How far would you go for love?

As for me, I devoted my entire life to being the strongest support for the man I loved. But no matter how much I gave, it was never enough for him to return my feelings. It took fate playing a cruel joke on our wedding day for me to realize I had been doing it all for nothing.

“This is a disaster. Where’s the young Alpha? The bride’s been standing at the altar for over an hour!”

I shrunk before the moon as their voices rattled like empty cans behind me. I’ve been dying to run away and bawl my eyes out in some hole in the corner but I couldn’t. As the future Luna of the Wind Claw pack, I couldn’t display any weakness—not in front of our people, not in front of the allied packs who had gathered. I had to stand there, even as the shame piled on me. But this... this was too much.

Ever since we were kids, I’d dreamed of being Liam’s wife. Our fathers weren't just the Alpha and his Beta, they were sworn brothers, and we grew up watching them rule with strength and grace. Liam and I promised we would follow in their footsteps. I didn’t care what role I played, as long as it meant being by his side.

Then one day, he chose me to be his Luna. I knew it wasn’t out of love, but out of all the she-wolves out there, he picked me. It made me feel like I was important to him. I thought that would be enough—that maybe he’d learn to love me someday.

So why wasn't he here? What went wrong?

I closed my eyes, desperate to keep the tears from falling. This wasn’t the mating ceremony I had dreamed of.

Had I been too greedy? I silently begged the moon goddess for answers.

“Astrid, it’s going to be alright,” Leia, my best friend, whispered, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Something must’ve happened. Liam’s not the type to do this.”

I nodded, a bitter smile pulling at my lips. I wanted to believe that too, but what could possibly be more important than our wedding today?

I sighed, glancing up at the sky as the moon slipped completely out of alignment with the altar’s arch. The golden moment of the ceremony was gone.

I squared my shoulders and turned to face the crowd, but my courage wavered when I caught sight of my dad. The hurt and disappointment in his eyes were almost unbearable. He had opposed this marriage from the start, wanting me to marry my fated mate, just like my mom would have wanted if she were still here. But I had set my heart on Liam, and for my sake, he stepped aside.

With trembling lips, I took a deep breath and was about to address the guests when one of the patrol guards barged into the hall.

“Young Luna, I have a message from the young Alpha.”

My chest drummed wildly. I didn’t know what to expect. What could he possibly say? But the guard’s next words almost broke me.

“Think of it as if it never happened.”

Gasps erupted from the crowd, echoing like a blaring siren in my mind. What did he mean? The fact that he was late? The humiliation of this ceremony? Or... that he ever proposed to me in the first place? Which one was it?

While my mind spun in confusion, my dad’s furious roar jolted me back to reality.

“Where did that bastard run off to?” he growled.

But before the guard could answer, my father staggered, clutching his chest as he dropped to his knees.

“Dad!” I screamed, fear gripping me as I rushed to his side.

He’d been injured years ago during a rogue attack—his heart couldn’t handle too much stress. He could die if he wasn’t careful.

“No, Dad… please,” I whispered through tears, watching helplessly as the Alpha, Liam’s father, hoisted him onto his back.

“I’ll take care of Elliot,” he said, his voice controlled, though his rage was clear. “Go find my idiot son.”

I nodded, tears streaming down my face as I watched them rush toward the pack hospital.

Suddenly, emotions I never thought I’d feel toward Liam surged through me. Calling it anger didn’t even scratch the surface. I wanted to tear him apart, limb by limb, if it would dull the searing pain in my chest.

Fueled by rage, I sprinted toward the pack house. Leia called after me, her voice barely registering through the haze. I kicked open every door, hunting for any sign of Liam, but found nothing—no shadow, no trace.

Then I spotted his best friend, Brandon, emerging from the forest. He hadn’t been at the ceremony either. If anyone knew where Liam was, it would be him.

Without thinking, I charged across the field, slamming into him, sending us both crashing into the mud.

“Talk. Where is he, Brandon?” I snarled, my hands tightening around his neck.

Brandon coughed, struggling to breathe. “Liam… found his mate.” His voice was strained. “I don’t know where he went. He just… took off with her.”

I froze, stumbling backward as his words hit me like a silver bullet. Of all times, why now? Why when I had all of my hopes up?

I collapsed onto the ground, clutching my chest, the pain unbearable. This was worse than having a silver stake driven through my heart. And in that moment, I let out a howl that came from the deepest part of my soul, consumed by a grief I could no longer contain.

I felt like a ghost as I made my way to the pack hospital. When I arrived, everyone had the same somber look on their faces, like they already knew something I didn’t.

“Where’s my dad?” My voice cracked, breaking the heavy silence. No one would meet my eyes.

I turned to the Alpha, whose expression was the grimmest of them all.

My lips trembled as I tried to hold it together, but my hands wouldn’t stop shaking. With a heavy sigh, the Alpha gestured for me to follow him into the emergency ward.

Each step felt heavier than the last. A part of me didn’t want to know, but I already did. I was terrified that the thing I dreaded most had come true. And it had.

I collapsed beside the bed, my hands flying to cover my mouth as sobs tore through me. My dad lay there, cold and unmoving. No matter how hard I tried, he wouldn’t wake up.

“No... no, Dad!” I wailed, clutching his freezing hand to my cheek, remembering how just hours ago he’d held my face with warmth. “This can’t be happening. Please, wake up! Don’t leave me!”

Tears poured down as I pleaded for something I knew was impossible.

“Elliot fought hard, but... he didn’t make it this time.” The Alpha’s voice was soft as he placed a hand on my shoulder. “Before he passed, he told me he loves you with all his heart. He wished for you to be happy.”

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, before quietly leaving the room.

I stayed there, holding my dad’s hand, crying, apologizing—hoping he could still hear me somehow. But there were no more words from him. No more warmth.

Two days later, I watched as we buried him beside my mom’s grave with heavy hearts.

Dad wasn’t just the Beta to us—he was a friend, a father, and a mentor to everyone, even to Liam. But Liam wasn’t here. He hadn’t shown up since that night after running off with some other she-wolf from a distant pack.

My claws dug into my palms as I fought back the rage. After all these years by his side, I never realized how callous and selfish he truly was. How could I have been so blind, so stupid, to love him?

Regret settled heavily in my chest, and the tears came before I could stop them. I sank to my knees in front of Dad’s grave, shoveling dirt over him with my bare hands. Each handful carried the weight of all the things I should’ve said to him while he was still alive.

As the burial ended, people quietly began to leave, one by one, until it was just me—alone, drowning in my grief.

For three days, I barely left Dad’s grave. I only did, when I was forced. The Alpha couldn’t stand seeing me wasting away in the backwoods of the packhouse, muttering something about not wanting Dad to haunt him if something happened to me. So, he kept sending Leia to drag me back.

Today, I woke up feeling just a little lighter. Maybe it was time to try honoring Dad’s wish for me to be happy. So, I grabbed a bucket of gardening tools and headed back to his grave. I spent yesterday planting my mom’s favorite tulips, using them as his tombstone. I knew he’d prefer being surrounded by things she loved rather than a cold slab of stone.

But as I reached the grave, my heart stopped. Liam—and some woman—were digging it up.

“What are you doing?!” I screamed, running toward them, horrified at their disrespect.

Without thinking, I grabbed the woman by the collar and shoved her back. The flowers I’d planted were torn up, and in their place, they’d buried a dead rabbit.

“How dare you!” I growled, fury surging through me, my fur bristling. “Haven’t you done enough?!”

I was ready to throw them down, but what stopped me was the look on Liam’s face—cold and murderous. Before I could even react, he kicked me like I was nothing, and I dove face-flat on the dirt.

“I should ask you that. How dare ‘you’ hurt my mate?” he snarled, his voice crashing over me like thunder.

Wincing from the pain, I grabbed the dead rabbit and hurled it at their faces. Liam’s mate shrieked, cowering behind him like I was the villain here.

“I’m warning you, Astrid,” he growled, his voice strained as if he was barely keeping himself in check. “You wouldn’t want your dad to see you all banged up.”

“Shut up!” I snapped, my anger spiraling out of control. I couldn’t believe I had once loved this pathetic excuse for a wolf. “Don’t you dare talk about my dad with your filthy mouth!”

My voice echoed through the forest, vibrating with every ounce of rage I had bottled up. “You humiliated me at our ceremony, left me to deal with the aftermath, and now you’re desecrating my family’s grave with your garbage?”

The audacity of it all was staggering.

“It’s just a rabbit, Astrid,” he said, scoffing like I was overreacting. “Your mother’s been dead for years. Get over it. Besides, she loved animals—she wouldn’t have minded.”

I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. The sheer disrespect, the callousness—it was like he had gone insane.

I was too stunned that I could feel my rationality leaving me. Sure, my mom wouldn’t have minded a rabbit on her grave—she loved animals—but Liam knew it was her resting place. And he still let his pity little mate defile it. The nerve!

Then, his mate timidly tugged at his shirt, her voice barely above a whisper. “Liam, stop. It’s our fault, we—”

She let out a soft squeak when she looked at me, and somehow that only made Liam angrier.

“Don’t test me, Astrid! I could have you and your dad banished from the pack!” His voice was pure venom. “With his condition, he wouldn’t survive living as a rogue!”

My mind went blank. He could hate me all he wanted, but to speak of my dad like that? After everything Dad had done for him? It was too much.

“I’d like to see you try, bastard!” I roared, shifting into my wolf as I leaped onto them, all of my reason gone. I wasn’t going to stop until I tore him apart.

Liam shifted in an instant, meeting me midair, and we crashed to the ground, rolling through the mud like wild animals, each of us trying to tear the other’s throat out. His mate screamed his name from the sidelines, her voice shrill with terror, but her cries only seemed to fuel him. He fought like a beast, more savage than I’d ever seen him.

I sank my teeth into his forepaw, claws digging into his side. But he retaliated with a brutal kick to my stomach, his claws raking across my back. Pain shot through me as one of his claws sliced dangerously close to my spine. For a moment, everything cleared. The rage, the pain—everything.

And I saw the truth.

I was nothing to him. Always had been. If he hadn’t found his mate, I’d probably still be blind to it all.

With a final blow, Liam sent me flying. The world spun around me as I crashed into the wet grass. For a second, I thought maybe dying here wouldn’t be so bad. But then Dad’s face flashed before me.

This wasn’t what he would’ve wanted. Not like this.

I forced myself to stand, my body screaming in protest as Liam emerged from the trees, looking like he hadn’t even broken a sweat. I hated to admit it, but he was stronger and faster. A league above me in every way. But that didn’t mean I was about to back down. Not after everything.

Liam charged at me, his eyes filled with murderous intent. I braced myself, ready to meet him head-on, but just as our claws were about to clash, three massive wolves leaped between us, forcing us apart.

The Alpha slammed into Liam, while the Delta and Gamma held me down, one on each side.

"Enough!" the Alpha’s voice boomed through the forest, sharp and commanding. "Shift back and explain yourselves!"

Neither of us listened. I was too consumed with rage, too blinded by the need to break free and finish what Liam had started.

The Alpha’s eyes narrowed in frustration. With a swift, brutal punch, he knocked the wind out of Liam, while the elders forced me to the ground, their grips unrelenting.

Then, a trembling and soft voice cut through the chaos. "Please, don’t hurt him. He was only protecting me."

I looked up to see Liam’s mate rushing toward us.

"And who the hell are you?" the Alpha snarled, his patience wearing thin.

"I-I’m Nina," she stammered, her voice barely holding steady. "Liam’s mate."

The words hung in the air like a curse. A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd, and I could feel their judgment pressing down on me, sharp as daggers. How did I suddenly become the villain here? I snorted, shifting back into my human form, blood still boiling beneath my skin.

I didn’t need to say anything. What was the point in defending myself? I knew every bone in my body had been craving this fight.

"Talk, young girl." The Alpha ordered with a calmer tone, but his concerned gaze locked with my murderous look.

Nina fumbled nervously as she tried to explain. “Liam was teaching me how to hunt. But I felt sorry for the rabbit and told him we should bury it. We passed by some flowers and thought... maybe the little thing would want to rest somewhere nice…”

Before she could finish, the Alpha’s growl cut through the air like a blade. “You did what?!”

With a swift kick, he sent Liam tumbling to Nina’s feet like a ragdoll.

“I understand wanting to be with your mate, but you’ve crossed a line!” The Alpha was beyond furious.

Forced back into his human form, Liam coughed, attempting to reason. “What did I do wrong? It was just an old grave. Mrs. Bane…”

The Alpha grabbed him by the neck, pulling him close as his voice dripped with venom. “Elliot was just buried days ago, and you had the nerve to desecrate his grave.”

Liam’s face went pale, and his gaze slowly drifted to me, filled with shock, confusion, maybe even regret. But none of it mattered to me. All I had left for him was disgust. How had I ever loved this man? If only I could go back, I'd erase every trace of him from my life. But that wasn't an option—I’d have to carry this regret forever.

I wrapped myself with a blanket and turned away.

“Astrid…” I heard him call, but I didn’t look back.