3

Rumors travel fast in a pack faster than wolves at full sprint.

By morning, everywhere I went, eyes followed me. Curious. Pitying. Judging.

"She must have done something for the Alpha to choose another."

"I heard she can’t even shift properly."

"Maybe her bond with him was weak from the start."

"No wonder the cousin stepped in."

Each murmured lie landed like a fresh bruise, but I kept walking.

Let them talk. Let them choke on their own poison.

I had bigger things to do.

My hands shook as I unlocked the storage chest at the foot of what used to be our bed, my bed.

Inside lay our memories.

Papers. Photos. The scrapbooks we filled together during training years, when we were too young to imagine betrayal and too old to pretend we didn’t care about each other.

A day ago, I would’ve protected these things with my life.

Now, they looked like relics from a world I no longer belonged to.

I gathered everything and carried them outside.

I kneeled beside the fire pit and began stacking the photographs like kindling one by one, piece by piece.

My throat tightened. My fingers trembled. But I didn’t stop.

I struck the match.

“Wow,” a familiar voice cooed behind me. “Starting a bonfire without inviting anyone?”

Lyra.

I didn’t turn. “Go away.”

“After all we’ve been through? How rude.” Her footsteps crunched closer. “What are you burning, cousin? Evidence? Memories? Or just your pride?”

I ignored her, feeding another page into the fire.

But she wouldn’t be ignored.

With a dramatic gasp, she snatched one of the few remaining photos from beside me. “Oh! Look at this one. You’re smiling. How cute.”

She held it up like some priceless artifact.

I snatched it back. “Give me that.”

“Why? Afraid he’ll forget you?” She tilted her head, smirking. “Don’t worry, Sophia. I’ll take good care of him.”

My vision blurred around the edges. “You didn’t take him. He gave himself.”

“Oh, don’t be bitter.” She pouted falsely. “The pack needs a strong Luna. Someone with real lineage. Someone who won’t embarrass him.”

I shouldn’t have reacted. I knew it then, I know it now.

But grief and humiliation made me reckless.

I flicked the photo into the fire, watching it turn to ash.

Lyra gasped. “How dare you”

“You don’t get to accuse me of anything,” I snapped, finally facing her. “You knew exactly what you were doing.”

She crossed her arms. “I did what was necessary. Asher chose me for a reason.”

“No,” I said simply. “He chose convenience. And you’re the cheapest form of it.”

Her face twisted. “You”

“Are you two fighting again?”

Asher’s voice cut through the tension like a blade.

He approached with long, sure strides, eyes flicking between the fire, the burnt remains, and us.

“Seriously?” he asked, staring at the flames. “What is all this?”

I shrugged, turning back to the pit. “Garbage.”

Lyra rushed to him, grabbing his arm. “She’s unstable, Asher. She almost threw that fire at me!”

My mouth dropped open. “What?!”

Asher’s eyes sharpened, Alpha power rippling beneath his skin. “Sophia.”

“I didn’t touch her,” I said, jaw clenched. “She’s lying, as usual.”

Lyra sniffled it was almost impressive how quickly she could force tears. “She hates me. She wants to ruin my mark.”

“Oh please,” I cut in sharply. “If I wanted to ruin something, it wouldn’t be your “mark” it’d be that fake humility you parade around.”

Asher stepped between us. “Enough.”

A wave of pressure rippled outward his Alpha command brushing against my aura, warning, not forcing. Not yet.

He looked down at me, expression cold. “Just apologize so we can move on.”

I stared at him, stunned.

“Apologize?”

“For what? Her lies?”

Lyra stepped forward, clutching her neck dramatically. “You hurt me.”

I barked out a laugh. “You’re not even subtle anymore.”

Asher’s glare hardened. “Sophia.”

Fine. If he wanted an apology, I would give him one.

“Lyra,” I began softly, watching her straighten with smug satisfaction.

“I am terribly, deeply, profoundly”

She smirked.

“sorry,” I continued, “that your entire personality depends on stealing things that never belonged to you.”

Her smirk died instantly. “What did you”

“I’m also sorry,” I added, glancing at Asher, “that your Alpha can’t tell the difference between loyalty and manipulation.”

Lyra’s mouth fell open. Asher’s eyes narrowed with warning, but he didn’t speak.

I turned back to the fire and dropped the last photo inside.

The flames swallowed it whole.

“Now,” I said, dusting off my hands, “we’re done here.”

Lyra let out a furious sound, stepping toward me, but Asher held her back ironically protecting her from a fight she started.

“Come on,” he murmured to her. “Let’s go.”

Lyra allowed herself to be guided away, but not before flashing me a triumphant smile over her shoulder.

Asher paused, lingering just long enough to say, “You’re making this harder than it needs to be.”

I didn’t look at him. “No. I’m making it exactly as hard as it should be.”

He exhaled sharply and walked away.

I watched their retreating figures.

Then I turned back to the fire warm, hungry, cleansing and whispered to the flames:

“Burn everything.”

For the first time, the ashes warmed me more than the bond ever had.