Chapter 3
The news spread faster than wildfire through pack territories. I shouldn't have been surprised—werewolves loved gossip almost as much as they loved territory disputes.
I was huddled in the corner of a small diner in neutral territory, nursing a cup of coffee I could barely afford, when I overheard two beta wolves talking at the counter.
"Did you hear about that Emma chick from Shadowridge?" one said, not bothering to lower his voice. "Alpha Mason finally rejected her. About time, if you ask me."
I froze, my fingers tightening around the chipped mug.
"Apparently he's got a new Luna already," the other replied. "Some rich she-wolf from the east territories. The ceremony's next week."
The coffee turned bitter in my mouth. Next week. That's how quickly Alexander had moved on.
---
I didn't know Preston was looking for me until he appeared at my table, sliding into the seat across from me with the fluid grace that had always been his hallmark.
"Emma," he said softly, his dark eyes taking in my disheveled appearance with concern. "I've been searching everywhere for you."
I tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. "Not in prison yet?"
His expression darkened. "Those rumors about you being a rogue sympathizer—they're everywhere. Alexander's been busy."
"I figured as much." I pushed the coffee away. "How did you find me?"
Preston hesitated, something flickering in his eyes. "Pack networks. Word travels fast when an Alpha's mate gets rejected."
"Not ex-mate," I corrected bitterly. "Never was officially. Just five years of my life wasted."
He reached across the table, his warm hand covering mine. A strange sensation shot up my arm at his touch—something Luna responded to with unexpected interest.
"I've been looking into Alexander's claims," Preston said, his voice dropping lower. "Using my Beta access to Council records."
My heart skipped. "And?"
"There are holes in his financial reports big enough to drive a truck through." Preston's jaw tightened. "The pack hasn't been struggling—they've been thriving. Alexander's been skimming alliance funds for years."
I stared at him, hope and suspicion warring within me. "Why would you help me?"
Preston's wolf stirred behind his eyes—a flash of amber that was gone so quickly I might have imagined it. "Because what he did to you was wrong."
---
The formal invitation arrived three days later at the abandoned cabin where I'd been staying. Cream-colored cardstock with gold embossing—expensive, like everything Alexander did now.
"The Shadowridge Pack cordially invites you to witness the Luna Ceremony of Alpha Alexander Mason and his chosen mate, Lillian Clark..."
I tore it to shreds.
An hour later, my phone buzzed with a mind-link request. I knew who it was before accepting.
"Hello, Emma." Lillian's voice slithered through my mind like oil on water. "Did you get your invitation? I made sure you were included."
I remained silent, but she continued anyway.
"The dress alone cost five thousand dollars. Alexander says it's important to make a statement." Her mental voice dripped with false sweetness. "The ceremony will be broadcast to all allied packs. Everyone will see what a real Luna looks like."
I tried to block her out, but she pushed harder.
"Not some weak pretender who couldn't even keep her mate interested." The cruelty in her tone was palpable. "You should see the diamond necklace he bought me. It matches my eyes perfectly."
Luna growled inside me, a sound so fierce I felt it vibrate through my chest.
"Stop," I finally snapped aloud, pressing my palms against my temples.
"Oh, I'm just getting started," Lillian purred. "There's so much more to tell you about our perfect life together."
---
The final blow came that evening as I sat alone in the cabin, staring at the torn invitation pieces scattered across the floor.
Two pack members—deltas from Shadowridge who'd never spoken to me before—passed by the cabin on their way to a hunt. They didn't see me through the window, but I heard them clearly.
"Can you believe how pathetic Emma looked at the gathering?" one said with a laugh. "Standing there like she actually thought she had a chance of being Luna."
"She was always too weak," the other replied. "Everyone knew Alexander would replace her eventually."
Their voices faded as they moved deeper into the woods, but their words remained, cutting deeper than any physical wound could.
Something broke inside me then—something fundamental that had been holding together the pieces of my shattered life.
"Enough," I whispered to the empty cabin, to Luna, to myself.
For the first time since Alexander's rejection, I felt something other than pain and humiliation. Something hot and fierce began to stir deep in my chest—a burning sensation that spread through my veins like liquid fire.
Luna responded with a howl that shook my bones from within.
"What's happening?" I gasped, falling to my knees as the intensity increased.
The answer came not in words but in feeling—a presence awakening within me that had lain dormant my entire life. Power. Strength. Authority.
My Alpha wolf was stirring for the first time.
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