Chapter 3

The change was gradual.

So gradual, I almost didn't notice.

It started somewhere in the third year of their marriage. The pack was thriving. Our territory had doubled. Trade agreements brought steady income. Other packs respected us now.

Respected Kira, mostly.

That was the problem.

I first heard the whispers at a regional gathering. Two Alphas from neighboring packs, talking over drinks.

"Alpha Blackwood? More like Luna Kira's pet."

"Right? He can't even make a decision without asking his mate."

They'd laughed. Loud enough for others to hear.

Damon had been standing nearby. I saw his jaw tighten. But he'd smiled. Shrugged it off.

"My mate is brilliant. Why wouldn't I consult her?"

At the time, I'd thought he meant it.

But the comments kept coming. At every gathering, every meeting. Other Alphas noticed how Kira ran most negotiations. How pack members deferred to her first.

Damon started coming home tense. Quiet.

"I'm the Alpha," he'd mutter. "I need respect."

Kira would touch his shoulder. "You have respect. The pack thrives because we work together."

"Together." He'd pull away. "Right."

Then his old habits started creeping back. Little things at first.

A she-wolf would flirt at a council meeting. Damon would smile back. Not shut it down immediately like he used to.

Another would bring him coffee, hand lingering on his. He'd let it.

I watched Kira watch him. Her face would go carefully blank.

She didn't say anything. Not right away.

The breaking point came at the pack's harvest celebration. Six months ago now.

Music, dancing, too much wine. The whole pack gathered in the ceremony clearing.

I was helping serve food when I saw it happen.

A young she-wolf approached Damon. Maya, I think her name was. Recently turned eighteen, newly awakened. Pretty, in an obvious way.

She touched his arm. Leaned in close. "Alpha Blackwood, would you honor me with a dance?"

Damon smiled. That old smile from before Kira. Charming. Careless.

"I'd be delighted."

Kira stood twenty feet away, talking to an elder. But I saw her stiffen.

Maya led Damon to the dance area. She pressed close. Too close. Her hands wandered.

Damon didn't pull away. He was enjoying it.

Kira walked over. Picked up a folder from the refreshment table. Walked straight up to them and smacked it against Damon's head.

Not hard. But the crack echoed.

"Focus on your Luna," she said evenly.

The music stopped. Everyone turned to stare.

Maya stepped back, eyes wide.

Damon's face went red. Embarrassment? Anger? Both.

"Don't treat me like a child in front of the pack!" He pushed Kira's hand away. Hard enough that she stumbled.

I dropped the plate I was holding.

The entire clearing went silent. No one breathed.

Kira steadied herself. Looked at Damon. Her expression was completely empty.

"As you wish, Alpha." Her voice was flat. Dead.

She turned and walked away. Head high. Back straight.

But I saw her hands. They were shaking.

Damon stood there, breathing hard. Looking around at all the staring faces.

Then he stalked off in the opposite direction.

I wanted to slap my brother. Wanted to scream at him for being such an idiot.

But Kira's face haunted me. It wasn't angry. It was resigned.

Like she'd been expecting this. Waiting for it.

After that night, something broke between them.

Damon grew distant. Stopped asking her opinion in meetings. Started making decisions without consulting her.

Kira didn't fight it. She just... went quiet.

Two weeks ago, everything came to a head.

It was a full moon. Sacred to our kind. Kira had gone to the roof to watch the moonrise, like she always did.

Damon had been drinking. He followed her up.

I was in my room, window open. I heard everything.

"If there's someone else, tell me now." Kira's voice was calm. Steady. "I can handle the truth."

"Why do you always assume the worst?" Damon wouldn't look at her. I could hear it in his voice.

"Because you've been distant. Because you flinch when I touch you."

Silence. Long and heavy.

"Maybe I need more than this." Damon's words slurred slightly. Drunk courage.

"More than what?"

"You're so strong, Kira. Too strong." He laughed bitterly. "You should have been gentler. A man needs softness. Needs to feel like an Alpha."

My hands clenched. I wanted to climb up there and shove him off the roof.

"I met someone," Damon continued. "She's different. Soft. She makes me feel like a real Alpha."

"And what am I?" Kira's voice cracked. Just slightly.

"You're my Luna. You're important. But why can't I have both?" Desperation bled into his words. "You for the pack. Her for me."

I pressed my face to the window. Saw Kira standing there, backlit by moonlight. Her shoulders were shaking.

"I see," she whispered.

"Kira—"

"Go to bed, Damon. You're drunk."

Footsteps. Damon leaving.

Kira stayed on the roof.

I waited until I was sure Damon was gone. Then I snuck upstairs.

She stood at the edge, face tilted toward the moon. Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she made no sound.

"Moon Goddess," she breathed. "I gave him everything. Was it not enough?"

My heart broke for her.

I backed away silently. Let her have her grief in private.

The next morning, I expected fury. Shouting. Maybe violence.

Instead, Kira smiled at breakfast.

"I've been thinking about what you said," she told Damon. Her voice was light. Pleasant.

He looked up from his coffee, wary. "And?"

"If you find your fated mate, I'll support you. A Luna should be understanding."

Damon's relief was visible. Palpable. He actually smiled.

"Really? Kira, that's—"

"It's fine." She poured herself tea. "I've always known fated mates are sacred."

He didn't see it. The way that smile didn't reach her eyes. The way her hands gripped the teacup too tight.

But I did.

He thought he'd won. Thought she'd accepted her place.

Idiot.

One week later, Damon brought Sienna home.

I understood then. He'd found his excuse. His "fated mate" who just happened to appear right when he wanted one.

He'd wanted permission to cheat. To have his competent Luna running the pack while he played with softer she-wolves.

And Kira?

Kira was giving him rope to hang himself.