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Ava POV

On New Year’s Eve, I found out my dear husband and supposed best friend were having an affair.

The evening started well enough, though looking back I’m not sure how I was so blind. I remember walking down the gray-on-blue hallway to Ethan’s hotel room while looking forward to surprising my mate on his business trip and making some happy memories, the kind that had been scarce with us lately.

I was really hoping Ethan would be glad to see me. I thought we might resume our discussion of having children. At thirty-five, I was still in my prime for such things, but time was getting on. Ethan was only two years from forty himself.

I put on my brightest smile and knocked on the double doors of Room 1893. The door swung open to reveal Ethan wearing nothing but a white, hotel bathrobe and an expression of anxious surprise. Keeping my smile, I looked down at his exposed neck and collarbones, ready to make a joke about his answering the door looking like that, when I heard a woman’s voice call out.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Olivia, I thought, and my stomach went cold while my face flamed red hot.

“What in the world?” I demanded, shoving past my husband and a cloak of Olivia’s perfume she was wearing. Inside the decidedly luxurious suite, I saw an opened bottle of champagne and two crystal flutes, clothing scattered about the room, and, yes, a pair of Olivia’s signature, red-soled expensive pumps on the floor near the blue velvet sofa.

Olivia walked out of the bedroom wearing nothing but a white sheet wrapped around her sari-style, and all I could do was stare at her. She had always been so much prettier than I was, and now so many years my junior at twenty-eight with flawless skin and thick blond hair.

I had always thought of her as my adorable little sister. So, what was she doing here with my husband?

“Ava,” she said, her voice and expression sneering. I felt my heart start to pound.

I turned to Ethan, who looked a little frightened. But then his perfectly dimpled chin went up. He steadied those broad shoulders I’d long admired, and his wedding ring disappeared into his dark hair along with the fingers of his left hand.

“I realize how this looks, and I’m sorry,” he said. “I assure you this began with an attraction we both tried to fight. Neither of us is to blame for—”

“That’s not true,” Olivia said. “You’ve taken everything from me, and now I’m taking it back.”

“What do you mean?” I shook my head, feeling dizzy. “We are friends. I would never take anything from you.”

“I am the daughter of the late Alpha Adam,” she snapped, her eyes glittering with a hate so thick I could feel it pressing against me like some unclean beast. “But you! Acting as the Beta’s wife like you were my mother, making everyone think you’re some saint while they ignored me, and marrying the man who should have been mine from the beginning.”

I was so confused. I never realized Olivia was interested in Ethan, who was ten years older than she was. I also thought Olivia didn’t care about anything that wasn’t shopping or going out with friends. The few times I had tried to talk with her about pack affairs, Olivia looked positively bored.

I tried to explain what I could. “Ethan and I only took on the pack’s administrative duties because Chris left. You had no desire to rule our pack. You told me it was too much trouble.”

“I said that as a child!” she growled. “Now I want to be Luna.”

“I don’t understand,” I said, working hard not to cry, not yet. “Your brother is coming back soon. He holds the Moonstone and will take over as Alpha. You can’t marry your brother. You can’t be Luna.”

“You are so silly,” Olivia said with a laugh. “Chris left years ago and has no intention of keeping the Moonstone. Now Ethan and I will be the Alpha and Luna.”

Helpless, I looked at my husband.

His face was now oddly blank, and he shrugged. “Olivia has convinced Chris not to inherit a title he’s never wanted. As Olivia’s mate, I will rule the pack with her.”

“Never wanted?” I looked back at Olivia. “Just because he’s been studying abroad—”

“Chris was never going to be Alpha,” Olivia snapped. “Chris has found all the success he wants in the Human World, while the rest of us bring Moonstone Pack to its full dominance.”

I tried to process everything. Ethan said, “Tomorrow, Chris will give me the Moonstone. We’ll set him up with whatever financial means and apolitical title he prefers, and with my new mate, I will become the Alpha of Moonstone Pack, and Olivia will be Luna.”

“But why?” I could only ask, my voice very small. “If you loved Olivia more than you loved me, why would you marry me in the first place?”

His expression momentarily softened. “I am sorry, Ava. We had something meaningful together, but I could never be Alpha while married to you. Surely, you can see what I have done for the pack. I deserve this.”

My mouth fell open. I wanted to ask, “What about me?” I thought of the years we’d been waiting for Chris to return and claim his place without a real position in the pack, and without any real love, I was starting to realize, not if he could act like this.

At that moment, I resented not only Ethan and Olivia for being like this, but also Chris, the boy I had helped raise along with his sister. I envisioned the young and skinny fifteen-year-old who had left the island with his favorite tutors over a decade ago. Why hadn’t he stayed and taken up our Moonstone Pack like he was supposed to?

My mental image of Chris was replaced by the bright, callous sight of Olivia, standing there with triumph in her bright green eyes. Was this truly the girl who had been my friend? Years of helping to raise her, of looking out for her, of taking care of her, and now this?

Olivia turned on Ethan. “Now, do what you agreed to do. Break your bond with Ava and prepare yourself to bond with me.” She looked back at me. “I want to see you do it.”

“Surely, tomorrow would be better,” Ethan objected faintly. “The pain involved—”

“Break it now!”

Again, I saw a glimmer of fear in Ethan’s eyes, but it was quickly gone. Then he steadied himself, looking at me coldly.

He brought up his hands, closing his eyes to pull the power to the forefront of his mind, and then opened now-blazing eyes to intone, “You are no longer mine. I am no longer yours. We are nothing to each other. The bond is broken.”

Pain like I’d never felt before flooded my mind, and the world went dark.

At that moment, I felt I had been abandoned by the world.

Until the most unexpected people came to my rescue.
Chapter 2
Ava POV

I woke up to find myself lying on the sidewalk at the entrance of the hotel, discarded like a vagrant and chilled to the bone with a throbbing headache. I was almost completely numb, but I somehow could still feel pieces of the broken bond with Ethan inside me, slicing at my heart and stomach like shards of glass.

A few people passing by gave me odd looks, the way Humans do. That’s right. I was in the Human World.

I couldn’t even go home at this moment. There was a sea strait in between the Human World and Werewolf Territory. Ethan said he had to spend his New Year's Eve here because of some business with humans. So I was here for Ethan tonight on a ferry. Now I needed to wait for the first ferry tomorrow to go back to my home.

I managed to sit up, and then, very slowly, I stood. I put my right hand against the metal frame of the hotel’s front door and let my head fall forward. The pressure behind my eyes beat in time with my heart, and I felt vaguely betrayed that it was still working, still pumping blood to a body that felt damaged beyond repair.

I looked around. The street was a skyscape of colored lights. Christmas and New Year’s decorations merrily colored the thin layer of white snow on the sidewalks and streets. I scowled at it all for being so cheerful and looked down for my bag.

There. As I unsteadily reached for my bag, I saw that my wedding ring was missing from my finger. Olivia must have taken it from my unconscious body like a grave robber, and the image that thought brought to mind almost made me vomit.

After putting the strap of my bag over my shoulder, I leaned back against the entrance and let my head rest against the freezing gold-colored plate. It eased my headache slightly.

Better yet, right across the street squatted a bar: all cozy wood, leaded glass, and neon signs promising IPAs and rum.

I knew I should probably find myself a hotel room first. However, betrayed by my husband and best friend on a cold New Year’s Eve, I couldn’t resist a drink from a warm bar like this.

I made it to the doorway, and a tall young man brushed past me. He smelled like expensive cologne, and something oddly familiar struck me about his stance and smooth blond hair. I looked up, but he was a stranger.

His green eyes softly met my gaze, taking in my tear-streaked face. Snorting at his pity, I turned away and strode up to the uncrowded bar.

The bartender, a well-groomed young man with colorful tattoos up and down his toned arms, nodded at me and put down a coaster as I took my place on a barstool.

“Blue Sapphire on the rocks with lime,” I ordered, noticing the place was quiet for New Year’s Eve. There were only two other patrons at the bar, all nursing their drinks, and a few couples at the scattered tables.

By the time the bartender returned with my drink, I was staring at my bare finger and trying to figure out my new life. What was my future without Ethan in it? Without Olivia?

The thought of losing them hurt equally, as did my rage at their betrayal. I was blaming him, but had I ever loved Ethan, really, if I could feel that way? I certainly thought I had.

I sipped my drink, which went so warmly down my throat.

“Blue Sapphire on the rocks with lime,” said a man’s deep voice as the young man from the doorway took a seat to my right.

Huh. I thought he’d been on his way out.

Again, I looked up to meet his green eyes and was struck by how familiar he seemed.

“Hope you don’t mind,” he said with a calm smile. “It sounded so good when you ordered it. I thought I’d have the same.”

The sense of familiarity intensified. “Have we met before?”

His smile broadened, and I realized it had sounded like a come-on.

“Are you a Human who lives around?” Embarrassed, I asked quickly to change the topic.

“I’m a Werewolf.”

“Oh.” I was surprised. It was rare to see another Werewolf wandering alone in the human world on New Year’s Eve. "Are you going home to visit family for the holidays?”

“I haven’t been home for a long time. I prefer living here by myself in the human world,” he said, smiling as the bartender gave him his drink. He looked at it for a moment, took a sip, nodded, and set it back on the bar. “But I will go home tomorrow.”

I guess he was one of those young Werewolves who decided to stay in the Human World, like Chris.

“I have some family business to attend to,” he said next. He looked over at me, and the lights hanging over the bar cut into his high cheekbones and across his straight nose. He had pale, soft-looking skin, and I wondered what he’d look like in his fur.

“It isn’t something I’m looking forward to,” he admitted. “But if you don’t mind my saying, I’m guessing it’s not as bad as what you’ve been through today.”

I was oddly charmed at his directness after the day’s lies and betrayals.

“Betrayal?” he asked. His eyes were curious and kind even as I realized I’d voiced the thought aloud.

I shrugged, realizing the pain was already a little less, though because of the booze or the company, I wasn’t sure. “I’ve been mated for years to a man I have to accept never really cared about me.” I held up my bare finger and showed off its little tan line from the ring. “Seems he prefers my best friend. Ex-best friend.”

“Sounds like he had a lousy taste,” the man said quietly, and though it was obviously a quip of off-hand charm, I felt my eyes pickle.

I shook my head. “She’s beautiful and young. His preferring her to me actually makes sense. I just never thought he could discard our mate bond so easily.”

I rubbed my forehead, which still ached, and smiled over at the man wearily. Without really thinking about it, I found I was filling in a few of the details including the bottle of champagne for two and Olivia’s comment about taking her life. To my surprise, he started looking angry.

“Are you saying your husband broke your bond? Just like that?”

I nodded, a little worried about his vehemence.

But his eyes turned soft again, this time with wonder. “And here you are, still standing. You must really be strong, enduring something like that and not having to spend the next week in bed.”

I shrugged. “I fainted. Woke up outside the hotel. Dumped like a bag of potatoes.” I downed the rest of my drink and signaled the bartender for another.

“Incredible,” he said, shaking his head. “Your exes are both idiots.”

My mouth opened to thank him and tasted salt as a tear rolled over my top lip onto my tongue. His eyes followed its trail, and his gentle fingers brushed the wetness away.

I closed my eyes, but the tears didn’t stop. Despite the fact I was talking to the most attractive man I’d ever met, I felt wretched and haggard, empty and brittle.

An odd warmth came to my cheeks, and I opened my damp eyes to see the man’s face was only an inch away from my own. He paused, then closed the distance with a gentle kiss that made me gasp. Unlike Ethan’s commanding and aggressive kisses, this kiss offered deep comfort and such plain, honest-seeming desire I almost couldn’t think. I felt the day blur in my mind, and I welcomed it.

But a still-active part of my brain noticed something else in the kiss. For all their sweetness, his lips were just a little uncertain, and I pulled back.

“How old are you?” I asked.

He pulled back as well, looking down at his drink. “Twenty-five,” he said almost defensively.

“Oh, my Goddess,” I grunted. First I got my bond broken, and now I was kissing a kiddo? Could the day get any more mortifying?

I looked at him and just said, “This isn’t going to work out.” I reach for my bag hanging from the back of my barstool.

If the young man had grabbed me, I would have pulled away, but the hand that touched my wrist was so soft, even tentative.

“I’d like to make you forget about your lousy day,” he said with a little smile on his full, pink lips that did something to my stomach.

“I should go home.” Then I remembered I didn’t have one anymore. Would I get to keep the house while Ethan moved into the Alpha’s manor with Olivia?

I looked up into those green eyes and shrugged. “I have nowhere to go.”

“That’s not true,” he said meaningfully.

“You’re not making this easy,” I complained.

“Good.” He looked down at my ring-less hand. “You accepted their betrayal. Why reject comfort if I can offer it?”

Too young for me or not, the man had a point.

This time, I kissed him.

Chapter 3
Ava POV

The young man held my hand on the ride to his place. We didn’t talk much. I couldn’t help thinking that if we talked, we’d have to deal with the fact we hadn’t shared much in the way of personal information such as names.

I felt a little talked-out, actually, and not sharing phone numbers or even pack affiliations kept it completely clear this wasn’t about starting up a relationship. I was hurting, but looking into his lovely eyes and thinking about what those lips could do to me was more than distracting.

We were so in sync, in fact, that after he opened the door with a key card and a tender smile, we were kissing again even as we walked over the threshold. It did feel like a fancy place for such a young man, but I didn’t have too much attention to spare for the room.

I was right about his lips. They felt as wonderful on my neck and shoulders as they did on my stomach and lower down. He kissed me while taking off our clothes with only a little fumbling. I realized I was glad he wasn’t perfectly coordinated. He was so lovely—and young!—I was intimidated enough already.

Very soon, we were stretched out together on the clean white sheets. His hands were warm and soft, and I felt precious and cherished and more excited by his body than I had for a very long time. He brought me up in a slow, steady spiral.

When I clenched down around him, I had tears of release in my eyes.

“I’ve wanted this since . . .” I heard him murmuring.

“What?” I asked, not sure if I heard him clearly.

That was when the sound of New Year’s bells rang in my ears.

“I said, Happy New Year, love.” He’d started calling me that not long after we got to the room. I didn’t mind. We both knew how he meant it, and it beat the heck out of “baby” or something like that.

“Happy New Year,” I said back to him.

Sunlight peeking through the gaps in the curtain woke me up, and at first, all I thought about was my aching head. Squinting, I took in the room, the bed, and the man’s arm wrapped around my waist.

I lay there waiting to feel guilty for having spent the night with a man ten years younger than I was, but I didn’t. It had hurt no one, and the lovely young man had been right. I’d been betrayed, made to feel worthless and “used up.”

Now, I just felt grief, and that was something I knew about and could face. I still had a nightmare or two left in me, but I felt much better than I would have after spending the night alone.

I got out of bed without waking him and read 8 a.m. on the clock by the bed. I quickly got my clothes on, and then shut the door behind me without a sound. I thought about leaving him a note, but at his age, the night had doubtlessly meant nothing more to him than some sweet fun. I had more important things to worry about.

I just caught the 9 a.m. ferry, a simple steel-hulled boat, across the straight back to Werewolf Territory, which meant I needed to have some sort of idea of what to do with myself when we would dock at 11 a.m. In fact, I needed to figure out pretty much everything.

As wife to the pack’s acting beta, I had been in a position to address some things that needed to change. Unlike Alpha Chris, I couldn’t help adding in my head. He’d disliked our ways so much he’d run off. I had thought it was to learn things he could bring back home, but now I knew it was for his own good.

I thought again of the sweet child Chris had been, and I mourned him along with the rest. The lure of the more modern Human World had drawn him away from the rich heritage of our territory with its fresh air and rich resources, both natural and beyond. I had been glad to promise my father and the late Alpha Adam I would always protect the island.

But how could I do that now? Would I be able to work with Ethan and Olivia at all? What were their plans for me?

The sun was high in a bright blue sky when we reached Moonstone Pack’s dock, a spot of technology among the lush foliage of the island. I and the dozen others with me on the boat lined up to show our arms to the pier guards. I looked down at my glowing moonstone tattoo, feeling grounded by the small magic of the ink milked from a flower that grew only on the island.

Humans who had seen my tattoo thought it had been done with luminous paint. Except for the rare Human mates who were allowed to know the island’s secrets—some of them—their kind couldn’t appreciate how brightly the tattoo would glow when the moon was full or what the runes in the design meant about my own skills, including a mastery of the mind-link that bound me to my brethren. Most modern Werewolves, even in the Moonstone Pack and much to the distain of the Elders, just use Smartphones these days to keep in touch.

The guards nodded me through, and soon I was walking up the path to town skirting around the parking lot. My home, or what had been my home, wasn’t far. For a moment, I pushed all worries from my mind and basked in the welcome of the tall green trees and swaying blue grasses that lined the path.

The softness in the air made me think of the young man I’d taken to bed last night, and I actually smiled.

I decided I would go to the Elders first. They should know that Ethan rejected me yesterday and decided to bond with Olivia.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my bag to see a text from Ethan: The Square, noon, mandatory attendance for Moonstone Pack decree.

I snorted, realizing how much it irritated me when Ethan sent messages like that. A “decree”? Had he always been so officious?

I reached the Square twenty minutes later; it was already crowded with people drinking coffee or tea as they stood around the brazier in the Square’s center, burning brightly even on such a warm day. I took some coffee from a stand with thanks for the young omega working there. She seemed stunned at the courtesy, and I felt my usual anger for the omega slavery the pack still practiced.

The sun was warm, not hot, and everyone was curious about what Ethan wanted. Several Wolves approached me to ask for news. At first I was at a loss. Then I decided Ethan could explain everything. In the meantime, I enjoyed the friendly smiles and the knowledge that I was cared for by my pack, if not by my ex-husband or former best friend.

A bell rang out, and everyone turned to the circular portico of City Hall. Ethan and Olivia stood there looking fierce and regal, and though I tried to hate them, I couldn’t just turn off my concerns after so many years. It took my spotting the wedding rings on their fingers to feel the true depth of their betrayal, and it was an iron weight pressing down on my body.

“Moonstone Pack!” Ethan called out. “To best serve you as future Alpha, I have broken my bond with Ava and am now married to the future Luna of our pack, Olivia!”

There was a stunned silence in the crowd, and many turned to look at me. I kept my face blank and my chin up. The mug of coffee burned my now-chilled hand.

“But we will not be turning Ava from our house!” Olivia declared, and I felt a moment of hope. The said announced, “She will always have a place in our household!”

That hopeful spark turned ice cold while several in the crowd began to mutter angrily. Olivia would never have misspoken that word, “household,” on accident.

She and Ethan were claiming me as their omega house slave.

Chapter 4
Ava POV

Yes, omegas were slaves. This was an outdated social class still existing in Wolf Territory

Alphas and Lunas could easily make any werewolf citizen into an omega as a punishment. After that, the kids of these omegas would continue to be omegas and served as slaves.

I did nothing wrong, and now I was going to be punished by the one who had wronged me.

Though it wasn’t a psychic shock this time, the pain of realizing what my ex-husband and friend wanted from me now pierced my mind and body, leaving me weak. I felt a hand on my arm and turned to see a good friend of mine, Beatrice, standing nearby and looking at me with concern.

“Ava?” she whispered, reminding me of school days when we had whispered secrets to each other when the teacher’s back was turned. “What is this?”

Before I could answer, Olivia continued, “Later today, my brother, Chris, who left us ten years ago to find his life in the Human World, will return to transfer ownership of the Moonstone to my husband, Ethan. With that, my husband and I will take our rightful places as Pack Alpha and Luna.”

“What’s going on here?” Beatrice demanded, her hand still cupping my elbow and her bright red hair helping others locate the source of her voice.

“You can’t just decide you’re going to lead this pack!” rang out the voice of a man I didn’t recognize.

“This isn’t how things are done!” shouted Juniper, daughter of Elder Degas. She was a mother of three I’d worked with on a daycare program. I looked up but couldn’t see her in the crowd, and now several people were complaining.

Ethan stepped forward in the black ceremonial garb of a pack Alpha and held his hands out and down. His black cape swept the ground as he moved, and I realized he had a proud contentment on his face I had never seen before.

The crowd quieted.

“Olivia and I have been chosen by her brother, Chris, to lead Moonstone Pack. She is the daughter of the late Alpha Adam. As her husband, I assure you, this is how things have been done for centuries. We will have order here.

“I know Ava has made herself seem like a good leader to you,” Olivia said next, looking like she didn’t appreciate Ethan’s interruption of her moment. “But she has lied to you and manipulated her way into your hearts. Consider this: she is now rejected and unbonded! It is only right that she serve the ruling family.”

“Go back to the Human World and buy some shoes!” Beatrice shouted, making some Wolves around us laugh in scorn.

“Yes! Leave pack leadership to the leaders!” a new voice called, strong and authoritative. I saw Leonard step forward, tall and sturdy, his arms crossed over a barrel chest. As the owner of the largest farm in Moonstone Pack, he commanded instant respect, and many turned to acknowledge him.

“You have no experience, no position in Pack matters” he continued. “You’ve never even held a job. What do you know of the Pack’s needs?”

Olivia’s cheeks flamed bright red, and that look of hatred I knew from the night before returned to her eyes as she glared first at Leonard, then at me. I moved in front of Beatrice instinctively, pulling my arm from her grip.

“You’re right!” Olivia shouted, silencing the crowd. “Ava does not deserve an honored place in our household! She has turned the pack against the daughter of our late Alpha Adam.” She held out her arms. “Ava’s punishment is clear!”

While I and many other people stared in astonishment, Olivia ran down the stairs of the portico, her long dress flashing bright green in the sunlight while her white robe billowed around her, and strode to the flames of the brazier. People backed away as she took a red-hot poker from the flames and held it up.

“In accordance with Moonstone Pack’s intolerance of treason, Ava is to be banished!” She then turned to two omega guards I hadn’t noticed before, who turned and began walking toward me.

For a moment, I felt like I was in a movie while two omega goons from Central Casting were coming to arrest me. I looked into their blank faces and over their wrestler-like physiques and felt my blood pounding in my ears as I realized Olivia’s intent.

She was going to remove my pack tattoo and expel me from the pack forever!

I backed away, only to realize how thickly the crowd had gathered behind me. There was nowhere for me to run.

“Olivia!” I shouted into her venom-filled face. “Don’t do this, please!”

My left hand wrapped around my right forearm, covering the tattoo that marked my place in the pack. Beatrice and others were shouting, but the guards had reached me and took my arms in their hands, revealing the tattoo to the sun and to Olivia as she approached me, poker held high.

“Hold her down!” she commanded, and the crowd began to shout now that this was wrong and not how things were done. While burning off one’s pack markings as a sign of exile was the punishment for treason, that happened after a trial and was done carefully in the clinic to prevent infection. It was meant as exile, not torture or a death sentence.

The guards shoved me to the ground where I landed on my bag as their hands held me down by the shoulders and feet. I was trapped, vulnerable, and getting close to hysteria.

My view was blocked, and Leonard was standing there between me and Olivia. “You can’t do this!” he objected. “You have no right!”

“If you want to protect her so badly,” Olivia sneered, “you can leave the pack with the traitor!”

Looking up, I wondered how I could ever have thought this Wolf was a sweet, somewhat silly girl. I realized the woman with a branding iron in her hand, eyes flashing with triumph and scorn, was the real Olivia. Again, more than anger, I felt grief.

The crowd hushed as they realized they could actually do nothing to stand against the future pack Luna.

Olivia stood over me now, smiling proudly.

“You see?” she asked me, and her voice had gone oddly quiet. “No one can disagree with the Luna’s judgment.” The poker started to descend toward my exposed arm. I could actually feel its heat.

“And what if I disagree?” asked a calm, familiar voice that I knew had no place in this nightmare.

Olivia spun around, almost swatting a woman standing near us with her burning poker. The woman leaped back, and the crowd parted slightly to reveal a tall, blond man standing there, arms hanging almost casually at his sides. I recognized that impossibly handsome face instantly.

“Chris?” Olivia asked.

Oh Goddess.

No wonder he had seemed familiar last night with his blond hair and green eyes.

The young man standing there was Olivia’s brother and the supposed Alpha of the Moonstone Pack.

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