Mason had promised he would stop—swore it was a mistake, that he loved me and wanted to fix things. At first, I believed him. I wanted to believe him. But actions speak louder than words, and his actions screamed the opposite.
Now… He didn’t even try to hide it anymore.
The whispers were the hardest part in the beginning. My own pack—my home—mocked me behind my back, some not even bothering to lower their voices. They pitied me. Others laughed, seeing me as a Luna too weak to keep her mate's attention.
But I took it. Every cruel word, every sideways glance, every stifled chuckle. I endured because every day brought me closer to what I needed—a way out of this nightmare.
Claire didn’t make it easy. She relished every opportunity to provoke me, testing the limits of my patience. And Mason, instead of defending me, instead of protecting me like he once promised, chose her.
Over and over again, he chose her.
Tonight, as the pack gathered for dinner in the great hall, the tension was almost suffocating. Claire sat at Mason’s side, her place at the table a glaring insult to me and everything I represented as Luna.