Chapter 2

“These tasks are better left to the Omega attendants. You’ve been at Luna Mother’s bedside every day, tending to her yourself. That’s more than enough. If you exhaust yourself, I won’t be able to bear it.” Stormfang’s voice carried its usual warmth, his tone gentle yet firm.

He leaned in, brushing his lips against mine—a familiar gesture, one meant to soothe and reassure. But the comfort I once found in his touch had long since faded. His warmth no longer reached me.

Could someone truly go to such lengths for another? Could they sacrifice their own desires, weave an intricate web of lies, and play the role of a devoted mate for years, all while their heart belonged elsewhere?

I shut my eyes, but it didn’t stop the sting in my chest. Silent tears traced cold paths down my cheeks.

Stormfang barely noticed. His steps were unsteady, the scent of whiskey clinging to his breath. I guided him to the bed, covering him with a thick fur-lined blanket. The alcohol did its job quickly—his breathing slowed, deepened, and within minutes, he was lost to sleep.

Still kneeling by the bedside, I reached for his phone, my fingers hesitant but steady. One try. That was all it took. The screen unlocked instantly.

The passcode was Lyra’s birthday.

My breath hitched, but I pushed the rising dread aside and opened their messages.

The screen was filled with confidential documents—pack land records, alliance agreements, strategic reports.

From the moment my father, the Alpha of Moonveil, took his last breath, it had never ceased. Not for a single day.

Every territorial dispute he had mediated, he had sent to Lyra, preparing her. Every negotiation with rival packs, he had passed along, laying the groundwork for her future. Even the Alpha authority transfer contract had been drawn up years ago.

Stormfang wasn’t waiting for Luna Mother’s condition to improve. He was waiting for her to die.

Waiting for me to step aside and surrender my birthright into his hands.

I opened his private album, my heart hammering painfully against my ribs.

Every image, every captured moment, was of Lyra.

She was radiant, basking in the glow of pack gatherings, standing by Kael’s side at strategic meetings, her smile ever-present. And Kael—he looked so much like his brother, so much like Stormfang, it was no wonder the deception had been seamless.

Beyond the pictures were endless records of rare artifact acquisitions. Jewelry, ancient relics, ceremonial trinkets—all purchased at rogue auctions, all sent to Lyra under Stormfang’s name, falsely credited as gifts from his Alpha-brother.

A love hidden in plain sight. Subtle. Extravagant. Woven into every insignificant detail.

It was a knife lodged deep in my chest.

I recognized the jewelry brands, the auctioned artifacts. They were nothing more than tribute from the black market traders, gifts to secure Stormfang’s favor, yet he had given them to me, spun them into romantic gestures.

I let out a breathless, humorless laugh, one that tasted of self-mockery. There was no point in searching further.

Instead, I picked up my phone and sent a message to the Elders’ Council, summoning them for an Alpha succession meeting in three days.

By then, I would claim what was mine.

For three years, Stormfang had stolen from me—my trust, my future, my place in the pack. It was time he returned everything.

I didn’t sleep.

When dawn arrived, I washed my face, letting the icy water erase all traces of emotion. As I finished, a message popped up in the pack’s work chat.

Stormfang’s reaction was immediate.

“Selene? Since when did you take an interest in pack affairs? Luna Mother’s health is still fragile. Didn’t we agree that I’d handle things for you? You shouldn’t burden yourself. If you fall ill, she’ll blame me for not taking better care of you.”

I stared at his message, at the concern so effortlessly woven into his words. Lies came naturally to him.

I set my phone down and let a slow, unreadable smile stretch across my lips.

“It’s nothing. I must’ve accidentally turned on notifications. I’ll switch them off. You have a meeting for the territory expansion today, don’t you? You shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

He studied me for a moment, his sharp golden eyes searching mine. Then, as if reassured, he exhaled, the tension in his shoulders easing.

Gently, he pulled me against him, his arms firm around my waist.

“Thank you for understanding, my Luna-to-be. I need to finalize these alliances so we can focus on our mating ceremony.”

I said nothing. Simply lowered my gaze and powered off my phone.

“You’re going to the clinic today, right? Pick up the meal I ordered from the packhouse kitchen. I had them prepare something special for you. You’ve lost weight.”

“I’ll bring some for Luna Mother too.”

I used to believe his attentiveness was love. That his concern was real. Now, I saw it for what it was—an excuse to keep me out of his way. If he truly cared, would he have barely visited Luna Mother in an entire year? Would he have left her care to outsiders, refusing to even check on her himself?

He hadn’t done it for my sake. He had done it to keep me distracted. To make sure I never turned my gaze where it truly mattered. He had orchestrated everything—ensuring I never stood in Lyra’s way.

No more. This three-year deception ends today. I rushed to the clinic, but I hadn’t even stepped into the ward when hushed voices drifted through the hallway. The nurses’ gossip stopped me in my tracks.