(Elena's POV)
The crystal chandeliers sparkled mockingly above me as I stood in the corner of the Silver Moon Pack's grand hall, my fingers trembling around the champagne glass I hadn't dared to sip. This is my ex-fiancé and my best friend's engagement ceremony. Every laugh, every whisper, every sideways glance in my direction felt like another knife twisting in my chest.
Stay strong, Elena. Just get through this night.
My wolf, Zoe, remained silent within me – she had been for the past three months, ever since that day. The day my world shattered.
"Well, if it isn't our former future Luna," a sickeningly sweet voice cut through my thoughts.Emmy Green, the pack's other healer, stood before me with a group of giggling she-wolves. "How brave of you to show up."
I lifted my chin, meeting her gaze steadily despite the hurricane of emotions churning inside me. "I was invited." More like ordered, my mind corrected bitterly.
"Oh yes, Alpha Ethan is so generous that way," Olivia simpered. "Even after everything your father did..."
My hands clenched into fists. "My father is innocent."
"That's not what the evidence says," another wolf chimed in. "Selling pack secrets? Betraying our territories to rogues? The proof was overwhelming."
Lies. All lies. But I couldn't say that out loud. Not when Ethan held my father's life in his hands.
The memory of my eighteenth birthday flooded back unbidden – just six months ago, though it felt like a lifetime...
Six months earlier
"Happy birthday, my dear," Dad wrapped me in a warm hug, his Alpha authority softening into fatherly pride. "Are you ready?"
I nodded eagerly. Every wolf gained their other half on their eighteenth birthday, and I'd been waiting for this moment my whole life. As the Alpha's daughter and a healer, my wolf would be special – I could feel it.
The ceremony began at midnight. Under the full moon's light, I felt the first stirring deep within my soul. The transformation was painful but beautiful, and when it was done, I heard her – Zoe, my wolf, strong and proud.
And then I caught his scent. Ethan. My mate. My wolf howled in recognition, and his answered. The son of our Beta, already strong and respected in the pack. It seemed perfect.
"Moon Goddess has blessed this union," my father announced to the gathered pack. "From this day forward, Ethan Shadowfang will train to become our next Alpha, alongside his mate, my daughter Elena."
The pack erupted in cheers. Ethan pulled me close, his dark eyes gleaming. "We're going to be amazing together," he whispered.
I believed him.
A burst of laughter pulled me back to the present. Across the hall, Isabelle Nightshade – my former best friend, the Alpha King's sister – was hanging off Ethan's arm, showing off her engagement ring to anyone who would look. The same ring he'd once given to me.
The memory of their betrayal hit me like a physical blow...
Three months ago
I rushed back to the pack house, my heart pounding with dread. The message I'd received during my healing training at the Northern Pack had been brief but devastating: my father had been arrested for treason against the pack.
The guards at the entrance barely spared me a glance – me, the Alpha's daughter, now treated like a stranger in my own home. The whispers followed me through the corridors: "traitor's daughter," "just like her father," "never worthy of being Luna."
I needed to find Ethan. As my mate and the new Alpha, he would explain everything. He would help me prove my father's innocence. He had to.
As I approached his study, I heard voices. Intimate, breathy sounds that made my stomach twist. A woman's giggle – familiar, too familiar. Isabelle's voice drifted through the door: "Don't worry about her. Elena's nothing compared to me."
"She never was," Ethan's voice replied, husky with desire.
My hand trembled as I pushed open the door. The scene before me stopped my heart: Ethan and Isabelle on his desk, papers scattered across the floor, their clothes in disarray. My mate. My best friend.
Neither of them jumped apart in panic. Neither showed a trace of guilt. Ethan merely looked up with annoyed irritation, as if I'd interrupted a routine meeting.
"Well," he said, casually reaching for his shirt, "since you saw it, I suppose I don't need to notify you formally." His lips curved into a cruel smile as he buttoned his shirt.
"The... what?" My voice sounded distant, foreign to my own ears. "Ethan, my father is in prison. What's happening? Why are you—"
Ethan's laugh was cruel. "Elena, come on. Your father betrayed the pack and you're barely qualified to be a healer, let alone Luna. The pack needs someone strong, someone from a powerful bloodline. Isabelle is a Nightshade – royalty among werewolves. You're just... you."
His eyes suddenly blazed with amber light as he straightened to his full height, his voice taking on the formal cadence of ancient pack law. "I, Ethan Shadowfang, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, hereby reject you, Elena Silver, as my mate and future Luna."
Each word felt like acid burning through my soul, the formal rejection making the betrayal irreversible. The mate bond between us crackled with dark energy before shattering completely, sending shards of agony through my entire being.
The mate bond shattered. The pain was excruciating, sending me to my knees. Zoe retreated deep within me, wounded beyond bearing.
"Elena." Ethan's voice snapped me back to the present. He stood before me, Isabelle at his side, both wearing matching smirks. "Enjoying the party?"
I forced myself to meet his gaze. "Congratulations, Alpha."
"How proper," Isabelle giggled. "Though I suppose you have to be, considering..."
Ethan's grip on my arm was suddenly painful. "Yes, considering your father's situation, it's good to see you learning your place."
His breath was hot against my ear as he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper that only I could hear. "Meet me in the east wing guest chamber after the ceremony. Don't make me wait."
His fingers dug deeper into my flesh. "Unless you want your dear father to miss his next meal... ... or perhaps lose his daily healing session? Those wounds from the last interrogation looked quite painful."
The threat hung in the air between us, his smirk growing wider as he felt me tremble. I wanted to be sick, but I forced myself to nod slightly. Satisfied, he released my arm, leaving bruises I knew would bloom by morning.
The threat was clear in his eyes. My father, imprisoned in the pack dungeons on false charges. The "evidence" Ethan had manufactured was convincing enough that even our allies believed it. One word from Ethan could make my father's conditions much worse.
"Now, now," a new voice interrupted. David, the pack advisor, stepped forward. "This is a celebration. Perhaps we should focus on the happy occasion?"
Ethan's grip loosened, but his smirk remained. "Of course. Elena was just leaving, weren't you?"
I nodded stiffly, but before I could move, Isabelle spoke up. "Oh, but she must stay for the announcement!"
My stomach dropped. What announcement?
Ethan clinked his glass, gathering everyone's attention. "My friends, my pack! Today isn't just about celebrating my engagement to the beautiful Isabelle Nightshade. It's about the future of our pack."
The crowd murmured excitedly.
"As you know, the position of Pack Healer is a crucial one. And while Elena has... served... in this role, we need someone more qualified. Therefore, I'm pleased to announce that Emmy will be taking over as Head Healer, effective immediately."
The floor seemed to sway beneath my feet. Healing was all I had left. Without it...
Emmy's triumphant smile cut like a blade. "Don't worry, Elena. You can still be my assistant. If you prove worthy, that is."
Whispers and snickers filled the hall. I saw pity in some faces, satisfaction in others. David looked troubled, but even he couldn't challenge the Alpha's decision.
I stood there, surrounded by people who had once been my pack, my family, feeling more alone than ever. But I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me break.
"Thank you for the opportunity," I managed to say, my voice steady despite the tears threatening to fall. "If you'll excuse me..."
The cool night air did little to calm my racing heart as I slipped away from the engagement party. Every step I took through the moonlit gardens felt heavier than the last, Ethan's threats echoing in my mind: "Those wounds from the last interrogation looked quite painful..."
I bent over, dry heaving, as bile rose in my throat. The memory of my last visit to the dungeons was still fresh – my father's face bruised, his breathing labored, yet still trying to smile for me. "Stay strong, little moon," he'd whispered.
I'm sorry, Dad. I'm so sorry.
My trembling hands found another glass of wine from a forgotten tray in the garden. One glass. Two. Three. The alcohol burned down my throat, but I welcomed the fire – anything to numb the horror of what awaited me.
Each swallow fueled my hatred, making it easier to bear the thought of what was to come. By the fourth glass, my head was spinning, but my resolve had hardened into something bitter and sharp.
The east wing loomed before me, dark and forbidding. Most of the pack was still at the celebration, their distant laughter a mockery of my situation. My feet carried me forward mechanically, even as my mind screamed at me to run.
The corridor stretched endlessly, shadows dancing on the walls from the flickering torches. Third door on the right – that's where Ethan would be waiting. My hand trembled as I reached for the handle.