The next day, Talon arrived with Briella by his side.

Briella took one look at me and tilted her chin up, her slender neck marred with unmistakable marks—evidence of their marking ceremony. Her lips curled into a smirk as she spoke, her voice dripping with mockery. “Well, well, if it isn’t the ‘Stray Mate.’ What have you scavenged this time?”

Ever since I’d been taken into the Southern Pack, the whispers had followed me. They called me the “Stray Mate,” mocking the way I’d found Talon injured and brought him back, only for him to forget me. The title clung to me like a curse, a reminder of my place—or rather, my lack of one.

Talon chuckled lowly, his deep voice carrying a warmth that stung me more than it should have. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Briella’s face, his touch tender. “You’re such a tease,” he said, his gaze lingering on her with an affection that felt like a blade twisting in my chest.

Briella giggled, leaning into him as if she couldn’t bear to be even an inch apart. “Oh, come now,” she said, her tone light but edged with malice. “I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll spare you the humiliation. After all, you’re hardly worth my time.”

She paused, her smirk widening. “But I suppose I should share the good news. You’ll want to hear this.”

I stiffened, my wolf stirring uneasily in the back of my mind, though it stayed silent, sensing the tension. Talon’s Alpha aura was faint but present, a subtle pressure in the room that made it hard to breathe. Briella, too, carried her own aura, sharp and commanding, a reflection of her status as a Lycan Princess.

“Go on,” Talon urged, his hand resting possessively on her waist. “Tell her.”

Briella’s eyes gleamed with triumph as she spoke, her voice sweet but laced with venom. “We’ve decided to hold the marking ceremony next week. It’s time to make things official.”

The words hit me like a physical blow, my stomach churning as the mate bond—what little of it remained—ached faintly. My wolf whimpered softly, a sound only I could hear, but I forced myself to stay composed, to not give them the satisfaction of seeing me break.

“Congratulations,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “I’m sure you’ll make a... fitting pair.”

Briella’s smile faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowing as if she’d expected a different reaction. But then she laughed, the sound cold and dismissive. “Of course we will. Unlike some, I know my place—and I’m more than capable of fulfilling it.”

Talon’s gaze flicked to me, his expression unreadable, but he said nothing. Instead, he pulled Briella closer, his Alpha aura flaring slightly, as if to remind me of his dominance. It was a silent warning, one I couldn’t ignore.

As they turned to leave, Briella glanced back over her shoulder, her smile cruel. “Oh, and Skyla? Don’t get any ideas. You’re nothing more than a stray—and always will be.”

The door closed behind them, leaving me alone with the weight of their words. My wolf growled softly, a low, pained sound, but I shoved the emotions down, refusing to let them see me weak. Not again. Never again.

Briella Phillips stood before me, her posture as haughty as her words. Her aura, sharp and commanding, filled the room, a reminder of her status as the Lycan Princess. She declared three things with a cold, cutting tone.

First, she said, out of gratitude for my past help in saving Talon Fernandez, she would allow me to join her as his mate on the same day—though not as his primary mate, but as his chosen one, a position far beneath her.

Second, since I had already been in the Southern Pack for three years, she would entrust me with the responsibility of organizing the mark ceremony. Her smirk suggested it was less an honor and more a test of my loyalty.

Then, her gaze narrowed as she leaned forward, her scent—a mix of vanilla and rosemary—sharpening with her disdain. “Third,” she began, her voice dripping with mockery. “Jessie Carroll, is it?” She tilted her head, her wolfish eyes glinting with amusement. “Who gave you that name?”

I knelt on the floor, my knees aching from the three days I had spent in this position. My voice was steady, though my wolf stirred uneasily in the back of my mind. “My mother,” I answered.

Briella let out a soft, mocking laugh. In one swift motion, she kicked my shoulder, the force of her Alpha strength sending me sprawling onto the ground. My knees, already raw from kneeling, screamed in protest.

Talon’s brow furrowed, and he shifted slightly, as if to move toward me. But Briella caught his hand, her voice sweet and coaxing. “Talon, let me finish,” she purred, her Alpha tone lacing her words with authority.

She held up a necklace, a silver charm engraved with the letter “J.” “Do you know what this is?” she asked, her tone mocking. “Do you know where my name, Briella, comes from?”

I stared at the necklace, the engraving clear and deliberate. Of course I knew. Everyone in the pack knew. The necklace was a relic from the late Lycan Queen, a gift she had crafted for her daughter, the future Lycan Princess, on her eighth birthday. But the Queen had perished in a battle defending the pack’s borders, and her daughter had vanished shortly after.

The King, grief-stricken and desperate, had taken in a young girl from the outskirts of the pack and named her Briella, showering her with the love and status that should have belonged to his lost daughter.

“Talon,” Briella continued, her voice dripping with false sweetness, “when we return to the capital for our mark ceremony, the King might ask about her. If he does…” She glanced at me, her lips curling into a sneer. “A stray mate, daring to carry a name that echoes my own? It’s an insult.”

She turned to Talon, her expression softening as she smiled at him. “Don’t you think it’s better if she changes it? I’m only looking out for her, after all.”

Adelynn, my loyal servant, bowed her head low, her voice trembling as she spoke. “Alpha,” she began, her deference clear. Even she understood the gravity of Briella’s power. It was unheard of for a Lycan Princess to demand such a thing—this was nothing but a calculated humiliation.

But Talon’s gaze never left Briella. His eyes softened, the way they always did when he looked at her. “Of course, Briella,” he said, his voice warm and indulgent. “You’re always so thoughtful.” He reached out, brushing a strand of her golden hair from her face.

Then he turned to me, his tone casual, as if he were discussing something trivial. “So, Jessie…”

I lowered my eyes, a faint smile playing on my lips. “Fine,” I said, my voice calm despite the storm raging inside me. My wolf whimpered quietly, but I pushed her back. This was not the time to show weakness.

“Luna, how could you agree to this?”

As soon as everyone left, Adelynn broke into sobs.

“Your name, your identity—it’s a gift from your parents, a blessing they gave you…”

“Didn’t the Beta drink the healing tonic? Hasn’t he remembered yet?”

“You’re his chosen mate, marked and bound by the Moon Goddess!”

“And now they’re making you take a lower name, forcing you to arrange his mark ceremony… even asking you to be her stepping stone on the marking day…”

“Luna, if this goes on, not just in the Southern Pack, but in all of the neighboring territories, you’ll never be able to hold your head high!”

It didn’t matter.

We wouldn’t be in the Southern Pack much longer anyway.

Thanks to Briella Phillips, the last shred of attachment I had was gone.

I calmly prepared for Talon and Briella’s mark ceremony.

She wanted a red veil—I embroidered it.

She wanted vows—I wrote them.

She demanded I be her stepping stone on the marking day—I nodded and said, “Of course.”

The entire pack watched me with scorn.

“She’s so desperate to stay as the Beta’s mate, she’s lost all self-respect!”

I ignored them.

I acted like the same helpless, devoted mate who’d once loved Talon so fiercely, enduring every humiliation without complaint.

No one noticed that I’d taken Adelynn’s freedom papers.

Donated all the healing herbs I’d collected over the years.

Burned the notes that had been secretly delivered to me every few days.

Three days before the ceremony, as expected, there was an “incident.”

Briella claimed her silver pendant, engraved with the crescent moon, had gone missing.

And then, of course, it was found in my room.

Before locking me in the storage room, she leaned in and hissed,

“You think you’re worthy of sharing a mate with a Lycan Princess?”

The lock clicked shut.

I didn’t even bother to protest.

These last three days, locked away here, were a welcome respite.

But on the night before the ceremony, Talon came.