Lyra'S POV

The faint yet heavy scent of red roses reached me before I even entered the dining hall. It drifted through the corridor, thick enough to make my throat itch and my wolf recoil. She whimpered softly inside me.

He did it again. After two years of marriage, Alpha Thorne still hadn’t remembered that my wolf couldn’t stand roses. The pollen made her sneeze uncontrollably, and the fragrance only unsettled her more. But, of course, Lilith adored them.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and pushed open the grand oak door leading to the pack house’s dining room. Inside, the table was prepared — steak, greens, a bottle of red wine — and right in the middle sat a bouquet of red roses, half-wilted, their petals already drooping like they’d given up.

Thorne looked up with a wide grin, unaware as always. “There you are,” he said warmly, rising from his seat with something hidden behind his back. “Happy second anniversary, Lyra.”

He extended a single rose toward me — its stem bent, its bloom sagging. I stared at it, feeling my wolf’s irritation rise like heat under my skin.

“Do you remember our first dinner after the wedding?” he asked, eyes soft with nostalgia. “I gave you these. You liked them, didn’t you?”

Wordlessly, I took the flower. The moment my fingers brushed against the pollen, my wolf growled inside me. I kept my face composed.

“It was Lilith who liked them,” I murmured. “I’m allergic.”

He blinked, confused for a second, before laughing it off. “Ah, right. My mistake,” he said, settling back in his chair as if it were nothing.

A wave of nausea rolled through me, but I pushed it aside. I reminded myself why I was here. I pulled an envelope from my coat pocket — the one I had spent three weeks preparing. The elder said Thorne had to sign it himself before I could officially surrender the Luna title and dissolve the bond under pack law.

I laid it beside his plate. “Sign this.”

He glanced at it, one brow lifting. “Is this another report about the Crimson Hollow Pack border issue?”

Before I could answer, the door opened behind me. The air shifted instantly. A soft, familiar laugh floated in — Lilith’s. She entered with the confidence of someone who belonged, her hair cascading in loose waves, her dress clinging perfectly to her figure. She smiled at Thorne. “Am I interrupting?”

“Of course not,” Thorne replied immediately, his face lighting up in a way it never did for me. He stood at once, abandoning the envelope, and went to her side. “Come sit. We were just about to eat.”

He pulled out my chair for her, guiding her like she was a queen. I said nothing as he fussed over her — cutting her steak, pouring her wine — while the rose he’d given me lay forgotten on the table, shedding its pollen into the air. My wolf’s irritation grew, and I sneezed sharply. Neither of them noticed.

“I heard the patrols have been tracing rogue scents again,” Lilith said casually as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Maybe we can check the borders together after this?”

Thorne nodded eagerly. “That’s a great idea. We’ll go after lunch.”

I watched them, the heat in my chest burning — not out of jealousy, but humiliation. He hadn’t even touched the envelope.

When they finished eating, he finally reached for it. Without even reading the title — Formal Resignation of Luna Duties and Dissolution of Marriage — he scribbled his signature across the bottom.

“There,” he said absently, his gaze already returning to Lilith. “Done.”

He didn’t ask what it was. He didn’t look at me.

I sat still as they walked out together, his hand resting on the small of her back, their laughter echoing through the hall long after they were gone.

When the door shut behind them, I released a slow breath and closed my eyes. He hadn’t cared at all.

I once loved him — deeply, foolishly. I had married him despite knowing we weren’t fated, thinking my devotion would be enough. I’d taken the Luna title to preserve peace between our packs, to avoid scandal after Lilith had run off with her destined mate. I thought that if I stayed long enough, if I worked hard enough, he might love me back.

But now, the truth was clear — I had only ever been a replacement.

Even after my real lineage was revealed — that I, not Lilith, was the legitimate daughter of the Ravencourt Pack Luna — my family still chose to protect her reputation. She remained the adored one, the flawless one, while I became the embarrassing reminder of a mistake. They treated me like the shameful secret, when in truth, she was the one born out of our father’s betrayal.

When she returned, they let her slip back into Thorne’s life like nothing had changed. I never found out what happened to her fated mates — one day, she was simply back, reclaiming everything I had.

Thorne didn’t even bother hiding it anymore. He stopped coming home, started whispering with her in corners. One night, I overheard him tell her softly, thinking I was asleep, “I never loved Lyra. She was just someone to fill the space you left.”

That was the moment I stopped hoping.

I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn’t used in two years. After two rings, a familiar, low voice answered.

“…Lyra?”

“Alpha,” I said evenly. “Come get me out of Moonveil Pack. I’ll be ready once the elder confirms it’s finalized.”

My eyes fell on the envelope at the center of the table, Thorne’s careless signature smeared slightly with grease.

“Happy anniversary, Alpha,” I whispered, my voice cold.

Lyra’s POV

I sat on the edge of what used to be our bed — mine and Thorne’s. His side had been untouched for more than a year, the sheets cold and untouched. The silence around me was almost suffocating, pressing against my chest like a weight I couldn’t shake off.

Once, this room had smelled of lavender from my oils, its air soft and warm with affection. Now, it reeked of emptiness — of a love that had rotted away and left behind only bitterness.

My fingers trembled around the phone in my hand. I stared at the screen, thumb hovering over the call button. For a long moment, I just breathed. Then I pressed it.

The line barely rang before a voice answered — deep, sharp, and filled with restrained fury. “Lyra,” Alpha Corvin said, his tone smooth but edged like a blade. “To what do I owe this sudden call?”

I swallowed hard, gripping the phone tighter. “I… need your help,” I admitted. My voice shook slightly before I forced it steady. “I need you to come get me out of Moonveil Pack. I’ll be ready once the elder finalizes everything.”

For a moment, there was only silence. When Corvin finally spoke, his words dripped with anger. “Help? After all these years? After you chose him over me?”

Guilt washed through me like ice water. “I made a mistake,” I said softly. “I thought I knew what I wanted.”

He gave a low, bitter laugh. “A mistake? I offered you everything — a bond, loyalty, love — and you ran off with the first wolf who promised you the world.”

“I thought he’d learn to love me,” I whispered. “I thought I made the right choice.”

“And now you see the truth,” he said sharply. “So what do you want from me now?”

“I’m leaving him,” I replied, barely above a whisper. “But I need time. There are things I have to take care of before I go.”

Corvin’s tone dropped to something darker. “You have two weeks, Lyra. If you’re not free by then, I’ll come and take you myself.”

Then the call ended.

The phone slipped from my hand, landing beside me on the bed as the dial tone hummed faintly. His words lingered, heavy and possessive. He hadn’t changed — still as controlling as ever — yet there was protection buried in that threat. I didn’t know whether to feel comforted or terrified.

Sleep never came that night. I wandered through the Luna quarters like a ghost, my fingers brushing along polished tables and velvet curtains. Eventually, I found myself opening drawers, pulling out the gifts Thorne had given me over the years.

A ruby necklace — stunning, expensive, but hollow. I had always preferred emeralds, the color of calm and renewal.

An orange handbag — loud, flashy, completely unlike me. That had always been Lilith’s color. I liked soft greens, quiet earth tones.

A golden bracelet — elegant, but cold. I had always been drawn to silver — understated, resilient, quietly strong.

It hit me then — even in the things he chose for me, Thorne never really saw me.

When the first light of dawn touched the curtains, I heard the front door creak. Thorne entered, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, and smelling unmistakably of another woman — Lilith.

His gaze fell on the items laid neatly on the table. “What’s all this?”

“Just things I don’t need anymore,” I said calmly, though my chest ached with every word. “Maybe Lilith would appreciate them. They suit her more than me.”

He said nothing. No irritation, no guilt — only a small, indifferent nod, as if I’d mentioned something trivial. That indifference stung worse than any argument ever could.

Then came a sudden crash.

We both turned. Lilith stood near the wall, her eyes wide as she stared down at the shattered remains of our wedding photo. A large framed picture — the one of me and Thorne smiling beneath the altar — lay broken across the floor.

“Oh no,” she gasped, feigning innocence as she crouched to gather the shards. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to break it.”

Thorne immediately rushed to her, worry etched on his face. “Are you hurt?”

Lilith shook her head, tears glistening. “Just startled.”

He pulled her close, holding her protectively. “You’re what matters most, Lilith. Nothing else.”

I stood motionless, my gaze falling to the splintered glass. The cracks reflected our marriage — once whole, now irreparable.

“It’s fine,” I murmured, bending to help. A sharp sting cut through my finger as a shard drew blood, but I didn’t stop.

When I looked up again, I saw Lilith’s expression change — a glint of satisfaction flickering beneath her false concern. “Alpha… I don’t feel safe being alone tonight,” she said sweetly. “My staff’s gone for the evening. Could I stay here for a while?”

“Of course,” Thorne said instantly. “Stay in the Luna quarters. They’re the most comfortable.”

He didn’t even look my way. Didn’t ask. Didn’t care.

So I walked out quietly and went to the guest room. The air there felt stale, untouched. The bed was stiff, the furniture dull — not a room meant for a Luna.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My face looked hollow, my eyes rimmed with exhaustion. The color had drained from my skin. Loving Thorne had drained everything from me.

The tears came easily this time — not just for him, but for myself. For the years I had wasted, for the woman I had allowed myself to become. I had surrendered my strength and my pride to a wolf who saw me only as a replacement.

But that ended tonight.

I opened my old journal, the one I hadn’t touched since before the marriage, and began to write — not about Thorne or Lilith, but about me. My thoughts. My anger. My rediscovery.

I wasn’t just someone’s second choice.

I was going to be my own first.

Lyra’s POV

For two long years, I’d worn the Luna title like a cloak that never quite fit—too heavy, too tight, never really mine. Even after all that time, Thorne and I didn’t share a bed.

He once told me, “I just sleep better alone.” But it wasn’t his words that stung—it was the way he said them, eyes avoiding mine, tone clipped and distant. He didn’t mean he preferred solitude. He meant he couldn’t stand lying beside me.

That afternoon, as the sun dipped low and spilled orange light across the polished floors of the pack house, Thorne stood before everyone and announced that Lilith would be staying indefinitely. Not only that—she would be moving into the Luna quarters.

My quarters.

I didn’t react. Didn’t protest. I simply gave a small nod and murmured, “Alright.” I could feel his gaze on me, searching for a flicker of outrage or heartbreak—something to prove I still cared. But I was too exhausted for either. There was no point clinging to something that had already been taken from me piece by piece.

When I turned away to pack my things, his footsteps echoed down the hall. And just like that, he was gone again—with her.

In my old room, sunlight streamed through the windows, painting everything gold. I stood in the middle of the space I’d once tried so hard to make feel like home. Now, it just felt foreign.

On the shelf sat our wedding photo—cracked from the fall it took earlier that morning when Lilith “accidentally” knocked it down. I hadn’t been able to throw it away. Carefully, I lifted it down, ready to pack it. But as I slid it into the box, I didn’t notice the jagged edge of glass sticking out.

My hand slipped.

“Damn it—” I gasped, stumbling back. My knee hit the broken shards, and a sharp pain tore through my leg. Blood welled up instantly, seeping through the fabric of my dress. The gash was deep, throbbing in rhythm with my pulse.

I glanced toward the door. Empty. No footsteps. No scent of the man who was supposed to be my mate.

He didn’t come. He hadn’t even noticed.

I pressed the hem of my shirt against the wound, gritting my teeth as the pain burned. But even that physical sting couldn’t compare to the ache hollowing my chest.

Not once in our marriage had Thorne ever comforted me—not when nightmares kept me awake, not when I was sick, not even when I’d been captured by rogues and nearly killed. But Lilith arrived, and suddenly he could offer everything—my bed, my quarters, even my title.

By sunset, I had finished moving my things. I limped slightly as I carried the last box into one of the guest rooms. The scent of antiseptic clung to my hands from treating my wound alone. I hadn’t called a healer. I refused to give anyone another reason to whisper that I was “too fragile to be Luna.”

When Thorne finally returned, the faint aroma of Lilith’s jasmine perfume still clinging to him, he looked at the boxes lined up neatly in the hallway.

“Why are you packing?” he asked casually, as though nothing had changed.

I gave a small, practiced smile. “Just clearing out things I don’t need anymore.”

His brow furrowed briefly, but he didn’t press. “Lilith’s only staying temporarily.”

“Of course,” I said softly.

He nodded once, then walked away.

Later that evening, he appeared again, tone clipped and formal. “We’re attending the Alpha Gathering tomorrow.”

“You want me to come?” I asked, surprised.

“You’re still Luna, aren’t you?” he replied flatly. “You’re expected.”

Of course. Duty over dignity—that was the story of my life.

But I wasn’t the only woman on his arm that night.

Lilith came too, wearing an emerald silk gown that shimmered under the chandeliers. Her hair, braided with moonflowers, glowed under the light. She looked ethereal. And Thorne didn’t hide the way his gaze followed her, full of admiration he’d never once shown me.

The venue was grand—a towering hall filled with Alphas and Lunas from every corner of the region. The air smelled of dominance, perfume, and expensive wine.

When we entered, the host—a large Alpha from Granite Ridge—approached us with a polite smile. “Alpha Thorne, Luna Lyra—it’s an honor to see you again.”

Before I could reply, Thorne cut in.

“She’s not my Luna,” he said quickly, his voice sharp, dismissive. “This is Lilith, daughter of the Ravencourt Pack.”

The host blinked in surprise but quickly recovered, nodding stiffly. “Ah. My apologies.”

I said nothing. My expression didn’t falter. But inside, something deep and fragile inside me cracked. He didn’t even look at me when he said it. Didn’t use my title. Just my name—like I was some stranger who had once meant something.

We sat at our assigned table. The noise around us faded into a low hum as I focused on the golden-rimmed plates before me. My wolf stirred uneasily, restless and humiliated.

And then, out of nowhere, a scent drifted through the air. Subtle at first—woodsy, warm, electric. My wolf snapped her head up inside me, ears perked, tail flicking.

My pulse quickened. My palms grew damp.

That scent… it pulled at me—gentle but irresistible, like gravity itself had shifted. My wolf began to pace, confused, intrigued, yearning.

I inhaled again. The feeling grew stronger. My lungs couldn’t seem to draw in enough air.

“I need some air,” I murmured, pushing back my chair.

Thorne barely noticed.

I slipped out through a side door, my heart hammering wildly. The cool night air hit my skin, but the scent only grew stronger, wrapping around me like a whisper.

Because it wasn’t Thorne’s scent.

And deep down, my wolf already knew whose it was.

That terrified me.