Chapter 1: The Luna Who Wasn't Me

The doors to Moon Hall stood ajar. I had returned early from Westvale with my pregnancy report because Caden had promised to spend the final hours of my birthday with me. From the outer gallery, I watched my father lead Lydia toward him.

Lydia wore the Luna mantle that had been made for me. My mother adjusted the crystal wolf-head clasp at her throat, while my younger brother, Noah, opened the Luna registry before the altar.

Caden had chosen its crystal wolf-head clasp himself. When the mantle arrived, he draped it over my shoulders and promised that the next time I wore it, he would be standing beside me before the pack.

Noah drew a line through my name and entered Lydia's beneath it. When my father placed her hand in Caden's, every wolf in the hall rose and hailed her as Luna.

"Lydia's parents died protecting us from rogues. We owe her our lives," my father told Caden. "She has three months left. I want you to grant her final wish."

Caden slid a ring onto Lydia's finger, signed beneath her name, and recognized her as Blackridge's first Luna. They stopped short of a permanent mark, yet exchanged vows, cut the cake, and danced while the pack cheered.

My mother watched them with a smile. Noah raised his glass and congratulated the sister he loved most. No one remembered that my mating ceremony with Caden was supposed to take place the following night, or that today was my birthday.

For twenty years, whenever Lydia wanted one of my gifts, my room, or a position meant for me, my parents gave the same answer. She had lost her biological parents and had always been more fragile than I was. Letting her have something once would never cost me much.

I opened a private mind-link with Noah. He saw the request and severed it at once, then sent a message.

"I'm helping Caden deal with trouble at the eastern border. Lydia is having a bad day. Don't make things harder."

I reached for Caden next and asked where he was. He stood beside Lydia for several moments before finally accepting the link.

"There is a problem at the eastern border," he said. "Our mating ceremony is tomorrow. Do you really need to keep checking where I am?"

"It's my birthday. You promised you would be with me."

My hand closed around the report in my pocket, but I did not tell him I was standing outside Moon Hall.

Caden appeared to remember the date at last. Before he could answer, Lydia approached him and softly urged him not to argue with me.

"Evelyn only asks because she loves you so much. Explain everything when you go home. I'm sure she'll understand us."

One look at her pale face ended Caden's hesitation.

"Do you have to treat every delay as betrayal?" Caden asked. "I know you care, but checking on me constantly is suffocating. Do not let your insecurity destroy us."

Through the open doors, I watched him take Lydia's hand and wondered who was truly destroying us.

After he severed the link, a she-wolf who had been decorating the hall happened to step outside for some air and struck up a conversation with me.

She mentioned that Caden had personally chosen Lydia's ring and approved every detail of the ceremony himself.

I had arranged our own ceremony alone. Whenever I asked his opinion, Caden kissed my forehead and said, "Whatever you want, sweetheart." I had heard love and respect in those words.

Now I saw how easily he had left everything to me.