I was out running errands around the pack today when something stopped me dead in my tracks.

My heart skipped a beat as I caught sight of Mira Briar, standing in the middle of a small crowd of women. She was grinning ear to ear, her fingers brushing over something on her neck—a pendant.

She wasn’t just wearing it; she was showing it off. Her voice carried as she bragged about it, soaking up the compliments from everyone around her. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, Mira spotted me.

“Aria!” she called out, waving like we were best friends.

I clenched my jaw so tightly it hurt. Just last night, I had been given the sacred Moonstone Pendant by Caden Lennox, my soon-to-be husband and the Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack.

It was an ancient tradition, a deeply significant custom in our pack. The pendant symbolized the Alpha’s loyalty to his Luna—a bond recognized and blessed by the shaman to reinforce its importance.

The pendant itself was stunning: a teardrop-shaped moonstone polished to an opalescent glow, suspended on a chain of woven silver.

Under the right light, it shimmered with shades of blue, lavender, and silver, like moonlight captured in stone. Only the Alpha’s true mate was ever supposed to receive it. It was sacred.

And yet, Mira was wearing what looked like the exact same pendant.

“Look, look!” she squealed as I got closer, grabbing my hands in her excitement. “Alpha Caden gave me this gorgeous necklace this morning! Isn’t it amazing? Now we match!”

I forced myself to look at it—my stomach twisting into knots. It wasn’t just similar; it was identical. Same intricate design. Same shimmer in the moonstone. And to twist the knife even deeper, it had her initial engraved on the back.

I didn’t want to make a scene, not with all those eyes watching me. So, I swallowed my pride, pasted on a tight smile, and nodded along like it didn’t matter. But inside? I was fuming.

Later, I tracked Caden down and brought it up. I tried to stay calm, but my voice wavered. “Caden, what’s going on with Mira’s pendant? I thought the Moonstone Pendant was supposed to be exclusive, to signify our bond.”

He barely even looked up. “Aria, come on,” he said, brushing it off like it was nothing. “The ceremony was just for us. I gave Mira one because we had extra moonstones lying around. It doesn’t mean anything.”

I stared at him, stunned. Extra moonstones? The pendant wasn’t something you just handed out like candy—it was deeply symbolic. But Caden didn’t seem to get it.

I frowned, the knot in my stomach tightening. I wasn’t buying it. The pendant had been carefully crafted, down to the engraved initials. It didn’t feel like something that was just “left over.”

Seeing that I wasn’t budging, Caden sighed and tried again to calm me down. “Come on, Aria. She’s like your little sister. Why are you getting jealous of her?”

“I’m not jealous!” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “You—you just don’t get it. Is it me or her who’s supposed to be your Luna?”

“Not this again, please,” he groaned, rubbing his temples like I was being unreasonable. “We’ve been together for more than five years, Aria. Of course, it’s you. I just—” He paused, his tone softening. “I just feel sorry for Mira, okay? Her life has been tragic. You know that. And she looks up to you.”

I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. It was the same argument every time Mira came up.

Caden always said the same thing: that I should be more understanding, more considerate, because my life was supposedly so much better than hers. And every time, it made me sick.

Mira wasn’t just some innocent girl to me. She was the one who had come to me a few years ago, begging for a safe place after a rogue attack left her orphaned.

I met her during a visit to another pack, and my heart had gone out to her back then. I welcomed her like a sister, gave her a place in our pack. She had no family, nowhere else to go.

At first, I admired her resilience. She was so cheerful despite everything she had been through. She was sweet, too, but over time, something started to bug me. Mira had this habit of copying me—everything from clothes and hairstyles to accessories and even food.

At first, I thought it was kind of cute. I mean, who wouldn’t like sharing a similar taste with someone? But it got old fast. Every time I bought something, she’d want the exact same thing.

If I didn’t get it for her, she would slap on that sad, puppy-dog look that made everyone around her feel like the worst person alive.

People always brushed it off, saying it was because of her rough childhood. She had never had nice things, so of course she admired me and wanted to be like me. “Just take it as a compliment,” they’d say.

But they didn’t have to live with it. They didn’t know how suffocating it felt.

I’d even tried to talk to her about it once. I thought maybe if I explained how uncomfortable it made me, we could work things out. But as soon as I brought it up, her eyes welled up with tears.

“Aria,” she said in this trembling little voice, “I’m sorry if I’ve been annoying you. I just—I’m so grateful to you, and I like you so much. But if you don’t want me to…”

She didn’t even finish. Her tears spilled over, and she bolted out of the room.

The aftermath was a nightmare. People acted like I had committed some horrible crime. They said I had been too harsh, that I didn’t appreciate her enough. It was infuriating. I couldn’t win.

I didn’t waste another second in Caden’s study. Without looking back, I walked out, only to bump right into Mira.

She wasn’t wearing her usual bright smile this time. Instead, her face was tight, her expression unreadable. For a moment, I thought she might say something, but she didn’t.

I didn’t linger either, brushing past her and continuing on my way.

But as I walked, a memory from last night crept back into my mind—the ceremony. When Caden gave me the Moonstone Pendant and declared his loyalty to me as his Luna, the room had been filled with smiles and cheers. Everyone seemed so genuinely happy for us.

Everyone except Mira.

She had stood there, motionless, her expression uneasy, like she wasn’t sure she should even be there. It had caught my eye then, but I hadn’t thought too much of it. It was my special night, and I didn’t want anything to ruin it.

Later, though, when I ran into her again, I asked if she was okay. She just gave me this weak smile and said she wasn’t feeling well before slipping out early.

It had raised a few questions in my mind, but I’d pushed them aside, determined to savor my happiness. Now, though, that happiness felt miles away.

With my mood thoroughly ruined, I decided I needed a break—a real one. I headed to my parents’ house near the pack’s border.

It was the one place where I could always find some peace. Something about my mom’s cooking and my dad’s jokes had a way of making everything feel a little less overwhelming.

As soon as I reached the door, Terry Jane, the maid who had practically raised me, greeted me with her warm, familiar smile. “Miss Everett, it’s so good to see you again!”

“Yeah, I missed the quiet life here,” I said, managing a small smile of my own.

My parents’ house was nestled on a large plot of land near the mountains. The air always smelled fresher there, with tall trees surrounding the property. It felt like another world compared to the bustle of pack life.

Terry led me inside, where I found my mom and dad sitting in the living room, deep in conversation. Their faces lit up when they saw me, and before I knew it, I was wrapped in their hugs.

“Sweetheart! What a surprise,” my dad said, holding me tight. “Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

I laughed softly. “I just missed Mom’s cooking.”

At that, my mom’s face brightened even more. “Say no more!” she said, standing up. “I’ll make your favorite pasta for dinner. You’re staying the night, right?”

I nodded, my heart warming just a little. “Of course.”

I followed her into the kitchen, eager to help out. Even though there were maids around, my mom had always insisted on cooking for me whenever I came home.

It was her way of showing love, and her food always tasted like comfort itself.

As we worked, my mom’s eyes flicked to the pendant around my neck, then back to my face. She smiled, her expression soft and knowing.

“I can’t believe my little princess is all grown up now,” she said, her voice gentle. “It’s just the two of us here—you can tell me what’s bothering you.”

For a moment, I was taken aback, but then again, my mom had always been good at reading me, even when I was little. It was like she could see straight through me.

So, I told her everything—about Caden, Mira, and the Moonstone Pendant. Every worry, every frustration, I laid it all out while she worked her magic in the kitchen.

She didn’t interrupt, just nodded occasionally, her hands busy chopping herbs or stirring something on the stove. After a pause, she let out a soft sigh and said, “Aria, it’s good to be kind to others, but the most important thing is to be kind to yourself.”

Her words hit me like a warm wave. It was exactly what I needed to hear, and for a moment, my throat tightened. My eyes began to sting, but I quickly blinked up at the ceiling, willing the tears to stay put.

Then, as if she knew I needed reassurance, she added, “I noticed Caden seemed a little distant lately. It worried me, honestly. But when he proposed to you with the Moonstone Pendant, I felt relieved. I could tell he was finally stepping up.”

My mom always had a knack for understanding people, and as much as I hated to admit it, she was usually right.

After spending two days at my parents’ house, I finally felt like myself again. Between my mom’s cooking, my dad’s banters, and the peaceful quiet of their home, it was the reset I desperately needed. But it was time to go back.

Caden and I had been living in the pack’s main house for years. It was a large, elegant place, and in the beginning, it felt like home because it was just the two of us and a few omega maids who kept to themselves.

Then Mira moved in.

At first, I didn’t mind. I even thought it was nice, having another woman around. But after everything that had happened, my trust was hanging by a thread. Leaving Caden and Mira alone under the same roof felt like handing over a loaded weapon.

By the time I reached the house, I was already on edge. As I walked past Caden’s study, faint voices caught my attention. I slowed down, straining to hear through the thick wooden door.

It was a man and a woman.

“Come on,” the woman said, her tone almost playful but laced with something sharper. “Isn’t this what we’ve always wanted? A space of our own… doing whatever we want. Without her.”

Mira.

I clenched my fists, my jaw tightening as I processed her words. What was she scheming now?

Then, a man replied, his voice lower and more cautious. “Yeah, but we can’t be reckless. I’ll think about it.”

My stomach churned as my mind raced through every worst-case scenario. Before I could piece anything together, the sound of footsteps snapped me back to the present. They were coming toward the door.

Heart pounding, I darted to the nearest corner, pressing myself into the shadows. From my hiding spot, I had a clear view of the entrance to the study.

The door opened, and just as I feared, Caden and Mira stepped out—hand in hand.

My breath hitched. They didn’t even look around, too wrapped up in each other to notice anything amiss.

They must’ve thought I was still at my parents’ house. That was why they were bold enough to pull something like this.

My heart felt like it was shattering into a thousand pieces, but anger quickly replaced the pain. Whatever game they were playing, I wasn’t about to stand by and let it happen.

Once I was sure they had left the house, I stepped out of my hiding spot and slipped into Caden’s study.

As expected, his desk was piled high with documents, but something else caught my attention—a business card sitting right on top of the stack. It was from a realtor.

Mira’s words from earlier echoed in my head. Could this be connected?

I quickly snapped a photo of the card with my phone and left the study before anyone could catch me snooping.

Later that evening, I decided to confront them during dinner.

Caden froze the moment he saw me at the table. His eyes widened in surprise. “Um, Aria, uh-when did you get back?”

“This afternoon,” I replied coolly, spearing a piece of food with my fork. “You weren’t here.”

He scratched the back of his head and forced a laugh as he sat down. “Yeah, well, I was out for work. Doing, uh, some surveys—”

“With her?” I cut him off, pointing at Mira as she entered the room.

“Yeah,” he mumbled, fumbling with his spoon. “I needed her help with something.”

Mira, ever the actress, gave me one of her sugary-sweet smiles. “Oh, Aria, he asked for my help, and I just happened to know someone who could assist. If I’d known you were coming back today, I would’ve picked you up myself!”

Her tone was dripping with fake innocence, the kind that made me wonder how I had been so blind for so long.

I sighed and took another bite, pretending to let it go. The table fell silent, the air thick with unspoken tension. But just when they thought I had dropped it, I looked at Mira and said casually, “So, Mira, this ‘friend’ of yours—would they happen to be a realtor?”

Both of them froze mid-bite, their anxious eyes darting to each other. Mira opened her mouth to speak, but Caden cut her off. “What are you trying to do here, Aria? Can’t we just have a peaceful dinner?”

“What?” I scoffed, keeping my tone light. “I was just asking a question. Why are you so defensive?”

“Did you follow us today?” His voice rose, frustration bubbling to the surface. “So what if we met a realtor? I told you, it’s business.”

“I didn’t follow anyone.” I leaned back in my chair, keeping my composure. “And besides, don’t you have a lot of realtor friends too?”

I wasn’t about to back down—not this time.

Caden put his spoon down with a loud clink, his jaw tightening as he glared at me.

Before he could say anything, Mira jumped in. “Aria, you must be misunderstanding. There’s really nothing going on. You don’t need to worry so much—or follow us around.” She even managed to look aggrieved, like she was the victim here.

I couldn’t help but laugh, a short, bitter sound. “Follow you? Please.” I leaned back and sighed. “But here’s a tip, if you’re going to sneak around, maybe don’t make it so obvious.”

Their stunned silence was almost satisfying, but my appetite had vanished. I placed my utensils down deliberately and stood up. “Enjoy the rest of your dinner,” I said, walking away without a backward glance.

In truth, I had already called the realtor whose card I’d found earlier. Turned out, Caden was making an appointment.

After some careful negotiation—and an offer of a generous sum—I had convinced the realtor to show me the property they were planning to visit. Tomorrow, I would see for myself what my fiancé was up to.

The thought made my chest ache, a bitter mix of anger and betrayal tightening my ribs. Caden wasn’t just buying a house for just another woman, he was doing it for the very person I’d bent over backward to help for years.

Stepping into the bathroom, I ran a hot bath, letting the steam and heat dull my frustration. But as I sank into the water, one thought solidified: Mira didn’t deserve another ounce of my kindness.

Once I felt a little more composed, I grabbed my phone and called Marven Duskbane, my assistant and one of the few people I trusted completely. “I need you to cut Mira off from the trust fund,” I said firmly.

Marven, efficient as always, didn’t ask why or pry into the details. “Understood,” she replied. “I’ll handle it discreetly.”

Mira had lived like royalty, flaunting designer bags, first-class trips, and luxury everything; all paid for with my money. But that was over. She was an adult. It was time she learned to fend for herself.

And honestly, I couldn’t wait to see her reaction when reality hit.