He ran after me, footsteps echoing like thunder on the wooden floor. Before I could make it to the stairs, he grabbed my arm and yanked me back with a force that nearly knocked the air out of my lungs.
His eyes were blazing, not with warmth, but with dominance. Possession.
"You don't walk out on me when I'm talking to you," he growled. "You want to be Luna, right? I'll make you Luna tonight."
Before I could process what he meant, he twisted my wrist hard enough that I thought it would snap. My breath hitched, pain shooting up my arm.
"You're hurting me," I gasped.
And just like that, he let go.
I stumbled back, clutching my wrist. He didn't say anything—just watched me with a cold, unreadable stare. I turned away, forcing back the tears, and walked toward the bedroom. The silence between us was suffocating.
I lay on the bed, facing the wall, my body aching with more than just physical pain.
Then I felt the mattress shift behind me.
His hands touched my shoulders gently this time, as if to erase what had happened moments ago.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have hurt you like that."
And like every other time… I believed him.
Because the Kael I fell in love with was still somewhere beneath the rage, wasn't he?
I turned slightly to face him.
"Tell me, Kael… do you love me?"
His eyes flickered.
Silence.
Then a slow, careful breath.
"I chose you, didn't I?"
That wasn't an answer.
But it was all he gave me.
And I pretended it was enough.
Even though deep down…
I already knew the truth.
He didn't love me.
He never did.
"You're not… using me, are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Kael stilled beside me. The hand on my shoulder froze, and for a moment, the room was so quiet I could hear my own heart pounding.
He turned his head slightly toward me, his tone suddenly soft. "No. I'm not. Why would you think that?"
I searched his face, desperate for something—anything—that resembled truth.
"Then why won't you ask for my help?" I pressed. "I could talk to my father… ask him to pull back his men. He listens to me. I could try to stop the hunts, stop the movement against werewolves completely."
He was quiet for a moment. Then, without warning, he laughed.
But it wasn't light or amused—it was dark, bitter… *manic.*
"You think I should ask for your help?" he repeated, still laughing. "Are you joking?"
My throat tightened.
His laughter faded, and his expression twisted with a cruel smirk.
"You think your father would just stop his crusade because his precious daughter married a werewolf?" he said, voice laced with venom. "Wake up, Arwen. He doesn't care about you—or me. He never did."
I blinked, stunned by his words, but more by the way he said *"precious daughter."* Like it tasted wrong on his tongue.
"You said you loved me," I murmured.
"And I do what's best for us," he said, his tone shifting again, smoother, calmer. Manipulative. "I didn't marry you because I needed help."
I swallowed hard, his words burning in my chest. I wanted to believe he was being honest—but something in his eyes told me otherwise.
"Kael… tell me the truth."
He leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
"I am," he said, too gently.
But my gut screamed otherwise.
And as he kissed my forehead and laid beside me like nothing had happened…
I knew deep down…
I laid there, his arm draped over my waist like a shackle. My body was next to his, but my mind was far, far away.
I stared at the ceiling, replaying his words over and over. *You think I should ask for your help? Are you joking?* That laugh… the emptiness behind it, the cold mockery. It cracked something inside me.
He didn't trust me.
He didn't see me as his equal—just a means to an end.
Still, I said nothing. I let him pull me close, let him hold me like he hadn't just belittled me, like we were still the people we used to be. Before the mark. Before the secrets.
"Sleep," he murmured against my neck. "You'll need your energy for tomorrow's ceremony."
"What ceremony?" I asked quietly, my voice tight.
He paused. "I told the pack I'd be introducing you as my Luna. It's time."
Luna.
The word used to feel like a crown. Now, it felt like a collar.
"I thought you said the pack wouldn't accept me. That I wasn't ready."
"They'll accept you if I say they should," he replied, voice hardening. "Besides, they need a symbol right now. Someone to unite them."
A *symbol*. Not a person. Not a mate.
I nodded slowly, biting back the pain. "Okay."
I waited until I heard his breathing deepen, until his grip on me loosened slightly. Then I slipped out of his hold and sat at the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets.
He was lying to me. He didn't want my help… because he already had a plan.
One that didn't need *me*—just my bloodline.
I wiped a tear that had escaped, then stood and walked to the window, gazing out at the forest.
"Do you love me, Kael?" I whispered to the night.
The silence that followed was the only answer I needed.
Tomorrow, I would stand by his side.
But soon… he would learn I wasn't the naive girl he marked.
I was the daughter of a hunter.
And no one uses a hunter's daughter… without paying the price.
—
I couldn't sleep, so I picked up my phone and called my friend.
"Hey babes, how are you?" she answered, her voice warm.
"I'm fine," I replied, though I wasn't.
"I'm so sorry about the other day. I had no idea you were at your mom's."
"It's fine," I said quietly. "I just... I don't know. I feel like Kael doesn't love me anymore."
"Don't say that," she said quickly. "He loves you, and you know it. He just doesn't know how to show it."
I wasn't surprised—she'd always been team Kael.
"But love shouldn't feel like this," I whispered. "I feel like a stranger in my own marriage. Like I'm just here to fill a space."
"Maybe he's under pressure," she offered. "Running a pack, dealing with politics—it's not easy."
"Maybe," I said. "Or maybe I was just too blinded to see who he really is."
There was silence on the line for a moment before she said, "If it ever becomes too much… if he ever hurts you beyond words, promise me you'll leave."
"I will," I lied, even though we both knew I wasn't ready.
"Promise me, Aris."
"I promise."
We ended the call, but the silence that followed was louder than ever.
Kael used to be my dream.
Now, he was the reason I didn't sleep at night.