Chapter 2 I want my title

“Muna... I’m sorry. Can’t you just forgive me this once?”

Killian’s voice sounded broken, like he was about to cry. He stood there at the altar, his fancy suit now looking wrinkled and sad. For a second, the whole hall went quiet again. Everyone was watching us like we were in some movie.

I stopped at the big doors. My hand was on the golden handle. The cool metal felt good against my hot skin. It grounded me. I took a deep breath. Then I turned around slowly and walked back toward him. My steps were steady, even though my heart was beating fast.

All eyes followed me. I could feel them. Some people looked sorry for me. Others looked excited, like they couldn’t wait to tell the story later. I stopped in front of Killian. He was still standing there like a statue that was cracking inside. His eyes searched mine. They looked pleading, but I saw something else too—anger hiding behind the sad look.

“When I was fifteen and there was a fire,” I started. My voice was low but it cut through the air. “I carried you on my back and brought you out. I didn’t care if I got burned. Remember that?”

I swallowed hard. My eyes started burning with tears, but I kept going. “When you started chasing Evangeline in college and called me petty for being upset, I cried until I collapsed. I ended up in the hospital. You didn’t even visit me. You went hiking with her instead.”

A few gasps came from the crowd. Killian blinked fast but didn’t say anything.

“You called me disgusting,” I continued. My voice shook at first, but it got stronger. “When I used my influence to send her to another school. You didn’t care how I felt. When I found out you were supposed to be my fated mate, I spent years changing myself. I studied leadership, etiquette, fighting, talking to other packs... everything. So that when my father gave you the Alpha title, I would be the perfect Luna beside you. But it wasn’t enough.”

My hands made fists at my sides. My nails dug into my palms. It hurt, but that pain felt small compared to everything else.

“You broke me.” I shook my head. “No. You shattered me. You turned me into someone I didn’t even recognize anymore.”

I turned away from him and walked to a nearby table. A fancy glass sat there, shining under the big chandelier lights. I picked it up and looked at it for a long time. It reminded me of how I used to feel—bright and whole. Then I slammed it hard on the floor.

The sound was loud, like thunder. Glass flew everywhere. People gasped.

My father stood up quickly. “Muna, what are you doing?”

I smiled even though tears were rolling down my face now. “Demonstrating.”

“This is how my heart felt the first time he broke me,” I said. I crouched down and started picking up the pieces. My fingers cut on the sharp edges. Blood came out, but I didn’t stop. A waiter ran over with tape. I took it and started putting the glass back together. My hands shook. Blood smeared on the pieces. The cup looked ugly now, full of cracks.

“I glued it back together. I gave him another chance, even with all the broken parts.”

Then I stood up and looked at Killian again. I threw the fixed cup down hard. It shattered even more this time. Pieces flew farther across the floor.

“And this is how he broke it the second time. So tell me, Killian, how do I forgive you?”

Killian’s face changed. He looked like he couldn’t breathe. Then he got mad. “That’s enough from you, okay? I get it. I made some mistakes. That doesn’t mean you get to disgrace me in front of the entire pack!” he screamed.

I almost laughed, but it hurt too much. Tears kept coming down my face. No matter how strong I tried to look, this pain was real. Especially because it came from someone I trusted.

“Enough?” I said. My voice was tired but clear. “I wonder how you sleep at night. You ruined someone who only wanted good things for you. I came into your life with love. With loyalty. With a heart that wanted to protect you. I wasn’t trying to use you. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I wanted to build something real. And somehow, I ended up the one destroyed.”

I took a step closer. “You took my patience and turned it into pain. You took my loyalty and treated it like weakness. The scary part is, you watched me break slowly. You saw the change in my voice. You saw how tired I was. You saw the sadness I tried to hide. And you still kept hurting me. Like my heart was something you could throw away. That’s what confuses me the most. How can someone get real love and still choose to damage the person giving it? People talk about heartbreak, but nobody talks about the trauma of being destroyed by someone you tried to love the right way.”

The hall was so quiet now. I could hear people breathing. Some women had tears in their eyes. A few men looked uncomfortable, shifting in their seats. Beta Jude, Killian’s father, looked down at the floor. He didn’t say a word to defend his son.

Killian’s face turned red. “You’re making this bigger than it is! It was just one mistake. One woman. I was stressed about the wedding, about becoming Alpha. You never understand pressure like I do.”

“Pressure?” I laughed through my tears. “I led soldiers against vampires when I was twenty. I made plans that saved our pack. I stayed up nights studying maps while you partied. And you call that pressure?”

My father walked closer. His face looked old and tired today. “Muna, enough. We will handle this as a pack. Fighting here won’t help.”

“But Dad, they need to know,” I said. “They need to see who he really is before anyone thinks about giving him power.”

An old elder stood up slowly. His name was Elder Marcus. He had always been strict about the old ways. “This is not how things are done. A female Alpha? It goes against everything. The moon goddess will bring bad luck to the pack.”

I looked at him. “With all respect, Elder, the moon goddess let me lead in battle and win. She let me protect our pups when the vampires came. Maybe she’s tired of the old rules too.”

More talking broke out. Some people agreed with the elder. Others started arguing for me. The hall got noisy again.

I felt tired. My hands hurt from the glass. Blood was drying on my fingers.

Killian tried one more time. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Muna, please. We can fix this. In private. Don’t throw away everything we had.”

I looked at him. Really looked. The boy I carried out of the fire was gone. The man I tried to love was gone too. “We never had anything real, Killian. You made sure of that.”

I turned and walked away. This time I didn’t stop. Lila met me at the door. She put a jacket over my shoulders. “You were brave,” she whispered. “Scary, but brave.”

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