Chapter 2

Nobody seemed to believe her. Ravyn had sent Seraphine divorce papers six times before, and she'd refused to sign them on every occasion.

People in the pack had come to see her as weak and almost deserving of pity. Everyone knew that Daisy was the former wet nurse's daughter, yet she walked around the estate as though she owned it and gave orders to anyone she pleased. Seraphine had never challenged her. She'd quietly put up with everything.

As time passed, people had become less careful about what they said. Some made fun of her, while others felt sorry for her. Most agreed on one thing, though. They didn't believe she had it in her to leave.

Her announcement had left everyone so quiet that the tension in the room was hard to bear.

Someone in the crowd spoke up uncertainly. "Do you think she'll really go through with it? She never stays away for long."

Another person answered at once, without a trace of doubt, "She'll never walk away from Alpha Ravyn. She relies on him too much, and she wouldn't give up being Luna."

Ravyn stood in the middle of the gathering, tall and impeccably dressed in a light suit that fit him perfectly. For a brief moment, though, he clenched his jaw.

He couldn't accept that she meant what she'd said. As far as he was concerned, she was trying another way to get what she wanted. Few Alphas in New York had more money or influence than he did. He could ruin her standing with a word, even with laws in place to protect Lunas. He knew there were ways around those laws.

What angered him most was that she'd embarrassed him in front of everyone. He'd arranged every detail of the ceremony with care. The invitations had gone out well ahead of time, and the other Alphas had set aside their commitments to be there.

He'd been sure she'd give in, just as she always had.

This time, however, she wasn't doing what he'd expected.

Nearly all the prominent Alphas were there, gathered closely around them. Only a handful had missed the ceremony. Voren Ashkael was among them. He led the Grimroot Pack and was Ravyn's closest ally, but another engagement had kept him away.

Ravyn took a slow breath and made an effort to keep his voice level.

"You clearly haven't thought this through," he blurted out as he stared at her sternly. "You know what happens when you divorce an Alpha. You'll be shutting yourself off from every other possibility."

Several people nodded, and others quietly voiced their agreement.

Their support only strengthened his confidence. He straightened his shoulders before he went on.

"We have an understanding among Alphas. None of us gets involved with another Alpha's former mate. Even a Beta wouldn't marry you. The best you could hope for is someone from the bottom ranks of the pack."

He made little effort to hide the contempt in his eyes.

Seraphine met his stare without shrinking back. He'd looked at her that way often enough that it no longer surprised her.

She stood straight in her plain hospital clothes and barely moved. Anyone watching her would've struggled to find the slightest sign that she doubted her decision.

Still, seeing him brought back memories of the man she'd known at the beginning.

She remembered the night she'd believed there was something real between them.

She'd turned eighteen during the Moon Festival. That evening, she'd stood on a hill and felt so much that she couldn't keep it to herself any longer. Her voice had been steady when she'd spoken.

"Alpha Ravyn's my mate."

Everyone there had looked at him, waiting to see how he'd respond.

He'd dismissed her without showing the slightest feeling.

When he'd finally spoken later, his answer had been simple.

"I want to be with Daisy. At least she doesn't push herself on me."

Somehow, everything had always come back to Daisy.

Seraphine had grown up among the Betas, where people had treated her confidence and honesty as faults. Daisy had known how to make a different impression. She could bring out her tears at the right moment and lower her eyes until people saw her as someone gentle who needed their protection.

That had been all it took to win them over.

Daisy had accused Seraphine of using underhanded methods. The pack had taken her word for it, and Ravyn had believed her too. Eventually, even Seraphine's parents had begun to question their daughter.

Nobody had made the effort to find out what had really happened.

Seraphine hadn't tried to clear her name. She'd trusted that everyone would eventually learn what had really happened. Waiting hadn't brought the truth any closer to being heard.

Now she faced Ravyn without a trace of agitation.

"You think I signed those papers without understanding what a divorce would mean for me as Luna?" she asked. Her steady voice carried over the conversations around them.

She spoke plainly, without letting any feeling enter her voice.

For the first time, Ravyn's expression shifted, and irritation showed in his eyes. She was no longer behaving like the woman who'd once pleaded for him to care about her.

His face tightened into a scowl.

"You never know when to stop," he snapped. "You played me. You got my parents to pressure me into being with you, and now you expect everyone to feel sorry for you?"

She lifted her hand to stop him before he could go on.

"Take the papers."

She said it without the slightest change in her tone.

She held the documents out to him, her signature already on them.

He went still without reaching for them.

Daisy moved closer before he could respond. The light fell across her pale dress, and she'd carefully arranged her hair to complete the sweet, innocent appearance she'd always worked to maintain.

She gave Seraphine a faint smile.

"Luna Sera, Alpha Ravyn only asked for my help because you were ill," she explained gently, making a show of concern. "You're back now, so there's no need for any of this. Why would you go through with a divorce?"

Seraphine looked directly at her and said nothing.

She could've challenged what Daisy had said. She could've ruined everything for them then and there.

She wouldn't do it in that room, though. She wasn't going to give that audience the satisfaction.

Instead, she turned her attention away from Daisy.

"Where's my son?" she asked.

Even before anyone answered, she felt her chest tighten with worry.

For a moment, Ravyn seemed reluctant to respond.

"He's at the academy," he answered at last, barely loud enough to hear.

She gave a small nod in response.

"All I want from this divorce is my son," she responded evenly.

Two people objected at exactly the same moment.

Both Ravyn and Daisy had answered, "That's out of the question."

Seraphine looked from one to the other without letting either of them read her expression.

"What made you think I'd ever leave my son behind?"

Ravyn caught her by the arm and pulled her a short distance from the people around them.

"Get a hold of yourself," he muttered under his breath. "We'll deal with this afterward. Don't do this in front of everyone."

She gave him no reply. She pulled her arm out of his grip and left.

Although the academy was close by, her legs felt so heavy that she struggled with every step. She hadn't recovered her strength after her hospital stay, and the walk demanded more than her body could comfortably manage. She made herself keep going anyway.

By the time she reached the academy, she found Bryan waiting outside.

He looked at her without any warmth at all.

"What did you come here for?" he asked as soon as he saw her.

She approached him carefully and tried not to let her voice shake.

"I'm sorry I've been gone so long. Come home with me, and we can talk about everything."

He moved a step away from her.

"I'm staying here. I don't want you to take me home."

She felt his refusal almost as sharply as if he'd hit her.

For a moment, she couldn't move.

When she spoke again, she kept her voice low and pleading, "Bryan, I'm your mom. You're coming home with me."

He shook his head hard, refusing to listen.

"You aren't my mom! Just go away and leave me alone!"

People nearby began stopping to watch them.

She made herself smile, hoping she could settle things before the situation got any worse.

"You're upset with me. I can understand that. But please don't say I'm not your mother."

One of the instructors came over and looked at her in confusion.

"Luna, what are you doing out here? Daisy told us you weren't going to get better."

She let his remark pass without a response.

"I'm here to take my son home," she replied.

The instructor hesitated, then moved in front of her to block the way.

"I'm sorry, but Alpha Ravyn was very clear about this. Daisy's the only person allowed to make decisions about Bryan."

Seraphine stopped moving and stared at him.

"What did you just say?"

He spoke more quietly before explaining, "He also told us that Daisy gave birth to Bryan."

For a few seconds, she couldn't seem to hear anything around her.

She gave a quiet laugh, though there was no humor in it.

"You're joking, aren't you?"

He took out a document and passed it to her.

She accepted the paper from his hand.

As she read what was on the page, she felt the last of her composure give way.

Her legs began to shake beneath her.

She couldn't accept what she was reading.

She tried to draw a breath, but it caught in her throat.

"There's got to be a mistake. He's my son."

She could barely get the words out, and her voice kept faltering.

She felt as though the ground had dropped away beneath her.