her gaze fixed straight ahead. Her expression remained eerily calm,

uld have, tracing the elegant lines of her figure, the way the soft lighting caught her ginger curls, and how the entire hall seemed to hold its breath at her presence. Hi

te wedding gown. The dress hugged her curves perfectly, radiating victory. Lyka's smile was soft, demure

o witness the union between Aiden Stonefield and Lyka Hendrix..." The words blurred into meaningless noise in Myra's ears as her heart h

stinctively, almost every head in the crowd turned toward

eyes locked directly onto hers. Myra's body trembled faintly. She already knew what was coming. "I, Aiden Stonefield, Beta of the Crimson Moon Pack, reject Myra Hendrix as my mate." For a heartbeat, the entire world w

r presence, her very soul to his dissolved like smoke. A hollow ache bloomed in his che

ollapsed to the floor, hands clutching desperately at the cold marble, tears streaming down her face. Kendal surged forward instinctively, but Alpha Ryan's voice cracked th

he is experiencing is nothing but retribution." Myra remained on the floor, tears falling silently

looked toward the altar with dead eyes. The ceremony continued as if nothing had happened. Vows were exchanged. Hands

her as his mate in front of the entire assembly. The instant the bond sealed, fresh agony exploded through Myra's body, sharper, deeper, more final than anything she had ever felt. A ra

rrying her faster and farther into the woods. She ran until her lungs burned and her paws ached, until she reached the jagged cliff at the edge of the territory. She shifted back to human form, her bare skin exposed to

But maybe she was never meant to have any of it. A hollow, broken laugh escaped her lips as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks. "Mom..." her