Chapter 2 Part 2

Kylie's POV:

Graham hadn't set foot in our bedroom for two full days. The sickening knot in my stomach grew tighter throughout that time, and my body gave me no respite from his betrayal. Each stab of pain reminded me of what he was doing with Zoe, until I seriously considered fleeing the place that had become my prison. Warmth and happy memories had once filled our home, but now I could barely breathe there, and I saw no way out.

I couldn't stop asking myself why she'd returned. Why had she walked away from Alpha Liam to come back to Graham? Understanding what she wanted might give me a chance to expose her.

All I needed was proof that Graham couldn't dismiss, and one mistake on her part might give it to me. Had having her back blinded him to the way she was using him? Someone who truly loved him wouldn't have walked away from him in the first place. Surely he could see how easily she moved from one Alpha to another, playing with their feelings as though one could simply replace the next.

Never before had I felt so alone with what I was facing.

Nothing in Beta Asher's expression suggested that he cared. Graham had his complete loyalty, and it was clear he wouldn't get involved. The maids and warriors barely waited for me to pass before they started snickering. All along the hallways, whispered gossip spread about my failure to keep my husband at my side. To them, I was a pathetic wife who couldn't hold on to her Alpha.

Calls from the councilors' wives had stopped coming, too. Without any explanation, several meetings and ceremonies I'd been expected to attend had been canceled. Everyone seemed to find my presence too embarrassing to bear.

I couldn't stand another moment of it, so I decided to visit Zoe's parents.

For years, her father had served as Alpha Johan's Beta. There was a chance they might be willing to talk some sense into their daughter.

Despite everything, I still felt a stubborn flicker of hope as I pulled up outside their house. I drew a deep breath before climbing the porch steps and knocking.

Henry opened the door and drew back a little when he saw who was standing there.

"Oh, Luna Kylie!"

"Would it be all right if I came in?" I asked softly.

For several seconds, he studied me suspiciously, then moved out of the doorway.

"Of course... please come inside."

Almost as soon as I stepped inside, Betty entered the main room while drying her hands on a dish towel. Henry's wife made no effort to hide her curiosity as she looked at me.

I swallowed against the tightness in my throat and wet my dry lips before I could speak.

"It's Zoe I need to talk to you about," I finally replied. "Please tell her to stay away from Alpha Graham. We're married."

A quiet growl came from Henry, and Betty pressed her lips together.

"You're forgetting that they fell in love as children, Luna Kylie," she responded with a careless shrug. "They had a relationship long before you came to this pack, and my daughter still loves him. As far as I'm concerned, you're the one who ought to go."

For a moment, I couldn't find a single word.

"How could you say that, Betty?" I gasped.

Her only response was to roll her eyes.

"You don't get to address me that way. Leave my house."

Her words hurt as though she'd pressed against an open wound. I felt Coral stir inside me as my wolf demanded revenge and urged me to lash out. Instead, I made myself turn away.

Nothing I said would change their minds. Their daughter was the only person who mattered to them. The little hope I'd carried into that house was gone.

Back at the estate, Graham was seated in the grand living room, and Zoe was nestled close beside him.

The moment he spotted me, his expression darkened.

"What the hell were you doing at Zoe's parents' place?" he growled. "Was that your way of trying to get me to give her up?"

"Go easy on her, Graham," Zoe interjected in a soft voice that was almost sickeningly sweet. "She only did it because she loves you."

Her wide eyes began to fill with tears.

"Your marriage is suffering because of me. I should be the one to go."

Then she rose from her seat as though she intended to leave.

"Exactly," I snapped. "You should leave."

"Enough, Kylie!" Graham yelled.

Suddenly, he was on his feet, and the crushing force of his Alpha aura bore down on me to make me submit. My eyes widened as I met his stare, and it took every bit of strength I had to remain standing.

"Please don't, Graham," Zoe murmured as she dabbed at her tears. Her attention shifted to me. "Luna Kylie, I understand that you resent me. You have my word that I'll keep my distance from you."

A faint sob escaped her, and Graham immediately began stroking her back.

"Graham's the one I love. I spent two years being abused by Alpha Liam. Eventually, I couldn't take the violence anymore, so I came back."

Her eyes lifted to his face with a look of almost overwhelming adoration.

"Now I know I made the wrong choice... but I can't undo it."

Without hesitation, he gathered her tightly against his chest.

"Please don't cry, Zoe."

She gave a small nod and eased back just a little.

"I'll stay out of everyone's way while I'm here. You won't have any trouble from me. Just please... let me stay."

"You're staying right here," Graham growled as he aimed a murderous glare at me. "I'm the Alpha of the Lunar Pack, and what I say goes."

After drawing a deep breath, he kissed the tears from her face and turned his cold gaze toward me.

"We need to talk. Come with me."

Shock left me numb as I followed him to our bedroom. Before I crossed the threshold, I looked back and caught a smile of smug satisfaction on Zoe's face.

The door closed firmly behind us as Graham shut it.

"What the hell has gotten into you, Kylie?" he snapped, barely containing his irritation. "Can't you leave Zoe alone? She hasn't done anything wrong. Keeping her here was my choice. She's offered to go over and over, but I loved her before you ever came along. You need to understand that. I won't turn my back on her. After everything she's been through, including those beatings, she just wants someone to love her. That doesn't stop you from getting on with your life, does it?"

"You're forgetting that I'm your mate!" I whispered as my voice cracked. "The Moon Goddess blessed our bond. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Stop it, Kylie!" he blurted out. "Plenty of Alphas take lovers even when they have a Luna. You can't meet every need I have as an Alpha. Zoe understands me completely, and I'm keeping her here. There's nothing more to discuss."

His words left me shattered, and all I could do was stare.

"Graham..."

"Your place as my Luna isn't changing," he added as he reached for my hand.

Disgust twisted inside me, yet my body still responded to his touch. Coral purred with instinctive pleasure at having our mate so close.

Then a familiar scent reached me from the other side of the door. Zoe was standing just outside.

I wanted her to see how much I still meant to him, so I slipped my arms around his waist and pressed his hands against my body. Our mate bond surged at once. He groaned softly and drew me firmly against his chest.

His scent filled my lungs as I took a deep breath and nestled into his arms.

"There's a bond between us," I murmured against his chest. "You feel that pull just as strongly as I do. But I won't spend my life pretending I don't see what you're doing, like some Lunas do. Either you end things with Zoe... or you reject me."

His body jerked away from mine.

"Reject you?" he asked as horror crossed his face. "That's impossible! I'm not rejecting you, Kylie. Do you understand?"

Just then, the door opened.

There stood Zoe. She covered her mouth and gave a dramatic gasp at precisely the right moment. He pushed himself away from me as though he couldn't bear my touch.

"Zoe, what's wrong?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she turned and fled along the hallway.

He yanked his hand out of mine and hurried after her.

"Honey, that didn't mean anything!" he shouted after her.

My whole body shook with a sudden chill. Then my knees buckled, and I slid to the floor.

Something had to change, and I had to act quickly.

For a long moment, I felt hollow. At last, I took out my phone and searched my contacts until I found Katy's number.

Katy and I had lived together in a college dorm room for four years, and there had been a time when we did everything together. Marriage had gradually drawn me away from her, and we'd lost touch.

Her brother was Alpha Logan Hanks, who ruled the North Pack. It was the largest pack in North America. Graham's Lunar Pack had a hundred and fifty wolves, but Logan commanded more than five hundred.

People said that once he'd spent a night with a woman, he never went back for a second. His ruthless leadership and cunning, however, were what made people truly afraid of him. According to some, he could take on five wolves alone and tear them apart with only his fangs and claws.

Our paths had crossed just once, at a spring festival at the university. His visit had lasted only an hour, but he'd watched me the whole time with the unnerving focus of a predator.

Seeing him again had never been part of my plans.

Still, few could rival Alpha Logan's influence over the Council of Elders. He might be the one person who could get me out of that humiliating marriage and help me reclaim my pack.

My fingers tapped Katy's number as I silently prayed she'd agree to help me.

The call went unanswered, and it felt as though even fate had turned against me.