Luna's Escape from Betrayal

My fingers trembled as I flipped through the leather-bound ledger I'd discovered hidden beneath a false bottom in Cameron's desk drawer. I'd been searching for the winter supply inventory—a Luna duty I still tried to fulfill despite everything—but what I found instead made my blood run cold.

Column after column of pack funds, diverted. Money meant for repairs to the pack house's east wing. Funds allocated for the pups' education. The budget for my Luna duties—community outreach, pack celebrations, medical supplies—all of it systematically siphoned away.

And the destination of these funds? Listed plainly in Cameron's bold handwriting: "V's diamond bracelet." "V's weekend getaway." "V's new car."

Victoria. Always Victoria.

"He's been planning this for months," Maya whispered within me, our shared consciousness burning with fresh betrayal. "Look at the dates."

The earliest entries began shortly after I'd announced my pregnancy. While I had been preparing for our heir, Cameron had been preparing for a future without me.

I traced the most recent entry with a shaking finger: "Rejection ceremony—full moon preparations."

The room spun around me. A rejection ceremony. He was going to officially reject me—his true mate, the mother of his lost child—and for what? A woman who couldn't even give him a legitimate heir?

"We're going to his office," Maya growled. "Now."

For once, I didn't resist her fury. Clutching the ledger to my chest, I marched through the corridors of the pack house, ignoring the startled glances from pack members who rarely saw their Luna move with such purpose anymore.

I didn't knock. The heavy oak door banged against the wall as I pushed it open, finding Cameron behind his massive desk, Victoria perched on its edge, her hand resting possessively on his shoulder.

"What is the meaning of this?" Cameron demanded, rising to his feet.

I slammed the ledger down on his desk. "No, what is the meaning of THIS?"

Victoria's eyes widened as she recognized the book, quickly schooling her features into practiced innocence.

"You've been stealing from the pack," I said, my voice stronger than it had been in years. "Using funds meant for our people to shower gifts on her while our east wing crumbles and pups go without proper supplies."

Cameron's eyes flashed dangerously, a muscle ticking in his jaw. "You dare question how I allocate pack resources?"

"And this," I continued, flipping to the last page, my finger stabbing at the damning entry. "A rejection ceremony? Were you even going to tell me, or just drag me before the pack without warning?"

Something dark and primal crossed Cameron's face. He slammed his clawed hand against the desk with such force that the wood splintered beneath his palm.

"ENOUGH!" he roared, his Alpha aura exploding outward.

The force of it hit me like a physical blow. My knees buckled against my will, my body responding to the command even as my mind rebelled. I found myself kneeling before him, the position of submission he'd forced me into countless times before.

Victoria's lips curled into a satisfied smirk as she watched me struggle against his power.

"A proper Luna wouldn't question my allocations," Cameron sneered, looming over me. "Victoria understands duty. She understands what it means to support an Alpha. You've been nothing but a disappointment since the day we mated."

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of them.

"Get out of my sight," he dismissed me with a wave of his hand. "And leave the pack finances to those who understand how power works."

I managed to rise, dignity in tatters but spine straight, and walked out without another word. The ledger remained on his desk—evidence he would surely destroy. But it didn't matter. I had seen enough.

That night, as I lay alone in my cold bed, it happened. A foreign presence slithered into my mind, violating the sacred bond that connected me to Cameron.

"Hello, Luna," Victoria's voice purred inside my head. "Enjoying your evening alone?"

Before I could block her, images flooded my consciousness—Cameron's hands on Victoria's body, his teeth at her throat in a mockery of a marking ritual, their bodies entwined in what should have been our sacred bond.

I screamed, clutching my head, but the images kept coming. Intimate moments, secret touches, whispered promises—all forced into my mind with surgical precision.

"Just a taste of what's to come," Victoria whispered as she finally withdrew, leaving me gasping and shaking. "Sweet dreams, Luna. While you still have that title."

As dawn broke, I hadn't slept a minute. Every time I closed my eyes, the images returned. Maya paced restlessly within me, our shared rage building into something dangerous.

"The Blackstones," she whispered. "It's time to contact Ryker again."

I nodded, my decision crystallizing as the morning light crept across my floor. This wasn't just about escape anymore.

This was war.