Chapter 1: A Luna No One Wants

Ivy’s POV

I wasn’t expecting kindness.

Not from him.

Not from her.

Not even from the entire Pack

But knowing what was coming didn’t make it hurt any less.

The tray of tea trembled in my hands as I made my way down the dimly lit corridor. The walls, once grand and imposing, felt suffocating now, closing in with each hesitant step. The scent of burning firewood mixed with the lingering musk of Kael’s cologne, a scent I had once foolishly found comfort in.

Now, it made my stomach twist.

Beta Calder’s words still echoed in my mind. "The Alpha doesn’t like to be kept waiting". He hadn’t even looked at me when he said it, shoving the tray into my hands like I was some lowly servant instead of the pack’s Luna.

But I wasn’t really a Luna. Not in any way that mattered, I was still the lowly omega to them all.

I reached the heavy oak door of Kael’s chambers, my fingers tightening around the tray to stop them from shaking. A deep breath in. Out. I knocked, a soft, barely-there sound.

Silence.

Maybe he wasn’t here. Maybe I could just leave the tray and..

A sound. A low, muffled groan.

My entire body went rigid.

No.

Not again.

My pulse pounded against my ribs, dread pooling in my stomach as I hesitated. Please don’t make me do this. Please don’t make me see this again.

But if I turned back without delivering the tea, I would pay for it.

And the punishments in this pack were never kind.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I reached for the handle. The door creaked open.

And my world shattered all over again.

Selena, draped over Kael like a goddess in her rightful place, her bare legs straddling his lap, her lips tracing the sharp lines of his throat. His hand rested possessively on her waist, his fingers digging into her skin.

My mate.

With her.

Like I wasn’t even real.

The tray almost slipped from my grasp.

Selena’s eyes flicked to mine first, her lips curving into a slow, taunting smirk. “Oh, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence,” she purred, tilting her head against Kael’s neck. “What do you want now, dear Luna?”

The title was nothing but a joke coming from her lips.

Kael barely reacted. His cold, dark eyes landed on me, a flicker of irritation crossing his face as if my presence was nothing more than an inconvenience.

I forced my gaze down, biting the inside of my cheek as I stepped forward to place the tray on the table. My hands shook so badly that the porcelain teacup clattered against the saucer, the sound like a gunshot in the heavy silence.

Selena snickered. “Pathetic.”

Kael exhaled sharply, as if the mere sight of me exhausted him. “You’re late.”

“I... I’m sorry, Alpha, I..”

“You’re always sorry,” he cut in, voice void of warmth. “And yet, you still manage to fuck up the simplest of tasks.”

The words stung more than they should have. My throat tightened as I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms to keep myself from crumbling.

Nothing I did was ever enough.

Selena rose from his lap with effortless grace, her silk robe slipping down her shoulder as she sauntered toward me. The air shifted, thick with her perfume, too sweet, too overpowering.

She reached out, tucking a stray strand of my hair behind my ear in a gesture so deceptively gentle it made my skin crawl.

“You should leave, Ivy,” she murmured, voice soft, but the venom was unmistakable. “You’re ruining the mood.”

I nodded quickly, eager to escape.

But before I could take a step, her hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist in a bruising grip.

“Ah, but leaving without your Alpha's permission?” She tsked, shaking her head. “That’s disobedient, don’t you think, Kael?”

Kael leaned back in his chair, regarding me with the same disinterest he might give a piece of broken furniture. “She needs to learn her place.”

Selena’s nails dug into my skin, sharp and cruel. “I think she should be reminded,” she said sweetly. “Shall I do the honors, my Alpha?”

Kael smirked, the closest thing to amusement I had seen from him in months. “Go ahead.”

Panic flared in my chest.

“P-please...”

The slap came so fast I didn’t even see it coming.

A sharp crack echoed through the room as my head snapped to the side. The force of it sent me stumbling, my vision blurring as the sharp sting spread across my cheek. The metallic taste of blood bloomed on my tongue where my teeth had cut into the inside of my lip.

Selena sighed dramatically, shaking out her hand. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood tonight, you fucking bitch. Otherwise, I’d do worse.”

Kael didn’t react. He didn’t care.

I wasn’t surprised.

I was his wife, his Luna, yet I meant nothing to him.

Selena turned back to him, slipping into his lap once more as if nothing had happened. “Now, where were we?” she murmured, fingers trailing down his chest.

Kael’s gaze flickered to me one last time, something unreadable flashing in his eyes before it was gone.

Then he turned his attention back to her.

I stood there, frozen, my cheek throbbing, my chest hollow.

I should have left.

But for one agonizing second, I let myself hope.

Hope that maybe... just maybe he would look at me differently. That he would see me. That he would tell me to stay, to fight, to be something more than the shadow they forced me to become.

But hope was a foolish, cruel thing.

And Kael had none left for me.

His voice was cold when he finally spoke.

“Get out.”

I bowed my head and fled.

Not looking back.

Not letting them see the tears that slipped down my face.

Not letting them know that, despite everything, despite the humiliation, the pain, the rejection...

My heart still foolishly yearned for the mate who had never been mine.