LUNA Madison

"Take it. Consider it a parting gift for twenty years of free meals."

The leather pouch hit the floor at Madison’s feet, the dull clink of silver coins echoing off the marble walls of the foyer. Alpha Gregory Cain didn't look up from his desk. He didn't even look like the man who had tucked her into bed for two decades. He looked like a stranger checking a ledger.

"That's it?" Madison's voice was a dry rasp. She didn't reach for the money. "A DNA test comes back, and I’m just... trash to be hauled to the curb?"

Gregory finally looked at her, his eyes cold and devoid of the warmth she’d lived for. "You’re a cuckoo in the nest, Madison. You’ve occupied a seat that belongs to my flesh and blood. Victoria is home now. We don't owe a fake a single scrap of Cain bread."

Madison gripped the strap of her canvas bag. It weighed next to nothing. A few shirts, a worn book, and the heavy, suffocating realization that her life was a lie. She didn't cry. The heat in her chest burned too hot for tears to survive.

"Keep your pity, Gregory." She stepped over the pouch, the silver coins mocking her from the rug. "I’d hate for you to go broke paying for my 'free meals' in retrospect."

"Wait! You forgot your dignity!"

The voice dripped with honey and acid. Victoria Cain leaned against the grand staircase, twirling a strand of blonde hair. She wore a silk robe that cost more than everything Madison owned. Behind her, a shadow moved.

Austin.

Madison’s stomach dropped into a cold pit. Her fiancé—the man she’d scented and bonded with since they were teens—stepped into the light. He didn't look at Madison's face. He looked at Victoria’s waist, his hand sliding over the silk to rest on her hip.

"Austin?" Madison’s breath hitched.

"Don't," Austin snapped, his voice a jagged blade. "A Luna needs to be pure. Strong. You? You're a wolfless fraud with a scent so weak I can barely smell you over the trash outside. Victoria is the true daughter of the Alpha. She’s my match. You’re just... a mistake the pack is finally fixing."

Victoria giggled, a sharp, grating sound. She leaned back into Austin’s chest, her eyes locked on Madison. "He’s much better in bed when he isn't worrying about your 'fragile' feelings, Madi. God, the things he does when he isn't bored to death by a fake."

Madison’s vision blurred at the edges. The betrayal was a physical weight, a fist squeezing her lungs. She looked at Austin—the man who had promised her a kingdom—and saw a coward.

"You think she’s a prize?" Madison took a step forward, her shadow stretching long and jagged across the floor. "She’s a replacement. And you? You're a dog that follows whatever scent has the most power attached to it. Enjoy the leftovers, Austin. I’m sure you’ll suit each other perfectly."

"Get out," Gregory growled from the office.