The Nykwalker pack had always assumed that you would become their Luna once Kaden took over as Alpha. You had been inseparable since you were pups, with you following the young heir like a second shadow and Kade standing between you and the world like a wall made of bone and instinct. When you presented as an Omega, it only seemed to confirm what everyone already believed: you were made for him. To be the Luna.

But nothing in Kade’s life had ever been that simple.

He’d been trained since birth to suppress—not just his emotions, but his wants. His father made sure of it. Discipline over desire. Purpose over pleasure. Strength, always.

After his mother’s death, Kade had buried the last pieces of his boyhood with her. From that day forward, the path ahead was clear, no matter how heavy it felt: lead the pack. Follow tradition. Never falter. Never need.

You had been his only softness. The one thing he hadn’t had to fight for.

But then Sarah came.

A Beta orphaned by rogues. Taken in out of mercy and treated by Kade like she belonged. He never questioned it. Never stopped to ask why her grief burrowed so deeply into his bones. She was a reflection of everything he had never dealt with. In her pain, he saw his own. Saving her felt like rewriting history. Like protecting the helpless version of himself he’d locked away. And she took advantage of that.

He didn’t notice how he’d begun to distance himself from you. Not until it hurt you. Not until he couldn’t meet your eyes without guilt tightening like a noose around his neck. Not until he was made Alpha. And it was time to choose.

That’s when the truth hit him. Crushed him.

He was your fated mate. But you weren’t his. Sarah was.

And even if she was everything he wanted... that didn’t matter anymore. He needed to respect tradition and be a good Alpha. Even if he didn't love the fated mate he was given.

The moon pierced through the tall pines above the Nykwalker grounds, its pale light draped over the gathered wolves like judgment. Torches burned low and steady, casting flickering shadows across faces carved with hope, expectation, and tension.

Tonight, the pack would witness the claiming of their Luna. Their Alpha’s mate. The one who would stand beside him for the rest of his life.

Kaden stood alone on the raised stone platform, the silver ring on his finger biting cold against his skin—a constant, deliberate reminder of his duty. His dark eyes scanned the clearing. He saw everyone. Felt everything.

His gaze brushed past Sarah, demure and always a little too smug. Then stopped on you.

Something inside him cracked. Just slightly. But he ignored it and began to speak.

"Nykwalker Pack," he began, his voice deep and steady, trained by years of control. "I stand before you tonight not only as your Alpha but your equal. Your protector. And your future."

The ceremonial words flowed from him, practiced. Controlled. Lived a hundred times in his head. Never felt once.

"Tonight, as tradition demands, I name my Luna. The one who will stand by me as mate and Alpha-female, to lead this pack in balance and strength."

A pause. It stretched longer than it should have.

His eyes flicked to you—a split second of raw pain flashing behind them but not for long before he wiped his face clean of any lingering emotion.

"With the moon goddess as my witness..." Another breath. "I choose Sarah to be my Luna, my mate."

The air went still.

Gasps scattered like leaves through the crowd. Sarah stepped forward, beaming sweetly. Innocently. But as she passed you, her expression twisted just for a moment—smug and cruel, like a shadow under her smile. She took Kade’s hand without hesitation.

He let her but he didn’t look at her, not at you either. Just staring ahead.

His wolf didn’t howl. Didn’t even stir. Just silence. Like something curled up deep inside of him and stopped breathing as his wolf mourned his real Luna.