Kyson, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, was all too aware of the impact his betrayal had on me. He knew the sting of being let down by those you trust the most, especially when you’ve built your world around them.

My father, once the Beta of the Crimson Fang Pack, claimed he loved me, but after my mother’s death, he remarried a Luna from another pack and had a new daughter, leaving me behind as if I were nothing more than a shadow of his past. My mother, before her passing, had always been distant, her love more words than actions. By the time I turned eighteen, their bond had shattered completely, and I was left to navigate life alone. Their divorce and my father’s new mate bond left me feeling orphaned, adrift in a world that no longer had a place for me.

That same year, Kyson made a promise, simple yet profound. On my eighteenth birthday, I sat on the edge of the pack’s training grounds, a small honey cake in my hands, its candles flickering weakly as tears rolled down my face. I wished silently for someone—anyone—to stay with me. Kyson, fresh from a sparring session with his warriors, walked by. His broad shoulders glistened with sweat, and his piercing gaze softened when he saw me crying. He approached, his presence commanding yet gentle, and said, "Kalani, I’ll spend every birthday with you from now on."

Back then, he was the embodiment of youthful strength and ambition, a bright spot in my otherwise dim life. He took me under his protection, and for ten years, he stayed by my side, his aura a constant shield against the loneliness that threatened to consume me.

During those years, we grew into our roles. I became an illustrator, my art a quiet rebellion against the expectations of an Omega. Kyson, however, rose swiftly through the ranks of his pack, his dominance and ambition undeniable. When he became Alpha, he asked me to quit my job and focus on our home. "Kalani," he said, his voice firm but tender, "I want us to bond. I want you to be my Luna, to focus on our pack and our future."

With my deep longing for a family, a need greater than most, I agreed. We moved into a house in the heart of the pack’s territory, and I settled into the role of Luna, though I often felt out of place among the stronger, more dominant wolves who surrounded Kyson. More than one pack member warned me that power could change a man, but I trusted Kyson implicitly. He was my anchor, my only connection to a world that had otherwise abandoned me. If he ever betrayed me, it would shatter me completely.

A sudden heaviness settled over me as I watched Kyson’s sleeping form, his chiseled features softened in rest, his long lashes casting shadows over his face. Even in sleep, his lips were drawn tight, as if something troubled him. What was he mourning? Was it Jolie, the Delta warrior who had become such a constant presence in his life, or was it the fact that he’d missed my birthday? I assumed it was the former. The thought made my chest tighten, and I turned away, my wolf whining softly in the back of my mind, a reminder of the bond that still tethered us together, even as it frayed at the edges.

I don’t smoke.

Kyson does.

I used to think about getting the Alpha to quit, but that morning, I found myself in the living room at dawn, glaring at the ridiculous spiced honey cake on the table, topped with two adorable little figures. I picked up a cigarette from the coffee table and lit it.

Smoking is awful. I barely took a puff before I was coughing my lungs out, tears streaming uncontrollably down my face.

The sound of my coughing woke Kyson. He emerged from the bedroom, his broad frame filling the doorway, his pale face shadowed with exhaustion. His dark eyes narrowed at the cigarette butt on the coffee table. "Kalani, are you smoking?"

I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Hair a mess, face ghostly—a picture of a woman on the edge. Maybe that's what I was becoming. An Omega, broken and discarded, clinging to the remnants of a bond that was unraveling.

Turning to the Alpha, I asked, "Where were you last night?"

"One of my pack members fell ill, and I took them to the hospital," he said, his voice flat, commanding, the way an Alpha’s should be. But it lacked the warmth it once held for me.

"Did it take all night? Don’t they have family or friends?"

Kyson was silent. His classic move when he didn’t want to lie but didn’t want to tell the truth either. The silence of an Alpha who knew his word was law, who knew I had no right to question him.

I pulled out my phone and opened a video. "This pack member?"

He glanced at the screen, his muscular frame tensing visibly. After a moment, he nodded. "Yes."

My mind went blank, a dull hum filling my head. Unsteady, I stumbled backward, hitting the wall.

Kyson reached out to steady me, his grip firm, but I pulled away. I looked at his long fingers—the same ones that once led me down the aisle, but last night, they held on tight to someone else. Someone who wasn’t his mate.

Tears slipped silently down my cheeks, landing on his hand.

"Alpha," I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, "when did it start?"

He stayed silent. Once again, that silence. The silence of an Alpha who didn’t owe me an explanation, who held all the power in our bond.

I looked up, searching his face, but he avoided my gaze. We stood there, frozen in the harsh bathroom light, the tension between us as thick as the Alpha’s aura.

It wasn't until I swayed again, nearly losing my balance, that Kyson moved to support me. "Nothing happened; you’re reading too much into it," he tried to assure me, his voice softer now, but still edged with authority.

Kyson had never lied to me before, so his attempt was awkward and unconvincing. An Alpha’s word was supposed to be absolute, but even he couldn’t mask the cracks in our bond.

I closed my eyes briefly. "Alpha, from day one, I told you I couldn't handle being deceived. You can hurt me, but don’t lie to me."

The tears wouldn’t stop falling as Kyson reached out to wipe them away, his fingers cold against my skin.

After a while, he nodded. "A year ago," he admitted, voice raspy. "A year ago, I felt something."

"I'm sorry, Kalani. I couldn’t control it."

His apology hung in the air, heavy and hollow. The Alpha, the man who was supposed to protect me, to cherish me, had betrayed the bond the Moon Goddess had forged between us. And now, in the dim light of our home, I felt the weight of his betrayal pressing down on me, crushing the last remnants of the love I had for him.

I once had many plans for the future.

As an Omega, I’ve always been cautious, preferring to stay within the boundaries of what felt safe. But all my plans shattered when Alpha Kyson simply said, "I’m sorry."

Everything in my life seemed to lose direction.

I sat in the bathroom, thinking until my legs went numb. When I tried to stand, I fell. My knee hit the tiles with a sharp jolt, and the pain was intense. I held my knee and cried out, "Alpha, it hurts. Alpha, am I homeless again?"

Kyson, the Alpha of our pack, lifted me up and carried me back to the bedroom. "Don’t cry, Kalani. You still have a home..." His voice was filled with concern, just like it had been last night in the pack’s infirmary.

Held in his arms, I glanced at the half of the bed where he had slept. It still carried the faint scent of blood and disinfectant. I felt the urge to vomit again.

I squirmed away from him. "Alpha, don’t put me on that bed."

Kyson paused. "Why?"

"Because you slept there." I shut my eyes, feeling despair. I couldn’t share a bed with him anymore. From this moment on, it seemed like we were truly over.

I slipped from his arms and headed to the guest room, closing the door in his face. "Let’s sleep in separate rooms for now. We’ll discuss everything else when I wake up."

Kyson’s face went pale as he blocked the door. "I never touched her. Not even once."

I pushed his hand away. "Then why did she try to hurt herself?"

Kyson was silent.

I continued closing the door.

Just as the door clicked shut, I heard him say, "I do like her. She likes me too. But my heart still belongs to you."

He continued, "Kalani, I’m hurting too. It pains me when either of you is hurt."

I rushed into the guest room’s bathroom and vomited until I felt dizzy.

I was so exhausted that I fell asleep, and when I woke, it was already evening.

Kyson wasn’t home, but he had sent me a message through the pack’s mind link: [I had to step out for a bit. Made you some spiced honey cake; be sure to have some.]

His signature dish, always perfect in flavor and aroma. He used to make it when he was in a good mood, but he hadn’t cooked it in the past year, being so occupied with his duties as Alpha.

On the dining table sat a lonely plate of spiced honey cake.

I had no appetite and was about to store it in the fridge when I noticed the thermal container from the kitchen was missing. It was a pink container I used to bring soups to pack gatherings, usually sitting on the shelf, but now it was gone.

My phone buzzed with a friend request: [This is Jolie Montgomery.]

I stared at the profile picture for a long time, puzzled. It was an oil painting of a child. It looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it before.

I accepted the request.

I needed to know why she was reaching out to me.

Just after accepting her request, Jolie sent me a voice message: "I’m sorry."

Her voice was frail and tearful, "I’m sorry, Kalani. I never meant to cause trouble for you. I didn’t want to upset you..."

She sounded so vulnerable, as if she were the one who had been wronged.

I dug my nails into my palm to steady my voice as I asked her, "Why did you try to hurt yourself?"

Why does she, the outsider, feel so upset that she’d go to such lengths?

Jolie cried as she replied, "It’s my fault. I got too attached to the Alpha. I selfishly wanted him to myself. I’ve never had anyone care for me since I was a child, and he was the only one who showed me kindness..."

A chill spread through my chest.

It felt like Kyson had played the hero with me, only to go and rescue another lost soul elsewhere.

I scrolled through Jolie’s social media.

Just a few minutes ago, she had posted: [Thank you, that’s so thoughtful.]

Accompanied by a picture of a pink thermal jug filled with aromatic spiced honey cake.