Chapter 3

There was a padlock on the dressing room door. A big, heavy one, with Brielle's wax seal pressed right over it.

Callum stopped short, my hand still in his.

He obviously hadn't expected to find his Beta's seal on his own Luna's closet.

"Since when is this here?"

"Brielle says everything the Luna wears belongs to the pack," I said calmly. "So I can't just walk in and take it. When I need something, I put in a request. If she approves it, the lock comes off. Once I've got my things, she locks it up again with a fresh seal."

The line between his brows got deeper.

For a second, a dumb little hope lit up in me. Now that he was seeing it for himself, maybe he'd finally get what my life had been like for six years.

Before Callum, I was the youngest priestess the Crescent Sanctum had ever had. By seventeen, I was leading the cleansing rites alone. Visiting Alphas lowered their heads when I walked by. Callum spent two winters chasing me. For five nights, he stood in the snow outside the Sanctum and wouldn't leave. He went all the way down into Frostmaw Gorge for one Moontear lily, just so he could put it in my hands.

He promised that once I was his Luna, I'd be done with that cold Sanctum for good. He promised no Luna in Ashcrest's history would be more respected than me. He swore he loved me.

And I believed every word.

I hung up my priestess robes for him and let him put his mark on my neck.

Six years on, I didn't even get to choose my own dress.

Callum kept staring at the lock. He didn't say a thing.

That stupid spark of hope, the one I should have put out years ago, flickered harder the longer he was quiet.

Then he turned his eyes away.

"Okay, so she's a little strict."

I waited for the rest.

He let out a long breath, like the whole thing was so hard on him.

"But she means well. This is all to protect you."

And the spark died.

"You grew up in the Sanctum. You don't know pack life. You mess up once, and it's the whole pack that ends up looking stupid." He took me by the arms and leaned down to my eye level. "She's holding onto this stuff because she doesn't want you to slip up."

I couldn't help myself. "So she's locking me out of my own closet because I can't be trusted with it?"

"Don't twist my words."

He looked annoyed for a moment, but he kept his voice soft.

"Why is everything always a fight with you? We're talking about a few dresses and some jewelry. You need something, go to Brielle. Simple."

A small laugh slipped out of me.

Go to Brielle. Six years, and that's all I'd ever done.

Before every Blessing, I'd turn in my gown request two weeks ahead, and she'd stamp it the night before. Before the Alliance Summit, she locked away all my jewelry because the colors "didn't match," and a maid had to scrape together some cheap glass beads for me at the last second. The other packs snickered at how shabby I looked. Callum chewed me out in front of all of them for making Ashcrest look bad.

I'd tried to explain more times than I could count.

He never once believed me.

Now the proof was hanging on a door right under his nose, and he still had an excuse ready for her.

The truth wasn't hard to see. He just didn't care, because I was the one getting hurt.

My silence seemed to settle it for him.

From his coat, he took a little dark wooden box and flipped the lid. A moonstone bracelet sat inside.

"Come on, quit sulking." His voice went soft as he lifted it out. "You've been good lately. I got this just for you. Give me your wrist."

His hand reached for mine.

I jerked it back without meaning to.

He froze, his hand hanging in the air. He looked honestly surprised.

"What, you hate it?"

"No, it's pretty," I said. "I'm just tired."

He took in how pale I was and let it drop. He put the bracelet back in its box as if he were being incredibly generous.

"Fine. We'll do it tomorrow. The lock's gone tonight, I'll see to it. This closet is all yours now. I'll have Brielle start giving your Luna duties back, a little at a time."

He ran a hand over my hair, very pleased with himself.

"Keep this up, and you'll get back everything a Luna should have."

I nodded like a good girl. "Okay."

He tucked me in against his chest. "Look at that moon. Let's have a drink."

Over his shoulder, I watched the moon.

Almost time. One more hour.

"Okay." I nodded. "And there's something you should hear from me."