Lyra

The Lunar Crest Hotel was a palace of glass and gold-even for someone like me who had been exposed to luxury during my stay in the Moonfang pack, I still couldn't help but be in awe of such a grand place.

Wolves of every pack filled the space-Alphas, Lunas, and Betas who attended the event, each carrying different scents that overlapped in the air like competing claims of dominance.

I followed a step behind Zane, and despite my awe, I made sure my facial expression revealed nothing.

The last thing I needed was to give anyone reason to gossip about Silvercrest accepting a country bumpkin assistant.

Every instinct screamed to lower my gaze, to bow my head, but I refused.

I was terrified I might tarnish Silvercrest's reputation if anyone discovered I was the disgraced Luna of Moonfang.

I locked down my pheromones, praying no one would recognize me by scent alone.

At the reception line, Zane nodded politely to the host, his aura effortlessly commanding.

"Alpha Zane Archer, Silvercrest Pack."

Then he turned to me. "This is my assistant."

The host bowed slightly. "Welcome, Alpha. Your table is ready."

As we moved through the crowd, my eyes caught glimpses of familiar faces-faces I would recognize even in death.

Moonfang wolves.

My pulse hammered the closer we came to the main venue.

I couldn't explain it-only that something felt wrong.

The bond stirred restlessly beneath my skin, tightening in a way it hadn't since I left Moonfang, as if it sensed something before I did.

No, I told myself. You're imagining things.

Kyle couldn't be here.

When I'd tried to request the bond severance, he hadn't signed it-he was supposedly away on an international pack mission.

So. There was no way he would be here.

Yet the unease wouldn't fade.

Zane slowed his steps slightly, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

"You've gone quiet," he said casually. "Is something wrong?"

I looked up at him, startled.

For a brief moment, his expression was unreadable-too calm, too observant.

As if he were already waiting for my answer. or testing me.

Only now do I have time to ponder that question... He seems to know something, as if this opportunity isn't just a stroke of luck.

But all I can say is, "I'm fine."

Before I could dwell on the thought, we followed the host into the elevator. He pressed the button for the private suite floor. The doors slid shut, sealing us inside.

The elevator rose.

Then stopped.

My body froze before my mind could catch up.

A familiar scent flooded the space-sharp, unmistakable. The bond snapped taut, roaring awake like a beast waking from sleep.

Even before the doors fully opened, I knew.

Musk. Cedarwood. Dominance.

Kyle. He IS HERE.

He stepped in with his Beta, Darren, mid-conversation.

His voice cut off the instant his eyes landed on me, and in that moment, the world seemed to shrink to the four glass walls surrounding us.

Fuck. There were countless elevators in this place-so why did I have to end up trapped in the same one as him?

His brows furrowed the moment he looked at me, gaze locking on with unsettling intensity.

The bond reacted instantly, tightening like a leash around my chest.

I hated that it still responded to him. Hated that some part of me still remembered.

Before he could speak, Zane moved.

"Alpha Moonfang," Zane greeted smoothly, inclining his head with perfect politeness.

Kyle's eyes narrowed. "Archer."

His tone was cold, clipped. His gaze flicked to Zane only briefly before returning to me, sharp and probing, as if trying to strip away every layer I'd carefully built.

"Didn't expect to see you here."

"Neither did I," Zane replied easily.

But Kyle wasn't looking at him. His attention bore into me, and I felt the weight of it like a hand around my throat.

I kept my eyes on the glowing elevator panel, grounding myself in the numbers.

"Small world."

The silence that followed was suffocating. I replayed my words in my head, wondering if I'd slipped, if I'd revealed too much.

Then Zane chuckled softly, as though amused by something only he understood.

Kyle's jaw tightened.

"Working again, I see." His voice dropped, edged with something darker-mockery, possession, disdain. "How... industrious of you."

"That's how people survive," I replied evenly.

His lips curled. "Running errands for another Alpha counts as survival now?"

The air shifted.

Zane's laughter faded. When he spoke, his voice was quiet-dangerously so.

"Careful, Moonfang."

Kyle's gaze snapped to him, Alpha energy flaring.

"She's MY assistant now, not anyone's Luna" Zane continued, his tone still calm, still controlled.

The word struck like a declaration.

I was right. Zane knew. About the bond. About Moonfang. About me.

No wonder. No wonder his gaze always felt so strange. No wonder he chose me from among a thousand outstanding candidates!

I looked up, only to see Kyle stiffen, his shoulders squaring.

The air between them thinned, pressure mounting as Alpha energy collided-two apex predators locked in silent challenge.

Instinctively, I stepped back until cold steel pressed against my spine, my wolf recoiling at the clash.

"I wasn't talking to you, Archer," Kyle snapped, his voice low and threatening.

Zane shifted-just enough to place himself between us. The movement was subtle, deliberate. Unmistakable.

"Then learn how to speak properly," Zane said, his voice dropping to match Kyle's, "Especially when you're talking to MY people."

The temperature in the elevator seemed to plummet.

Kyle's eyes flashed-gold bleeding into the edges, wolf rising to the surface.

The elevator chimed-a sharp, clean sound that cut through the tension like a blade.

The doors opened.

Relief flooded me. I stepped out first, desperate to put space between us before the tension shattered into violence.

But Kyle's voice followed, low and venomous.

"Don't come crawling back when you realize this was a mistake."

The bond tugged again-harder this time, demanding, insistent.

I stopped. Turned slightly, just enough to meet his gaze one last time.

"I won't..." I said quietly.

Before I finish, Zane spoke,

"As long as I'm here," he said, stepping out beside me without looking back, "that day will never come."

I didn't turn around.

And for the first time since leaving Moonfang, the bond fell silent.

~

The banquet hall glittered with gold. Laughter and the scent of expensive wines floated in the air-that even for a non-alcoholic like me felt like drinking by how sweet and tempting the scent is.

However, as soon as I walked in, every of their gazes they held toward me felt like a blade against my skin. It was the same eyes that used to look at me filled with mockery, disgust, and contempt. I instinctively kept close to Zane while clutching the tablet like its my armor.

"Raise your head," he murmured quietly. "You're mine now-not that Luna who looks like she's attending her own execution every time she enters a hall like this."

I paused, then let out a small, self-deprecating chuckle. "I suppose I've just. gotten used to it."

"Then unlearn it," he replied without hesitation. "There will be many more occasions like this."

The words made me falter.

Many more?

I glanced at him, puzzled. Such occasions-banquets, political gatherings, displays of status-were meant to be shared with one's mate. I had known that long before I ever joined his organization. Zane had his own mate. This was not my place.

So what did he mean?

Before I could question him, he was already moving forward, his presence steady beside me. And somehow, without realizing it, I followed.

We moved from table to table-introductions, handshakes, carefully chosen words that meant nothing and everything all at once. I repeated names, recorded alliances, kept pace with him exactly as expected.

And somewhere along the way, something dangerous happened.

The stares faded into the background. The tension loosened its grip on my shoulders. Wrapped in Zane's calm authority, I felt-if only briefly-safe.

Too safe.

For a fleeting moment, I forgot the realities of the world I stood in. Forgot that power always watched for weakness. Forgot that solitude, even when borrowed, could be mistaken for protection.

And that moment-small and fragile-was all it would take for those waiting in the shadows to notice my vulnerability.

Until one Alpha-Renn, a bulky wolf from the Ironhide Pack and cornered me near the drink bar. His breath reeked of liquor that made me step back and frown but immediately hid the displeased expression on my face and keep it neutral.

It was also the one who had tried to pounced on me at Kyle's birthday banquet and if it wasn't because he was there to stopped this drunk Alpha, I don't know how much more my tarnished reputation could get worse.

"Well, well," he drawled with a smirk on his lips. "Didn't think I'd see the Moonfang Luna out in public again."

I stiffened. "You're mistaken."

"Am I?" He stepped closer. "But how could I forget this familiar scent of you despite trying to hide it? Once a Luna, always a Luna."

"Please respect yourself, Alpha."

He laughed and directly grabbed my wrist. "Respect? Did you even do that while spreading your legs to any Alpha?"

My gaze darkened, my whole body was trembling from anger that made me want to punch the shit out of this man.

However, before I could react, a hand had already patted Renn's hand that grasp my wrist. "I believe my assistant said to step back."

Renn finally looked at him and released my wrist, making me sigh in relief as he sneered.

"Since when do Alphas let their toys speak for them?"

The word cut deeper than his grip ever had.

Before I could react, Zane stepped forward.

The air shifted-heavy, suffocating. His voice dropped into a low growl that rattled the glasses on the nearby table. "And since when do you think you have the right to touch my people under my watch, Renn?"

Renn scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Your people?" He laughed, alcohol sharp on his breath. "Don't make me laugh. Who do you think you are to-"

He never finished the sentence.

Zane moved.

In a blink, Renn was slammed onto the marble floor, the sound of impact echoing through the hall. A collective gasp followed. Renn groaned, scrambling to push himself up, fury flashing across his face as his aura flared.

"You bastard-!" He planted a hand on the floor, preparing to strike back.

"Enough," Zane said.

It wasn't loud.

It didn't need to be.

The pressure crashed down instantly-pure Alpha dominance. Renn froze mid-motion, his body betraying him before his pride could recover.

Zane straightened, his gaze cold and absolute.

"Zane Archer," he said calmly. "Alpha of the Silvercrest Pack."

The name rippled through the room.

Color drained from Renn's face.

His aura collapsed completely as realization struck. "A-Alpha Zane?" His voice broke as he scrambled upright, panic replacing arrogance. "I-I didn't know. Please forgive me. I was drunk-I meant no disrespect."

The room remained deathly silent.

Zane regarded him with faint disinterest. "You laid your hands on what was under my protection," he said evenly. "Be grateful your apology is all I'm demanding."

The entire room fell silent for a heartbeat. Renn paled and I watched him retreating quickly while mumbling apologies and blamed it to the alcohol.

Zane ignored it and look at me. "Are you hurt?"

"No." My voice trembled despite the effort. "And thank you for defending me."

He leaned slightly closer, his tone lower. "Next time, don't wait for someone to save you. If anyone dares to touch you, bite it."

I paused and chuckled. "Understood. I'll do it next time."

When I finally dared to glance across the all, I found Kyle who was watching us from a distance with a drink on his hands-his expression were unreadable.

As our eyes meet for a briefest second, his grip on the glass tightened until it cracked.

I looked away first.

Lyra

The event blurred after that-I even forgot how I managed to deal with fake pleasantries, handling the drinks they had given to me as they tried to get close to me for Alpha Zane.

When the car pulled up outside Mira's apartment, Zane glanced at me once more.

"Tomorrow, nine o'clock sharp. No suppressants."

I froze and looked at him with widened eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Relax," he said simply. "I want to see the wolf you keep caged and you know, it's not good to rely on supressants and always caging your wolf. If you want to work with me, I want you to learn how to breathe properly."

Do I look like not breathing properly?

"Yes." As if he read my mind, he answered.

Before I could open my mouth to reason out, he waved his hands. "Goodnight, Lyra."

Not Luna.

Not Moonfang's.

Just. Lyra.

My heart skipped, a strange warmth spreading through my chest before I could suppress it. It was the first time in a long while that someone had addressed me as myself-not as something that belonged to another Alpha.

The door shut softly behind him, leaving me standing beneath the faint glow of the streetlamp. I pressed my palm to my face and let out a slow breath, the night air finally filling my lungs.

Only then did it sink in.

This wasn't dismissal.

This was acknowledgement.

I had passed whatever silent test he had set for me.

Whatever doubts I carried, whatever reputation followed me-it hadn't been enough to turn him away.

As I went back to the apartment, it happened that Mira had been waiting for me in the living room. Upon seeing me, she put down the book she's reading and jogged towards me.

"How was the event?"

I smiled faintly. "Just so-so. Not bad."

She pouted. "You didn't enjoy it?"

I only smiled and chose not to answer. It hadn't been terrible-but it wasn't something I could say I enjoyed either.

After a brief pause, I took a breath. "Mira. I think I should start looking for my own place."

She blinked, clearly caught off guard.

"I've secured a job now," I continued gently. "It wouldn't be right for me to keep staying here. I'll find a flat and move out as soon as possible."

Mira hesitated. "You know you can stay a little longer if you need to. It's fine, really."

I saw it then-the hesitation she tried to hide, the discomfort she didn't voice. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her.

"Don't feel bad," I murmured. "I'm truly okay. I don't want you to worry about me anymore."

She let out a slow breath and hugged me back, her arms tightening. "I just wish things were. easier."

"I know," I said softly.

We stayed like that for a moment-no accusations, no explanations needed. Just quiet understanding between family.

"I'll go take a bath," I said lightly, patting her back before pulling away.

"You won't eat?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I already ate."

~

By the morning, I was already inside of Zane's office that smelled like coffee. When he gestured to the chair across from his desk.

"Sit," he said, not looking up from a stack of papers while a cup of coffee was next to him.

I took the chair and folded my hands in my lap. The badge on my blazer still felt foreign to me-a small rectangle that said I belonged to Silvercrest.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked.

He set the file down; the sound was deliberate. When he finally looked up, his eyes were slow. "Do you remember Alpha Renn?"

The name made my jaw tighten. Of course, how could I forget the same man who approached me with clear lustful intentions as if in his eyes, I was an easy woman who would spread her legs to any Alpha.

The thought of it made my stomach churned.

"Yeah, I remembered him." I calmly answered while supressing the acid in my throat.

Zane's mouth curved up but his eyes were cold as he folded his hands on the desk. "I've hard the news last night that Renn had been found in the alley with broken ribs, missing tooths, and a crushed.well. eggs."

Realizing the latter he meant with his brows furrowed, clearly feeling the same pain that a fellow men like him do but then shake it off and looked at me with a teasing smile.

"Who do you think did it?"

I was about to say that I didn't know when he suddenly shook the money on me.

"If you guess correctly, the money will be yours," he teased, clearly enjoying this.

I stared at him in frustration then to the stack of money in his hands before resigning to fate. I never thought that thre would be one day that I would give in easily because of money.

"The Moonfang?"

"Specific."

"Kyle."

The corner of his lips raised. "Correct! You got it right."

I ignored his teasing and handed my hand. "The prize."

He chuckled and handed the stack of money which I hurriedly tucked it in my pocket before he would tell me to hand it back to him.

"Not gonna ask why?" I heard him asked.

"No. I'm not curious."

"But I do," he smirked and sighed. "Men like him don't confess things that would shame them."

I looked at him helplessly . "Why are you telling me this?"

Zane's gaze softened fractionally. "Who knows?" he said quietly. "Maybe because I saw something interesting-that he'd break lines for you even if he couldn't show it."

The words came out strange, unsettling, but I didn't respond. The past had already happened, and there was no fixing it. I was living my present life now, and I didn't want to know his thoughts-what he had done or why.

Besides, I refused to believe he did anything for me. The same Alpha who had always looked down on me-who regarded me with contempt and disgust, as if I were worse than trash-wasn't capable of that.

Zane studied me for a moment, then asked bluntly, "What about you? Feeling rather moved, aren't you?"

I frowned and shook my head. "It has nothing to do with work," I said evenly. "And it's not something you need to concern yourself with."

After a brief pause, I added, "You should be worrying about your own mate."

Something shifted in his expression.

It was subtle-too quick to name-but unmistakable. Not irritation. Not amusement. Something deeper, carefully masked, as if I had brushed against a truth I wasn't meant to see.

The change left me puzzled.

I chose not to press further.

Instead, I shrugged and stood up. "Is there anything else I could do for you, Mr. Zane?"

Zane looked at me in the eyes-as if he was scrutinizing if I still had feelings or hope left for Kyle and when he saw that there was none, the corner of his mouth raised as he waved his hand.

"Just help me pile the stacks of document and arrange to make it easier for me to find."

After I finished my work, I went back to Mira's place again. My shoulder's were heavy and my whole body was drained after spending my time working. Even my waist were sore from sitting for a long time.

The moment I pushed the door open, I froze.

Mira and her mate were standing far too close-his arms wrapped around her in an intimate embrace. They broke apart instantly when they noticed me, but it was already too late. Heat rushed to my face as I turned my gaze away, thoroughly embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry," I muttered.

Her mate, Damon, straightened, irritation flickering across his expression. The warmth from moments ago vanished, replaced by a tight jaw and restrained temper.

"You've been here for a while, Lyra," he said curtly. "Didn't you say this was temporary-until you found a job?"

"I know," I replied calmly. "I've already secured employment. I'll be moving out soon-once I receive my first payment this week."

He exhaled sharply, the sound caught somewhere between relief and frustration. "Good. Because your presence complicates things. Keeping a former Luna from a famous pack under our roof draws attention. We don't want trouble."

"I understand," I said without hesitation. "I've already told Mira. I'll start looking for an apartment immediately."

Mira reached out and brushed her hand against my arm. "Don't rush yourself if you can't," she said gently. "You can still stay for a week at most."

I smiled at her, warmth softening my chest despite everything. "I know. Thank you-for letting me stay at all."

The tension eased, if only slightly.

I retreated to my room soon after and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling out my phone. Rental listings filled the screen-most far too expensive, others cramped and overcrowded. I jotted down numbers and dates, calculating carefully. With my savings-and the bonus Mr. Zane had given me-I could manage at least a month.

It wasn't ideal. But it was a start.

Halfway through the third page of notes, my phone lit up.

I almost dropped it.

Matriarch Seraphina.

Kyle's grandmother.