A Cage of Moonlight and Silver

I couldn't take it anymore. I blasted the image to the entire pack through the mind-link: my mate, Alpha Cassian Valerius, intimately kissing and scent-marking his subordinate, Lorelei Finch, in the park.

After a tense silence, Cassian's commanding Alpha voice finally cut through the link. "This is a psychic illusion, a lie born from Althea's jealousy. Her mind is fracturing. She is not fit to be your Luna."

The mind-link erupted with the pack's thoughts, a chaotic buzz of speculation. Had I lost my mind?

But I knew better. I knew how Cassian, a master of psychic manipulation, twisted reality with his Alpha authority.

I shut out the clamor in the mind-link, my gaze falling to the moon marking on my wrist. The symbol of our mate bond, which should have been a searing brand, was now just a cold, dim smudge.

How was I ever going to escape this gilded cage he called destiny?

————————

1

Even wolves whose names I didn't know were mocking me in the hidden corners of the mind-link.

When my best friend, Briar Lowell, found out, she didn't take my side. To my shock, she tore into me.

"Althea Thorne, have you lost your mind? You should be on your knees thanking the Moon Goddess that you're Cassian's mate! Do you have any idea what it looks like, treating him this way? You're betraying the entire pack!"

"If I were you, I'd get on my knees and beg for his forgiveness without a second thought! You'll regret this!"

All the while, my Alpha mate, Cassian Valerius, simply watched. The faint smirk on his lips told me everything—he was savoring my public humiliation.

After all, I was just a puppet, and he held all the strings.

To the pack, he was the perfect Alpha—strong, charming, and considerate. He was the dream mate of every unmated she-wolf.

But it wasn't until our mate bond formed that I discovered the master manipulator lurking beneath his perfect facade.

In public, he was the epitome of refinement and charisma, a performance that earned him their unwavering devotion. Yet, in private, he used the crushing weight of his Alpha presence to torment me.

He especially loved pushing my quiet nature to its breaking point, watching me struggle under his thumb.

And when he finally provoked an outburst, he'd twist the story, painting me as the unhinged one to our friends and family. He turned them all against me, branding me a traitor.

Every single time, I fell for his gaslighting. I would submit, begging for his forgiveness. Then, with an air of superiority, he’d feign tolerance and say, "See? Only I can put up with you. My love for you transcends even fate itself."

For years, everyone believed I was the ungrateful, unhinged she-wolf in this mate bond.

Even with proof of his betrayal with his subordinate, Lorelei Finch, Cassian still managed to twist the narrative and make me the villain.

My hands trembled as I felt the deluge of malice and insults in the mind-link. With a heart full of despair, I severed the connection.

My head throbbed, the chaos inside threatening to shatter my skull.

Late that night, the front door was thrown open. Cassian burst in, reeking of Lorelei's cloyingly sweet scent.

He sank into the sofa, crossing one leg over the other, his glare a venomous mix of anger and disdain.

"Feeling bold, are you? Who the hell do you think you are to defy me?"

He poured himself a glass of wine, his eyes stabbing at me like daggers, as if I were a disobedient possession.

"So you spread that image. Isn't it time you stopped? A smart she-wolf knows when to back down."

His condescending tone and sharp gaze made me feel like a misbehaving pup.

The old me would have crumpled, dropping to my knees to beg his forgiveness. This time, however, a cold wave of determination washed over me. I wanted to see just how far I could push him.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "What if I refuse?"

Cassian unleashed his Alpha power, the force slamming into me and pinning me to the floor. It was so immense, I couldn't even twitch.

"You want to negotiate with me? Take a good look at yourself. What are you even worth?"

And what did I ever ask for in return? So little.

I endured his abuse in private, hoping only for his love and a place in the pack.

He gave me neither. He saved his protection for Lorelei, because she was his "choice."