Chapter 3
1085 Words
I stood frozen for a few agonizing seconds.
It wasn’t until my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood, that the sharp sting jolted me awake from the suffocating weight of betrayal.
No more hesitation. I surrendered to the fire raging inside me and stormed toward Jack and Seraphina, their bodies still locked in a shameless tangle. My hand shot out, seizing a fistful of Seraphina’s hair and yanking her back, tearing their connection apart.
“Ah! Jack!”
Seraphina’s wide-eyed disbelief met my glare as she shrieked for him, but I didn’t give her another breath to scream. My hand cracked across her face with a resounding slap.
She clutched her cheek, fury blazing in her eyes like it could burn me alive. “You dare hit me?” she spat, her voice trembling with outrage. But my gaze didn’t waver—my anger outmatched hers, a wildfire to her spark.
She was an Alpha’s daughter, cradled in privilege her whole life, shielded by Jack’s unwavering devotion. No one had ever dared disrespect her, let alone strike her.
And me? What about every woman in this nation of packs? Did we deserve to be dismissed, trampled, or slaughtered just because we weren’t born to an Alpha?
“Why wouldn’t I?” I snarled, strength surging from somewhere deep within. My foot lashed out, striking her knee and forcing her to the ground, her head tilting up to face me. “I’ve poured my soul into becoming Luna—serving this pack without a single misstep. As a woman of this pack, you stole my mate, so I have every right to hit you. As its Luna, you’ve wronged us, and it’s my duty to punish you.”
Seraphina’s teeth clenched, her venomous glare boring into me. “But you won’t be Luna for long. Once you’ve given birth, you’ll be useless. You heard everything Jack and I said, didn’t you?”
Jack.
Her words jolted me. I’d almost forgotten the other half of this wretched scene was still here.
While Seraphina and I clashed, Jack had slunk away to pull his pants back on, his eyes darting nervously toward the door. He wasn’t concerned for his precious Seraphina—he was terrified our shouting would draw the pack, exposing him.
He’d only just claimed the Rose Pack’s Alpha title, and his grip on it was shaky at best. Whispers of doubt had already circled among the pack—questions about his worthiness. The Rose Pack’s tradition demanded the strongest rise to lead. Cubs from every family were trained together, the best selected as Alpha candidates to study under the reigning Alpha. Only the one who survived the final, brutal trials could claim the title.
Jack had been a candidate, sure, but every elder knew he wasn’t the strongest—not in any measure. He’d only ascended because the war had gutted the pack, claiming Seraphina’s father, Alpha Carlisle, and every other candidate. With Jack as the last man standing and Seraphina swearing her father’s dying wish named him successor, the elders had no choice but to crown him.
So here he was, ignoring Seraphina’s beating to fret over his precious reputation, terrified the pack would see this mess and strip him bare.
Her incessant cries finally snapped him out of his daze. He strode over, trying to pry my grip from her, only to freeze, eyes widening at the raw power pulsing through me.
But I’d been branded an Omega—never trained, never honed. Within seconds, his muscled grip overpowered mine, wrenching my hand free. I stumbled back as he pulled Seraphina into his arms, soothing her while shooting me a scowl.
“Enough already,” he snapped. “You’ve seen me and Seraphina are in love. Saves us the hassle of breaking it to you ourselves.”
“Love?” A bitter smirk twisted my lips. “Then why didn’t you choose her as your Luna? Why swear yourself to me before the whole pack, following the Moon Goddess’s pull?”
A year ago, when our wolves first stirred for each other, Jack hadn’t hesitated. He’d announced it to the elders, throwing a lavish engagement ceremony that stunned everyone. The Rose Pack reserved such grandeur for weddings, not engagements—proof, they’d said, of how much he valued me.
Jack’s face tightened, embarrassment flickering. “It was a strategy. You know a child born outside the Moon Goddess’s match is weak. Without you, my heir couldn’t lead the pack.”
His gaze softened as it met Seraphina’s, their hands clasping tight, her smug glance darting my way. That look confirmed it—this was their real plan. My womb was their prize.
History proved Alphas who defied the Goddess’s pairing bore frail cubs, unable to inherit their parents’ full strength. That’s why the pack shifted to a merit-based system—letting the strongest cubs compete to lead, preserving the pack’s power. Jack and Seraphina meant to cheat that rule by sacrificing me.
Nausea churned in my throat like I’d swallowed a fly. “Does your mother know about this?” I demanded, voice shaking.
“She knows everything,” Jack replied coolly. “When Seraphina and I talked to her, she even offered some clever suggestions.”
The irony was a blade in my gut.
A year of devotion, wasted on beasts.
Jack’s mother, a single parent who’d raised him alone, had earned my respect. After our engagement, I’d treated her like family, tending to her through her worsening heart condition, keeping medicine at the ready. But they were the family—I was just a fool they’d played.
Seraphina tugged at Jack’s sleeve, and his patience snapped. “All this questioning changes nothing. But fine—since you’ve been decent this year, we’ll compromise. Bear the child, step aside as Luna for Seraphina, leave the pack, and never see the kid again. Do that, and we might let you live.”
“Think it over,” he added, casting me a cold glance before taking Seraphina’s hand and turning to leave.
Her whining trailed after them, carried by the wind. “What if she doesn’t do what you say?”
Jack’s voice softened. “She’s just an Omega—what can she do? Her family’s in no position to fight.”
“Jack, baby, you’re so smart—got her completely under control!”
“But I’d never do this to you,” he murmured. “I love you so much…
- Writer
