Chapter 2

Four days later, I was putting away Rowan's laundry on my birthday.

He'd been staying at the pack house with Celeste. Everywhere I looked, someone was posting a picture with her. I had stayed behind in his private house, where everyone thought I was the live-in maid.

Being wolfless already put me beneath even the omegas in their eyes. No one questioned why I was doing his laundry, or why I would be spending my birthday alone.

A knock interrupted me.

“Come in.”

Gavin hurried through the door, out of breath.

I dropped the shirt I was folding. “What's wrong? Did something happen to Rowan?”

He put a white dress into my arms.

“Get changed, Luna. We're going to be late.”

“Late for what?”

“I nearly forgot. Three weeks ago, the Alpha asked me to bring you to the square today. In this.”

I looked down at the dress. White. The color a Luna wore when she stood beside her Alpha.

He'd arranged this three weeks ago. Before Celeste came back.

Perhaps he hadn't forgotten my birthday after all. Perhaps he was finally ready to acknowledge me, even without a wolf.

My hands shook as I changed. Then I followed Gavin to the square.

Flowers lined the streets. Red and blue balloons, my favorite colors, bobbed above the crowd. Hundreds of wolves had gathered around the stage in their best clothes. The cheering grew louder as we approached.

I smiled and worked my way toward the front.

Then I saw the banner.

WELCOME HOME, CELESTE.

I stopped. People brushed past me, clapping, while I stood in the white dress Rowan had chosen.

On the stage, he held out his hand to Celeste. She took it and stepped up beside him. He kissed her fingers without looking away from her face.

I wiped my cheek before anyone could see the tear.

“Thank you all for coming,” Rowan announced, “to celebrate the most important woman in my—”

He saw me.

“Nora.”

People turned to follow his gaze. Celeste looked down from the stage, then smiled and came toward me.

“Nora! I've missed you.” She wrapped her arms around me. “Thank you for coming to my welcome-home party.”

I stood stiffly in her embrace.

She glanced back at Rowan. “He's taken such good care of me since I got back.” Then she lowered her voice. “Your mate is a real gentleman.”

She knew.

I'd thought only Gavin knew. Celeste had been accepting all of this knowing exactly who Rowan was to me.

“I don't know what I would've done without him,” she continued. “He really does care about me.”

I looked at Rowan. He swallowed and turned away.

“That's good, Celeste.” I forced the words out. “At least you're both happy.”

She smiled and went back to him. The guilt on his face disappeared as soon as he looked at her.

“Alpha!” someone called. “When are you going to mark Luna Celeste? We need a Luna.”

Beside me, Gavin stiffened. Celeste and Rowan went quiet on the stage.

Rowan opened his mouth.

A howl cut him off.