yosef’s resting place is not where you thought. He was buried beside Lorelai Wallace, the one he truly loved.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. Lorelai—the woman Yosef had always carried in his heart, even after our mate bond was formed.

“Yosef once told me,” Alpha Ernesto continued, his tone heavy with sorrow, “that he wished to be laid to rest with the one he had always loved, the one who truly held his heart.”

Lorelai. Of course it was Lorelai. I had given everything to save Yosef after he was injured in a pack battle—my strength, my healing energy—but he had dismissed my sacrifice. And in the end, he had chosen her, even in death.

The irony of it all left me hollow. I had been a fool, clinging to a bond that had never truly been mine.

But then, I opened my eyes, and I was back—before it all happened.

This time, I would not waste my heart on him. I would sever the ties that bound me to him and focus on my own strength. I would rise through the ranks of the pack, not as Yosef’s mate, but as Ariella Harris, the first female Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack.

---

I spent the next two weeks in the forest, recovering from an injury sustained during a pack training session. The cough that had wracked my body finally subsided, and I returned to my quarters, only to find Yosef absent.

He hadn’t checked on me once during my recovery. Instead, he had been busy comforting Lorelai after she’d been reprimanded by Alpha Ernesto for her recklessness. My injury, it seemed, was of no concern to him.

As I packed my belongings, Yosef walked in, his expression darkening when he saw the state of the room.

“I’ve only been gone for two weeks,” he said, his voice laced with irritation. “How did this place get so neglected, Ariella? What have you been doing?”

I didn’t look up as I continued folding my clothes. “I’ve been recovering in the forest.”

For a moment, he seemed taken aback, as if it hadn’t occurred to him that I might have been injured. Then, his demeanor softened, and he stepped closer, helping me with the packing.

“How are your injuries now?” he asked, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. It had taken two lifetimes for him to ask that question.

“I’m fine,” I replied curtly, not meeting his gaze.

Yosef noticed the bag I was packing and frowned. “Where are you going?”

“I’m leaving,” I said, my voice steady. “I’m going on a solo mission. I need to focus on my own growth.”

He hesitated, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather bracelet. “Ariella,” he said, his voice softening, “I found this for you during a pack run last week. I thought it would suit you.”

I stared at the bracelet, a pang of bitterness twisting in my chest. This was the first time he had ever given me anything—and it was only because I had stopped chasing after him.

“I don’t like leather bracelets,” I said, handing it back to him. Lorelai was the one who adored such trinkets, not me.

Yosef’s face hardened, and he clenched the bracelet in his fist. “Fine,” he snapped, his voice cold. “But there’s something else I need from you.”

“What is it?” I asked, though I already knew where this was going.

“At the last pack gathering,” he began, his tone demanding, “Alpha Ernesto mentioned he would reward you with a rare healing herb for your performance. Lorelai is still recovering from her injuries. You should give it to her.”

I looked him straight in the eye. “That herb was earned by my efforts. It’s mine.”

His jaw tightened, and I could see the frustration building in him. “You’re the Beta’s mate, Ariella. You should show some compassion to your packmate. Lorelai needs it more than you do.”

I laughed, the sound sharp and humorless. “If she’s so weak, that’s her problem, not mine.”

Yosef’s composure shattered. “I should have never completed the mate bond with you,” he hissed, his voice low and venomous. “You’re nothing but a selfish, heartless rogue.”

With that, he threw the bracelet to the ground, where it snapped in two. He stormed out, leaving me alone in the silence of the room.

I stared at the broken bracelet for a moment, then turned back to my packing. This time, I wouldn’t let his words break me. I had a pack to lead, and I would do it on my own terms.

Yosef had been with Lorelai again, absent from the pack for days.

Atlas, my packmate, told me they were now living together.

It was as if I didn’t exist as his mate.

In the past, whenever we argued, he would stare at me with that cold, unyielding expression, watching me crumble beneath him, tears streaming down my face.

He always thought he had me under his control.

But now that I’ve been given a second chance, I’m not about to waste it on something as fleeting as love.

I returned to the Silver Moon Pack, memories flooding back of the day Yosef brought me to Alpha Ernesto.

I had been terrified, afraid I wouldn’t be accepted into the pack, that I’d never rise above my rogue origins.

It was Yosef who reassured me, telling me Alpha Ernesto was a fair and understanding leader.

He understood my fears and accepted my flaws.

“Ariella, you’re one of us now,” he had said, his voice steady and comforting.

He took my hand and introduced me to the pack elders, guiding me through the ranks. He even helped me choose my first set of claws during training.

For the first time, I had a place where I belonged, a name that wasn’t tainted by my past.

When I pushed myself too hard during training and injured myself, Yosef snuck into the healing chambers to tend to my wounds. It was during those moments that I felt our bond grow stronger.

Under the moonlight, he gently brushed his fingers against my cheek.

“Ariella, will you be my mate? Will you stand by my side as my Luna?”

I hesitated, my heart pounding, but I couldn’t find the words to respond.

I wanted to say yes.

And so, under the moon’s watchful gaze, we completed the mark ceremony.

But if I had known then that his heart still belonged to Lorelai, I would have never agreed.

Not long after our marking, Yosef stopped coming home. It wasn’t until Lorelai was injured during a pack run and presumed dead that he finally showed me kindness again.

I thought I had finally won him over, that we could start anew.

But I was wrong. He was only using me as a replacement for her.

When we were together, he insisted I call him “Alpha” rather than his name. Even during our most intimate moments, he would cover my face with a veil, his tenderness always meant for Lorelai, not me.

It was all just my foolish hope.

As I walked through the pack’s main hall, I saw them under the oak tree.

Lorelai, dressed in white, leaned gently to smell the flowers. Yosef stood beside her, his presence as commanding as ever, plucking a blossom and tucking it into her hair.

They looked like the perfect pair, as if the Moon Goddess herself had blessed their union.

Yosef turned suddenly, his eyes meeting mine. He froze, caught off guard.

Lorelai adjusted the flower in her hair and walked toward me, her smile sweet but laced with mockery.

“Ariella, you’re here already? Alpha was just saying you’d come crawling back to him soon.”

Yosef let the petals in his hand fall to the ground as he approached me. His smile faded, replaced by a deep frown.

“What are you doing here? Don’t think an apology will make me return to you.”

The way he assumed I’d come begging made my stomach churn.

“Alpha Ernesto called for me.”

Yosef didn’t believe me, convinced I was only here for him.

“Fine,” he said, reaching for my hand.

“If you’re using Alpha Ernesto as an excuse, I suppose I have no choice but to return. Otherwise, he’ll have my head tomorrow.”

I yanked my hand away, wiping it with a handkerchief.

“Stop flattering yourself.”

I turned and continued toward Alpha Ernesto’s office, putting distance between us.

But before I could take another step, Yosef’s Alpha aura surged, and I stumbled, falling to the ground.

Old injuries flared, and I coughed up blood.

Yosef rushed to my side, pulling me into his arms.

“Ariella, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just wanted to stop you.”

“Let’s go to the healing chambers. I’ll take care of you.”

The pain left me speechless, my body trembling as he lifted me into his arms.

But as he took a step, Lorelai let out a pained cry.

He set me down on the ground and turned to her.

“Lorelai, what’s wrong?”

She clutched her chest, her face pale.

“Alpha, it’s nothing. Just my old heart condition acting up again.”

Hearing this, Yosef immediately focused on her, his concern palpable.

“Are you alright?”

They stood there, wrapped in each other, as if I didn’t exist.

I knew then that Yosef wouldn’t come back for me.

He glanced at me briefly, as if weighing his options.

In that moment, he chose her.

He scooped Lorelai into his arms and hurried away, his voice carried back to me by the wind.

“Stay here, Ariella. I’ll come back for you once I’ve taken care of Lorelai.”

Clutching my chest, I pulled out my phone and called Atlas.