Skye’s POV

The walk home from the Hunt Festival was a blur. I barely registered the snow crunching beneath my boots or the wind whipping against my tear-streaked face.

My chest felt like it had been hollowed out, leaving nothing but a raw, pulsing emptiness where my heart should have been.

Mom guided me through the door of our cabin. The familiar scent of pine furniture and cinnamon that usually brought comfort now seemed distant, like it belonged to someone else’s life.

“Let’s get you warmed up,” she whispered, her voice gentle as she helped me out of my snow-damp clothes and into soft flannel pajamas.

I crawled into bed without a word, curling onto my side and pulling my knees to my chest.

My mate, my wolf, my dignity—all gone in a single night.

Mom sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers combing through my silver hair with the same tenderness she’d shown when I was a child. The gesture, so familiar and loving, only made the tears come faster.

“This isn’t your fault, Skye,” she murmured, her voice breaking slightly. “None of this is your fault.”

I began to cry quietly, my body shaking with each silent sob. Mom didn’t try to hush me or offer empty platitudes. She simply continued stroking my hair.

I don’t know how long I cried, but eventually, the sound of the front door opening and closing announced Dad’s arrival. His heavy footsteps approached my room, and soon I felt the mattress dip as he settled on the other side of the bed. His large, calloused hand came to rest on my leg, warm and steady.

“My little warrior,” he said softly, using the nickname he’d given me when I was small and insisted on following him and Ethan into the woods for training.

As my sobs gradually subsided into occasional hiccups, I became aware of what was missing. Or rather, who.

“Where’s Ethan?” I asked, my voice raw from crying.

The brief silence that followed told me everything I needed to know before either of my parents spoke.

“He’s with Leon,” Mom finally said.

“Seriously?” In the moment I needed him most, my brother had chosen his best friend over me. His Alpha over his sister.

“Of course he is,” I whispered.

Dad’s hand tightened slightly on my leg. “He’s torn, Skye. He doesn’t—”

“Don’t make excuses for him,” I cut in. “Not tonight.”

Mom and Dad exchanged a look over me, their silent communication as clear as if they’d spoken aloud. They wouldn’t push, not when I was already shattered.

I must have drifted into a fitful sleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being pulled awake by the sound of voices in the hallway outside my room.

“—think she would be?” That was my father, his deep voice thrumming with barely contained fury.

“I understand your anger,” came Leon’s measured response, “but I had my reasons. This has nothing to do with personal feelings.”

I stiffened beneath my blankets, every muscle tensing at the sound of his voice. The mate-bond, though rejected, pulsed painfully in response to his proximity, like a broken limb that hadn’t been properly set.

I suddenly felt ashamed of my tears, as if my pain was somehow selfish in the face of what our pack had endured.

Was I being childish to feel so betrayed?

Was I letting down the entire pack by not accepting Leon’s rejection with quiet dignity?

“Skye?” Leon’s voice called softly through the door, startling me from my thoughts.

I slammed the door shut with all my strength. Leaning my back against the door, I slowly slid down until I was sitting on the floor.

I heard him sigh heavily, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.

As I lay there in the darkness, staring at the ceiling, I thought about the Alpha King election.

Every four years, Alphas from approximately fifty packs across North America competed for the title. Just three months ago, a new Alpha King had been crowned.

The Alpha King advocated for his own pack and allied packs, establishing policies that favored them. Every pack wanted their Alpha to hold that position, which required not only winning votes but also proving superior strength. A powerful female Luna could enhance an Alpha’s fighting abilities.

I understood the importance of the Alpha King election. What I couldn’t understand was why Leon had to publicly humiliate me.

Tomorrow, everyone would treat me like a loser, a joke. The thought of facing the pack—of seeing Maya’s smug face, of enduring the pitying glances and whispered comments—made me feel physically ill.

A thought flashed through my head — maybe I should just get out of here.