Chapter 1Ten years ago, my fated mate WATCHED an Omega rip off my bikini and hold me underwater, and did NOTHING.
"It was just a joke," he said. "Can't you take one?"
So I took myself right out of his pack — and his life.
Ten years later, they invite me back to the reunion. Like nothing happened.
The Omega's still fake-smiling. He's still pretending he waited.
"Forget all that," he says. "Don't be petty."
I set my glass down. "Can't drink. I'm pregnant."
His glass shatters on the floor. The room goes dead silent.
"Oh, and my mate? The Alpha King."
I smiled. "You can take a JOKE, right?"
Then I walked out — leaving his ego, and everyone who ever laughed at me.
The best revenge? Let them choke on their own jokes.
--
The Omega who made my training years a living hell—ten years later, she cornered me at our pack reunion.
All smiles, acting like we were besties who used to braid each other's hair.
Then she just casually started dropping these "hilarious" memories.
"What's with the boring outfit? Don't tell me you're still wearing that baby pink bra from sophomore year?"
"Chill out. Bra strap showing? That's literally trending in the Duskfall Kingdom right now. Even if I spilled it, no one would give a damn."
"You're not seriously still pissed about that, are you? Come on, it's been a whole decade!"
The room went dead silent.
Every wolf turned their head.
Every single eye locked on me—like I'd just pissed on the pack altar or something.
If this were sixteen-year-old Lyra Sinclair—the Beta heir with zero backbone—I'd be blushing like crazy, stammering, desperately trying to explain myself. To the whole damn pack.
But I was twenty-six now. And I didn't do that pathetic shit anymore.
"Yeah," I said flatly. "I've always hated your smell. Kinda surprised you never noticed. Crazy, right?"
The air froze solid.
Then my childhood sweetheart—someone I hadn't bothered mind-linking since graduation—finally decided to step in.
"Lyra, seriously. That was ages ago. I just wanted everyone to catch up. It was all dumb high school drama. Can we move on?"
Sienna Vex jumped on that opening like a starving wolf, lifting her glass like she owned the whole packhouse, voice fake-loud as hell.
"Lyra, we're all friends here. If I ever crossed a line, just let it slide. You know me—I don't do that petty mean-girl crap."
And just like that, every wolf in the room stood up behind her like trained dogs.
"Yeah, totally. Sienna's got a point!"
"Don't be so uptight, Lyra!"
"Everything's in the drink tonight!"
"Who the hell holds a grudge for ten years?"
"Sienna's the one who even invited you back here—don't make it weird."
They acted like Sienna dragging me to this reunion was some kind of massive favor.
Like if I didn't toast her ass, I'd be the ungrateful bitch of the century.
But me being an ungrateful bitch?
Been there. Owned that title.
I set my glass down carefully.
"Can't drink. I'm pregnant."
Crash.
Cain Mercer's glass exploded on the floor, shards everywhere.
Everyone froze.
Only Sienna's eyes lit up—pure, unfiltered joy flashing through them.
Cain, now Alpha of the Ironclaw Pack, forced this tight, fake-ass smile.
"If you don't wanna drink, just say so. No need to joke around like that."
"I'm not joking," I said, voice ice-cold. "I've formed a blood bond. I'm carrying pups. I came back to Ironclaw territory with my mate for some business."
Sienna was practically glowing now, her whole face lit up.
"Oh my Moon Goddess, congrats! When did that even happen? Why didn't you tell anyone in the pack?"
That might've been the most honest thing she'd said all night—because now she didn't have to pretend to be Cain's "bro" just to keep me away from him.
Cain's smile twisted. His tone went soft, almost mocking, even though the fated bond between us was still buzzing like crazy.
"We're fated mates. You used to say you'd be my Luna someday... You're messing with me, right?"
Some random wolf piped up from the back, rolling their eyes hard.
"Lyra, seriously? Don't joke like that. Cain's been waiting around for his fated mate all these years."
"Looks like you showed up tonight hoping to win the Alpha back or something."
"A she-wolf needs to know when to quit. Don't be dramatic."
"You'll regret it if you let a strong Alpha like Cain slip away. You won't find anyone better."
Same old pack. Same old poison running through their veins.
I just smiled, calm as anything. "I am blood-bonded. And everything I said before? Just a joke."
Then I locked eyes with Cain and threw his own damn words right back at him.
"You can take a joke, right?"
Chapter 2
Cain and I had been stuck together like glue since we were tiny pups crawling around the nursery—childhood sweethearts, destined to run the Ironclaw Pack as Alpha and Beta someday.
Until training years kicked in.
Until Sienna waltzed into our lives.
She was this loud-as-hell Omega, pushy, and she absolutely loved hanging around the guys—especially Cain.
Before I even knew what hit me, they were practically joined at the hip.
They planted themselves side by side in every single strategy class.
Talked nonstop—hunting games, pack drama, training break gossip. Even late-night mind-link conversations that dragged on forever.
Even our evening run back to the pack house, which used to be our thing, our sacred little tradition, suddenly turned into a freaking threesome.
At first, I tried not to care. Just another pack mate, right?
Then one day, Sienna and Cain were messing around near my stone desk like a couple of idiots.
They slammed straight into it—sent my mug flying clean off the edge.
Crash. Pieces scattered everywhere. Just everywhere.
And it wasn't just some random mug either. It was part of a matching pair—his and mine, a gift we got the day we were both chosen as heirs to lead this pack.
Sienna froze mid-laugh, eyes going wide like she'd just stepped in something nasty.
"Oh my Moon Goddess, I'm so, so sorry! Totally my fault! I'll grab you a replacement from the Pack Council trade next week, I swear to the Moon! Please don't be pissed!"
I forced this tight smile, even though my wolf was pacing restlessly inside my chest, clawing to get out.
"It's fine. You didn't do it on purpose. It's just a mug. Seriously, forget about it."
She leaned in real close then, her voice dropping to this low, nasty whisper only I could hear.
"No, I totally insist. I know she-wolves like you—you act all sweet and understanding to our faces, then turn around and trash-talk us the second we're gone."
What the actual hell did she just say to me?
Was she seriously calling me a two-faced pack sister right now?
The she-wolves sitting nearby started exchanging these weird looks, whispering low enough that I couldn't make out the words.
I frowned hard, my gut twisting with confusion and anger.
"I said it's fine. You don't owe me anything."
Sienna suddenly jabbed her finger straight at me, her tone flipping loud and theatrical for everyone around us to hear.
"See that? Now she's mad! I told you guys—she's totally two-faced! I can't stand she-wolves who can't just say what they actually mean!"
Then she elbowed Cain in the ribs like they were best buddies sharing some inside joke.
"Alpha-heir, you better smooth things over with your little princess here, or she's gonna sulk all the way back to the border patrol line."
Cain let out this heavy sigh, his scent spiking with straight-up irritation—like I was the one causing issues.
"Lyra, seriously, quit being so damn petty. I'll just buy you another one. It's not like it was some sacred Moon Goddess relic or whatever."
"Petty?" I snapped back before I could stop myself. "You think I'm being petty too?"
My voice went dead cold.
"Forget it. I'll buy my own damn mug."
He realized he'd messed up—finally—but before he could even reach for me, Sienna looped her arm through his like she owned him.
"Wow, that went awesome. You just made Miss Priss even angrier than before. Come on—let's bail before she throws a full-on royal tantrum!"
And just like that, I had a brand new nickname. Echoing through every corner of Ironclaw territory.
Miss Priss.
If I helped the Alpha hand out training scrolls after class, some smartass would snicker loud enough for me to hear:
"Careful now! Don't overwork our delicate little Miss Priss!"
If I showed up early at the training clearing to practice alone, they'd actually line up outside the fence, laughing their asses off:
"Make way, everyone! Her Royal Highness needs her private hunting grounds!"
Every single trail in the pack turned into this runway of smirks and low, mocking growls whenever I walked past.
And Cain? He saw every bit of it—every single moment—and didn't say one word to defend his fated mate.
Later on, whenever he got annoyed with me over literally anything, he'd sneer like I disgusted him:
"Drop the Miss Priss act already. You're not Luna—even though you sure as hell act like you think you are."
That right there was my breaking point.
From that moment on, we were locked in a full-blown cold war, barely speaking unless we absolutely had to.
And Sienna?
She only ramped it up harder after that.
"Whoa—Lyra, is that seriously a kiddie charm hanging off your training gear? What, you think you're some kind of adorable little Disney princess now?"
Chapter 3
She finished that gem with a full-on princess pose right in front of my face.
The guys standing around completely lost their minds, cracking up like idiots.
After training wrapped up, I stuck to my usual routine—cleaning off my desk like I always did.
Sienna rolled her eyes so hard I thought they'd get stuck back there.
"Goddess, Lyra, you're so extra. You seriously think you're the only clean she-wolf in this entire pack?"
"If we're all so disgusting to you, why don't you just head back to the Alpha's estate and hire yourself a private tutor? Why even bother training with us lowlifes?"
Every single she-wolf in the room whipped around to glare at me like I'd just spit on the pack banner or something.
When it came time for the weekly territory patrol rotation, I had this massive stack of training scrolls—way too heavy to haul all at once.
Sienna casually propped her elbow on the top of the last pile, her voice oozing fake sweetness like poisoned honey.
"Ugh, I'm so wiped right now. Which one of you devoted omegas wants to carry Miss Priss's precious scrolls for her?"
Laughter erupted across the entire packhouse—sharp, brutal, and nasty, drilling straight through my skull like nails.
Some of the younger wolves doubled over laughing, even copying the way I balanced my scrolls like it was some comedy routine.
Cain didn't even bother glancing up from whatever he was doing.
"Alright, that's enough," he mumbled under his breath.
Sienna let out this over-the-top dramatic groan.
"Oh, boo-freaking-hoo. Someone's getting all protective over his princess again."
"Protective?" Cain scoffed, finally looking up. "Yeah, right. I'd feel bad for literally any wolf in this pack except that spoiled brat."
Sienna grinned wider, totally eating up every second of this.
"Chill out, big guy. We're just toughening her up a bit. She's way too soft, way too quiet—how the hell's she gonna survive an actual rank challenge someday?"
Cain paused for half a second, like he wasn't totally sure what to say next.
"What's so bad about a she-wolf being gentle?"
Sienna punched his shoulder playfully, grinning like an idiot.
"Gentle? I'm sure as hell not like that!"
He turned toward her then, his eyes going all soft and warm, filled with trust and something that looked way too much like actual affection.
And my heart just... dropped straight through the floor.
I genuinely thought if I just kept ignoring her, Sienna would eventually get bored and move on to someone else.
But she didn't.
Not even close.
After an entire month of me giving her the silent treatment, Cain cracked first.
"Lyra, quit being mad at me," he said quietly. "Don't lock me out of the mind-link like this."
He looked so damn helpless standing there—like some lost pup wandering around in a rainstorm.
My chest ached so bad I could barely stand it. I couldn't keep this up forever, could I?
Cain was my fated mate. My future Alpha.
We'd sworn to each other we'd run this pack together someday.
So I let it go.
At least on the surface, anyway.
When he played sports or trained out on the field, I was still right there—holding his jacket, waiting on the sidelines like always.
After pack duties wrapped up for the day, the streetlights still stretched out two long shadows walking side by side.
But sometimes, I'd catch Sienna throwing me these weird looks from across the clearing... then turning around and laughing with the guys right after like it was all some inside joke.
Their laughter—it crawled under my skin like bugs burrowing deep into my bones.
I could feel it in my gut, like I was the punchline to some joke nobody bothered saying out loud.
I told Cain about it one night after training.
"They've been making fun of me behind my back."
He frowned hard, clearly annoyed I was bringing this up again.
"You're overthinking it way too much. They're just pack mates goofing around with each other."
But when he saw my face completely fall, his tone softened just a little.
"Alright, fine. I'll say something to them. Tell them to cut it out."
He marched straight over to Sienna right then and there.
Sienna pouted dramatically, then cranked up her voice loud enough for the entire pack to hear every word:
"Seriously? We can't even joke around together anymore? What's next—kneel down and worship her like she's the actual Moon Goddess or something?"
"Sienna!" Cain snapped sharply.
She rolled her eyes hard and shot me this look dripping with pure contempt, like I was dirt stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
From that moment on, her voice, her smirks, every single move she made—each one hit like a vicious bite straight to my throat.
Whispers filled every corner of the pack house—low, constant, crawling under my skin like insects feeding in total darkness.
Back then, I was such a coward about everything.
I kept telling myself: Just four more years. Suck it up. Then we'll graduate and go our separate ways for good.
But then—completely out of nowhere—Cain asked me out.
He wanted me to meet him by the pack pool after evening training ended.
We'd grown up swimming together in the lake every summer, hitting the hot springs together every single winter without fail. I didn't think twice about it.
