A vase broke against the wall inches from Aeryn's head. She ducked just in time as glass burst everywhere.
"How could you be so stupid?" Maya growled, reaching for another object to throw. "Following rogues into the forest? Did you want to get yourself killed?"
Aeryn backed away, still shaky after her rescue last night. Thorne had tracked her smell and found her before the rogue could take her far. The fight had been quick but bloody. Now, stuck in a room with an angry Maya, Aeryn almost wished she was back with the rogues.
"I just wanted to know what was happening," Aeryn said.
"Well, now you know. Celeste wants your mate, and she'll do anything to get him." Maya crossed her arms. "Thanks to you, two of our wolves are badly injured."
Guilt twisted in Aeryn's stomach. She hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt.
A knock stopped them. Finn opened the door, his face worried. "Luna, the Alpha wants to see you."
Aeryn followed Finn through the halls, her heart racing. Was Thorne angry with her too? Last night, after bringing her home safely, he'd barely spoken a word.
"Is he... mad?" she asked Finn.
"He was worried." Finn gave her a gentle smile. "The Alpha cares for you deeply, Luna. That's why he was so upset when you put yourself in danger."
But when they reached Thorne's office, he wasn't alone. Standing beside him was the most beautiful woman Aeryn had ever seen. Her golden hair fell in perfect waves, and her green eyes shimmered like gems.
"Ah, here she is," the woman said, her voice like honey. "The little omega who stole Thorne from me."
Thorne's face was tight. "Aeryn, this is Celeste. She'll be staying with us for a while as we... sort things out."
Celeste's smile was all teeth. "Isn't that nice? We'll get to know each other so well."
One month passed, then another. Despite that rough start, life with Thorne became everything Aeryn had dreamed of. Celeste had left after a week, called back to her father's area for some emergency. Without her shadow hanging over them, Thorne showered Aeryn with care.
Each morning, he brought her breakfast in bed. Each night, he held her close, muttering promises against her skin. For the first time in her life, Aeryn felt truly loved.
"I never believed in mates before you," Thorne told her one night, tracing the mark on her neck. "I thought it was a myth, an excuse wolves used to justify their choices."
"And now?" Aeryn asked, curling against his warm chest.
"Now I can't imagine my life without you." His blue eyes glowed in the darkness. "You're mine, little dog. Forever."
That night, they made love for the first time. It was perfect—tender and intense all at once. Aeryn fell asleep wrapped in Thorne's arms, happy than she'd ever been.
But the next morning, everything changed.
Thorne was gone before she woke up. When she went looking for him, Finn said he'd left early for a border watch. He didn't return for dinner. Or the next day. Or the day after that.
"He's just busy," Mavis assured her. Her friend had chosen to stay at the pack house, working in the kitchens. "Alphas have a lot of responsibilities."
But Aeryn knew something was wrong. When Thorne finally returned, he barely looked at her. He slept in a different room. When she tried to touch him, he pulled away.
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked one evening, stopping him in the hallway.
"Of course not." But his eyes wouldn't meet hers. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"Talk to me. Please."
"Not now, Aeryn." He brushed past her, leaving her alone with her confusion.
Two weeks passed this way. Aeryn felt like she was living with a stranger. The mark on her neck—once warm and tingling—now felt cold, like a scar rather than a link.
Then the morning sickness started.
Aeryn barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up her food. It happened again the next day, and the next. Mavis was the one who mentioned what might be happening.
"You could be pregnant," her friend said. "The timing fits."
A baby. Thorne's baby. Despite everything, joy grew in Aeryn's heart. Maybe this was why he'd been so distant—maybe he somehow felt the change in her body and was worried about it.
With shaking hands, Aeryn asked one of the pack medics to check. The older woman put gentle hands to Aeryn's stomach, then smiled.
"Congratulations, Luna. You're carrying a pup. About three weeks along, I'd say."
Aeryn couldn't wait to tell Thorne. She searched all his regular places but couldn't find him anywhere. Finally, Finn stated that Thorne was in the great hall with some visitors.
Hurrying down the stairs, Aeryn's heart felt lighter than it had in weeks. A baby would fix everything. Thorne would be happy again. They would be a family.
She pushed open the heavy doors of the great hall. Inside, a big crowd had gathered. Thorne stood at the front, addressing them all. And beside him stood Celeste, her arm linked through his.
"—important announcement," Thorne was saying as Aeryn entered. "To strengthen the bonds between our packs, Celeste and I will be married at the next full moon."
The room burst in cheers. Aeryn froze, unable to breathe. Married? But what about their mate bond? What about her?
Someone spotted her standing there. Whispers spread through the crowd. Heads turned. Finally, Thorne looked up and saw her.
For one heartbeat, something like pain flashed across his visage. Then his face turned cold, distant. He didn't say a word.
It was Celeste who broke the silence, her smile victorious. "Isn't this wonderful news, Aeryn? I do hope you'll stay for the wedding."
The room spun around her. Aeryn backed away, bumping into people who stared with pity in their eyes. They'd known. They'd all known this would happen.
"I thought the mate bond couldn't be broken," she whispered.
Finn appeared at her side, his face grim. "Luna, let me take you upstairs."
But Aeryn shook him off. She had to hear Thorne say it himself. "Answer me! How can you marry her when we're mated?"
Thorne's jaw clenched. "The mate link was a mistake. These things happen sometimes—false ties that fade with time."
"False?" The word felt like a knife in her chest. "What we had was real!"
"What you had," Celeste cut in, "was a temporary obsession. Thorne and I have been promised to each other since youth. A real bond, built on years of loyalty, not a few weeks of emotion."
Aeryn looked around the room, at all the faces watching her shame. Some looked sad, others smug. Maya actually smiled. No one spoke up for her. No one disputed Thorne's lie.
"I'm carrying your child," Aeryn said, her voice breaking.
A hush fell over the room. Thorne's face paled. For a moment, Aeryn thought she saw the old Thorne, her Thorne, looking back at her. But then Celeste squeezed his arm, and his face hardened again.
"If that's true," he said coldly, "the pack will provide for you and the child. But it changes nothing between us."
Something broke inside Aeryn. The pain was so sharp she couldn't breathe. Without another word, she turned and ran from the hall, tears blinding her.
She ran all the way to her room, closing the door behind her. With shaking hands, she pulled out a bag and started throwing her things into it. Not the fine dresses or diamonds Thorne had given her—those she left scattered on the floor. Only the few items she'd brought from home, the things that were truly hers.
A soft knock came at the door. "Aeryn? It's Mavis. Please let me in."
Aeryn opened the door. Her friend took one look at her face and the bag in her hand and understood.
"You're leaving."
"I can't stay here," Aeryn choked out. "Not now. Not knowing he never really loved me."
Mavis nodded. "I'll go with you."
"No. You have a life here." Aeryn wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "But there is something you can do for me."
"Anything."
"Tell my brother what happened. Tell him..." Her voice broke. "Tell him I need him."
Mavis hugged her tight. "Where will you go?"
Aeryn thought of the rogue who had caught her, of his strange words about her "real Alpha." There had been truth in what he said—she could feel it. There were secrets about her past, things Thorne had kept from her.
"North," she said softly. "To the mountains. There's someone there who might have answers."
"It's dangerous to travel alone, especially in your condition."
"I have no choice." Aeryn put a hand over her stomach. "I won't let my child grow up here, watching its father love another woman."
As night fell, Aeryn slipped out a side door of the pack house. The forest looked dark and forbidding ahead of her. She took one last look at the place she'd briefly called home, at the windows lit golden in the darkness.
In one of those rooms, Thorne was enjoying his engagement to Celeste. He'd forgotten her already. The man who had promised her forever hadn't even given her a month.
Aeryn turned away, straightening her shoulders as she faced the forest. She had nothing left but her pride and the tiny life growing inside her. It would have to be enough.
As she vanished into the trees, a shadow separated from the darkness behind her. A tall figure with glowing eyes watched her go, then followed quietly in her wake.
"Finally," the stranger whispered. "The last descendent of the Silver Moon pack, alone at last."