Shattered Moon

I loved Kane for ten years. I was his perfect fiancée for eight.

I tolerated the “sister” he brought home.

But she shattered my mother’s keepsake, stole my work, and wore my gown to bask in the crowd’s applause.

He said, “Ilya, be understanding. You’re Luna. She’s your sister. You need to let her have her way.”

So I “understood.” I burned every token of our love, deleted all my access codes, and erased every trace I had.

On the day of the bonding ceremony, he stood on the stage in full regalia, his eyes bloodshot from waiting.

And I sat on a plane, watching the live broadcast of his bride-less ceremony.

He thought I was throwing a tantrum. Thought I couldn’t live without him.

But he didn’t know—I was more resolute than anyone.

—

The day my moonstone necklace shattered, there were seven days left until the bonding ceremony with Kane.

That necklace had been forged from my mother’s final breath of bloodline power. A guardian chain.

As she lay dying, she pressed the stone into my palm. “Ilya, wear it on the bonding stage. I’ll witness your love from beyond.”

But Serena barged into my room just as I was gently polishing the necklace with a soft cloth.

“Ilya, this necklace is so beautiful!”

She reached out to grab it. Her fingertips had just brushed the moonstone.

“Don’t touch it!” I tried to pull back, but it was too late.

Her wolf ears and tail appeared uncontrollably. Her pupils narrowed into slits.

Frightened, she screamed and flung the necklace to the floor.

The silver chain snapped. The moonstone hit the ground and cracked open like a spiderweb.

And she screamed again.

Kane burst through the door, eyes blazing gold, fury barely contained. He saw Serena curled on the ground, half-wolf form exposed.

“Ilya!”

The first thing he did was rush to my half-sister. Not to me—his future Luna.

Kane growled low, “You know Serena has a bloodline disorder. She can’t handle the moonstone’s energy. Why would you give it to her?”

A ringing started in my ears.

I thought I misheard him.

Serena whimpered in his arms, her wolf ears drooping pitifully. “Kane… don’t blame Ilya. It’s my fault…”

He pulled her tighter and turned to me, his gaze icy. “Look at her. She’s even speaking up for you. And you’re still just standing there? Apologize!”

I was kneeling on the ground, gathering the shattered pieces like I was holding the last breath of my mother.

“This was my mother’s relic!”

Kane cut me off, lifting Serena in his arms as he turned to leave. “Don’t go near her for the next few days. As for the necklace—consider it a debt you owe her.”

The door slammed shut.

I sat in the wreckage, stunned. Was this really the Kane I knew?

My palms cradled the broken stone, and suddenly, the bedroom we had spent three months decorating together felt like a frozen tomb.

My phone buzzed.

It was the third message from my mentor: “Final confirmation for the three-year Holy Moon Valley retreat—seven days remain.”

I replied, “I accept. I’ll go to Holy Moon Valley.”

—

After sending the shattered necklace to an antique shop for restoration, I went alone to Kane’s office.

I needed to retrieve my New Moon speech draft—three months of my hard work.

That data was the foundation of the annual vision plan for all werewolves.

But as I stood before the heavy alloy door, the iris scanner flashed red again and again.

[Access Denied.]

[Access Denied.]

My heart sank. Kane had revoked my access?

Just then, the door slid open from the inside.

Serena stood there, wearing Kane’s oversized shirt, like she belonged in that space.

“Ilya? Looking for Kane?”

She blinked innocently. The temporary pass hanging from her neck swung slightly—marked with top-level access.

“Oops, I forgot to tell you,” she said sweetly, linking her arm through mine like we were close.

“Kane said that when I have an episode, I need his Alpha aura to suppress it immediately. But since he’s hard to reach sometimes, he made my biometric data the new primary access.”

She leaned in, the scent of gardenia and Kane’s cedarwood aura wafting from her skin. “This way, I can come in anytime and rest in his scent.”

I pushed her arm away. My fingertips felt cold.

This office was Kane’s power center as Alpha.

Two years ago, when he officially took over clan affairs, he made me one of only two people with permanent access.

He had looked into my eyes and said, “Ilya, no one but you will ever be allowed in here.”

And now, he had forgotten those words.