The night before the ceremony, the pack’s home buzzed with celebration. Candles flickered and champagne flowed as my closest friends gathered around, laughter echoing through the halls. They gifted me silk robes, handwritten notes, and matching jewelry sets—tokens of a future everyone seemed excited for.

But beneath the sparkle, tension simmered.

Midway through the night, my phone buzzed on the table. A call from the station. I excused myself, heart quickening.

“Miss Graham, we need you to come down. It’s about Darren.”

No details. Just urgency.

By the time I reached the station, my palms were clammy. And there they were—Darren and Sharon—tucked into a quiet corner like the world didn't exist. She leaned into him, her hand resting on his knee, his arm loose around her shoulders. They didn’t even notice me enter.

I stared. The closeness. The softness in their voices. It wasn't the way siblings spoke.

Sharon had been adopted into the family, and though we all treated her like one of our own, the bond between her and Darren had always felt…off. People talked. Even my friends had tried warning me—with screenshots, whispers, and recordings—but I dismissed them. I was marrying for duty, not romance.

Still, nothing prepared me for the gut punch of seeing it with my own eyes.

“Janet Graham?” A guard's voice pulled me back.

“I’m here,” I said, barely managing a smile as I signed the bail forms.

Darren and Sharon walked past me without a word. No apology. Not even a glance.

That night, I tossed in bed, haunted by what I’d seen. Eventually, I left my room, thinking water might help. But as I neared the kitchen, voices stopped me cold.

“You don’t love her,” Sharon whispered, pleading. “You love me.”

“I know,” Darren murmured. “But Janet's the Alpha’s daughter. We can't afford war.”

“She deserves the truth.”

I took a step closer, ready to confront them—but Sharon turned and kissed him.

I froze, my breath catching as betrayal stabbed through me. I slipped away silently, each footstep heavier than the last.

Alone in my room, I wept into the silence, seeking clarity from the Moon Goddess. But no signs came. Only stillness.

When dawn broke, the wedding day was upon me.

I sat before the mirror, staring at my reflection. My gown shimmered like frost under moonlight, flawless and cold. My hands trembled as I tried to steady my breath.

Then came the scent—wild pine, earth after rain. I didn’t have to look up to know who it was.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” I said, staring at my reflection.

“I came anyway,” said Lloyd.

He stepped in, the same Lloyd who had once vowed to stay, then vanished into the human world. My wolf stirred at his presence.

“You left,” I whispered, “and now I’m marrying someone else.”

“Someone who doesn't deserve you.”

I clenched my jaw. “This is my duty.”

“Duty isn't love, Janet.”

He walked toward me, his eyes unwavering. “You still feel it, don’t you? The bond.”

“Stop.”

“I will, if you ask me to. But before that—”

Lloyd knelt before me, pulling out a ring that sparkled like morning dew. “Janet Graham,” he said, voice low and steady, “will you come with me? Leave this pack, this pain—and live a life we were meant to share?”

My heart raced. My future stood on two paths—one paved with expectations, and the other with love I thought I’d lost.

And I… I wasn’t sure which to choose.

I gaped at Lloyd as if the man had gone completely mad. He was down on one knee, his eyes filled with hope, extending a diamond ring that sparkled under the light. The sight alone made my chest tighten.

“Lloyd what do you think you’re doing?” I backed away, instinctively placing a protective hand over my abdomen—the secret I’d been hiding for weeks now fluttering inside me.

“I mean it, Janet,” he said earnestly, taking a step forward. “Leave with me. Let’s go somewhere far away.”

“No,” I said flatly, though inside, my wolf stirred with a flicker of uncertainty.

Lloyd’s jaw clenched. Determined, he moved closer, trying to close the distance. “Janet, please—”

But before he could finish, the door slammed open with a bang.

Sharon stood in the doorway, fury etched into every line of her face. Her gaze bounced between me and Lloyd thick with disgust.

“Are you serious right now?” she snapped. “Cheating on Darren—on your wedding day, no less?”

The accusation felt like a slap, not for what it meant, but because of who it came from.

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she spun around before I could speak and stormed out.

My heart seized in panic. I couldn’t let her twist the story—again.

“Sharon, wait!” I yelled, jerking my arm from Lloyd’s grasp and running after her.

My wolf growled in protest, but I didn’t stop. I sprinted down the corridor, breath catching as I reached the ceremonial hall.

Too late.

Sharon stood in front of the crowd, her voice sharp as she pointed right at me. “She’s been with another man. I saw it myself.”

A wave of gasps and murmurs rippled through the room like a tsunami.

“Janet?” My mother stepped forward, her face pale, her voice trembling. “What is going on?”

Before I could answer, Darren’s voice cut like a blade through the silence.

“Is it true?” he asked coldly, eyes drilling into mine, already condemning me.

Inside, my wolf snarled, rage bubbling beneath my skin. He had no right to judge me.

“You’re seriously taking her word over mine?” I asked, voice low but steady.

The whispers multiplied, disapproval thick in the air.

“What a shame, the Alpha’s daughter caught in scandal…”

Darren’s father raised a hand to silence the crowd. “Alpha Graham, if this is the behavior of your heir, then our alliance is at stake.”

My father stepped forward and yanked me aside. His palm struck my cheek with brutal force in front of everyone.

“You will stop this disgrace right now. Whether you like it or not, the wedding will go on. We need this union. Just stand there and act like a proper daughter—for once,” he growled in my ear.

He had never wanted me as a successor. To him, no she-wolf could ever be worthy of leading the pack. But he had no sons—only daughters, and I was the eldest.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” I said quietly, blinking back tears, but he didn’t care.

Then someone asked, “Ms. Johnston, if you saw her with someone, can you identify him now? Let him speak for himself.”

Sharon’s confidence faltered. She looked around, but Lloyd had disappeared.

“I know what I saw!” she insisted, voice faltering. “He was just here… he’s not now, but I swear it happened.”

“Then there’s no issue,” said one elder. “Let the ceremony proceed. What do you say, Mr. Johnston?”

Darren’s father gave a stiff nod. He didn’t like it, but without proof, he couldn’t oppose the Alpha’s word—not without risking war between packs.

My mother took my arm gently and led me back to my dressing room, murmuring about fixing my hair and calming down.

But the moment we stepped inside, I felt my stomach churn violently. I barely made it to the bathroom before I threw up.

“Are you pregnant?” my mother asked softly from behind me.

I didn’t reply.

She left quietly to inform my father that I needed a few minutes alone.

As I leaned against the sink, trying to steady my breath, something caught my eye.

A small glint of silver resting on the vanity.

Lloyd’s ring.

My vision blurred. I clutched the ring, heart pounding with a clarity I hadn’t had in days.

If the Moon Goddess had spoken, her answer was already inside me—growing, waiting to be born.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I whispered to the mirror. “I’ll leave. I’ll vanish like Lloyd did. I’ll raise this baby far from this cursed place, in a world where no one decides my fate but me.”

It’s been five long years since I escaped from the Moonshine pack. Now, I live a quiet life among humans, far away from the Alpha’s reach and everything that once chained me to that painful past.

I settled into a modest flat on the edge of the city, raising my twins in peace. The chaos of pack politics was a distant memory now, replaced with the gentle routine of human living. Humans were different—yes, fragile in many ways, but they possessed a warmth and compassion that wolves rarely showed. There were no dominance struggles, no manipulation for leadership, and no lingering fear of sudden rogue attacks.

I spent my days as a baker in a bustling bakery downtown. It was not the life I had envisioned once upon a time, but that was the very reason I chose it. If anyone from the Moonshine pack ever searched for me, they’d never think to find me in a flour-dusted apron, quietly baking bread and icing cupcakes.

Life was simple. And for once, I felt truly alive.

One quiet afternoon, after wiping down the kitchen counters, I noticed a magazine lying on the table—left behind by my babysitter. Its cover proudly displayed a headline about the city's wealthiest man. Curiosity tugged at me, and I flipped it open to the article.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

Mate! my wolf howled inside me.

There, staring out from the glossy page, was Lloyd’s face. He looked older, more refined, but there was no mistaking it—it was him. He went by a new name now: Lloyd Maynard. According to the article, he had become a powerful and successful businessman in the human realm.

Of course he would change his name. Just like me, he had cut off his connection to the pack—no more mind links, no more ties. He had vanished just as I had, slipping into obscurity.

I scanned the article for more information, absorbing every word. The man in the photographs was no longer just Lloyd. He had transformed into someone unreachable, influential, almost mythic.

“Mom, why are you smiling like that?” a small voice broke through my thoughts, and two little arms wrapped around my waist. I glanced down at one of my twins, their eyes wide with curiosity.

“It’s nothing, sweetie,” I said softly, planting a kiss on their forehead. “Just something funny, that’s all.”

“Who is that man you’re looking at?” asked the other twin, peeking at the photo.

“Oh, no one important,” I said casually. “Just someone in a magazine Jasmine brought.”

But my thoughts were racing. They didn’t know. The man in the article wasn’t just a face on a page. He was their father.

I wanted to tell them. My wolf stirred again, urging me to reveal the truth. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it—not yet. What Lloyd and I once shared had been beautiful, but that chapter ended the moment I agreed to marry Darren for political reasons. That, too, had crumbled into ruin.

I had tried hard to bury the memories. To start anew.

The next morning, I arrived at the bakery before dawn. The sky was still dark, and the silence of the early hours wrapped around me like a blanket. I always appreciated these quiet moments—kneading dough, letting the ovens heat, the scent of bread slowly rising.

But that day, something felt... different.

A faint noise caught my attention—swift, skittering footsteps, almost like the scamper of animals. I paused, turning my gaze toward the bakery’s glass front. It wasn’t unusual to see dogs in the city, but something about that sound unnerved me.

And then the window exploded.

Glass rained everywhere as a massive creature barreled inside. Its yellow eyes gleamed, its teeth bared and dripping with saliva.

“A rogue,” I muttered, my wolf instantly alert.

It let out a low growl, moving toward me like a predator stalking prey. My wolf was fighting to break free, desperate to defend, but I couldn’t transform—not in public, not under human surveillance.

I had no choice.

I ran.

The rogue chased me, its claws pounding the ground as I fled through the narrow alleys behind the bakery. I had to find a hidden space—somewhere out of sight, where I could safely shift.

Finally, I found a corner cloaked in shadows. I let go. My body morphed as my wolf surged forward, muscles shifting, fur spreading across my skin. I faced the rogue, ready to fight.

It lunged at me again—this time with even more speed. I dodged once, but its next attack was too fast. I braced myself for pain, expecting sharp teeth to tear into me.

But it didn’t happen.

Instead, the rogue dropped to the ground, twitching. A long, silver dart protruded from its side. It let out one final growl before collapsing.

I froze, stunned.

Then I caught a scent on the wind.

That smell.

Familiar. Irresistible. Undeniable.

I turned my head—and saw him.

Lloyd—no, Lloyd—stood just yards away. His expression was fierce, protective, the weapon still gripped in his hand. Our eyes locked, and just for a heartbeat, it felt as though time had never passed.

As though we had never been apart.