Morning came cold and bright, the kind of light that makes everything look sharper than it should. I left the Luna’s chamber early, before the servants could arrive with their rehearsed smiles. The air outside tasted of iron and pine. Wolves were already training in the yard below, the thud of bodies and barked orders echoing through the courtyard.
Eyes followed me down the corridor, some filled with curiosity, others with contempt. A few warriors bowed stiffly, out of duty, not respect. I didn’t need words to hear what they were thinking: The Alpha married the enemy’s blood.
I kept my head high anyway. Let them stare. Let them wonder why the man they worshiped had chosen to shackle himself to the woman they loathed.
“Luna.”
The word dripped like venom behind me.
Zara’s voice.
I didn
