June's POV

Just then, Seth mumbled "Excuse me", and left, leaving me standing awkwardly while some ladies who had noticed started whispering to themselves. I was a bit disappointed but tried not to let it ruin my mood. Soon people started cheering and I looked up to see someone had gotten on the stage.

Korra.

Wearing a silver, flowy gown that shimmered under the lights like moonlight on water. Her long blonde hair fell in perfect waves, and her bright blue eyes were rimmed with glitter. Fake and flawless.

And standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her like she was carved from the gods themselves… was Seth.

My breath caught. My heart stilled when I realized it.

They matched. They were both wearing the same color and the sight of this burned my eyes. I fisted my palm angrily. How did Korra know what Seth was going to be wearing?

She just has to ruin everything for me.

Korra lifted her arms with a dramatic smile and said into the microphone, “Thank you all for coming to my birthday party! I’m so glad you’re here to celebrate this special night with me!”

A ripple of polite applause passed through the crowd. No mention of me. Not a word.

The banner even just said her name now. Someone had removed the faded gold part with mine.

I swallowed the ache rising in my chest. Beth whispered, “I’m going to kill her,” under her breath. I didn't know when she got here but she had realized what was going on and was reasonably upset, but I only shook my head. I wasn’t ready for another scene.

Korra beamed, still holding the mic. “And now… we have a very special announcement.”

The lights dimmed slightly, and Seth stepped up beside her. His smile was calm but proud. The girls went crazy on seeing my boyfriend on the stage. Clapping and cheering, he was the most eligible bachelor in town after all and he was the son of the Alpha. He was everyone's dream man, but he was mine!

However, looking up there made my chest tighten. He didn't look like he was mine. He and Korra, matching clothes and standing close to each other with perfect smiles on their faces looked like the perfect couple.

He took the mic from her and she got off the stage, walking away proudly. And then, He started to speak, “Just as many of you know, I’ll be stepping into the role of Alpha very soon. It’s something I’ve prepared my whole life for, and I’m honored to lead this pack into its next chapter.”

People nodded, clapping. Some even cheered. Seth continued, “But no Alpha stands alone. Tonight… I found my mate.”

My heart slammed against my ribs. My breath froze. What was Seth talking about?

He smiled and pulled a single rose from behind him. He started walking across the stage, down the steps.

Toward me?

For a moment, time warped. I thought maybe, just maybe, he meant me. That he was going to stop, take my hand, and everything else would fade. He had promised to mark me as his mate after all.

But he passed me. He didn’t even look at me. My heart stopped beating. I turned, stiffly, numb from the neck down.

He stopped in front of Korra, slid the rose into her hair just above her ear. She smiled up at him like the perfect little actress, then tilted her face to his. And then he leaned in and kissed her on her lips. My knees nearly buckled and my eyes almost burst from its sockets.

The crowd gasped and applauded. Some women clutched each other with excitement, others squealed. I couldn’t hear them. Everything felt muted. Like I’d been shoved underwater. Then he turned to my parents.

“Beta Roderick, Madame Viviana, I ask you for your blessing to claim your daughter, Korra, as my Luna. My equal. My mate.”

They didn’t even hesitate. My mother beamed with tears in her eyes. My father nodded with a proud smile. I stood there, less than five feet away, and they acted like I didn’t exist. Like I wasn’t even their daughter.

And then, as if the world hadn’t shattered enough, Seth dropped to one knee. He pulled a small box from his pocket, flipped it open. A silver ring. Shining under the lights like a cruel joke.

“Korra,” he said, smiling up at her, “Will you accept me as your mate and future Alpha, and stand by me as my Luna?”

She screamed, “YES!” like she was auditioning for a movie role, throwing her arms around his neck. The crowd exploded in cheers. And me? I couldn’t move.

The silver ring on her finger burned into my vision like a brand. I felt hollow. Broken. Betrayed in every way that mattered. Beth was beside me, her mouth slightly open in horror, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying.

Nya whispered, calm and cold inside me, “June, you need to calm down”

My body moved as if on autopilot and I stormed through the crowd They parted for me, some whispering, some gasping, but I didn’t care. My blood was rushing. Nya begged me to keep calm, but I couldn’t.

I found them standing center stage, still wrapped up in their shiny, smug happiness. Seth and Korra, my boyfriend and my sister, still holding hands like I hadn’t just been gutted in front of half the pack.

"How could you" My voice was calmer than I thought it would be as I glared up at Seth.

"June" Seth exhaled like a father tired of parenting.

"How could you do this Seth!" My voice was much louder now. The hall was now silent and all attention had been drawn to us.

"How could I do what?" He acted oblivious.

“You lied to me,” I hissed, breath trembling, voice sharp as glass. “You said you wanted a future with me!”

“You were a good distraction, June,” he said with a dry chuckle. “But Korra… she’s my true mate. We’re bonded. This was always meant to happen.”

I felt like I’d been slapped. HARD.

“A distraction?” My voice cracked. “You told me you loved me. You said you were going to mark me!”

“I was confused,” he said with a shrug, as if that excused everything. “You know how it works, June. The mate bond overrides everything.”

"You were confused? We were together for four years!" I screamed at him. I turned to Korra, trembling with rage. “You knew!You knew this Korra. You’ve always wanted what I had. You couldn’t stand that someone picked me over you.”

Korra’s eyes narrowed, and her lips curled into a mocking smile. “You’re delusional. He was never yours. You were just keeping his spot warm for me.”

She shoved me back like I was trash on her stage, and gasps rang out again. My hands balled into fists. I wanted to scream, to shift, to let Nya tear her apart but I couldn’t move.

"This must be a joke. You both must be pranking me" I gave a dry laugh.

"This is as real as real can get June" Seth said and then he reached into his pocket.

He pulled out the small velvet box. The one I’d seen him hide months ago, the one he promised was for me. I’d caught him practicing what he’d say when he gave it to me. I’d dreamed of that moment for weeks.

He opened it, revealing a delicate silver necklace, an iridescent stone at the center that shimmered. It had been meant for me.

“I want you to have this,” he said, slipping it around Korra’s neck. “It’s always been yours.” Something inside me broke.

I stood there, breathless and watched Korra kiss my man. She then turned and gave me a wicked smile. "Oh, and I'm sorry to burst your bubble but I will be the one moving in with Seth." She said and my legs moved on it own.

I didn’t hear Beth calling after me. I didn’t care who was watching. I ran.

Out the back. Past the garden. Through the side gate. I didn’t even stop to change out of my heels. I grabbed my keys from the front table inside the house and didn’t look back. I was already crying by the time I reached my car.

My hands were shaking on the steering wheel as I drove. The lights of the town blurred around me as tears streamed down my cheeks. I gripped the steering wheel hard, wishing it was Korra's neck. Seth, four whole years, it was gone, it was all gone. Seth had been lying to me and they decided to do this, on my birthday, I bit my lower lip, trying not to scream. I wouldn't forgive them, I would never forgive them.

The glowing sign of a local bar appeared on the edge of the road. I didn’t think. I just turned in. The place was dim, loud, warm. I didn’t care. I found the counter, ordered something strong, and drank until the first glass burned down my throat. Then a second. Then a third. I didn’t know what I was trying to erase. My heart? My memories? Myself?

My elbows were on the sticky bar top, and I couldn’t stop crying. I didn’t care who saw. The music was too loud and the lights too low to care anyway. I was just a girl in a party dress with a broken heart and smeared mascara. But then…

A scent.

Sweet. Earthy. Warm. Like pine and sweet strawberry.

My wolf, Nya, stirred sharply inside me.

“Do you smell that?” she whispered, suddenly alert.

I lifted my head groggily. Across the room, blurred through my teary vision, stood a man I didn’t recognize. He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black. His eyes were dark, unreadable. But he was looking straight at me.

My heart skipped.

I blinked, tried to focus, but the alcohol and emotions were too much. My head swam. My limbs went heavy. I meant to ask who he was. But instead, I slumped forward, tears still wet on my cheeks, and everything went black.