Chapter 2

FIVE YEARS AGO...

The music still echoed whenever the memory returned. It always returned.

The main pack's great hall had never been so brilliantly lit. Lanterns hung from the surrounding trees, and the full moon blazed high overhead, blessing the night that was supposed to change Andreia's life forever.

She remembered every detail — the simple but elegant dress in blue-grey, chosen to honor the moon. Her racing heart, her hands trembling slightly as she waited. She'd been waiting for the moon's blessing, for the union, for everything she'd been promised.

This was the night. The night Maximo, son of the Alpha King, would formally present her as his future Luna. They'd been together for years.

A love built in secret at first, then accepted — celebrated between whispered promises in the small hours before dawn.

Maximo always told her their destiny was inevitable, that the moon had chosen them. Andreia believed him. Against her fear, against her father's warnings, against everything. She believed him.

"He's going to be a little late," said one of the older she-wolves with a smile. "That's normal, dear. Alphas love making dramatic entrances."

Andreia smiled back, nervous, trying to shake off the strange tightness in her chest. Her eyes kept searching for Maximo among the guests. With every passing second, the anticipation grew — and with it, a creeping unease that felt almost like a premonition.

Then the murmuring began. First whispers, then awkward silences. Finally, every pair of eyes turned to the hall's entrance.

Andreia felt her heart stop.

Maximo walked in with firm steps, his posture impeccable, his expression serious as always. But he wasn't alone. His arm was wrapped around the waist of another woman — tall, fair-haired, wearing a smile far too confident for someone who didn't belong.

The world seemed to lose its sound. Andreia's legs buckled as comprehension refused to take shape.

It didn't make sense. It couldn't. They'd planned this night together. He'd promised. He'd sworn before the moon.

"Maximo...?" she whispered, but her voice was swallowed by the void.

The Alpha King rose from his ceremonial throne, surveying the scene with calculated attention. A satisfied smile settled on his lips.

"Attention!" he announced, his voice echoing across the hall. "Tonight, we celebrate an important union for the future of our pack."

Andreia's stomach turned. He wasn't talking about her. Maximo guided the woman a few steps forward, releasing her only when everyone could see her clearly.

"I present to you Helena," Maximo said, his voice steady. "My moon-chosen companion... and the future Luna of this pack."

The shock was physical. Andreia felt the air leave her lungs as if something had crushed her chest. Voices erupted in murmurs around her — some surprised, some curious, some cruel and satisfied.

She searched Maximo's face, desperate for an explanation, for any sign this was a mistake. When their eyes finally met, she knew.

There was no regret there. Only coldness — and something that looked very much like poorly concealed guilt.

"What...?" She managed to step forward. "Maximo, this isn't funny. Stop this. Now."

A heavy silence fell. Helena observed her with mild curiosity, the way one might appraise something that no longer mattered.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Maximo said at last. "But it was a necessary decision."

"Necessary?" Andreia laughed — a broken, almost hysterical sound. "You promised me! You told me I was your mate!"

The Alpha King descended the steps slowly, his presence bearing down on the room.

"Promises made without approval hold no value," he declared. "Andreia, you are not suited to be Luna of this pack."

Each word cut like a blade.

"Father..." she began, but her voice cracked. "You know me. You know who I am."

"Precisely," he answered, without emotion. "And because I know who you are, I know your place is not beside my son."

Maximo turned away.

That was the final blow.

"So that's it?" Andreia whispered, feeling tears burn her eyes. "Years... everything we lived through... none of it meant anything?"

Maximo took a slow breath.

"It meant something," he said. "But it wasn't enough."

Something inside her shattered in that instant — not just her heart, but her faith, her trust, the love she'd believed would last forever.

Without another word, Andreia removed the necklace Maximo had given her — the symbol of their promise — and let it drop to the floor at his feet.

"Let the moon judge you," she said, her voice steady despite the pain. "Because I won't anymore."

She turned her back on them all — the watching eyes, the whispers, the judgments. Every step out of that hall was a farewell: to the pack, to love, to the future that had been stolen from her. She called silently on her mother for the strength to keep going.

That night, Andreia stopped being merely the daughter of a powerful Alpha. She became the rejected wolf.

And Maximo, without knowing it, had just lost far more than a Luna. He'd lost the future she carried in her womb.

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