Chapter 2
I stood on the steps of the courthouse, looking down at Brody Nguyen with a curl of my lips, my voice slow and deliberate. "The Castro Pack doesn’t need your resources."
Faye, Brody’s mother and the former Luna of the Nguyen Pack, opened her mouth to speak, but Keilani, my sister, stepped forward, her voice sharp and cutting. "The Nguyen Pack’s scandals are no concern of the Castro Pack. My sister will be here tomorrow at 9 AM. Don’t waste her time."
The couple’s faces shifted from panic to humiliation, their Alpha and Luna titles doing little to mask their desperation. Before they could utter another word, our car pulled away, leaving them in a cloud of dust.
The next morning, I waited at the courthouse, my patience wearing thin. Brody never showed. Instead, my best friend sent me a video that made my blood boil.
In it, Brody stood tall and imposing, his Alpha aura radiating even through the screen. Beside him was Gwendolyn Moore, a member of his pack, holding a child in her arms. They looked like a picture-perfect couple, facing a crowd of reporters with confident smiles.
"I have no blood ties with Gwendolyn," Brody declared, his voice firm and commanding. "She is someone I deeply admire, and having children with her is a choice I embraced wholeheartedly."
The reporters erupted into a frenzy, their questions rapid and relentless. Rich pack alliances always drew gossip, and they were eager to dig deeper.
"Alpha Brody, what’s your relationship with Luna Lilly Castro? Is Gwendolyn the rumored mistress?" one reporter pressed.
For a moment, doubt flickered in Brody’s eyes, but he quickly masked it. "Love doesn’t follow a set order," he replied, his voice steady. "The one who isn’t loved is the outsider."
He paused, then added, "Gwendolyn is my mate, the mother of my children."
My grip on the phone tightened until my nails broke the skin, but I felt no pain. My gaze remained cold and unyielding as I stared at the screen.
After last night’s humiliation, Gwendolyn’s reputation had been tarnished. To salvage it, Brody had gone as far as holding a public press conference, dragging the Castro Pack’s name through the mud in the process.
He might as well have outright declared that I was the intruder in his life. But the Moon Goddess had bound us as mates, and the law of the packs recognized me as his Luna.
Keilani, ever protective, couldn’t stand for it. She stormed into the press conference, her presence commanding attention.
"May I ask if Gwendolyn Moore and Alpha Brody have completed the mate marking ceremony?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She emphasized the title "Alpha" with pointed mockery.
Gwendolyn’s face paled, and every camera swung toward her, waiting for a response.
Keilani smirked, pressing on. "Even without blood ties, isn’t it unethical to pursue personal desires when you’re niece and uncle? Or does the Nguyen Pack no longer care about honor?"
The room erupted into chaos, the reporters shouting over each other. Keilani didn’t stop. "Are you aware that Alpha Brody is already marked as my sister’s mate? Being both a nephew and a father must be quite the achievement."
Brody’s face twisted in anger as he stepped forward, shielding Gwendolyn. "Enough!" he barked, his Alpha tone reverberating through the room. "These accusations are nothing but slander!"
He glared directly into the camera, his eyes cold and defiant. "Luna Lilly, hiding behind your sister and stirring up trouble—what does that say about you?"
"Yes, we were marked as mates, but it was an arrangement between our packs. I refused to be trapped in a loveless bond when pursuing my true mate isn’t wrong."
"Even if you are the Luna of the Castro Pack, you can’t force my heart."
The reporters cheered him on, their cameras capturing his every word. But I could only laugh at myself. What I thought was a genuine bond was nothing more than a political alliance.
I called Keilani, instructing her to turn up the speaker. "Alpha Brody," I said, my voice icy, "while you’re siring pups with your aunt, you’re still benefiting from the resources the Castro Pack provided. Even the births took place in our territory."
"Committing adultery while marked as my mate and then shamelessly touting love is truly nauseating."
Brody fell silent, his Alpha aura wavering as guilt flickered in his eyes. But it was too late. The damage had been done, and the Castro Pack would not be disgraced any further.
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