I could still catch the sharp scent of herb clinging to my skin even after I'd changed back into my clothes. I ran a hand over my face as I stepped out of the Healer Sanctum. The healer's verdict echoed in the hollows of my mind.

"This is spirit-drawn depletion. You need to rest, eat properly and take care of yourself."

I'd nodded, but we both knew rest wasn't something I could claim right now. My life was unraveling like a frayed bond-thread and stopping to patch it seemed impossible.

By the time I reached my den, exhaustion was a stone lodged in every muscle. My legs felt heavy, my arms were weak and my head pounded from the lingering dizziness. I gripped the doorknob for a second before turning it, bracing myself for whatever awaited me inside.

What I did not expect was to find my personal nightmare standing in the heart of my kitchen, Kaia.

At that time, she used my handkerchief as a napkin for his dirty hands. She also acted as if she owned the place.

She hummed a cheerful melody as she stirred something in a pan, moving around the room as if she lived there. The scent of honeyed meat instantly filled the air, but instead of being consoling, it was sickening.

Raiden stood beside her. He was leaning against the stone bar while looking as comfortable as ever. My gaze locked on the familiar cloth around his waist.

Our old bonding handkerchief, a foolish thing we'd claimed together during the last moon gathering. Something that once held meaning; something we used to joke about. Now, seeing him using it while standing next to her made my stomach churn.

They hadn't noticed me yet. For a moment, I considered leaving. So, I turned around and pretended I hadn't walked into this mock-den setup they'd created.

Still, something inside me snapped. My satchel hit the floor with a heavy thud and the noise shattered the cozy illusion they had built.

Finally, their heads lifted.

Raiden shook his head after giving me a fleeting glance. "You look awful."

My mouth fell open slightly as raw disbelief surged through me. That was the first thing he had to say? Not, 'Where have you been?' Not, 'Are you unharmed?'

Just another complaint and another cut.

Kaia turned with a practiced look of concern, though the smirk tugging her lips betrayed her. "Freya! You're finally back. We were just talking about you."

I clenched my jaw as I resisted the urge to snap at her. "I can tell."

Raiden sighed and set down his Moonbrew. "You didn't mention going anywhere."

I folded my arms tightly. "I was unaware I required your leave."

His eyes narrowed, but he didn't push. He likely assumed I'd been off brooding somewhere—unaware I'd spent the night under a healer's care, drained and lightheaded because of the near-death experience that I had yesterday.

Kaia wiped her hands on my handkerchief and flashed a bright smile. "We were just making breakfast. Thought I'd do something sweet."

"In my kitchen?" I asked coldly. "Using my handkerchief?"

She glanced down and let out a light laugh. "Oh, this? I just grabbed the first thing I saw. Hope you don't mind."

Mind? I wanted to tear it off her and toss it into the firepit.

Raiden groaned, as though my presence was the problem. "Freya, don't start. She's trying to be nice."

I scoffed, my gaze cutting between them. "You really don't see how this looks, do you?"

Kaia suddenly clapped her hands together. "Oh! That reminds me. Freya, you must come to my moon-birth celebration next week."

I stared at her. "What?"

She nodded. She was all too pleased with herself. "I insist. It'll be a great night. We'll celebrate, have a few drinks and just enjoy ourselves. Right, Raiden?"

He barely looked at me before taking another sip of his moon brew. "It's up to you."

Up to me? As if my decision mattered at all.

I should have refused. Should have told her precisely where she could bury her false invitation.

But something in her smug gaze, the self-satisfied glint in her wolf-bright eyes, gave me pause. She wanted me to refuse. Wanted me to howl my outrage and run, proving once more that I had no place in this picture they were painting.

So I offered a thin, tight smile. "Very well. I will come."

Kaia's expression flickered for the briefest moment before she recovered. "Perfect."

Raiden took a quick look at me. I couldn't figure out what was on his mind, but he said nothing. He had absolutely no idea what he had just agreed to, nor did Kaia.

But I did. Because I was already done playing their game.

The night of Kaia's moon-birth celebration arrived as if it were inevitable. The invitation had been delivered with the politeness of the Silvercrest pack, but I understood its true purpose.

It was a calculated display. An opportunity for Kaia to flaunt her triumph, while I was expected to sit quietly and pretend to admire her.

Too bad, I would not grant her the satisfaction of fleeing.

Dressed in a sleek black moon-silk gown that hugged my figure just enough to radiate confidence, I stepped into the celebration hall. It was a grand, dimly lit chamber filled with floating crystal lanterns and the clinking of silver goblets.

The air carried the scent of rare night-flowers and murmured conversations from the elite wolves of various territories. I slipped through the crowd while keeping my face straight.

It didn't take long to find Raiden.

He was seated in the Alpha's circle with Kaia curled against his side. Her fingers lazily traced patterns along his thigh.

They seemed far too relaxed, portraying the perfect image of a powerful pair that the packs were meant to admire.

For a heartbeat, I thought to avoided them and left before the night twisted itself into another public humiliation, but then Kaia's gaze found mine.

Her lips curved into a sickly-sweet smile and I knew I had made the right decision by coming.

"Freya! You actually came." Her voice dripped with honey as she unwrapped herself from Raiden and glided toward me. Her dress shimmered with tiny sewn-in moonstones.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it," I responded smoothly, matching her false warmth with a composed smile of my own.

Her gaze swept over me, seemingly searching for a crack in my composure. Finding none, she simply gave a light laugh and linked her arm with mine. "Come, let's get you a drink. It's a celebration, after all."

I let her guide me to the stone bar, where she handed me a glass of sparkling Elderberry wine. She watched as I took a small sip.

The liquor warmed my throat, but my attention drifted to Raiden. He was still staring at me as though my presence unsettled him. He hadn't believed I would dare show up.

Good.

As the night deepened, Kaia basked in the pack's admiration. She played the gracious future-Luna perfectly. She even laughed prettily at the right moments, touched Raiden often enough to remind every wolf watching that he was hers and made sure I witnessed all of it.

However, I had my own role to play.

I moved through the crowd, smiled and exchanged courteous words with elders, warriors and nobles who had once known me as Raiden's chosen mate.

I made sure my presence was noted and that my name was still spoken among them. A reminder that I was not some broken she-wolf, forgotten in the lesser territories.

Then came the sweets.

A towering confection shaped like a moon spire was wheeled in, greeted by applause and enchanted crystal flashes. Kaia, as the star of the night, stepped forward with a coy smile. She raised her glass, waiting for silence.

"I give thanks to the pack for sharing this moon with me," she began with her perfected charm. "It's been an incredible cycle for me. I'm blessed with loyal allies and …" She turned, placing a hand over Raiden's heart before continuing, "a fated bond."

The hall echoed with approving growls and raised cups. I stood silent, watching her savor the moment.

"But before the sweets are shared, I have one more blessing to ask of the moon."

A curious murmur rippled through the pack. Kaia tilted her head and locked her eyes with mine. "This year has gifted me so much. Love, standing and soon, a strong pup to carry our bloodline." She rested a hand low on her belly, a small yet unmistakable gesture. "So, my moon-wish is for Freya to find that kind of happiness, too. For her to finally have a pup of her own."

A ripple of gasps swept through the hall. My stomach churned, but my face stayed calm.

She had done it; she had humiliated me before the entire alliance and twisted my greatest wound into a pretty joke at her moonlit celebration.

The whispers flared instantly.

Everyone knew about my supposed infertility, how Raiden and I had fought for so long to conceive. So when Kaia used that very wound against me, it cut straight through the last of my dignity.

I could feel their eyes on me, their unspoken pity hanging in the air. But what Kaia didn't know, what none of them knew, was that the laugh had never been meant for me.

I set my goblet down on a stone ledge and took one step forward. My lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. "Oh, I will, Kaia."

Her smug look faltered, just for a flicker. "What?"

"I will," I repeated, keeping my voice light, almost mocking, letting the words leave my tongue with a lethal calm that felt immensely satisfying.

Why? Because I knew the truth.

Just hours earlier, after leaving the Healer Sanctum following my physical examination, I had learned what Raiden and I had never considered during all our years of trying.

It was never me. He was the barren one.

The knowledge settled like a heavy stone in my chest, but I held steady. The hall continued to watch me, hungry for more. Still, I offered nothing else.

I simply smiled.

Kaia blinked at me. Her mind was surely racing, but she had no idea what was running through mine.

The moment of tension stretched between us. Then, the silence was shattered as the crowd began to cheer, urging her to finish her moon wish.

Later, the celebration continued.

The aftermath of Kaia's humiliating toast hung in the air like a thick mist drifting across pack territory. Nonetheless, I refused to let it settle over me.

I could feel Raiden watching me from across the hall. His gaze flickered between confusion and suspicion.

For years, I had always poorly reacted whenever it came to him and Kaia, unable to hide my disdain. Yet tonight, I was the picture of grace, unfazed by every one of Kaia's little challenges.

He had no idea what all of these were about.

Well, that was good for me. Just let him wonder, let him drown in the confusion of my sudden poise.

I took a sip of the Elderberry wine and savored the way Kaia squinted as I simply smiled at the packmates offering me pitying glances.

"Poor Freya."

"Such a shame that Alpha Raiden's mate never gave him an heir."

If only they knew the hidden truth.

The chatter returned, the music from the howl-flutes rose and soon the celebration filled the hall again. Kaia played the perfect Luna-hostess, flitting between high-ranking wolves and basking in her victory.

However, I often caught her glancing at me. It was as if she were waiting for me to lose control.

Too bad for her, I would not. Instead, I raised my glass and walked toward the center of the hall.

"A moment, packmates," I called, my voice effortlessly clear over the murmur of growls and conversation.

All eyes were instantly on me. Even Raiden and Kaia stopped moving.

I smiled. "Before the night runs further, I think it's only right to honor our lovely Luna-to-be truly."

A ripple of agreement moved through the hall as I raised my drink. Kaia's expression slipped into something forced and I saw her hand tighten possessively on Raiden's arm.

"To Kaia," I started warmly. "To her triumphs, her mated bond and most of all, to the new life she's bringing into the pack."

Kaia beamed under the sudden attention. She automatically placed her hand on her belly while Raiden's body went rigid.

I tilted my head, studying him. Then, with the same controlled grace I'd shown all night, I returned my gaze to Kaia. "I just have one swift question," I went on.

The hall was still silent, hanging onto my every word. At the same time, Kaia's forced smile wavered.

I let the pause stretch out, enjoying the moment. Then, I asked it plainly. "Is the pup truly Raiden's bloodline?"

A sharp, sudden gasp cut through the gathering. Kaia's hand dropped from her stomach as Raiden stiffened like a stone.

The silence was thick, pressing against us all like a physical force. And then, like a perfectly scripted hunt, murmurs spread through the guests.

For most of them, this was brand-new knowledge. They hadn't known my old, deep connection to Raiden. They also hadn't known I was his first mate and his soon-to-be severed mate.

All they saw now was a pack scandal unfolding beneath the moon's gaze.

"Oh, how wonderful!" An elder wolf clapped happily. "Alpha Raiden will be a great father!"

"Yes! You must start preparing for the Moonbond ceremony," another chimed in.

Laughter and happy shouts rippled through the pack. It was as if my serious question had been nothing more than a playful joke. But I saw how Kaia's smile was too fake and how Raiden's fingers curled into a hard fist at his side.

Raiden's jaw tightened. He had always been skilled at hiding his feelings in front of the pack. But tonight, I had finally broken through his control.

However, Kaia regained her composure first. She let out a breathless laugh and looped her arm tightly around Raiden's. "Well, Freya, what a thoughtful toast. But of course, the pup is Raiden's."

Her voice was steady, but not with her eyes. Panic flickered inside them.

She hadn't expected this. She thought she had me cornered, humiliated and powerless. But instead, I had flipped the entire hunt on its head.

"I just had to ask," I said, acting innocent. "You know how these things go. So many rumors around the territories. Wolves talk."

That talk certainly happened. The guests began whispering among themselves. Their eyes darted back and forth between Kaia and Raiden, their curiosity intensely aroused.

"Alpha Raiden! When's the Moonbond ceremony?" someone called out, sparking another burst of laughter.

Raiden still hadn't said a word. I watched him closely, then noted the way his lips were pressed into a thin line and his shoulders rigid with tension.

For years, I had begged for his attention. I also pleaded for his affection, even wasted tears over the growing distance between us.

But tonight, for the very first time, I wasn't waiting for him to respond. I was simply watching him fall apart.

Kaia, sensing the pressure closing in on them both, forced another loud laugh. "Let's not rush things, everyone! This is my night, after all."

A collective cheer rose. Just like that, the charged moment was smoothed over and the rising tension was skillfully swept away under the thick rug.

Nevertheless, I knew better.

As the pack members returned to their drinks and dancing, Raiden finally looked at me. He truly looked at me.

I met his gaze head-on, without flinching, with no sign of fear in my eyes. Then I smiled before taking another slow sip of my drink, letting the sweetness linger on my tongue.

Because only I knew the truth and nothing Kaia said could ever change that.