My Alpha Wants Two Lunas? I'm Done!: Opening Chapters 1-5

Laila Conlay's POV:

"Laila, in a few days, I'm going to mark Maris Duffy too."

When Alpha Holt Enclaw said that, I was lying naked on his sweaty chest. I was still catching my breath after being with him. His voice felt like an ice pick striking my eardrums.

One year ago, on our marking night, he didn't even get the chance to mark me. An urgent order from the Alpha King dragged him off the bed and straight to the battlefield.

Tonight, he came home a hero. He burst into my room under the moonlight and pinned me to the bed without saying a word.

For two hours, he claimed me like I was a prize he had won back, leaving marks all over me. My neck was still throbbing and hot from where he bit me.

And now he was saying he wanted to mark another she-wolf.

"Are you serious, Holt?" My voice sounded raspy and strange. "If this is a joke ... it's disgusting."

I looked up, searching his gray-brown eyes for even the smallest hint that he was kidding.

But all I saw was calm, like everything he said was normal.

"Sorry, Laila."

He didn't even pull his arm away from my waist. His fingers traced the skin that had just been shaking under him. "But don't worry. No matter what, you'll always be my first Luna. Your status, your honor—none of that will change."

First Luna?

I shoved his hand away, like I was shaking off a cold, venomous snake.

"No pack in our history has ever had two Lunas, Holt! Even the lowest Rogues know they should stay loyal to their fated mate!"

"Then it starts with Ironclaw Pack."

He sat up, his muscles looking cold and hard in the moonlight. "The Alpha King already approved it himself."

"You love her?" My voice was shaking.

"Yes. Very much."

The answer came fast, like a blade he'd sharpened days ago.

It suddenly felt hard to breathe.

I didn't get it. How could he finish claiming me, soak me in his scent, and then calmly, shamelessly tell me he was in love with someone else?

We were literally still in bed together! The room still smelled like us!

"Then why did you mark me?!"

I finally snapped, my voice cracking. "If you moved on, you could've broken our mate bond! Instead, you came back and rushed straight into my bed, making me moan like some clueless prostitute!!"

"Laila!"

Holt's face darkened, and he let out a wave of Alpha pressure that made the air feel heavy.

"Don't be ungrateful. I marked you to protect you. Your parents and family are dead. Where would you go without me? Run into the wild, become a rogue, and get torn apart? Damn it."

He hopped out of bed and started putting his clothes back on. He didn't even look back.

"Listen, you're my fated mate. That won't change. I'm marrying Maris ... but I promise you'll always be the first Luna of the Ironclaw Pack. No one can take your spot. That should be enough to make you feel better, right?"

He sounded like he was talking to a kid throwing a tantrum—annoyed and dismissive.

The burning anger and pain in my chest suddenly collapsed into cold ashes.

Why was I even arguing about loyalty with a guy who had already given his heart to someone else?

That would only insult myself.

"Do whatever you want."

I pulled the sheet around me. "I'm tired. I want to rest. Alpha, please leave."

"Laila! I said your Luna status won't change! What more do you want? Can't you be a little more understanding? Think about the pack, think about me—"

"Alpha!" I lifted my head, using the last bit of strength I had left to scream, "Get. Out. Now!"

"Damn it! You're impossible, Laila." He buckled his belt, looking totally fed up. "I have to marry Maris. For the past year, she's been the one fighting by my side on the battlefield. I promised her she'd get everything she deserves, including my mark and a status!"

"You promised her? What about me?"

I forced a smile that felt more like a sob, and tears finally started pouring down my face.

"The night before you left for war, who was it that swore he'd love me forever, protect me, and give me the best of everything? Holt, are your promises the cheapest lies in the whole pack?"

Holt was quiet for a second, but he didn't look guilty. He just looked stubborn.

"I do love you. Laila, I marked you the second I got back because I wanted every wolf in Ironclaw Pack to know you're the Luna I chose. Even if your wolf can't fight, even if your whole family is gone, as long as I'm here, no one will dare look down on you.

"I promised your mother I would take care of you. I swear I won't let anyone kick you out. The Ironclaw Pack will always be your home."

He actually thought he was being the "good guy" here.

I looked at him, and it felt like I was finally seeing who he really was behind that handsome face.

A wave of nausea hit me.

Pure disgust. I wanted to throw up.

"Your mother?" I held onto the last tiny bit of hope. "She agrees with this, too?"

"Yes. She's already met Maris. She likes her a lot."

When he talked about Maris, his voice turned soft. "And ever since meeting her, my mother's health has gotten much better."

"It's because I stayed by her side all year, taking care of her!" I snapped.

"Maybe," he said, sounding like he didn't really care. "But happiness is the best medicine. Maris is cheerful and full of energy. She makes my mother happy. That's what matters, right?"

The last bit of light inside me went out.

"I want to see Maris," I said, my nails digging into my palms.

"No need."

He shut me down instantly. "Laila, you wouldn't get along with her. She's a warrior. She's straightforward and simple. She doesn't know how to talk to someone like you."

"Someone like me?"

I repeated his words, feeling so ridiculous I almost laughed. "What exactly am I to you, Holt? You seem to have forgotten that I am the daughter of the Silvermoon Pack's Alpha! My father and my five brothers were all legendary generals! I have the blood of warriors in my veins! I—"

"That's them," he cut me off coldly, his words snapping like a whip. "But you, Laila—your wolf is too weak to fight. You'll never get how brutal the battlefield is, or what it means to trust someone with your life. Maris gets it. This conversation is over. Don't worry, you'll still handle the pack's internal affairs. She's not going to fight you for that."

Yeah, like I even cared about running the Ironclaw Pack.

During my one year here, I was the one fixing the roads and bridges. I was the one paying for the schools and the training gear out of my own pocket, using the inheritance I brought from Silvermoon Pack. I even paid for his mother's expensive medicine!

And yet, he and his mother accepted another she-wolf just like that, then planned to make her Luna, equal to me.

He didn't even care enough to hide his affair.

Cold disappointment and burning anger inside me finally mixed into a calm resolve.

I threw the blanket aside and stood up in front of him, completely bare.

I wasn't hiding my scars or my feelings anymore. I looked at him the way my father used to look at his soldiers.

"Alpha Holt Enclaw."

My voice was clear and cold, no shaking at all.

"End our mate bond. Right now."

Laila's POV:

"Are you crazy, Laila? You're being childish."

Holt looked at me with pity, like I was being unreasonable.

"If you leave the Ironclaw Pack—leave me—where would you go? You're not like Maris. She's a thorn that grew in the wild. She can survive anywhere and stab back if needed. But you..."

His eyes drifted over my bare neck and shoulders, which were still covered in the marks he had left.

His tone was full of contempt. "You're so delicate. Without my protection, the starving Rogues out there would eat you alive. And the best outcome? You'd get sold into some filthy red-light district and end up as a prostitute."

He had lost his patience. Every second spent explaining felt like a waste to him. "This is over. Your opinion isn't going to change anything. Know your place, Laila."

He turned and walked out. The sound of the door closing wasn't loud, but it felt like a hammer hitting my chest.

I didn't move. I didn't chase him.

My heart felt like a giant, empty hole where a cold wind was blowing through, stripping away any warmth I had left.

I remembered the day we got the news that my father and brothers had died on the battlefield.

My mother had called me home from Moonlight Academy. She held my hands so hard it hurt, her voice shook. "Laila, drop out of school... Please. I don't want you following your father and brothers. I don't want you on a battlefield. I don't want to see your body come home in pieces... You're all I have left. Promise me you'll stay safe. Get married, have kids, and live an ordinary life... Please..."

Her tears were burning hot on my hands. Those tears were what finally silenced the warrior spirit of the Silvermoon Pack inside me.

I gave in.

I dropped out of Moonlight Academy—the most elite werewolf academy in Rydar Kingdom. They only take the best of the best, and I was the top Alpha-level student in my class.

But after that day, I locked down my wolf spirit.

My mom told everyone that her daughter's wolf was too weak to fight. After that, no one in Silvermoon Pack mentioned me inheriting the Alpha position again.

I hid my claws and fangs. I learned noble etiquette. I studied my Luna mother and learned how she managed a huge pack. I pretended to be a "weak Omega."

When I grew up, fate led me to my fated mate—Holt. But he wasn't my only option. Because the Silvermoon Pack had lost its strongest fighters, our rich territory became a target for ambitious men. Guys were lining up to marry me, all of them faking love while plotting to take our land.

I chose Holt.

Because he was my fated mate, and because he stood in front of the Moon Goddess's statue and swore to my mother that he would love only me and never take a single inch of Silvermoon's land.

On our wedding night, Holt didn't even get to mark me before he was called to the war. I stayed behind to run his pack until six months ago, when everything went wrong.

Werewolves from the Solantia Kingdom launched a surprise attack on the Silvermoon Pack. My mother, my sisters-in-law, my friends ... they were all slaughtered. It was a bloodbath. It looked like they had been ripped apart by monsters.

By the time I rushed back from the Ironclaw Pack, all I saw were ruins and dried blood. And then ... I found my mother's head, tossed aside in the yard like trash.

Silvermoon Pack was gone.

The surviving wolves left almost overnight, fleeing to other packs. The Alpha was dead, the heir was dead, and now the Luna was dead, too. The only daughter left was "weak" and couldn't fight, so no one wanted to stay.

Silvermoon Pack was now nothing but ruins...

Thinking about it made my chest hurt all over again.

"Luna! They went too far! They only treat you like this because no one is backing you!" Pearl Harper, my maid, sobbed as she spoke.

"Don't call me Luna. That title disgusts me now." I clenched my fists. I looked at her and ordered, "Pack our things."

Pearl froze. "Pack? Where are we going?"

"Home."

Holt thought one mark would make me give up? He thought I'd say "thank you" and keep running his pack so he could play house with his "warrior" girlfriend?

Dream on.

The Conlays had unbreakable blood in our bones.

Even if Silvermoon's land was destroyed, even if I was the only one left, it was still my land. It was where I belonged.

Pearl moved fast, but she couldn't stop crying. "Ms. Conlay, we put so much heart and money into Ironclaw Pack... Leaving like this... I can't accept it..."

"Don't worry about it. Just pretend I spent the last year feeding a stray dog."

I closed my eyes for a moment, pushing down the pain. I knew I had to leave.

"Anywhere is better than staying here. My mother wanted me to live well, not suffer like this."

"But if Alpha refuses to break the mate bond, then no matter where you go, you're still his partner on paper. You can't accept another male, and you can't legally own independent territory..." Pearl reminded me, worried.

"Then I'll go to the one person who can force him to end it," I said calmly. "I'm going to meet the Alpha King."

Just like Holt used military honors to earn the Alpha King's approval ... in our werewolf society, the highest royal authority's word was law. He could end any contract.

"The Alpha King... Will he help us?" Pearl still looked scared.

"If he refuses," I said with a cold, empty smile, "I'll slam my head on the floor right in front of him."

"Ms. Conlay! Don't scare me like that!"

Pearl almost screamed. I held her hand and smiled. "Relax. I'm not that stupid. When I see the Alpha King, I'll explain things properly. My father and five brothers died for this kingdom. Compared to that sacrifice, Holt's little achievements are nothing."

That truth hurt. It was a favor bought with the lives of everyone I loved.

Just then, a servant called from outside, "Luna, Mrs. Enclaw is asking for you." That was Elara Enclaw, Holt's mother.

Pearl leaned in and whispered, "Ms. Conlay, she's definitely going to talk you into agreeing."

"Well, let's see if she has what it takes," I said with a cold laugh.

Holt's POV:

"Laila, I almost forgot—your gift."

I pushed open the bedroom door and walked back inside.

I had been so mad at her a minute ago that I completely forgot. Before I left for war, I promised her I'd bring back a jar of soil from the Vagen Battlefield. Her father and brothers died there, and she told me she'd probably never be able to travel that far. She wanted the dirt so she could have a way to honor them.

I kept that promise in mind, even though...

"Laila?"

The room was empty. And ... I frowned. The place had clearly been cleaned out. The books she always read, her jewelry box, even that fancy coffee cup she brought from the Silvermoon Pack—gone. Instead, a few packed suitcases were sitting there.

She really planned to leave?

A tiny bit of worry hit me, but I quickly brushed it off.

Where could she go?

She was an Omega who had been marked, and her wolf spirit was weak. Leaving her Alpha and her pack was basically a death sentence, or worse. No pack would take her in and risk making me their enemy.

This had to be another one of her little tricks. She was probably just trying to scare me into changing my mind by threatening to run away.

Classic girl move.

But seriously, had I not treated her well enough? Even if she was basically useless to me, I never thought about dumping her.

I snorted, dropped the gift on the table, and walked out.

Whatever. Let her calm down on her own. After I finished the ceremony with Maris, I'd make time to comfort her—if she were smart about it.

Laila's POV:

Elara's place sat at the highest point of the den. She liked quiet places.

For the past year, I walked this path almost every day. Sometimes I even stayed overnight. Werewolves have sharp hearing, and except me, no one else wanted to take care of an old she-wolf who coughed all night. It drove people crazy.

But on the way there, my sharp hearing made it impossible to ignore the whispers.

"Is Luna Laila getting dumped? Moon Goddess, I've never heard of a pack having two Lunas!"

"Well, it's not surprising the Alpha made that choice. Maris is the first female general of our Rydar Kingdom. And Luna Laila ... can't do anything."

"I also heard Luna Laila is bad luck. People say she turns into a monster at night and that she's the reason the Silvermoon Pack got wiped out."

"Yikes. If that's true, I hope she leaves the Ironclaw Pack soon. I don't want to end up as a homeless rogue!"

Hearing that, I shot a cold look at the servants who were gossiping.

I spent the last year doing everything I could to help the Ironclaw Pack, pouring so much of my money into this place, and this was what I got.

And that Omega who said I turn into a monster at night, just two days ago, I gave her money to help pay for her sick mother's treatment.

When they saw me looking, they immediately shut up and bowed. "Luna."

I nodded coldly and kept walking.

There was no point in arguing with them. The real person disrespecting me was Holt.

By the time I reached Elara's place, the sun was already setting.

From up here, I could see the whole den. The leaves had turned yellow, shaking in the autumn wind. The whole place looked depressing.

Ironclaw Pack was once glorious, but it fell apart under Holt's leadership. He only got noticed by the Alpha King after winning one battle.

He should be using that victory to build up the pack, but... Whatever. I was leaving anyway. Why was I even thinking about Ironclaw?

When I walked into Elara's room, she was half-lying on the bed and looked better. But that was thanks to a year of my care, not because Holt claimed she got better after seeing Maris.

As soon as she saw me, she smiled. "Laila, you're here!"

"Elara," I greeted her the same way I always did. Holt's sister, Freya Enclaw, was also there. When she saw me, she just snorted and looked away without saying a word.

"Laila, come here!" Elara pulled me to sit by her bed and held my hand, acting all sweet. "You've worked so hard this year. After what happened to your family, you're the only one left from the Silvermoon Pack. Luckily, Holt is back now. At least you have someone to rely on."

She sounded caring, but every word was a reminder that I had no one left to back me up.

I pulled my hand back and said calmly, "Did you meet General Duffy today?"

She didn't expect me to be so blunt. Her smile wavered for a second, but she forced it back. "I did. She's a rough she-wolf and isn't as pretty as you."

"Oh, really?" I looked at her. "So you don't like her?"

Elara's smile stiffened. "It's not about liking her or not. I've only met her once. How could I know? But since the Alpha King has agreed, I can only accept it. Actually, it might be a good thing. She and Holt will fight together and earn glory for the pack. And you can stay here in the pack, safe and comfortable, sharing the honor with them."

"Is that so?" I smiled. "Then I guess we're making General Duffy the mistress."

"What are you talking about?" Elara laughed. "The Alpha King approved this marriage himself. She won't be a mistress. She'll be a Luna, just like you."

"A Luna too? How can a pack have two Lunas?"

"Laila..." Elara frowned. "You've always been sensible. Now that you're part of the Ironclaw Pack, you should put the pack first. You have no idea—Maris did more on the battlefield than Holt. Once they're mates, they'll be a power couple. It'll make Ironclaw stronger than ever."

I smiled again. "If they become a powerful pair, then I won't be needed anymore."

"How can you say that?" Elara said, annoyed. "You're still managing the pack's finances, aren't you?"

Managing Ironclaw Pack's finances? She knew better than anyone that—I was using my own money to fill their giant financial holes.

I lost track of how much money I dumped into this family over the past year. Most of it went to Elara's medical bills. The medicine from Rowan Sagewood, the retired battlefield doctor, worked well, but was expensive. Her medication alone cost more than a hundred thousand this year.

I helped out in other ways, too. When my own fabric and leather business was doing well, I'd used my own materials to make clothes for them.

But that was the past. I honestly wanted a future with Holt back then. Now? I wouldn't be the sucker anymore.

I stood up. "No thanks. I heard Daphne is feeling better. She used to handle the pack's finances before I came. She can have the job back." Daphne Enclaw was Holt's brother's mate. Before I married into the pack, she managed all its finances. When she got sick, I felt bad for her and took over. Now? Forget it.

"Laila! You're being impossible! You—!" Elara got so angry she started coughing nonstop. Usually, I'd rush over to rub her back, but this time I just stood there and watched her coldly.

"Laila! Apologize to Mom!" Freya snapped, glaring at me. There was still a trace of baby fat on her face. "We didn't wrong you. You're still Ironclaw Pack's Luna! Do you think you're still a princess from the Silvermoon Pack? Get real. Your family is dead. You're the only one left. If you keep acting up, aren't you afraid my brother will dump you and kick you out of the pack?"

I looked at her. She was wearing a yellow autumn dress that I had custom-made for her just a few weeks ago. It was pretty bold of her to insult me while wearing clothes I paid for.

"Take off the clothes I made you before you boss me around," I said coldly. Her face flushed red. "It's not like I begged you for them. Fine, I'll give them back later!"

"Great." I nodded with a cold smile. "And give back the gemstone jewelry you're wearing, too."

Laila's POV:

"Laila, what happened to you? You used to be so sensible. You knew how to follow the rules of the pack."

Elara stopped coughing and stared at me with disappointment. The whole room felt like a giant guilt trip.

Freya jumped in like a sidekick. "Yeah, you were always the most obedient Luna the Ironclaw Pack ever had."

Obedient. That word felt like nails on a chalkboard.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "If there's nothing else, I'll leave."

I didn't wait for them to answer. I turned and walked out. I hadn't gone far when I heard Elara's cold voice behind me.

"She'll fall in line. A lone wolf with no family has no choice but to depend on us."

Freya added, "Exactly. She's an orphan. If we didn't take her in, she would've become a Rogue. It's not like we treated her badly. She's still the pack's Luna! I don't get what her problem is."

They thought my wolf spirit was weak, that I couldn't hear their whispering. But they were wrong.

My wolf spirit, Nita, was an Alpha-level wolf—strong and powerful.

My teacher and my mother both said she was the strongest wolf they had ever seen. The only problem was what Nita once told me: she could only reach her full power if our souls synced with our fated mate. And right now...

"Don't worry, Laila. I have a feeling that once we leave that jerk, we'll meet someone better," Nita said softly in my mind. "Hmm... I think the Alpha King seems like a good catch."

"Forget it," I thought, rubbing my temples. "I don't need a mate to have a good life."

When I returned to my room, I saw a glass bottle filled with dirt sitting on the table. Holt must've left it there. I had asked him to bring me some soil from Vagen. But now...

I glanced at it once and put it in the corner.

I didn't need it.

After I leave Ironclaw Pack, I'd go to the Vagen Battlefield myself to honor my father and brothers.

I would step on that ground with my own two feet and honor them with the blood of the enemies.

And I'd hunt down those Solantia werewolves who slaughtered my mother and my people. I'd make them understand that warriors earn glory on the battlefield, not by tearing the throats of innocents.

The next morning, I took Pearl and returned to the Silvermoon Pack.

The territory was huge, but completely empty of werewolves. It was still under the Alpha King's protection, though, so soldiers came by regularly to clear out any Rogues wandering around.

My family, the Conlays, gave everything for the Rydar Kingdom. The Alpha King once said this land would always belong to the Silvermoon Pack.

When I walked into the den that used to belong to my parents, my brothers, and me, it didn't look as ruined as I'd expected. The weeds in the yard were gone, and the flowers in the garden were actually blooming.

"What is this?" I was stunned.

"Ms. Conlay," Pearl whispered. "I heard Prince Vance keeps coming here with his men to clean up. When he's not here, he pays people to keep the place tidy."

Samuel Vance?

The legendary prince who could control the wind and snow? The Alpha King's powerful, unpredictable younger brother?

I immediately remembered those smoke-gray eyes. People say he was blessed by the Moon Goddess. My dad once told me about him, "He's like a sword that's too sharp. The King uses him to rip apart enemies, but he's also terrified the blade will one day turn on him."

Why was he taking care of this place?

I didn't get it, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I walked toward the cemetery.

The rows of tombstones were endless. My family was there, and so was Pearl's.

Six months ago, in a single night, everyone we loved was killed.

Their bodies had been so cold, and every inch of our den had been covered in blood.

When we placed offerings, I cried nonstop. All I could see was red.

For the last six months, it wasn't that I didn't want to come back—it was that I was scared.

I got down to my knees in front of my parents' graves, my eyes burned. "Dad, Mom, forgive me for what I'm about to do. It's not that I don't want the peaceful life you wanted for me. But Holt betrayed me. I'm going to break our mate bond. Don't worry, Pearl and I will live well."

Pearl was also on her knees beside me, sobbing.

After paying our respects, we shifted into our wolf forms and ran straight toward the Royal Court at the top of the capital.

We stood outside the palace gates for two hours, but no one came to open the door.

"Ms. Conlay, they're not going to open it..."

Pearl wiped her eyes. "The Alpha King doesn't want to see you. He probably thinks we're just trouble..."

"Keep waiting!" My voice was cold.

Two more hours passed. The palace gate stayed shut.

Pearl was almost breaking down. "Ms. Conlay, let's just give up. We have nothing left. No one's going to stand up for us..."

"Shut up!" My voice dropped into a low growl, vibrating with Alpha authority. "A daughter of the Conlays does not survive on handouts or pity!"

I knew the Alpha King was aware I was waiting outside for him.

He refused to see me because Holt marrying Maris was a key move in his plans—using a new "war dog" to balance out the power of his overly powerful brother.

Two hundred years ago, our world split apart. After the old King was assassinated, the three biggest packs started their own kingdom: our Rydar Kingdom, the Solantia Kingdom to the north, and the Ovila Kingdom in the islands.

Since then, they've been at war. For some reason, the Rydar Kingdom had been running out of good generals. By my father's generation, he and my brothers were essentially the only ones holding the line.

When they died two years ago, it left a huge hole in the military. Samuel was the only leader left, but the King didn't want him getting too powerful. He needed someone he could control to keep Samuel in check—and now, Holt was his hope.

He wanted a weapon he could control—someone he could use to grab more land.

And for that, he was willing to sacrifice anything, including my dignity as a Luna.

But I would break this silence myself!

I was going to make him personally order the end of my tainted mate bond with Holt!

I stood tall, refusing to bend, refusing to move away from the palace gates. Finally, as the sun set like a pool of blood over the palace, the massive gate—engraved with the royal wolf crest—started to creak open...

Holt's POV:

"Alpha! Luna is outside the royal court, asking to see the Alpha King!"

The report hit me like a punch to the heart.

Damn it. Laila's whole family died serving the kingdom. If she cried to the Alpha King and begged him to take back his order, he might agree. Damn it! I should've chained her up at home!

Laila's POV:

"Luna of the Ironclaw pack, please come in."

One of the guards came to get me. His eyes looked a little sad, like he already knew about Holt's plan to have two Lunas. Ridiculous. That had never happened in thousands of years.

I pressed my lips together and followed him down a long hallway to the royal council room. The Alpha King sat on his throne, half his face hidden in shadow. Only his eyes stood out—cold, dark blue, almost black, like a frozen lake at night. If you stared too long, it felt like you'd sink into them and freeze.

"Your Majesty," I bowed.

He stayed quiet for a moment before waving his hand. "Rise."

"Your Majesty," I said, standing straight and getting right to the point. "I'm here today to ask for a favor."

"Laila." The Alpha King frowned. "I already agreed to the marriage. I'm not taking that order back."

"No, Your Majesty. I won't get in their way."

I shook my head. "I only want one thing. Please order Holt to end the mate bond with me. I already asked him, and he refused."

The Alpha King looked shocked. "End the mate bond? You don't want to be Ironclaw Pack's Luna anymore?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

I held back my tears.

His expression turned complicated. "Lailie, do you understand what ending the mate bond means for you?"

Lailie. Hearing that nickname made me freeze for a moment. It had been so long since he called me that.

Back when he was only the heir to the throne, he used to study under my dad. Every time he came for lessons, he would bring me little gifts.

He was 12 years older than me, but he had always treated me well. He even joked once and asked if I wanted to be his queen.

Ha. My dad smacked him on the head for that, calling him "too old and shameless," while I hid in the corner, laughing.

After that, I went to Moonlight Academy, and I never saw him again. I only heard at school that he became the Alpha King. Then the borders of Rydar Kingdom were always at war, and my father and brothers died in the battle to protect Vagen.

Just thinking about it made my chest ache all over again.

"Laila, are you okay?!" Nita, my wolf, roared inside my mind.

"I'm fine," I answered back in my head. Then I looked up at the Alpha King. "Your Majesty, of course, I know." I smiled. "But I don't want to be a thorn between those two ‘lovebirds.' And I don't want to stay in Ironclaw Pack, watching them be happy every day, crying myself to sleep, turning into someone even I'd hate."

"But Lailie, if you leave Ironclaw Pack, where will you go? Silvermoon Pack is gone. After what happened in the den where you grew up, could you sleep there?"

"I'll sleep just fine, Your Majesty." I bit my lip. "It's my home. My parents will be watching over me."

When I mentioned them, his expression softened. He sighed. "Laila, Maris can't take your spot. I warned Holt that he can never mistreat you. And..." He sniffed lightly. "He marked you, didn't he? You love him, Laila."

Love?

Did I love Holt?

Maybe I did once. He was my fated mate after all, so there was always that natural attraction. And he used to look at me like he really cared.

But now? No. Not anymore.

The moment he said he only marked me so the pack would respect me, and the moment he insisted on making Maris a second Luna, my love died.

In the Silvermoon Pack, we had always been absolutely loyal to our mates. Betrayal was never part of our code.

"Your Majesty, I know when to let go," I said coldly. "He threw me away first, so I don't want him anymore."

After I said that, the Alpha King went silent, tapping one finger lightly and rhythmically on the armrest of his throne.

Tap, tap...

In the quiet hall, the sound felt like a countdown.

I didn't know how many taps he would make before stopping, but when he stopped, that would be his final decision.

"Laila."

Finally, he stopped.

"Laila, breaking the mate bond means you're no longer part of the Enclaws. You lose the protection of their last name, and you lose every right and resource that comes with it."

He leaned forward a little. "From now on, you would be just an Omega with no family and no support. Do you understand what that means? Hunger, cold looks, bullying, maybe worse. Even knowing that—"

He paused, his voice slower and heavier. "Even if it kills you, do you still want to break the bond?"