Rule me if you can

The red wine on the long dining table had turned sour, its sharp scent lingering beneath the flickering candlelight.Zenobia’s eyes, dimmed in the soft glow.

Maxwell hadn’t come.He had missed their anniversary—the third year since they were bound as mates.

But a Luna was supposed to be patient. Graceful. Unwavering in her support for her mate, the Alpha of the pack.That was what was expected of her.That was the burden of her title.

Her quiet sigh was drowned out by the sudden creak of the door opening.

Maxwell stepped inside, his tall frame casting a shadow that seemed to stretch across the entire room.

Zenobia’s gaze shifted instinctively to the figure behind him—A woman.A stranger.An Omega, frail and trembling…Yet clinging to her mate as if she belonged.

Maxwell caught Zenobia’s stare. Without hesitation, he drew the other woman gently into his arms.

“This is Rebecca,” he said, voice low but firm. “She’s staying here… with us.”

Silence followed.Cold. Suffocating. Final.

His words sliced through the room like a blade—sharp, deliberate, unforgiving.

Zenobia’s pulse pounded in her ears. “With us?” Her voice was sharp. “What do you mean?”

Maxwell shifted uncomfortably, his grip tightening around Rebecca’s shoulder. “I’ve decided to take her as my mate.”

The words crashed over Zenobia, shattering everything.

She stared at him, trying to find any sign of hesitation, any hint that this was a cruel joke. “You’re already mated, Maxwell,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.

Maxwell’s jaw tensed. “The bond between us has weakened. I never wanted to hurt you, but I can’t ignore what I feel.”

Zenobia’s fingers dug into her palms. “And what do you feel?”

Maxwell looked at Rebecca, his expression softening. “A connection.”

Zenobia let out a slow breath, forcing herself to think. Her chest ached, but this wasn’t just about her. It was about the pack. About the vision.

She turned to Rebecca. “You’re an omega. Where did you come from?”

Rebecca lifted her head slightly, her pale blue eyes peeking from beneath long lashes. “I… I was abandoned,” she whispered.

Lies.

Zenobia clenched her fists. The Moon Goddess had shown her everything. This woman was not what she seemed.

She forced herself to stay calm. “Maxwell, we don’t bring strangers into our pack without knowing their past.”

“She’s not a stranger to me,” Maxwell said firmly. “I found her injured on the northern border. She had nowhere to go.”

Zenobia scoffed. “And now she suddenly belongs here?”

Rebecca flinched, pressing closer to Maxwell. “I don’t want to cause trouble.” Her voice was soft, fragile.

Zenobia saw the way Maxwell looked at her, protective, almost guilty.

“Enough.” Zenobia’s voice was cold. “You expect me to accept this? To welcome her into my home as your mate?”

Maxwell sighed. “I hoped you’d understand.”

“Understand?” A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Understand that my mate, my husband, the Alpha of this pack, is throwing me aside for some omega he just met?”

Maxwell’s face darkened. “You’re being unfair.”

Zenobia stepped forward, her hands trembling with anger. “Unfair? I have stood by your side for years. I have fought for this pack, for you! And now you bring her here and expect me to step aside?”

Rebecca whimpered, but Zenobia ignored her.

Maxwell clenched his jaw. “This isn’t about replacing you.”

“Then what is it about?” she snapped.

Maxwell hesitated. “I can’t explain it. It’s just… something I feel.”

Zenobia’s stomach twisted. She had given him everything. Her love, her loyalty, her life. And now, because of some vague ‘feeling,’ he was ready to throw it all away?

She took a shaky breath. “No.”

Maxwell blinked. “What?”

Zenobia lifted her chin. “I won’t accept this. I won’t let you bring her into our pack as your mate.”

Maxwell’s face hardened. “You don’t have a choice.”

Her nails bit into her palms. “I am the Luna of this pack. You do not get to make this decision without me.”

His eyes flickered with frustration. “You’re letting your emotions control you.”

Zenobia stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And you’re letting a stranger destroy everything we built.”

Maxwell’s shoulders tensed, but he didn’t argue.

Zenobia turned to Rebecca, her eyes burning. “You may have fooled him, but I see you for what you are.”

Rebecca’s lower lip trembled. “I don’t mean any harm.”

Zenobia’s wolf snarled inside her. “Stay away from my pack.”

Maxwell exhaled harshly. “Zeno, don’t do this.”

She shook her head. “You’ve already made your choice, Maxwell. And now, I’m making mine.”

She stepped back, her voice steady. “I reject this.”

Maxwell’s eyes darkened, frustration flickering across his face. “Zeno, be reasonable.”

Zenobia let out a sharp breath, forcing herself to stay firm. “Reasonable? Do you hear yourself, Maxwell? You want me to stand aside while you take another mate?”

Rebecca whimpered, clinging to Maxwell’s sleeve. “Please, I don’t want to cause trouble. If… if Luna doesn’t want me here, maybe I should leave.”

Zenobia’s fists tightened. She recognized manipulation when she saw it. The meek voice, the trembling hands—Rebecca played the victim perfectly.

Maxwell’s arm curled protectively around Rebecca. “No, you’re staying.” His gaze swung back to Zenobia. “This isn’t just about us, Zeno. Rebecca needs a home. Our pack is strong, and she’ll be safe here.”

Zenobia’s stomach twisted violently.

So this was it?Because this omega needed a home, she was supposed to lose everything she had spent years protecting?

It's unfair!

A surge of raw emotion crashed through her like a tidal wave. With just a few words, Maxwell had shattered the foundation of everything she had built her life upon.

She had been raised to be the perfect Luna—poised, loyal, obedient to her Alpha in every way. Even if she knew their kind accepted the possibility of multiple mates, she had never imagined hers would ask her to share.Not her heart.Not her body.Not her mate.

Maxwell had once promised her that she would be his only one.

And she had believed him. For that promise, she had poured everything into this pack—her strength, her strategy, her soul.

Under her guidance, it had grown into the most powerful pack in the region.

He had no idea how much she had sacrificed for that dream.How many invitations she had turned down.How many parts of herself she had buried, just to be worthy of the throne beside him.

And now, looking at him, she realized—

He no longer deserved any of it.