Farah waltzes in and he hands her my bed, my room, my title—like it all belonged to her all along.
By sunset, I’d finished moving out of the Luna quarters. I carried the last box into one of the guest rooms, limping slightly as the pain in my knee worsened. The smell of antiseptic still clung to my hands after treating it myself. No healer had been called. I didn’t want to give anyone another reason to whisper about me being “too weak to be Luna.”
When Ethan finally returned, still smelling faintly of Farah’s jasmine scent, he glanced at the stack of boxes lining the hallway.
“Why are you packing up so much stuff?” he asked, his tone casual—as if the past few days hadn’t turned my world upside down.
I gave him a small smile. “Just clearing things I don’t need anymore.”
His brow twitched, but he didn’t press. “Farah’s just staying temporarily.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He said nothing else and walked away.
Later that night, he informed me, in a clipped tone, that we’d be attending the Alpha Gathering.
“You want me to come?” I asked, surprised.
“You’re still Luna, aren’t you?” he said flatly. “You’re expected.”
Right. Of course. But I wasn’t the only woman on his arm that night.