Rhydor's POV
Of all the women the Moon Goddess could have chosen, she gave me a weakling.
A rankless, powerless weakling who can't even control her wolf?
Just my luck.
I stood by the window in my study, staring out at the pack grounds without really seeing them. My jaw ached from clenching too hard. My hands were fists at my sides.
We'd crossed paths once before, briefly, that morning. I saw her then, but no spark or bond was drawing me in. She didn't feel it either. I know why now, she had no wolf.
And I'd buried my Alpha aura so deep, even the guards didn't pick up on it. I needed the space to train without the stares, without the weight of who I was. It worked. They passed me by as if I were no one.
Funny how everything changed after that night.
And yet, even now, I could smell her. That soft, maddening scent, wild rain, and something sweeter underneath. It lingered in the air whenever she was near, always reaching me before I even saw her. My wolf stirred every damn time. Drawn to her. Wanting her.
It pissed me off.
How she stirred my wolf, how the bond worked even when she couldn't feel it, how someone like her could be mine.
I'd done what needed to be done. Rejected her. Cut the bond before it could chain me to someone who would only drag me down.
So why did it feel like everything was falling apart?
The door slammed open.
I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Only one person in this pack dared to enter my study without knocking.
"So it's true?"
Isadora's voice was sharp, cutting through the silence like a blade. I turned slowly to face her.
She stood in the doorway, her emerald eyes blazing with fury. Her chest rose and fell with quick, angry breaths. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides.
"I thought it was just gossip," she continued, her voice rising. "But you actually moved another woman into the Pack House?!"
I kept my expression neutral. Calm. "Isadora…"
"Don't 'Isadora' me!" She stepped into the room, slamming the door behind her. "I'm supposed to be your future Luna, and I haven't even moved in yet! But some rankless cleaner gets to live under your roof?!"
I could see the desperation beneath her anger. The fear that she was losing her place. Her future.
I moved toward her slowly, deliberately. "You need to calm down."
"Calm down?" Her voice shook. "How can I calm down when everyone is talking about this? About her?"
She doesn't know. Good… she can't know about the curse, about the switching.
And she never will.
I stopped in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to look at me. Close enough that my presence pressed down on her like a weight.
"Isadora," I said, my voice smooth and controlled. "You are my chosen Luna. Don't let gossip twist things."
"Then why is she here?" Her voice was quieter now, but still edged with hurt. "Why her?"
"I had my reasons." I reached up and touched her cheek, my thumb brushing across her skin. "Reasons I can't explain right now. But they have nothing to do with us."
Her anger flickered. I saw it in her eyes, the way she wanted to believe me.
"You're the one I want beside me," I said softly, holding her gaze. "That hasn't changed."
Her breath hitched. The tension in her shoulders eased slightly.
I leaned in slowly, my heart thumping hard as if it might burst out of my chest, and the air between us was thick with all the unsaid stuff hanging there. Her green eyes met mine for a second, soft and needy, she didn't back away, and that gave me the push I needed.
My lips touched hers gently at first, warm and real, like I was trying to pull her back from whatever edge we were on, reminding her, and maybe myself, that I was still here, still hers, no matter the mess with the pack or the doubts creeping in.
She froze just a beat, then sighed into the kiss, her fingers grabbing my shirt tight, twisting the fabric like she was holding on for dear life, her body going soft against me as if all her worries melted away right then. I deepened it a little, tasting the sweetness of her, my mind racing with thoughts like Goddess, don't let this slip away, she's everything right now.
And when I finally eased back, her breath came out shaky, her cheeks pink, eyes all hazy and full of that quiet hope.
"I can't wait for the Luna ceremony," she whispered, her voice small and real, a tiny smile breaking through like sunlight, her hand still clutched in my shirt as if letting go might break the spell.
"When everyone sees us together, they'll stop talking." It hit me hard, that mix of excitement and fear in her words, making me want to promise her the world, even if I wasn't sure I could deliver it.
But before I could respond, the door opened.
My mother stood in the doorway.
Her blue eyes swept over us, landing on Isadora with a look I couldn't quite read. Then her gaze shifted to me.
"Luna ceremony?" Genevieve's voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it. "What are you talking about?"
The room went silent.
Isadora's face paled slightly. She looked between my mother and me, realizing she may have said too much.
I kept my expression carefully neutral.
My mother's eyes never left mine. "Isadora, would you give us a moment?"
It wasn't a request.
Isadora hesitated, looking at me for permission.
"It's fine," I said quietly. "I'll see you later."
She nodded reluctantly and left, casting one last uncertain glance at my mother before closing the door behind her.
The moment we were alone, the warmth my mother had shown earlier vanished. This wasn't Genevieve, the kind former Luna. This was the woman who had stood beside my father and helped him rule for decades.
"What is she talking about?" she asked, her voice sharp. "A Luna ceremony?"
I crossed my arms. "It's nothing you need to worry about."
"Nothing I need to worry about?" She stepped closer. "Rhydor, you have a fated mate under this roof. The one your father ordered to be here. And yet Isadora believes she's going to be Luna?"
"Because she is," I said flatly.
"Is she?"
I didn't answer.
My mother's expression hardened. "You rejected your mate. Fine. But the curse hasn't broken. You're still connected to her. And now you're planning to go through with a ceremony for another woman?"
"Isadora is strong," I said, my voice cold. "She's respected. She can lead beside me. The other one…" I stopped myself from saying her name. "...can't."
"You're playing a dangerous game, Rhydor."
"It's my game to play," I shot back. "I'm the Alpha."
My mother shook her head slowly, disappointment etched into every line of her face. "Yes. You are. And you're making the same mistakes your pride always leads you to."
Silence stretched between us.
"I'm going to speak with your father about this," she said finally, turning toward the door.
"There's nothing to discuss," I said, my voice rising slightly. "I've made my decision."
She paused at the door, looking back at me. "Then I hope you're prepared for the consequences."
She left, closing the door quietly behind her.
I stood there, alone, my fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white.
Until I heard it.
Logan.
My wolf's voice rumbled through my mind, low and disapproving.
I thought you never wanted this Luna ceremony. Why do you want Isadora to be your Luna?
I gritted my teeth. "Since that stupid girl made the stupid decision to blurt it out, I have to go with it. But I'm not choosing someone unworthy. Isadora is strong. She's everything a Luna should be."
And yet she's not our mate.
"She's better than our mate," I snapped. "The Moon Goddess made a mistake. My parents are trying to force me to accept her. To keep her close. The only way to break this curse, to end this nightmare, is by making Isadora my Luna. Once she's officially my mate, once the ceremony is done, that rankless girl is off the hook. Out of my life for good."
Logan was silent for a moment. Then his voice came again, heavier this time.
I'm not in support of this. Why can't you just accept our fated mate? She's all we want.
"She's all you want," I corrected coldly. "I know what I want. So be quiet."
And then I did something I'd never done before.
I shut him out.
I slammed the mental door between us, cutting off his voice, his protests, his constant nagging about fate and bonds and destiny.
Silence filled my mind.
Good.
I didn't need his guilt. Didn't need his weakness.
I was the Alpha.
And I would make the choices that needed to be made.
Even if it meant fighting against everything inside me that said I was wrong.