Be My Luna

3

Winter’s POV

She pulled back just enough to look at me, tears streaming. “You didn’t betray him, right? Because if you did, you’re as guilty as that monster who slit his throat. Tell me, Winter… tell me you didn’t betray Mason.”

For a heartbeat, I just stared. She sounded more devastated than even I could bear to sound. Why was she crying like this, speaking his name so plainly, without his title? A cold unease crawled up my spine.

I patted her back stiffly, my voice shaking. “I never cheated, Monika. You know that. I don’t even know that man… I’ve never met him in my life. I don’t know why he—” I shuddered, swallowing bile. “—why he kissed me. I’m just as confused as you.”

She nodded, wiping her nose, sobbing harder. “Then… then did you know? They’ve already announced him as the new Alpha. A day. Just a day after Mason’s death.”

The words hit me like a stone, but not as hard as the way she said Mason’s name, without reverence, without distance, almost intimately. My heart twisted, suspicion curling where grief already festered.

Before I could even ask, the door opened again.

My father stood there, his face pale, his eyes hollow, as though the weight of the world was crushing him.

“Ter…” His voice cracked. “The Alpha of Ashborne demands to complete the marriage pact… the one his brother could not finish with you.”

“What?” I blinked, rising unsteadily from the bed. My knees shook beneath me. “What are you talking about?” A nervous laugh escaped my lips, brittle and hollow.

My father looked as though he had aged years overnight, his face pale, his eyes sunken. “He wants to marry you, Winter. In Mason’s place. To complete the pact.” His voice cracked. “You know how powerful Ashborne is. This… this isn’t a good sign.”

“No.” The word slipped out as a whisper. I shook my head. “No.” My denial grew louder, faster, my chest heaving as tears blurred my vision. “No, no, no! Reject the offer, Father, please, reject it!” I collapsed into his arms, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.

He stroked my hair softly, his hand heavy with sorrow. “Calm down, my princess. I’ll reject his offer. But this constant crying is hurting you. You need your strength.”

I buried my face in his chest, clinging to his words, clinging to him, until at last he eased me into Monika’s arms before leaving the room.

Monika held me stiffly, her body rigid. Her silence stretched too long. When she finally spoke, her voice was cold, edged with something sharp. “What does this mean, Winter?” Her eyes burned as she gripped my shoulders. “Did you really cheat on Mason with his psychopathic brother? How could you do something so vile? If you didn’t love him, why marry him?”

Her words struck like knives, unexpected, cruel. My sobs faltered, replaced by disbelief. “I didn’t cheat on him! And why the hell are you so angry at me?” My voice rose, raw with hurt. “You’re supposed to be my friend!” I jabbed a finger against my chest. “You sound like you knew my fiancé better than I ever did.”

Monika scoffed, her lips curling bitterly. She wiped her tears, but her eyes glittered with something darker than grief. “Maybe I did,” she whispered.

And then she brushed past me, leaving the room heavy with silence.

I staggered, barely managing to land on the bed without collapsing completely. My chest felt like it had been bound with stones and dragged into the depths of a lake. Everything in my life was unraveling, spiraling out of control, and the sharpest wound of all was knowing my best friend had chosen to side with my dead fiancé.

By evening, I was fending off my maids as they pleaded for me to eat something. My father walked in then, his face pale and hollow, as though all the strength had drained out of him. My heart leapt in panic. I pushed past the maids to reach him.

“What happened? Why are you like this?” I demanded.

“Winter… we made a huge mistake.” His voice was hoarse, a whisper barely held together.

“What mistake?” My hands clutched his arm, shaking him.

“Alpha Fadel…” He faltered, his gaze dropping to the ground.

“Alpha Fadel did what?” I yelled, my voice breaking from the strain.

“He declared us enemies of Ashborne,” he said at last, every word weighted with dread, “and he declared war for the claim of our pack as his.”

The world tilted. I stumbled back, staring. “What?”

“Winter, our pack is far too small. We would be crushed. So many will die. Alpha Fadel isn’t merciful.”

I threw up my hands in despair. “So what now? What do we do?”

He was silent. Too silent. I knew that look, the heaviness in his eyes. He had already chosen.

“Dad?” My voice shook as I stepped closer. “What did you do?”

“I… I accepted his offer,” he confessed, each word cutting through me like a blade. “I had to. It was the only way to save the pack.”

“You sold me to him?” My scream tore through the room, raw and jagged. “You gave me to that monster?”

“I didn’t sell you, Winter,” he retorted, his voice low and weary. “I only did what was best for our people.”

“For our people?” My chest heaved with rage. “And what about me? You didn’t even ask me!”

“You’ve always wanted to be Alpha, but do you know the weight of the choices that come with it?” my father asked, his voice raw.

A hollow laugh ripped out of me, bitter and sharp. “I suppose I just learned the first lesson then. Sacrifice your daughter to the monster who slit her husband’s throat.”

His shoulders sagged, his face carved with defeat, but his fists clenched at his sides as if the fight in him still burned, only misdirected.

“He has agreed to come back to our pack… for further negotiations,” my father said quietly. “Prepare yourself. He wants you there.”