Chapter 3 Betrayal.

The next morning, Lindsay sat at the kitchen table, sipping lukewarm tea as Brandon rushed around the house, gathering his things. His phone rang for the third time that hour, the name "Kylie" flashing brightly on the screen.

He didn't even glance at Lindsay before answering.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just give me a minute." His voice was soft, almost gentle. The same tone he hadn't used on Lindsay in years.

She watched him silently, spoon tracing lazy circles in her untouched tea. "Big plans with Kylie today?" she asked, her voice light, careful.

Brandon paused by the door, shooting her a quick look. "She's got an interview downtown. Wants moral support. She's still shaken up after... everything."

"Everything," Lindsay echoed, lips curling into a faint smile. "You mean the accident you abandoned me for? Or the night you never came home?"

Brandon frowned, adjusting his jacket. "Don't start, Lindsay. She's been through a lot."

Lindsay set her spoon down. "And I haven't?"

He hesitated, guilt flickering briefly across his face. "We'll talk later, okay? I promised I'd be there."

With that, he was gone.

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Lindsay alone in the stillness.

It wasn't just today. It wasn't just this week. It had been building for months. Kylie's name in his mouth like a prayer, his loyalty shifting quietly but undeniably. The late nights. The gentle excuses. The whispers from friends and strangers alike, painting her as the villain in a story she hadn't even agreed to be part of.

She got up, carrying her tea to the sink, dumping it out. Her hands were steady. Her resolve, steadier.

By noon, photos had already begun circulating online. Brandon and Kylie exiting a café together, her hand tucked trustingly into his arm, their faces bright under the sun. Headlines bloomed like weeds:

"Brandon & Kylie: Lovers Reunited?"

"Is Lindsay Out of the Picture for Good?"

Lindsay scrolled past them all, her chest tight, her throat dry.

A message from Maria popped up: "Do you see what they're posting? Call me when you can."

She didn't reply. She closed the app instead.

In the reflection of her dark laptop screen, she caught her own tired eyes, the faint hollows beneath them. Slowly, she reached for the framed wedding photo she'd cleaned the night before, still lying face-down on the table. She flipped it over, studying the smiling faces-the promise of forever that had felt so sure back then.

With a quiet exhale, she pulled the photo out, folded it once, and slipped it into an envelope.

By the time Brandon returned home that evening, the house was dim, quiet. He walked into the kitchen to find an envelope propped up against his beer on the counter.

His name was written on it in her familiar, looping script.

He opened it slowly, unfolding the single sheet of paper inside.

"There's nothing left to fight for. You chose her. I'm choosing me.

Don't call."

Brandon stood still for a long time, staring at the words. The beer beside the envelope remained untouched, growing warm as the night deepened.

Upstairs, Lindsay sat on the edge of the bed, suitcase open beside her. The lawyer's number flashed on her phone screen. She took a deep breath-and answered.

By dusk, the compound buzzed with low, tense murmurs. News of Brandon's public outings with Kylie had traveled fast, faster than even Lindsay expected. Screens glowed with blurry photos: Brandon laughing with Kylie outside a florist, his hand pressed low against her back. Headlines weren't whispers anymore-they were accusations, confirmations.

And the pack? They felt the betrayal deeper than Lindsay did.

At the long dining table, murmurs turned to growls.

"I can't believe he'd embarrass Lindsay like this," Clara spat, slamming her mug down. "Does he think we're blind? He's flaunting her right in front of us."

Jonah shook his head. "He hasn't even issued a statement. Just letting the media chew Lindsay apart."

"He's gone too far," another chimed in. "Kylie wasn't supposed to come back. She's poison."

Maria arrived last, dropping her bag onto the floor with a thud. Her face was grim, her jaw clenched. "He's meeting with the elders tomorrow."

A silence fell over the table. That wasn't a casual gathering. A meeting with the elders meant one thing: judgment.

"And Lindsay?" Clara asked quietly.

Maria's lips tightened. "She left the estate this morning. No one knows where."

A hollow weight settled in the room. They all knew Lindsay wasn't the type to run without a plan. Her quiet exit said more than any confrontation could have.

Meanwhile, Brandon leaned against his car outside Kylie's apartment, phone in hand, oblivious to the mounting fury in the pack. His screen filled with messages-calls from his beta, his council, even the alpha elder. He ignored them all.

Kylie emerged from the building, her coat draped loosely over her shoulders. She gave him a soft smile, slipping into the passenger seat.

"You didn't have to wait out here," she said.

Brandon shrugged. "Didn't feel like going home."

Her gaze lingered on him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

He flashed a grin, dismissive. "I've never been clearer."

He didn't see the shadows shifting in the treeline beyond the lot. He didn't hear the whispers curling through the night air.

But back at the estate, in the great hall, the elders sat in a tight circle, faces grim, voices low. Maria stood before them, holding a sealed letter.

"She left this with me," she told them.

The elder leader took the envelope, breaking the seal. His eyes scanned the letter, his brows furrowing deeper with every line. When he finally looked up, his expression was grave.

"She's relinquished her title," he announced.

Gasps rippled through the hall.

"She's-she's stepping down?" Clara asked, stunned. "Lindsay? Our Luna?"

The elder nodded. "Effective immediately."

Jonah's fists clenched at his sides. "What happens now?"

The elder folded the letter slowly. "A Luna bond cannot be severed without consequence. If she's broken it..." He trailed off, his gaze shifting toward the darkened windows, where the moon was beginning to rise.

"...then the pack will feel it tonight."

Outside, the wind stirred, cold and sharp.

Far away, Lindsay walked alone beneath the pale glow of the moon, her path quiet, but her pulse steady.

And in Brandon's chest, as he pulled Kylie closer with a careless smile, a sudden sharp pain bloomed beneath his ribs.

It was the first sign.

Something was breaking.And it had already begun.