Lyra's Maiden Moon ceremony had just ended. Back in my room, I opened The Den — our pack's private forum. A post was blowing up. The title read: Looking for a gift to completely destroy someone. Budget: 200 bones. For my so-called best friend's ceremony. Two days from now. The comments flooded in — poison-laced daggers, plants that stank like death. But the OP shot every single one down. The reason? Not vicious enough. Then the OP pinned their own reply. "Thanks, everyone. Her mate offered to help. We're going to humiliate her in front of the whole pack at her Ascension Ritual." Someone in the comments immediately called it out. "Her bonded mate is helping you go after her? What exactly is going on between you two?" The OP fired back with a row of eye-rolling wolf emojis. "After every hunt, he gives me the heart — the first and finest cut. Not her." "When it's time for ceremonial moonstones, I get first pick. Not her." "His first embrace was mine. Every single one of his seven full-moon rampages? Also me." "He's delayed their Mating Bond three times. For me. And that priceless Bonding Amber they have? It doesn't carry their fur. It carries ours." It felt like an invisible hand had reached into my chest and closed around my heart. I zoomed in on the OP's profile picture. Two hands. Clasped together. And on one wrist — a Bonding Amber, glowing in the moonlight. My heart dropped. That amber. Kyle and I had traveled to the Oracle's Grove together, six months ago, to get it made. One of a kind. … I sat there, frozen, long enough for the moon to drift across my window. Just an hour ago, the ceremony had barely ended. Kyle was already holding a "blackout drunk" Lyra in his arms. He frowned at me. "Selene, she drank way too much Moon-daze wine. I'll have the guards walk you home — I need to get her back to her den." I'd barely had anything to drink. The night air had already cleared my head. I just nodded, like I always do, and told him to ping me on the pack-link once she was home safe. It's a half-hour walk, tops. But every time I reached out to him through the link since then... nothing. Just silence on the other end of the link. And now, reading Lyra's post. She was completely sober. The whole thing had been an act. Just then, my wrist crystal pinged. A message from Kyle popped up. My Moonlight Goddess She's home safe lol Omw back
I didn't reply. I just went back to the post and zoomed in on the profile picture. That amber... I designed the pattern myself. The Pack Oracle sealed it. There's nothing else like it out there. The man's wrist in the photo — he was wearing a limited-edition Patek Philippe. Kyle's Coming-of-Age gift. From me. And the woman's wrist? A moonstone bracelet. I carved those stones myself, from gems I mined in the Frostfang Peaks. A symbol of our sisterhood. We had matching ones. Someone in the comments asked, "What did she ever do to you?" Lyra's reply was pure venom. "It was my birthday today. She's literally pack royalty, and all she gave me was some stupid enchanted dagger instead of picking up the tab for the whole party like she always does." Another user pressed, "Aren't you scared of getting caught?" "Please. During the Trials at Shadow Peaks, I came up with the whole plan myself. Use an Illusion Bloom to cloud her mind — so she'd never think to question him." "But first, he had to spend seven full moons completely unhinged... with me. He didn't even hesitate." "The next day I could barely walk. And my sweet, stupid friend just assumed it was post-shift exhaustion. She felt so bad for me she made Kyle carry me all the way to the summit." I stared at the screen. My stomach turned. I remembered that day. I kept pushing my own strength into her through the pack bond, worried sick. "Lyra, if you're not feeling well, just stay at the base camp," I told her. Kyle's voice went uncharacteristically soft. “Don't push it. If you really want to see the eclipse from the summit, Selene and I will bring you back next time.” She rolled her eyes and insisted on going. But after two steps, her face went pale — and she collapsed. That's when I told Kyle to carry her. I blinked. My throat tightened. Hot tears dropped onto my comm crystal. I switched back to Kyle's messages. My mind was just... static. I didn't even know how to confront him. Just last week, Lyra was grabbing my hand, putting on this whole dramatic bit. She said as the wolf who'd witnessed every single moment of our love story, she had exactly one job at our Mating Ceremony — to get up on that stage and roast us for every single wolf we'd ever left feeling like a Steve. I laughed so hard I fell into her arms. I promised her she'd be the one to catch my bouquet. But I never saw it coming. These were the two wolves I trusted the most. And together, they handed me the most complete betrayal I had ever known.
I'd known Kyle and Lyra for twelve years. From our Pack Academy graduation to our Coming-of-Age ceremony, the three of us were always together. I still remember the day Kyle told me he was in love with me. Lyra snarled at him. Fangs out. A warning. "Kyle. Selene is about to ascend to her Alpha bloodline. Are you seriously trying to sabotage that? Out of jealousy?" I had to pull her back, laughing. "Lyra, relax. He's the reason my bloodline is stable enough for Ascension. He trained with me through every single Blood Trial." "And remember when I shattered my leg on that hunt? He went out alone to find the healing herbs." Lyra had this look on her face I couldn't read. I thought she was disappointed in me for getting distracted right before my Ascension. After we got together, Kyle was the perfect mate. The whole pack knew it. He escorted me to every Council meeting and training session. He had my Waning Cycle schedule memorized better than I did. His go-bag was basically a care package built for me. Restoration potions. High-energy jerky. All of it. For three years, Kyle had been mapping out our entire future. A written plan. He presented it to my father — the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack — as proof he was worthy of me. And he hit every single benchmark. Made Beta. Came home after brutal days and still groomed my fur and made me dinner. We journeyed together to get our Bonding Amber. The plan was locked in — Mating Ceremony after my ascension this year. An heir by next year. Every single line of that plan had my name in it. But outside the plan... there was Lyra.
The post updated. My finger clicked on it before I could even think. "Honestly? I've already given her some disgusting gifts. Indirectly, of course." "Like that guardian rune bracelet she never takes off." "I was in a bad place. Her mate and I got a little wild one night. One of my fangs snapped — still wet with my blood — and got lodged inside one of the stones. He didn't even care. He just had it set into the bracelet and gave it to her anyway." My eyes shot to my vanity. The bracelet Kyle gave me for the Winter Solstice. He told me he'd traveled three thousand miles alone through a frozen forest, and prayed to the Spirit of the Mountain to have it blessed for me. But Lyra wasn't done. "Oh, and the Solstice this year? He didn't go on any spirit quest. He took me to the Blackstone Pack. To meet his parents." "This silver family crest I'm wearing? His mother gave it to me." "He said since he couldn't give me the Mating Bond, he had to make it up to me in other ways." My mind just went blank. His mother's face flashed in my head. Warm. Apologetic. I remembered her exact words from when Kyle brought me to meet her last year. "Sweetheart, it's a Blackstone Pack tradition. This wolf-fang crest is passed down to our son's future mate. To our future daughter."
Kyle came back past midnight. He reeked of Lyra's signature scent — that sickly sweet rosemary perfume. Completely overpowering his own. He gave me that same doting smile. "Waiting up for me to brush out your fur?" I stared at him. Face completely blank. I was about to let him have it. But right then, Lyra's face popped up on my comm crystal. Video call. She was slurring her words, blowing a sloppy kiss at the screen. "Selene, you're my bestie, I love you." "This dagger is so gorgeous," she said, her voice dropping into a pout. "I just feel so bad. I'm so broke. I'll never be able to afford something this amazing for your Ascension tomorrow..." I cut her off. "Right." She caught the look on my face and froze. Kyle swooped in without missing a beat. Wrapped his arms around me from behind, buried his face in my neck. Just like always, competing with her for my attention. "Selene, I'm the one who loves you most," he murmured against my cheek. Through the screen, Lyra let out a sharp, sudden scream. Then the sound of her comm crystal hitting the floor. Kyle's head snapped toward the screen. All the color drained from his face. The call went dead. He pulled away and bolted for the door, his voice cracking in a way I'd never heard before — frantic. Panicked. "Selene, something's wrong. I have to go check on her!" The door slammed behind him. But right before the call disconnected — I heard it. A soft little laugh from the other end of the line. My hands were shaking as I opened The Den again. Straight to her post. New update. "She's so dumb it's actually painful. Couldn't even tell I faked that whole thing just to get her mate to come running." "Tomorrow at her Ascension? She won't even know what hit her until it's too late. It's almost too easy. Kinda boring, tbh." My heart dropped into ice. A chill crawled through my entire body.
I just lay there on the couch, hair still wet, eyes wide open until the sun came up. My mind kept looping back to that day at the summit. The Shadow Peaks Trials. I can still see Lyra, screaming into the wind in the Old Tongue. "Kyle and Selene! Mated for life! A bloodline that will never end!" And Kyle glanced over at her, then howled back. "Lyra and Selene! Friends and allies, forever!" The eight o'clock bells snapped me out of it. I grabbed my comm crystal. Typed one message to Kyle. "The engagement is off." A second later, I heard a key in the lock. Lyra's voice, loud and teasing. "See? This is your fault we're late. Now Selene's favorite Sunrise Glaze Rolls are sold out." "Excuse me? You're the one who spent an hour preening just to walk over here," Kyle shot back. "Well, maybe if you hadn't kept me up all night—" They walked in. Arms full of breakfast bags. Huge grins on their faces. Then they saw me. Just lying there on the couch. The smiles died. The chatter stopped. I knew exactly what that little argument meant. Kyle kept his expression neutral, setting the food down on the table with a casual laugh. "My heart-link just buzzed. Let me see what my moonlight goddess sent me..." He looked down at his comm crystal. His face went white. Lyra leaned right over his shoulder to read it. Close enough that their faces were nearly touching. Then her eyes shifted to me. My face still completely blank. Her voice came out soft. Sweet. Almost playful. "Selene, are you serious right now? All this drama just because Kyle didn't come home last night?" "If anyone should be upset, it's me. I took a nasty fall last night and you didn't even check on me." "And I still dragged myself out this morning to get you breakfast for your Ascension day..." That's when every detail I'd never thought to question came rushing back at once. Since when were Sunrise Glaze Rolls from the East Side shop even my favorite?
No. Lyra is the one who loves them. He just buys them for her, every time. I was just the cover story. And eventually, everyone, including me, just started believing the lie. I stared at Lyra, my voice dangerously calm. "You faked the fall. Didn't you?" "You wanted him to come over. To spend the night at your den." "That little laugh you let out before the call dropped? I heard it." "And your scent all over him? The bite marks on his neck? I see them." Just like I knew she would, Lyra’s hand flew to her collar, pulling it higher. Kyle strode towards me, swallowing hard. "Selene, no. You're getting the wrong idea." "Lyra's bloodline went haywire after she fell. She passed out. I had to stay and watch over her all night, that's all." "I swear, it won't happen again." The first day we moved in together, we made one rule. One promise. As promised mates-to-be, neither of us would ever spend a night away without the other. Every good memory we shared just made me want to end this clean. But looking at their faces — faces I'd known for twelve years, now suddenly foreign to me — the emotion hit me all at once, and when I opened my mouth, I couldn't stop the crack in my voice. "The engagement is off," was all I could force out. Lyra shoved Kyle forward. "Get on your knees and apologize to her. Now." But then, she was the one who dropped to the floor with a thud. "Look, whatever it is, I'm sure it's not your fault, Selene. I'll apologize first, okay? Can we just be done with this?"
But Kyle just yanked Lyra to her feet, his eyes full of... tenderness. For her. Then he looked at me. No guilt. Just disappointment. "Selene. Apologize to Lyra." "We've put up with your moods for so long. We get tired too. When are you going to grow up?" "Why can't you just trust us? Like we've always trusted you?" And just like that, something inside me broke. What was left was nothing — just numbness. "You both betrayed me." I said. "Are you done pretending otherwise?" "Get out. Both of you. Right now. If you don't leave now, I will invoke my birthright as the next Alpha and have you both exiled." Lyra grabbed Kyle by the arm and pulled him out the door. But not before she stage-whispered — making sure I caught every single word. "Let's just give her some space." "Guess we're just her punching bags today." "It's probably just Ascension stress. She'll get over it."
I thought I'd been clear enough. But I suppose only the ones being lied to ever see the full picture. And a cheater always knows exactly what they did. When I blew out the sacred Embers of Ascension, the ceremonial hall's moonstone lights flared to life. And standing right in the center of that glow, side by side, were Kyle and Lyra. Smiling. Lyra walked toward me like nothing had happened. Carrying this massive, hideous statue carved from obsidian. "Surprise!" she chirped, pushing it into my arms. "I picked it out just for you! Do you love it?" At the same time, Kyle dropped to one knee. Held up the Bonding Amber, eyes overflowing with fake tenderness. "Selene. Bind your life to mine. Be my mate, forever." The amber pulsed with light. The whole pack burst into cheers. One of the Elders shouted from the crowd. "Accept him, child! Say yes!" I looked down at the statue in my hands. It was a carving of me. In my wolf form. The angle she'd chosen caught me right after a fight — mouth open, gasping for air, eyes completely vacant. Like a dumb, hollow Omega.
She always loved catching me at my worst. Always had to show Kyle. Said it made me look "real and adorable." Every single guest had their phone out. Recording this whole thing. Lyra slipped back behind Kyle. Her own phone aimed right at me. I caught the smirk. She knew. She knew exactly how stupid I looked — standing there in my ceremonial robes, holding this hideous, cursed-looking thing like an idiot. Kyle pushed the amber higher. His voice dropped. Urgent. "Selene, come on. Lyra even got you a gift. That's her apology." "The Elders are watching. Everyone's watching. Isn't this literally everything you've ever wanted?" Apology. I looked back down at the statue. He genuinely could not see it. How cheap it was. How ugly it was. I almost laughed. But a tear came out instead. They both saw it. They probably thought I was happy-crying. I closed my eyes. I raised my hand. And then the whole room just — exploded. Thick, slimy liquid and silver glitter shot out from every direction, all at once. All over me. My face. My hair. Everything. White confetti floating down around me like I was at a funeral. It was all over my gown. Soaked in. A complete disaster. Every flash in the room went off at once. Kyle shot Lyra a soft, adoring look. Then turned back to me, grinning. "Selene, we lost at Truth or Dare, you can't actually be—" WHACK. I moved before I even thought about it. My hand came down hard across his face. The Bonding Amber flew out of his grip and skidded into the corner. Lyra screamed at me. "It was just a joke! Who do you think you are, hitting Kyle?"
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