Alpha's Mistake, Luna's Freedom

The morning after confronting Ryan, I woke with a hollow feeling in my chest. Our mate bond felt like a frayed rope, holding us together by the thinnest of threads. Selene paced restlessly in my mind, her anger a constant presence I could no longer ignore.

I went through the motions of my Luna duties—approving pack meal plans, mediating a territory dispute between two families, reviewing security reports. All while my thoughts remained fixed on Jake and the pain in his eyes when his father had given away his hard-earned position.

"He'll get over it," Ryan had said dismissively at breakfast, not even looking up from his phone. "Pack life is about learning to handle disappointment."

I'd bitten my tongue until I tasted blood.

By midday, I headed to the training grounds to watch the young wolves' combat session. The arena was filled with the sounds of playful growls and the thud of bodies hitting the dirt as adolescent wolves practiced their skills. Connor Collins stood in the center ring, being personally coached by one of our best Delta warriors—another of Vanessa's arrangements, no doubt.

But Jake was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's my son?" I asked the training master, trying to keep the worry from my voice.

He avoided my eyes. "He... completed his exercises early, Luna."

Selene growled, sensing the lie. I scanned the area, following my instincts until I caught Jake's scent—tinged with the metallic note of blood.

I found him behind the equipment shed, sitting with his back against the wall, arms wrapped protectively around his ribs. His eyes widened when he saw me, quickly wiping away tears with the back of his hand.

"Mom! I was just... resting."

I knelt beside him, gently lifting his training shirt to reveal angry purple bruises spreading across his side. "Who did this to you?"

"It doesn't matter," he mumbled, pulling away from my touch. "I deserved it."

"Jake," I said firmly, tilting his chin up. "No one deserves this. Tell me what happened."

His eyes—so like his father's before power had corrupted him—filled with fresh tears. "They said I'm not worthy of being the Alpha's son. That Dad gave my spot to Connor because he knows I'm weak."

My heart cracked. "That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Jake's voice broke. "Dad never comes to my ceremonies. He missed my first shift ceremony last month. He's training Connor now instead of me."

I pulled him into my arms, careful of his injuries. "Your father's actions reflect on him, not on you."

"The other pups call me 'the future Alpha whose father doesn't care,'" he whispered against my shoulder. "They say I'll never lead the pack because Dad is already choosing a new family."

Selene's growl reverberated through my entire body, so powerful that Jake pulled back to look at me with wide eyes.

"Mom? Your eyes..."

I blinked, knowing they had shifted to my wolf's silver. The maternal rage coursing through me was almost uncontrollable. This wasn't just about Ryan's neglect of me anymore—he was breaking our son.

"Let's get you healed," I said, helping him to his feet. "And Jake? You are worthy. More worthy than you know."

As the pack healer tended to Jake's ribs, my mind raced with plans. I could no longer wait for Ryan to remember his responsibilities. Something had to change.

---

The full moon hung heavy in the night sky, its silvery light bathing the forest in an ethereal glow. I watched from our cabin porch as Jake stood at the forest edge, dressed in the traditional ceremonial shorts for the father-son pack run.

Today was supposed to be special—the day Ryan would finally take Jake on the sacred run that every Alpha does with his heir when they turn thirteen. Jake had been talking about it for weeks, his excitement palpable.

"He'll be here," Jake said, more to himself than to me. "He promised."

I said nothing, but Selene whimpered. We both knew what was coming.

One hour passed. Then two.

The pack mind-link hummed with activity as other wolves began their moon runs. Through it, I caught flashes of Ryan—his dark grey wolf form racing through the northern territory. With him ran a smaller brown wolf and a chocolate-colored adolescent.

Vanessa and Connor.

Jake's body went rigid. I knew he'd seen it too through the pack link—felt his father's contentment as he ran with another woman's son on the night meant for them.

"Jake..." I started, moving toward him.

He stood motionless, still staring into the forest, waiting for a father who had chosen another family over his own.