Chapter 2

But why would he ask about me?

After everything I did to him—after the way I left—he should hate me. He probably does.

And yet, my broken wolf soul, tethered to this earth by something I couldn't name, drifted after him, pulled like a moth to a flame.

The largest hall in the Snow Hawk Pack still stood proud, just as it had when we designed it together… for our wedding. The one that never happened.

Now it was filled with Alphas—leaders of the ten most powerful packs in the Northern Territory. They had come to honor their king, and every eye in the room turned as Alpha Caelen stepped inside with the boy.

The moment he took the central seat, regal and poised with that child at his side, the crowd hushed in awe.

Then someone spoke.

Of course it was the Beta of Blue Star Pack—an aging wolf with more opinions than sense.

"Alpha King," he drawled, squinting at the boy, "that little one… he looks a bit like the former Luna of Snow Hawk, doesn’t he?"

A fire I hadn’t felt in years surged through my fragmented soul.

How dare he?

That child couldn't possibly be mine. I was dead. Just a shadow now. And surely, Caelen had moved on. He must have a new Luna. Stirring up gossip like that could only cause problems for her.

But I had no voice anymore. No way to silence the room or take back control.

Until Caelen did it for me.

His gaze cut across the hall, sharp as a blade.

"This child has no connection to the former Luna of Snow Hawk," he said coldly. "My mate is from a pack overseas."

The air turned into ice.

The Beta blanched, backpedaling fast. "O-of course, Alpha King. My apologies. I just… there was something familiar in the child’s aura. I meant no disrespect."

Other Alphas joined in, eager to smooth the sudden tension.

"That former Luna," someone scoffed, "she abandoned her mate bond, didn’t she? Cut ties and disappeared. There’s no reason to speak of her now."

"Right," the Blue Star Beta added with a nervous chuckle, patting his snout like he could shove the words back in. "My mouth always gets ahead of me. Must’ve misread the scent."

Then came another voice, deep and rumbling—Gamma Colin from the Lake Shadow Pack. He raised a brow and said with forced levity, "Speaking of which, where is the former Luna tonight? This dinner’s open to the whole tribe, isn’t it?"

Someone laughed low. "She vanished after the bond was severed. Maybe she found herself a wealthy mate in another pack."

"Or maybe," came a cold snort from the Alpha of Black Ridge Pack, "she fell so far she ended up a Rogue."

That set the room buzzing again.

"What do you mean by that?"

The Black Ridge Alpha met Caelen’s unreadable expression, then pressed on. "Word is, she was seen consorting with Rogues at Night’s Hue Bar near the Lake Shadow border. Looks like she lost everything after she left the Alpha King."

Disgusting rippled through the room.

"How tragic. To fall so far from grace."

"If she could see him now—King of ten packs—she’d regret every damn thing she did."

The noise in the hall swelled… until Caelen slammed his goblet onto the table. The sharp crack echoed through the silence that immediately followed.

No one dared speak again.

One of the Snow Hawk elders leaned closer, his voice cautious but firm. "Alpha King… the past isn’t worth your distraction."

Caelen didn’t respond right away. He lifted his wine, drank it all in a single gulp, and set the empty glass down with eerie calm.

The elder hesitated, then added quietly, "Still… after your campaign ended three years ago, there were whispers. Someone claimed to have seen the former Luna near the Moon Goddess Temple in Lake Shadow. They said she looked sick. Desperate. Like she was seeking a healer."

Caelen froze.

His hand tightened around the wineglass so hard, I swore it might shatter. A flicker of something—shock, pain, anger—crossed his face.

I watched helplessly, panic rising in my chest.

No. Please, no.

Don’t investigate it.

Don’t dig up the truth I buried.

But he was too smart for that. Too sharp.

Without a word, he turned to Beta George.

"Find out everything," Caelen ordered. "Leave no trail unchecked."

My breath caught in my throat.

Was this it?

Was the secret of my death—the one I fought so hard to hide—about to surface?

Would he finally discover I never left him because I wanted to… but because I was dying?

Because the Moon Sickness had already started to devour me?

Because I didn’t want him to watch me fade away?

Caelen… don’t chase ghosts.

I’m not yours anymore.