The first time I felt the shift of everyone's behavior is the next morning.

It wasn’t anything grand or loud, no, because no one shouted, no one bared their teeth, that would’ve been easier to fight.

It came in fragments, a glance that lingered too long, a whisper that cut too deep and a door that didn’t open when I approached.

“Morning...., Luna,” mumbled one of the Elder as he passed me in the corridor but he didn’t bow neither did he meet my eyes like he used to do.

I stood still for a moment, my heart thudding in my ears, watching the elder shuffle down the stone hallway of the pack house with hunch shoulders and quick steps, avoiding me.

When I turned towards the corner, into the council chamber, I found three of the betas already seated. The air went still.

“Don’t stop on my account,” I said lightly, trying to smile. “I’m late.”

“No, of course not,” said the first Beta. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “We were just discussing about the border patrol schedules.”

"Without me?" I asked surprised.

That have always been my duty, the Lunas of the Crescent Hill did more than pour tea and smile at bondings. We led, we advised and we sit at the table not as trophies but as tacticians.

“Angela mentioned you might be needing some rest after last night,” added the second Beta carefully, his fingers tapping nervously on the stone table. “We thought, well, just for this once…”

Angela....? A day ago, she was just a stranger but now she is speaking in my place?.

I sat down slowly, smoothing the front of my dress. “Funny,” I said softly, “I don’t recall stepping down myself.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I didn’t press further on the issue. No, not here but my wolf growled inside me, something’s wrong.

~

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

I wandered through the eastern wing of the packhouse, where the lanterns burned low and the walls still smelled of cedar and sage.

This has always been my sanctuary, the place I decorated myself. Where I held moon ceremonies wept when the letters from the front lines stopped coming.

I paused at the arched window overlooking the forest. The stars were dim tonight and clouded. Something felt off in the air, thick and unsettled.

Behind me, a voice drifted low and sweet.

“You’re up late.”

I turned.

Angela stood a few feet away draped in a silk robe, the color of ivory fire. Her hair's down, curling like flames over her shoulders, and her lips were painted with a shimmer of gold.

She looked… effortless, powerful and dangerous.

“I couldn’t sleep,” I said carefully.

Angela stepped closer, her bare feet silent on the cold stone floor.

“I imagine it’s hard,” she said, “when the one you love belongs to someone else now.”

The words stung, sharp and glinting but I didn’t answer.

She smiled, slow and poisonous. “You are a beautiful Luna, Madelyn, truly, but things has changed, bonds changes everything.”

“Do they?” I asked, voice clipped. “Or do they just reveal who someone truly is?”

Her smile didn’t falter but her eyes flashed, a spark of something too old and too knowing to be werewolf.

“I’ve waited my whole life to be where I belong,” she said softly. “which is here, with him, with this pack.”

I stepped closer, refusing to back down. “Then earn it.”

Angela’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t slither your way through council halls and whisper in betas’ ears,” I continued. “Don’t wear white robes and speak of the Goddess like you understand her. If you’re meant to be here, show us or get out of my way.”

A silence fell between us. Angela’s head tilted slightly, her golden eyes unblinking. Then, very slowly, she leaned in, so close I could feel her breath on my cheek.

“Oh, Madelyn,” she whispered. “You have no idea what you’re up against.”

~

Three days later, my garden were scorched, not by accident. The moon roses grown by the Luna line for generations were burned to ash. Their vines blackened and curling, lined the edge of the courtyard like charred veins.

I stood there barefoot in the dew-covered grass, staring at the ruin and clenched my hands at my sides.

“Wind storm, probably,” muttered one of the gardeners behind me but we both knew better.

Those roses have survived drought, frost and even blight. They didn’t just wither, they were symbols of the Luna’s blessing, living proof of our bond to the Moon Goddess.

And now… it's gone.

Angela didn’t need to raise a hand, she didn’t need to scream. She's dismantling me in whispers and shadows, unseen by most but not by me.

I knew the scent of war.

~

“Jace, we need to talk,” I said, cornering him in the training yard just after dusk.

He looked exhausted, sweat clinging to his chest and his muscles taut from the session. For a moment, I almost forgot the pain, almost reached for him like I used to but he took a step back.

Not far, just enough to shatter me again.

“Madelyn…” he started.

“No,” I snapped. “You don’t get to ‘Madelyn’ me right now. You don’t get to look at me like that and pretend you don’t see what’s happening.”

He said nothing.

“The betas are shifting meetings without me. The elders barely acknowledge my presence. My garden, Jace, the moon roses...”

“I know,” he said, voice low.

“You know?” I blinked. “And you said nothing?”

“I’m trying not to make this harder than it already is.” He said.

I laughed, cold and bitter.

“It’s already done, isn’t it? I’m not your Luna anymore.”

Jace looked away and that gives me enough answer.

But still, I asked: “Was any of it real?”

He met my eyes and for a heartbeat, I saw the man I fell in love with. He is haunted, broken and guilty.

“All of it,” he said. “Until the bond.”

“And now?” I asked already holding my tears. "Now?"

He looked toward the horizon where the forest met the sky.

“Now I don’t know who I am anymore.” He answered.

~

That night, I dreamed of silver eyes and a voice like thunder:

“You were never meant to die here.”

The Moon Goddess stood before me cloaked in moonlight, her gaze endless and filled with sorrow.

“Your heart was true,” she said. “But your path's not chosen, it's stolen.”

I fell to my knees, shaking. “Why? Why did she get him? Why did I lose everything?”

“Because she made a pact.” She answered.

The words hit me like a blade.

“Angela?” I breathed.

The Goddess nodded slowly.

“She twisted fate, used old blood, bought what was not hers to claim. The bond is false and the cost… will come.”

“And Jace?” I whispered.

“He is bound but not free.” She answered.

“What should I do?” I asked.