At Grace Mansion, lanterns flickered along the corridors, casting twisted shadows across the windows. In the dim light, they looked almost like beasts waiting to crawl out of the darkness.
Cassandra Sinclair sat quietly in a chair, her hands folded in her lap. Her slender figure was swallowed by the plain dress she wore, making her look almost insignificant in the grand room.
Almost.
Across from her stood the man she had spent an entire year waiting for. Adrian Warren was still dressed in the battle armor he had worn on the journey home. The armor was worn at the edges, scratched from countless fights, but it did nothing to diminish the commanding presence of the Alpha before her. His handsome features were hard beneath the dim light, his expression carrying equal parts determination and something that looked suspiciously like regret.
"Cassandra, the Alpha King’s decree has already been issued. Aurora will be joining our household. There is no changing it."
Cassandra stared at him for a moment, unable to believe how easily he had said it.
"The Dowager Luna has always praised General Yates as a model of what a woman should be," she said quietly. "Would a woman like that really agree to become a second mate?"
Adrian’s eyes hardened with irritation. "No. She won’t be a second mate." He paused, then delivered the next words without hesitation. "She will be my official mate, and she will have the same standing as you."
Cassandra’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap. Calling Aurora something else did not change the truth. In the end, she was still another woman being brought into the home Cassandra had spent a year waiting to protect.
"Giving her a respectable title doesn’t change anything," Cassandra said, her voice calm. "Ultimately, she is still a second woman in a relationship that already exists."
Adrian frowned. "Does it really matter what you call it?" His voice became firmer. "Aurora and I developed feelings for each other while fighting on the battlefield. We fought side by side and earned this future together. I don’t need your approval."
A faint, humorless smile touched Cassandra’s lips. "Feelings?" Her gaze remained fixed on him. "Do you remember what you told me before you left for war?"
Adrian’s expression shifted. For a moment, the room seemed to grow quieter.
A year ago, on the night of their mating ceremony, Adrian had barely stayed long enough to lift Cassandra’s veil before he received orders to lead reinforcements to the Southern Border. Before he left, he had held her face in his hands and looked directly into her eyes. Cassandra Sinclair, you’re the only woman I’ll ever love. I will never take another mate.
She had believed him. She had built an entire year around those words.
Now, Adrian looked away. The discomfort in his expression only made Cassandra’s chest ache more.
"Forget what I said," he murmured. "When I married you, I didn’t understand what love was. I thought you were simply a suitable match for an Alpha." His voice softened when he spoke the other woman’s name. "Then I met Aurora."
The warmth that entered his eyes was unmistakable. "She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever known. She’s strong, straightforward, cheerful, and completely unrestrained. I love her, Cassandra. I hope you’ll agree to this."
Cassandra swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. She hated the weakness that threatened to betray her. She hated even more that some part of her still wanted to ask him to choose her. But she had never begged for anything. Not even from her own mate.
Instead, she forced herself to ask the question that mattered. "What about your parents? Do they agree?"
"They do." Adrian answered without hesitation. "It was the Alpha King’s decree, but my parents also support it. Besides, Aurora visited my mother not long ago. She’s straightforward and lovable. My mother took to her immediately."
They agreed. A bitter thought passed through Cassandra’s mind. How ironic.
For the past year, she had devoted herself to this family as though it were her own. She had managed the household while Adrian was away fighting. She had dealt with pack affairs, endured the whispers of those who pitied a young Luna whose mate was constantly absent, and spent countless nights at his mother’s bedside while the older woman battled illness. And now, after everything she had done, another woman had apparently accomplished more simply by walking through the door.
"Is she here?" Cassandra asked, one eyebrow lifted. "At the mansion?"
Adrian’s expression softened again at once. "Yes. She’s with my mother right now." There was unmistakable affection in his voice. "She’s made Mother very happy. Even her health seems to be improving."
Cassandra’s chest tightened. "Improving?" The word escaped before she could stop herself. "When you left for war, your mother was seriously ill." She looked directly at him. "I brought in the best pack physician I could find. I handled the household during the day and stayed beside her through the night. I barely slept for months."
Her voice remained steady. She wasn’t asking for praise; she was stating a fact. "I did all of that because she was your mother."
Adrian’s expression changed slightly, but Cassandra continued before he could speak. "Her condition improved because of the treatment and care she received."
"I know," Adrian said. "But seeing Aurora has made her feel even better." His tone was earnest, almost pleading. "I know this is unfair to you, Cassandra. I know what you’ve done for my family. But this is bigger than either of us. For the good of the pack, please support Aurora and me."
Cassandra pressed her lips together. Her eyes burned, but she refused to let the tears fall. For one humiliating second, she allowed herself to remember the woman she had been a year ago—a young Luna waiting for her mate to return, a woman who had believed loyalty would be rewarded with loyalty.
Then she buried the memory.
If Adrian wanted Aurora in this household, fine. But Cassandra would not sit quietly while another woman entered her home and rewrote the story of the year she had sacrificed everything for.
"Invite General Yates here."
Adrian’s brows drew together. "I have a few things to ask her."
"No." His refusal came so quickly that Cassandra almost laughed. "There’s no need for that, Cassandra." His expression hardened. "Aurora isn’t like the women you’re used to dealing with. She’s a war commander. She doesn’t concern herself with petty household disputes." His gaze remained fixed on Cassandra. "She won’t want to meet you."
Something cold settled inside Cassandra. "What kind of women do I know?" She slowly raised her chin. "And what kind of woman do you think I am?"
Adrian said nothing.
Cassandra’s fingers curled against the fabric of her dress. "Have you forgotten who I am?" Her voice was still calm, but there was steel beneath it now. "I’m the daughter of the Sinclair family. My father and all six of my brothers died defending the Southern Border three years ago."
Those words carried more weight than Adrian seemed willing to acknowledge. Cassandra had been born into a powerful warrior bloodline. She had lost nearly her entire family to the border wars, yet somehow, because she preferred the quiet of the household to the battlefield, everyone had decided she was fragile.
Adrian interrupted her. "That’s your family." His tone was gentler, but somehow that made the insult worse. "You’re different. You’re a delicate woman. You’re better suited to managing a household and enjoying the comforts of a Luna’s life." He exhaled. "Aurora doesn’t respect women like that. She’s straightforward and doesn’t hold herself back. If she meets you, she might say things you won’t like." His eyes softened with concern. "Why put yourself through that?"
Cassandra slowly looked up at him. The lantern light fell across her face, illuminating the striking beauty mark beneath the corner of her eye. For years, people had mistaken her silence for weakness. Perhaps Adrian had made the same mistake.
"It’s fine." Her voice was quiet. "If she says something unpleasant, I’ll ignore it." She rose from her chair, smoothing the front of her dress with deliberate calm. "Understanding the bigger picture and knowing how to conduct oneself with dignity are essential qualities for a Luna."
Her gaze met Adrian’s. Steady. Unwavering.
"Don’t you trust me?"