Chapter 4

Selene Thorne POV:

I forced myself to maintain a regal, unhurried pace until the shadows of the forest swallowed me whole, hiding me from any prying eyes. The moment I was concealed by the thick trunks of the ancient oaks, the façade crumbled.

My knees gave out, and I sagged against a tree, my breath coming in ragged, painful gasps. The adrenaline that had fueled my defiance drained away, leaving behind a tidal wave of humiliation and a pain so profound it felt physical.

My hand flew to my neck, pressing against the Mating Mark. It was still burning, a constant, agonizing reminder of the bond he was desecrating.

*It hurts,* Kara whimpered in my mind, her earlier rage now a wounded cry. *The bond, he's tearing it apart.*

I squeezed my eyes shut, but the darkness offered no escape. An image, sharp and vivid, flashed behind my eyelids: a younger me, barely eighteen, seeing Ryker for the first time. The world had tilted on its axis. The air had crackled with an energy I now knew as the 'sparks' of a fated connection. My soul had recognized his, and I had thought myself the luckiest she-wolf in the world.

His vow, whispered against my skin on our mating night, echoed in the ruins of my heart. "You are my only Luna, now and forever." A bitter, hollow lie.

The sound of heavy, angry footsteps crunching on the forest floor ripped me from the memory.

Ryker.

He had followed me. His face was a thunderous mask of fury. Faye, thankfully, was nowhere in sight. This was between us.

His hand shot out, grabbing my arm in a bruising grip. "How dare you embarrass me in front of my pack?" he snarled, his face inches from mine.

I wrenched my arm from his grasp, a cold, humorless laugh bubbling up from my chest. "Your pack? I believe it's *our* pack. And who was the one causing the embarrassment, Ryker?"

I stared into his stormy grey eyes and for the first time, I saw nothing of the man I loved. There was no warmth, no conflict, only a chilling, unadulterated rage.

"You brought a rogue, your ex-lover, to the most sacred gathering and flaunted her in my face! You speak to me of embarrassment?" My voice rose with each word, laced with disbelief.

He was momentarily stunned by my accusation, but his shock quickly morphed into defensive anger. "Faye needed me! She's been through a lot. I expected my mate to show some compassion!"

"Compassion?" The word was a poison on my tongue. "You want me to show compassion to the woman sleeping with my husband?"

A montage of my life, my service, flashed through my mind. The countless sleepless nights spent poring over pack ledgers. The tense negotiations with rival packs to secure our borders. The hours spent comforting grieving families. The jagged scar on my side, a permanent reminder of the silver-tipped dagger I'd taken for him during his bloody fight to claim the Alpha title.

"When I was negotiating the treaty with the Winter Pack, securing the southern border for us, where were you, Ryker? You were with her," I accused, my voice trembling with a righteous fury.

"When I spent three days and nights nursing our warriors back to health after the rogue attack, where were you? With her!"

"I have given you everything! My loyalty, my wisdom, my body, my soul! What has she given you besides whispered promises and a past you should have left behind?"

Each word was a dagger, and I was twisting it in both our hearts.

His face was pale, his jaw tight. He couldn't deny a single word, because it was all true. He had no defense against my record, against my dedication. So he chose the cruelest weapon he had left: he devalued it all.

"You were a good Luna, Selene. A perfect political partner," he said, his voice flat and cold. "But Faye... she has my heart."

A perfect political partner.

The words struck me with the force of a physical blow, shattering the last fragile remnants of my hope. That's all I was to him. A strategic alliance. An asset.

A bitter, coppery taste filled my mouth. The world swam before my eyes.

Seeing my stricken expression, a flicker of something-maybe regret-crossed his face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He chose to end the argument not with an apology, but with an edict.

"This ends now. You will accept Faye's presence. You will continue to be the Luna, and you will not cause any more scenes. That is an order."

He expected me to simply swallow my pain, to accept this monstrous arrangement. To stand by and watch as he loved another.

I looked at this stranger wearing my husband's face, and the last ember of love in my heart died, leaving behind nothing but cold, barren ash.

Selene stared at him, a strange, chilling calm settling over her features. The pain was so immense it had become numbness. She slowly shook her head, her voice a mere whisper, "An order? You have no idea what you've just done, Ryker. You haven't just broken a bond. You've broken a queen."