Chapter 2 Playing Queen

MIRA

I packed everything I could fit into two bags. My hands were shaking so badly that I dropped things twice—a hairbrush, a photo frame I immediately threw in the trash. I didn't want any memories of this place.

Through the window, I could hear the confused murmur of pack members downstairs. They were waiting for a ceremony that would never happen.

Good. Let them wait.

My phone buzzed. Kade's name flashed on the screen. I declined the call and blocked his number. Then I blocked Delilah's too.

"Sera, I'm so sorry," I whispered to my wolf.

"Don't apologize. We're survivors. We'll get through this."

But even Sera sounded broken. The mate bond rejection was hurting her too. Wolves weren't meant to lose their mates. It went against everything in our nature.

A knock on the door made me freeze.

"Mira? It's me, Beth."

I relaxed slightly. Beth was the pack healer and the only real friend I had here besides... well, besides the stepsister who'd just destroyed my life.

I opened the door a crack.

Beth's kind face was creased with worry. "I heard shouting. The whole pack is confused about why the ceremony hasn't started. What happened?"

"I'm leaving," I said simply.

"What? Why?"

I couldn't say it. If I said the words out loud again, I might actually break down.

Beth pushed her way inside and closed the door. She took one look at my tear-stained face and pulled me into a hug.

"He cheated," I finally choked out. "Kade and Delilah... they've been together for two years."

Beth pulled back, her eyes wide with shock. "Delilah? Your sister Delilah?"

"Stepsister. And apparently, they're true mates. I was just... temporary."

"Oh, Mira." Beth's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry."

"I need to leave. Tonight. Before I have to face everyone."

Beth nodded slowly. "Where will you go?"

"I don't know. Anywhere but here."

"You should go to the Moonstone Pack. My cousin is there. She'll help you get settled, no questions asked."

The Moonstone Pack was three states away. Far enough that Kade wouldn't bother looking for me.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Beth grabbed my hand. "Promise me you'll be careful out there. A she-wolf alone without a pack..."

"I'll be fine."

But we both knew I was lying. Without pack protection, I was vulnerable. Rogues, hunters, other packs they'd all see me as easy prey.

Beth pressed a piece of paper into my hand. "My cousin's name and address. Tell her I sent you."

After she left, I finished packing. I was almost done when the door burst open.

Kade stood there, still in his ceremonial clothes. He looked furious.

"We need to talk," he said.

"No, we don't. Sign the divorce papers and leave me alone."

"You can't just walk out on your pack."

"This isn't my pack anymore. You made that very clear."

He stepped inside and closed the door. "Mira, I know you're hurt"

"Hurt?" I laughed bitterly. "Hurt is when you forget an anniversary. This? This is betrayal."

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this. We were going to tell you after"

"After what? After you humiliated me in front of everyone? After you let me play Luna while you screwed my sister in secret?"

Kade's jaw clenched. "Don't make this harder than it has to be."

"I'm not the one who made this hard. You did. You and Delilah."

"She's my true mate, Mira. You have to understand, when you meet your true mate, nothing else matters. It's not something I could control."

"You could've been honest with me! You could've divorced me the second you found out instead of stringing me along for two more years!"

"I was trying to do the right thing!"

"The right thing?" I stared at him in disbelief. "The right thing would've been to not marry me in the first place if I meant so little to you!"

He was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was softer. "You didn't mean nothing to me. At one point, I did care about you."

"Cared. Past tense."

"I'm sorry, Mira. I really am. But Delilah is my future now. She's carrying my…" He stopped abruptly.

My blood ran cold. "She's carrying your what?"

Kade's face went pale. "Nothing. Forget I said anything."

But I knew. Oh god, I knew.

"She's pregnant," I whispered. "Delilah is pregnant with your child."

He didn't deny it.

The room started spinning again. My hand instinctively went to my own stomach, where my own secret was growing.

"How far along?" I asked.

"Three months."

Three months. Which meant she got pregnant while I was still his wife. While I was sleeping beside him every night, completely clueless.

"Get out," I said quietly.

"Mira…"

"GET OUT!"

He flinched at the volume of my voice. "I'll have the divorce papers ready by morning. You can pick them up from the pack lawyer."

"Fine."

He turned to leave, then paused at the door. "For what it's worth... I hope you find happiness somewhere else. You deserve that much."

"I deserved a faithful husband. But we don't always get what we deserve, do we?"

After he left, I sank onto the bed and let myself cry. Really cry. The kind of crying that made my whole body shake.

Sera was howling inside me, mourning the loss of our mate bond.

But underneath the grief, something else was growing. Something hot and sharp.

Anger.

They thought they could just discard me? They thought I'd slink away quietly and let them have their happy ending?

My hand rested on my stomach again.

I was carrying Kade's child. The future heir to the Crescent Moon Pack. And he didn't even know.

A dark thought crept into my mind. I could tell him. I could use this pregnancy to force him to stay with me, to choose me over Delilah.

But did I want him anymore? Did I want a man who'd betrayed me so completely?

No.

I didn't.

I wanted revenge.

And I was going to get it.

But first, I needed to disappear. I needed to become someone new. Someone stronger. Someone they would regret ever crossing.

I grabbed my bags and headed for the door. But as I reached for the handle, I heard voices in the hallway.

"Did you hear? The Luna ceremony is cancelled."

"Why? What happened?"

"I don't know, but I saw Mira packing her things. I think she's leaving."

"Leaving? But she just became Luna!"

"Apparently not anymore."

I pressed my ear against the door, listening.

"I heard Alpha Kade and Delilah are true mates," another voice whispered. "Poor Mira never stood a chance."

"True mates? But isn't Delilah her sister?"

"Stepsister. No blood relation."

"Still, that's cold. Really cold."

At least someone felt sorry for me.

I waited until the voices faded, then slipped out through the back stairs. The same stairs I'd climbed earlier, full of hope and excitement.

That Mira was gone now.

As I reached my car, I saw a figure leaning against it.

Delilah.

"Going somewhere?" she asked with that same cruel smile.