Chapter 2

Maya POV:

Liam's solution to any problem was to throw money at it, to create a spectacle so grand it blinded you to the truth. So, he used his Alpha privilege to clear out Universal Studios for the entire day. Just for me. An entire theme park, empty, waiting. It was the kind of grand, romantic gesture that would make any girl swoon.

Two years ago, it would have worked on me.

Today, my heart was a block of ice in my chest. I smiled, I laughed, I let him hold my hand as we walked through the deserted streets of Hogsmeade. It was all a performance. The final act. In my mind, I was running through the checklist for Project Phoenix: new identity secured, funds transferred, exit route confirmed.

"See? Isn't this better?" he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Just you and me. No pack business, no distractions."

A young couple, their scents telling me they were werewolves from a small, affiliated pack, cautiously approached us. Their eyes were wide with awe.

"Alpha Goldstein? Luna Maya?" the young man stammered. "We're so sorry to bother you, but... could we possibly get a picture? Your story... it gives us all so much hope. Proof that the Goddess works in mysterious ways."

I felt Liam's arm tighten around my waist, pulling me into a hug for the photo. I forced a smile as the young she-wolf held up her phone. But all I could focus on was the scent. Underneath Liam's dominant aroma of pine and cold mountain air was the cloying, sweet smell of Ava. It hadn't washed off completely. It was in the fibers of his expensive cashmere sweater, a ghost of his betrayal pressed against my cheek. Instead of the familiar, soul-deep warmth his proximity should have ignited, a wave of nausea rolled through me. It was a perversion of a Heat, a phantom coldness where a Mate's warmth should have set my blood on fire. I felt sick.

"Of course," Liam said, his public voice smooth as honey. He was the perfect, benevolent Alpha.

As we moved on, I noticed his eyes were distant. He kept touching his temple, a sign he was engaged in a Mind-Link. A Mind-Link is a private, telepathic conversation between werewolves. For an Alpha and his chosen Luna, it should be an open door, a space of shared thoughts. For months, his had been locked to me.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, playing my part.

"Just Marc, reporting in," he sent back through our link, the thought clipped and formal. His tone was a violation, using the sacred channel meant for soul-deep intimacy to deliver a business memo. "Border patrols. Nothing to worry your pretty head about."

A lie. I saw it in the reflection of his designer sunglasses. He wasn't focused on some distant border. He was scrolling through a feed on his phone. Ava Sinclair's Instagram page.

"I just need to use the restroom," I said, pulling my hand from his. "I'll be right back."

I didn't go to the restroom. I ducked into an empty souvenir shop, pulled out my burner phone, and opened the same app. Ava was live-streaming. From inside the park.

"You guys will not believe this," she was saying, panning her camera around a lavish, empty VIP lounge. The very same one Liam and I had been in an hour ago. "My mystery Alpha is just the best. He booked the whole VIP experience for me today. He spoils me so much."

My fingers trembled. He was juggling us. In the same park, on the same day. The sheer arrogance of it was breathtaking.

A stream of virtual gifts flooded her screen. One name stood out, again and again. EmpireWolf. He was sending her gifts while he was standing right next to me.

Then, the final blow. A comment appeared in the live chat, from EmpireWolf's verified account, for all her thousands of followers to see.

"Only my queen deserves the best."

The phone nearly slipped from my hand. The world narrowed to those six words. Not a secret, not a whisper. A public declaration. For her. My queen. The words echoed in the silent, empty shop, a death sentence for the girl I used to be. And deep within me, the ancient, cold fury of a bloodline far older and more powerful than his began to stir.