I smiled slowly, with care, letting the words rest between us like a quiet threat. “The Moonbond Ceremony you will not attend.”
He blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Whose ceremony? Not… not ours, right, Liora?”
I tilted my head, releasing a soft, mocking breath as I stepped closer to the Alpha. “Of course not ours. You have not even marked me yet, Alden. I am still only your chosen Luna, am I not?”
I brushed my fingers lightly over his arm, just enough to unsettle his wolf.
He pulled back at once, shaking my hand away. “Liora… do not act this way. You are still recovering. Just… rest.”
I swallowed the pain that cut deep into my chest. He did not even pretend to care now. How foolish I had been to believe in his bond.
Draven leaned against the stone doorway, folding his arms. “Wait. Why are we not invited, Luna? We have shared cycles together.”
“She is of a distant bloodline,” I said evenly. “You would not know her. My mother wishes me there to stand for our pack.”
“And Selene?” Draven pressed. “Will she go with you, Luna?”
I lifted one shoulder. “No. She has no tie to that bloodline. She is only my adopted she-wolf. There is no reason.”