Chapter 3: A New Luna

-Brendon-

“Who did you say it was?” her brother asked, turning in his chair. We were all playing poker, but the game had frozen, and so had every guy in the room after her declaration.

“Zack Evans!” she repeated with a happy smile.

The cards slipped from my hands as I stared at her. I couldn’t believe it, and it was obvious I wasn’t the only one struggling to accept it.

“No,” her brother whispered.

“What do you mean, ‘no’?” she asked.

“He is... He is...”

“I know he can be difficult, but this is a true bond. I’m not going to get mated right away. I’ll wait and see, and I’m sure he’ll change once he settles down.”

She seemed so hopeful, yet a strange anger welled up inside me. Something about this wasn’t right. It just wasn’t… I had been so certain, and yet… nothing.

“He’s arrogant,” I cut in. “And an asshole, actually.”

“Wow, thank you, commentator,” she snapped at me. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we’re true mates.”

“Celeste, we’re just looking out for you,” her brother explained.

“But we can’t stop a true bond. This is what the Moon Goddess wants.”

Her brother ran a hand through his hair, turning to me with an almost pleading look, as if asking me to stop this. But what could we do?

Something wasn’t right about any of this, and I hated seeing Celeste caught in the middle. That’s why that old memory resurfaced. Even back then, something had felt off, and now, things seemed to become worse.

“What happened?” I asked after Jason had escorted his sister out and watched her drive away.

“My father knows nothing about the meeting,” Jason informed me.

“Nothing?”

“There isn’t supposed to be one.”

“I don’t understand,” I said as we spoke in the entrance, away from the others.

“I don’t either. That’s why we need to investigate.”

“And… Celeste?” I inquired, glancing at the door, feeling even more anxious.

As I turned back, I saw Jason looking at me with a smile.

“What?” I snarled.

“Trust me, I had hoped you two were mates as well, but that didn’t turn out that way.”

I groaned. “Why are we even discussing this? She’s an annoying little wolf who listens to no one,” I snapped, trying to ignore the disappointment I felt about Celeste not being mine.

“I won’t argue with that,” Jason chuckled, patting my arm. “But we’ll have to keep Celeste out of this for now.”

“She won’t give up that easily.”

“I can’t let her know yet. If her mate is planning to expand without the knowledge of other alphas, you know what that means.”

“War?”

“Most likely. And you know who always pays in wars. It’s always the innocent.”

“Does that mean we might have to go get her without Zack’s knowledge?” I asked, unable to hide the hopeful tone in my voice.

“Perhaps. But for now, we need to lie low.”

“Someone should keep an eye on her,” I insisted.

“We can’t. She doesn’t live with us anymore. Under the old laws, she belongs to Zack for protection. We just have to be patient.”

-Celeste-

I was more than frustrated. I thought my brother might let a few days pass before telling me about his strange behavior and what he discussed with our dad. Instead, nearly two weeks had gone by, and it wasn’t just my brother acting oddly.

Zack had been gone all morning and more distant than usual. When we did talk, he seemed snappy. I didn’t know what to think, but I certainly wanted answers. One morning, after I got dressed, I asked around to see if he was home. Luckily, some pack members informed me that he was working in his office on the highest floor.

I walked there, feeling a bit anxious. We had never had problems, and even when we fought, we could always talk about it and resolve things quickly. This time, everything felt confusing. It made my hands clammy.

Don’t worry. He must be stressed, my wolf tried to assure me.

“He has been stressed before. He’s never acted this way.”

He is our mate. The moment we talk, everything will go back to normal.

I truly hoped she was right as I continued to the next floor, walking down the hallway. Finally, I reached the dark brown door leading into his office. I stopped in front of it, taking deep breaths.

What are you waiting for? my wolf inquired.

“What if I’m interrupting?” I whispered.

Why would you be? We just want to talk.

“He’s been acting so weird,” I reminded her.

Which is why we’ve come to talk. Just open the door.

I sighed, taking another deep breath, then reached for the handle. But the moment my skin touched it, I heard something that made me freeze. I held my breath, straining to listen for the sound again.

Did you hear that? my wolf inquired.

I did, but I didn’t respond. Instead, I continued to hold my breath, waiting for the sound again—and it came. Another giggle echoed from the other side of the door. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but everything inside me screamed that something wasn’t right.

Open the fucking door! my wolf growled in my head, shifting suddenly to pure fury.

“Why?” I whispered.

Open the door right now!

I didn’t understand her sudden change, but I obeyed and opened the door. To my shock, I saw another she-wolf inside—a stunningly beautiful one—approaching Zack as he stood by the table. As I opened the door, she turned to me, a cruel smile spreading across her lips. Zack turned as well, seeing me standing there, yet he looked more surprised.

“Celeste,” he said, his voice chilling.

“What is going on?” I asked.

He sighed, clearly struggling to find the right words.

“So this is your other mate?” the she-wolf interjected.

“Other?” I questioned, glancing at her before focusing on Zack, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Zack, what is going on?”

He sighed again, and the she-wolf stepped closer to him, placing her slender hand on his shoulder. I growled, but it quickly faded as I saw him cover her hand with his own. That small gesture felt like a knife cutting into my heart.

“Zack?” I called.

“Some changes are going to be made, Celeste,” he said.

“Changes?”

“If this pack is ever going to be great, it can’t be dragged down by a no-good luna.”

“W-What?” I stammered, confusion washing over me.

“You will learn to share,” he stated.

“Share?” I exclaimed.

“I can’t get rid of you because of our true bond, but I need a better luna by my side.”

“What are you talking about?” I shouted.

“Celeste, this is Serena, and she will be my new luna.”

It felt as if the world crumbled beneath my feet, and I began shaking my head.

“I’m your luna!” I shouted.

“You are, but you will no longer have any control over this pack or me. I’ve already arranged for a new room to be set up for you, and we will gradually work less and less together.”

“Zack! We are mates!”

“Unfortunately, but I can’t let you drag me down anymore,” he said, my heart breaking into pieces as tears filled my eyes.

“W-What?”

“You’re dragging me down. No more.”

I shook my head, unable to process what he was saying. I wanted to scream, to hit something, and to yell, but instead, I turned on my heel and stormed out, seeking the nearest door to let my wolf free.