Chapter 2. The Second Wife Proposition

Celeste’s POV

I could see the pain etched into Lira’s eyes—how utterly broken she was. In that single glance, I felt exposed, foolish, as though I had betrayed my dearest friend. And yet, deep down I knew it wasn’t entirely my fault. If anyone bore responsibility for this mess, it had to be the moon goddess herself.

Could Lira feel the same way I did? We’d stood side by side since we were five years old, inseparable through every scraped knee and whispered secret. There was no way our bond could truly shatter over this…could it?

“I refuse to believe it,” Lira whispered in a trembling voice before she spun on her heel and vanished into the darkness. I nearly called after her, desperate to explain.

“Stay.”

A man’s voice boomed inside my head, sudden and commanding, and I froze where I stood, my limbs refusing to obey. Leon emerged from the shadows, each step slow and deliberate. He halted just far enough away that I could taste the tension between us, yet close enough that his intoxicating scent filled my senses.

“I haven’t seen you before. Are you new here?” he asked, his tone soft and unfamiliar, and inexplicably my heart warmed.

“It’s me, Celeste,” I said, forcing a frown. Reality was hard to swallow, but I had to face it.

“Celeste?” His expression flickered with uncertainty. I could tell he was searching his memory.

“Yes—the same Celeste who chased you around with a spider when we were ten years old.”

I remember it clearly: I was jealous, fiercely protective of Lira when she sneaked flowers into Leon’s bag, and I couldn’t stand the way he kept stealing her attention. Leon had been terrified of insects, but I was fearless, able to snatch them from thin air and swing them playfully in front of him. Every time I cornered him, Lira would rush to his rescue. Surely he hadn’t forgotten those childhood games.

Recognition bloomed in his eyes. A storm of frustration passed across his face. “Why would the moon goddess do this?” he muttered, voice low. I sensed that these old memories still haunted his dreams at night.

I took a tentative step forward, trying to appear fierce even as my knees trembled. “Why not? So I can pick up where we left off.”

He gave me a crooked smile. “You must think I’m still that little boy you used to torment.”

The words sent an electric thrill through me. I had never considered Leon attractive before—he had always belonged to Lira—but in this moment, he stood there as a striking man. My heart pounded, and I fought the urge to reach out and touch him. I could tell he felt the same pull.

Deciding flight was safer than flight of fancy, I spun around, but Leon’s hand shot out and gripped my arm.

“Don’t think you can run off like your little best friend did.”

My breath caught in my throat, but I managed to whisper, “You have to understand how Lira feels. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

As if he hadn’t heard me, he leaned closer, brows raised. “Are you sure? Because I could reject you as my mate right here and now—and choose your best friend instead.”

Hearing those words made something inside me snap. The thought of him at Lira’s side was so unbearably dark that I nearly collapsed.

When I stayed silent, his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against his chest. I heard faint gasps from passersby. I pushed against him awkwardly until I escaped his hold.

“People are watching, Leon.”

I forced my arms free, stepping back. In a moment or two, rumors would spread, and Lira would learn of this. I could already imagine how her face would sour with betrayal.

He squared his shoulders and met my eyes. “I don’t care. Don’t think for a second that you can run away from me or force me to be with your best friend. Neither of you is my type—only one of you belongs to me, and it isn’t Lira. I call the shots in this pack, and you have no choice but to obey me. Understand?”

My heart hammered, but I found myself nodding in reluctant agreement. Satisfied, he released me—just in time, before he could deliver a second, harsher lesson.

I spun on my heel and ran, every footfall taking me closer to Lira. I knew exactly where she would be when she felt betrayed: our old safe spot, a secluded grove where we had carved our initials into a tree trunk so many years ago. It was the one place only I remembered, the one corner of the world we both had claimed as ours.

When I arrived, I found her sitting on the ground, her back against the gnarly trunk, knees drawn to her chest. The evening breeze stirred stray strands of her hair across her tear-streaked face. She looked smaller and more alone than I had ever seen her.

“Lira,” I murmured, voice trembling as I knelt beside her.

She didn’t even glance up. “Go away.”

I sat anyway, folding my legs to mirror her posture. “I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“I know,” she whispered, voice raw. “And that’s what hurts the most. I’ve prayed for this moment my entire life.”

I swallowed, wracking my brain for the right words. All I could manage was, “I’m sorry.”

Lira lifted her head at that, mascara staining her cheeks as she looked me straight in the eyes. “Alpha would never approve of this. With your title, you aren’t fit to be Luna. And worst of all… you can’t even shift.”

Her bluntness cut deep. Had she really said that to my face?

I fought the sting in my throat. “We’re best friends, right? You love me, don’t you?”

Though her words still stung, I saw tenderness in her gaze. She nodded. “I owe you everything, Lira. I would do anything for you.”

She offered me a small, sad smile, reached out, and took my hand. I braced myself—but nothing could have prepared me for what she said next.

“How about you reject Leon as your mate?”

My breath caught. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. “Excuse me?” I managed, voice cracking.

She continued, serenely certain. “Whether this sort of pain never reaches us, why wait for it to happen? Reject him firsthand. That way, I know where I stand—and I can be sure you won’t drift close to my husband in the future.”

Her words ignited fury in my chest. The agony of a mate’s rejection was legendary, something only fools dared risk—especially given my fragile condition. She knew that.

“Lira…” I began, but she silenced me with a raised hand.

“This is not a request,” she stated, voice steady and cold. “I command it as the Beta’s daughter and the next Luna. If you refuse me, you will face my wrath.”

As those final words echoed in the canopy above us, I realized that our bond—once so pure—had been tested in ways neither of us ever anticipated. And now there was no turning back.