Then, my mother fell ill. And on her deathbed, she made Ronan swear an oath—to stay by my side, to protect me as his fated mate. Out of obligation to the woman who had raised him, he agreed. But in his heart, I knew he resented her for binding him to me, for forcing him to remain where he didn’t want to be.
And after my father’s departure, leadership of the pack fell to me. Even then, I knew how much Ronan craved power, so I willingly handed him the title of Alpha, content to serve as Luna in the background. Yet, despite our bond, despite everything, he never once announced me as his Luna.
One day, I confronted him. "Ronan," I had asked, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. "Why haven’t you acknowledged me as your Luna?"
His response was a dagger straight to my heart.
"Your mother forced me to mate with you. And now you expect me to make you Luna too? Keep dreaming, Anastasia. That title will always belong to your sister."
His words wounded me deeper than any physical attack ever could. At that moment, I knew—I was nothing to him. I had no place in his heart. That space had always been reserved for Adeline.
But I had one last plea, one final desperate wish: Kieran’s trip to the ocean. I was ready to set Ronan free, to finally let him go. But even then, he refused to grant me that one moment of peace.
He could never love me—I had come to accept that. But how could he be so cruel to Kieran? How could he turn his back on his own son?
I fixed my gaze on Ronan, my emotions a storm of disappointment and fury. The man who had once seemed as flawless as a masterpiece now only filled me with revulsion. Those eyes—once a source of comfort, once softened by affection—were now nothing but cold and unyielding. I had always found warmth in them, but now, they served only as a cruel reminder of the distance between us.
Before I could speak, Adeline’s voice sliced through the tension. “Alpha, my foot hurts, and so does my face. Can you check if it’s swollen? I’m worried it might ruin my appearance for tomorrow’s Alpha gathering.”
Ronan’s attention shifted instantly, his concern for her unmistakable. He cradled her in his arms with the kind of tenderness that once belonged to me. Adeline took full advantage of it, leaning into him like a delicate porcelain doll. My slap had left a red imprint on her pale cheek, and her eyes brimmed with artificial tears.