Luna's wolf whimpered, a sound of pure despair. She'd tried to warn Luna. In those early days of courtship, she'd been uneasy, restless, sensing something wrong. But Luna had ignored her, convinced herself her wolf was just nervous about leaving their family.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't listen.
But apologies couldn't undo three years of abuse. Couldn't erase the scars, the broken bones that had healed wrong, the poison slowly killing her wolf. Couldn't bring back the strength they'd once had.
"There you are."
Luna spun to find Celeste coming toward her.
"Shouldn't you be inside?" Luna wrapped her arms around herself. "Celebrating with Damon?"
"I wanted to talk to you." Celeste's expression was unreadable. "Sister to sister."
"We're not sisters!" Luna's voice came out quiet. "Not anymore."
"No?" Celeste tilted her head. "Because I'm fucking your mate? Luna, darling, you can't lose what you never really had."
The words hit like a physical blow. Luna had known about the affair for years. Had seen the texts, smelled Celeste's perfume on Damon's clothes, noticed the way they looked at each other when they thought she wasn't watching. But hearing Celeste say it so casually, so cruelly, still hurt.
"Why?" Luna's voice came out as a whisper. "Why him? Why betray our family like this?"
Celeste laughed, the sound sharp and brittle. "Our family? Luna, I was never really family. I was the charity case, the orphan your parents took in out of pity. Do you know what it's like, growing up in the shadow of the perfect Ashford children? Watching you become beloved princess, while I was just there?"
"We loved you—"
"You tolerated me!" Celeste's voice turned sharp. "And now? Now I'm going to have everything you have. Everything you were born into and don't deserve. Everything you threw away because you were too stupid to listen to your brothers."
The reminder of her brothers cut like a knife.
"You know the best part?" Celeste's smile turned cruel. "Your brothers were right about Damon. They saw exactly what he was, and you were too blinded by love to listen. You destroyed your relationship with them for nothing. For a man who's been planning to discard you since the day you mated."
"Stop." Luna's voice was barely audible.
"Why? Does the truth hurt? You gave up everything, Luna. Your family, your home, your brothers' protection. And for what? Three years of abuse and broken down? Was it worth it? Was your great love story worth losing the people who actually cared about you?"
Tears burned Luna's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "What do you want, Celeste?"
"I want you to know what's coming." Celeste's voice dropped to a whisper. "Damon is going to reject you, Luna. Publicly. Once he's secured his Council position using your family's name and connections. He'll have you committed to Silverpine Sanctuary for unstable wolves, and then he'll take me as his true mate."
The world tilted.
Silverpine Sanctuary. The psychiatric facility for wolves deemed too dangerous or unstable for pack life. Wolves went there and never came back.
"He can't." Luna's breath caught. "The mate bond we share won't let him discard me."
Celeste looked at her as though she'd grown four heads. "You mean the mate bond that was never consummated." She clicked her tongue. "Did you really think Damon wanted to touch you? You're broken, Luna. Your wolf is weak, your bloodline is all you have, and once Damon has extracted every bit of usefulness from your name, you'll disappear. And I'll be the new Luna Treuman, standing beside him as he rises to power."
She stepped closer, her voice dropping even lower. "He's been planning this for years. The vitamins that make you weak? Wolfsbane and sedatives. The therapy sessions? Building a case for your commitment. The way he isolates you from your brothers? Making sure no one will question your breakdown when it happens. You're not his mate, Luna. You're his stepping stone. And once he's done with you, you'll be nothing."
"My brothers won't fall for it—"
"Your brothers will believe Damon when he tells them you've had a psychotic break." Celeste cut her off. "After all, you cut them out of your life three years ago. You rejected their warnings, their protection, their love. Why would they rush to help you now? Especially when Damon has been so careful, so concerned, such a devoted mate trying to help his struggling wife. They'll probably thank him for getting you the help you need."
Her words hurt because they were true. Luna had burned those bridges. She'd chosen Damon over her family, and now she had no one.
"And the best part?" Celeste's smile widened. "When you're locked away in Silverpine, screaming that you're not crazy, that Damon did this to you? No one will believe you. Because you'll sound exactly like every other unstable wolf they've ever committed. You'll die there, Luna. Alone. Forgotten. While I take your place and your brothers move on with their lives."
She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Luna? This is what you get for thinking you were better than me. For being the princess while I was just the orphan. Enjoy your last few weeks of freedom. Because soon, you'll have nothing."
Without warning, Celeste suddenly flew backward with a blood-curdling shriek that shattered the night air.
She hit the ground with a sickening crack and her body crumpling like a broken doll.
Several guests nearby rushed, their faces pale with shock as they surrounded Celeste's writhing form.
"Luna!" Celeste's voice was pure anguish, tears streaming down her face as she clutched her arm. "Please, sister, you have to control yourself! I know you're in pain, I know today is difficult, but Damon's worked so hard for this moment. You can't let your illness ruin everything for him!"
Luna stood frozen, speechless, watching as Celeste performed her white lotus act with Oscar-worthy precision. The worst part? The guests were buying every word. Their gazes turned judgmental, accusatory, looking at her as though she were a rabid animal barely contained. The rumors about her deteriorating mental state had been circulating for months, but this public display would cement them as fact.
"You forgot to take your medication again, didn't you?" Celeste sobbed, playing the concerned sister to perfection. "The doctors said this might happen if you missed doses. Please, Luna, let me help you. Let us help you."
The guests' expressions shifted from concern to fear, then to pity and disgust. They looked at Luna as if she were a rabid animal, dangerous and unpredictable. Then the whispers started immediately, spreading like wildfire through the crowd.
"I heard she's been having episodes..."
"Poor Damon, dealing with this..."
"She should be institutionalized..."
"Please, everyone, go back inside. This is a private family matter. Luna just needs some space, some quiet. I'll handle this." Celeste struggled to her feet, still playing the martyred sister.
The guests reluctantly dispersed, their whispers following them like a toxic cloud.
Celeste's mask slipped for just a moment. Her triumphant smile was pure evil and her eyes glittering with malicious satisfaction.
Luna stood there, shaking long after Celeste and the small crowed disappeared.
Everything was spiraling out of control.
He'd been building a cage around her, and she was too broken to break free.
I can't go to them. Even if I could escape, even if I could reach them, why would they help me? I chose this. I chose Damon over them. I broke their hearts and walked away.
But I have to get out. The thought crystallized with sudden, desperate clarity. I have to run.
But where? Damon controlled everything. The estate, the pack, the territory. He had connections throughout the Northern Territories, allies on the Council, enforcers who'd hunt her down if she tried to escape.
And she had no one. No allies to call. No safe haven.
I'll die if I stay. I'll die if I run.
But at least if I run, I'll die free.
And maybe I'll die knowing I finally made the right choice, even if it's three years too late.