Hazel's POV
"Harder, Alpha… please – right there," Bianca moaned, arching her back beneath my husband's weight.
Zane gripped her hips roughly, slamming into her so hard the bed frame thudded against the wall. The air in the room felt thick like I was breathing through fire. I stood frozen, the same way I had for the past several minutes, unable to look away or move from the spot.
I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. My nails dug half-moons into my palms, the only thing holding back the scream threatening to tear from my throat.
"You like that, don't you?" he growled at Bianca's neck, but his eyes – those once gentle grey eyes – locked on mine, pinning me in pace. There was no warmth in them anymore, only a cruel, deliberate smirk that twisted my insides.
Oh Goddess. Where did it go wrong?
My fingers twitched, itching to claw at something – anything – just to release the storm raging inside me.
"Mine," Ivy, my wolf, whimpered inside my head. I felt her voice tremble with pain as a searing burn spread across the mark on my neck where Zane once claimed me. Each thrust he made into her sent a wave of fire through the mark, punishing me for something I didn't do.
I swayed, gripping the edge of the vanity table beside me for balance. This used to be my room before Zane stripped me of my Luna title, my authority… my dignity.
'Make him stop, please,' Ivy whimpered again in my mind, her voice cracking with pain. "Please, Hazel. This is killing us."
'I can't,' I whispered to her silently, feeling tears blur my vision. You know I can't.
Ivy had been fading for weeks. We both had. The constant rejection from our mate, the way he touched another woman even though the mate bond tied him to us. It was destroying us from the inside out.
It hadn't always been like this.
Two years ago, after my parents were killed in a rogue ambush, the Elders told me I couldn't lead the Darkvale Pack unless I married. A female Alpha needed a mate to keep the throne, they said.
Not long after, I met my mate. A kind, gentle man from the warrior ranks, who looked at me not as an Alpha's daughter but as a woman.
Gods.
From the moment we married, Zane had been gentle, protective, and patient. He'd held me when nightmares came and sworn that no one would ever hurt me again.
It was as if the Moon Goddess herself must have smiled on me. But I was wrong. Very wrong. Turned out the Moon Goddess made a mistake in matching me to him. He was a mystic's curse in disguise.
Six months ago, this strange woman came by and I welcomed her warmly not knowing who or what she was.
It was later on I learnt that she was his ex-girlfriend who had left him three years back for some wealthy businessman from the neighboring pack. And since that relationship crashed and burned to the ground, she came crawling back to her chosen mate.
And my mate? He welcomed her back like she was a gift from the Moon Goddess herself.
First, he moved me out of our bedroom. Said Bianca needed a place to stay temporarily and the guest rooms weren't suitable for someone of her 'delicate nature.' I slept in the guests' quarters that night, too shocked to argue.
Then he stripped my title. Didn't even have the decency to tell me himself. I found out when the pack accountant informed me my Luna allowance had been revoked. When I confronted Elliot, he barely looked up from his paperwork.
"You're embarrassing yourself, Hazel. Bianca is my guest. Show some hospitality."
"I'm your wife. Your mate!" I had cried but he wasn't moved.
"And you'll do as I say. Or do I need to remind you of your place?"
The threat in his voice was clear. His wolf was stronger. His position as Alpha absolute. I had no choice but to bow my head and leave.
Last month, he made it official. I was to serve as Bianca's personal attendant. Me. An Alpha's daughter. Reduced to fetching tea and running baths for the woman sleeping with my husband in my own father's pack.
And when the pack began whispering about his sudden cruelty, he silenced them by saying I'd failed to give him an heir. That was why Bianca was here—to help the pack continue the bloodline.
And just like that, the whispers stopped. The pitying looks came next. As if I weren't even human.
"Elliot, darling, you're so good to me," Bianca purred now, her voice dripping with false sweetness. She lounged on the bed, her naked form glistening in the dim light, her eyes glinting with malice as they flicked toward me.
He grunted in response, his hand slid to tease her nipples and she let out another dramatic moan. Soon, I heard the sheets rustle as they changed positions.
This wasn't the first time he'd forced me to stand here and watch. He called it 'learning my place.' Said I needed to understand that Bianca would always come first. That I should be grateful he kept me around at all.
"Hazel," Bianca's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Her tone dripped with mock sweetness. "Be a dear and fetch me some water. I'm thirsty after your husband's... enthusiasm."
My throat felt dry. I should have refused. Or yelled at them. But I didn't. I lacked the strength to.
Instead, "Yes, my lady," I whispered, my shoulders sagging in relief.
Turning toward the door,"Wait." Bianca's voice stopped me. She sat up, her naked body on full display, a sly smile appearing on her lips.
My fists clenched into a ball. Oh lunar goddess, give me strength, I prayed silently as I fought the urge to lunge at her, to wipe that smug look off her face.
"Get me some freshly squeezed orange juice instead. And a little of those sandwiches I like. What are they called, baby?"
"Cucumber and cream cheese," Zane murmured, his hand lazily stroking her hair, his eyes still boring into me.
"Right. Those. Be quick about it, Hazel. I'm absolutely exhausted after that performance." She stretched, making sure I saw every mark my mate had left on her skin.
My jaws clenched so hard my teeth ached. Fucking bitch. "Of course," I forced out, my voice steady despite the rage coursing through my veins.
As I reached the door, Bianca called out again. "Oh, and Hazel? Make sure you knock next time before entering my room. The way you creep around Zane and I is disturbing."
Without looking back, I turned and walked out quietly, closing the door behind me.
My hands trembled as I walked down the hall, the walls seeming to close in around me. The pain in my chest was too deep to cry about now.
The kitchen was dimly lit, the air thick with the scent of herbs. My vision swam as I reached for the oranges she requested. The room tilted for a second. My wolf, Ivy, was strangely quiet.
'Ivy?' I whispered inside my mind. 'Are you there?'
Silence.
Usually she'd answer instantly, even if it was just a faint growl or sigh. But this time… nothing. The space between us was hollow, cold.
A dizzy wave rolled through me, black dots dancing through my vision and I gripped the counter. "Ivy, please answer me," I whispered aloud.
Still nothing.
"Honey?" a familiar voice called softly from behind me.
I turned to see Maren, the older she-wolf who had served my family long before Zane ever stepped foot in our home. She'd been my mother's right hand, and when my mother died, she quietly became mine too.
Her eyes softened when she saw me, but her lips pressed into a thin line as she noticed the tray in my hands.
"Child, you shouldn't be doing this yourself," she whispered, her tone full of quiet fury.
"I'm fine," I lied, forcing a small smile.
She frowned, stepping closer. "Hazel, your leg…"
My gaze dropped, and I froze. A dark red trail ran down my thigh, staining the floor beneath me.
For a moment, everything stopped – the pain, the air, the sound. Then the room tilted, and my knees buckled as the edges of my vision went black.
The last thing I heard was Maren's voice breaking through the haze.
"Someone help! The Luna is—!"
And then, nothing.