Chapter 1: One Decision
One decision.
That was all it had taken for Rhea to fall from the most feared and respected Luna of the Ironfang Pack to a weak, fragile she-wolf confined to a bed day and night.
"Hurry! Take that to the main hall. The Alpha ceremony has already begun."
The hushed voice sliced through the silence outside her bedroom, and Rhea’s eyes flew open.
For a second, she thought she had imagined it. Her pulse hammered unevenly as she stared toward the door, listening to the hurried footsteps rushing past her room.
Alpha ceremony? That made no sense. Kaleb already had a Luna. Her.
Pain flared through her side as she pushed herself upright too quickly, a sharp breath escaping her lips.
The war at Blackridge had happened six months ago, yet her body still felt like it belonged to the battlefield instead of her.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again. The poisoned arrow flying toward Kaleb before she stepped in front of it without hesitation.
To everyone else, Blackridge had already become another story whispered around campfires. But Rhea still remembered the taste of blood in her mouth when she hit the ground after taking the arrow meant for her mate.
Slowly, Rhea turned her head toward the other side of the bed. Empty. Yet again. A quiet breath escaped her lips. It hadn’t always been like this.
After the battle, Kaleb rarely left her side. But over time, his visits grew shorter until they stopped entirely. Even the servants rarely came anymore because everyone had quietly accepted the truth that the pack no longer dared say aloud.
The Alpha no longer visited his Luna.
Still, every night before sleeping, Rhea smoothed the empty side of the bed beside her. A foolish little habit she could not bring herself to stop. Hope had become painful, but she held onto it anyway.
And every night, she was disappointed.
Suddenly, another burst of footsteps echoed outside.
"Elder Marcus said the ceremony starts shortly!"
A strange chill crawled down Rhea’s spine.
Ignoring the weakness clawing through her body, she forced herself to her feet. Her knees nearly buckled beneath her immediately, but she caught herself against the bedpost before she could fall.
Something was wrong. Very wrong.
The corridor outside buzzed with excitement as she stepped into it. The scent of sacred oils and burning incense filled the air heavily enough to make her stomach tighten.
Pack members hurried toward the ceremonial hall without noticing her standing there. Or perhaps they noticed, and simply didn’t care.
Rhea moved slowly after them, one trembling step at a time. The deeper she walked into the pack house, the harder her heart pounded, until she reached the ceremonial chamber.
The crowd parted just enough for her to see the center of the room. And the world stopped.
Kaleb stood beneath the ceremonial lights, dressed in formal black mating robes embroidered with silver. Beside him stood Kat, her sister, wearing white.
No. Rhea’s breath caught painfully in her throat. No, no, no.
"I now declare you Alpha and Luna," the elder announced.
The hall erupted into cheers. Goblets crashed together, wolves shouted in celebration, and drums thundered through the chamber.
But Rhea stood frozen at the edge of the crowd while her mate married her sister.
For one horrible second, she genuinely thought she had misunderstood what she was seeing. Her mind kept searching for another explanation. A blessing ceremony, a political ritual, anything except this.
But he hadn’t even looked for her. Not once.
Rhea blinked hard, hot tears burning behind her eyes. "Kaleb?" His name left her lips in a shaky whisper as she pushed weakly through the crowd. Shock still coursed through her so violently that her body barely felt real anymore.
At the sound of her voice, Kaleb turned. For the briefest moment, surprise flickered across his face. Beside him, Kat turned as well, her wedding veil catching softly in the candlelight.
Neither of them looked guilty, and somehow, that hurt more than if they had.
"What is going on here?" Rhea asked, though the answer stood plainly in front of her.
The ceremonial robes, the blessing marks painted across their wrists, the lingering scent of sacred oils in the air.
It was a mating ceremony. Her mate’s mating ceremony.
Kaleb stepped forward, finally releasing Kat’s hand. "Rhea," he said, his tone carrying something close to concern. "What are you doing here? You should be resting."
The words made her chest ache.
Rhea stared at him, searching his face as though she might still find the man she loved somewhere beneath all this. "You just mated her?" she asked faintly.
Kaleb exhaled slowly before nodding. "Yes," he admitted. "But it’s for the best."
Rhea stared at him. For a second, she forgot how to breathe. "For the best?" she repeated, her voice trembling. "For who exactly?"
"For everyone," Kaleb answered calmly. "For the pack."
Around them, several pack members nodded in agreement, avoiding her gaze. The betrayal of it made her stomach twist.
"Listen," Kaleb continued, his voice practical now, almost cold. "We all know you’re dying. The pack needs stability, and you, of all people, understand how important that is."
Rhea stared at him in disbelief. Her chest rose sharply, but strangely, the physical pain inside her body had dulled beneath something far worse.
"So why didn’t you wait for me to die first?" she demanded. Her voice sounded stronger than she felt.
Kat finally stepped forward then, her expression smooth and composed. "You should be grateful to us," she said softly, looking directly at her sister. "You’re useless to the pack in your condition."
The words struck like a slap.
"Yes, Rhea," Kaleb added without hesitation. "We can’t keep waiting for you to recover, especially when you look like—" his gaze drifted over her weakened body, "that."
Her fingers loosened at her side. She hadn’t realized she was still hoping he’d deny it.
Rhea looked at herself, and then she laughed once, but the sound broke halfway through. "You’re alive because of me," she whispered. "I took that arrow for you."
Kaleb exhaled sharply, frustration making his shoulders sag. "It’s been six months, Rhea." His voice carried something that resembled softness. "This is reality, Rhea."
The words felt mercilessly final.
"If you can’t accept it—" he paused. "You can barely stand, Rhea. How long do you think you’ll survive outside these walls?" he shook his head. "You think the rogues out there will care that you were once Luna?"
Rhea’s stomach twisted as she looked at Kaleb. At the man she had once loved enough to die for. And for the first time since entering the hall, she realized something terrifying.
He truly did not love her anymore.
A slow breath trembled out of her chest. "I understand now," she whispered.
Kaleb’s brows pulled together slightly.
Rhea looked at Kat next. Her sister’s face held no remorse, no shame, only satisfaction carefully hidden behind calm eyes.
Then, she looked at the cheering pack surrounding them. Not one person stepped forward for her. Not one.
Despite everything, a part of her still waited for him to say it wasn’t true, to tell everyone to leave, to choose her. But Kaleb only stood there beside Kat.
Finally, she lifted her chin despite the tears burning behind her eyes. "I’ll leave."
A murmur swept through the hall.
"I’d rather face rogues," she whispered, "than stay where I’m treated like a corpse."
