"Why did you break the bond with Ethan and run from the kingdom?" Nonna demanded.
I froze, my wolf stirring uneasily beneath my skin. The teacup in my hand trembled.
"What are you talking about?" I whispered.
Nonna crossed her arms, her eyes blazing with the gold of her wolf. "I flew in from the Southern Territories for your mating ceremony. I got there just in time to see Ethan and Daisy standing before the Alpha Council, their wrists bound together."
My breath caught. "He actually went through with it."
"Everyone was confused. We expected you, Aurora. Not Daisy Logan, your supposed best friend." Nonna paced the small living room of my cottage. "Ethan told the entire pack assembly what happened. He said you betrayed him. That you spent the night before your mating ceremony with another male."
The words hit me like silver bullets. Of course he did. Of course he made himself the victim.
"He had proof, Aurora. Photos of you entering the Blood Moon tavern, drunk and stumbling. Photos of you following some male into the private rooms upstairs." Nonna stopped pacing and stared at me. "He said he had more evidence but refused to show it out of respect for you. He said despite everything, he would not completely destroy your reputation."
I laughed, the sound bitter and hollow. "How noble of him."
"The pack accepted his new chosen mate. Daisy became Luna that very day." Nonna sat down across from me, her voice softening. "I did not believe him at first. I thought he abandoned you for her. But then I saw you here, with Cody. A child who is clearly four years old. And I started to wonder."
My hands clenched into fists. Four years of running, four years of hiding in this remote corner of the kingdom, and still the lies followed me.
"Is Cody the child of the male from that night?" Nonna asked quietly.
I stood and walked to the window, watching Cody play in the garden. His dark hair caught the sunlight. My beautiful boy, innocent of all the ugliness that brought him into this world.
"Yes," I said. "Everything Ethan said is true. I went to that tavern. I got drunk. I followed a male upstairs and spent the night with him. I gave him my virginity, the very thing I was supposed to save for my mate."
"Aurora." Nonna's voice broke.
I turned to face her, tears streaming down my face. "But Ethan was not right. He twisted everything."
"Then tell me the truth."
I took a shaky breath. "I went to his chambers the night before our ceremony. I wanted to surprise him, to give him a gift. When I opened the door, I found him with Daisy. They were together, Nonna. Mating bond or not, they were wrapped around each other like animals."
Nonna covered her mouth with her hand.
"They did not even have the decency to look ashamed," I continued, my voice rising. "Daisy laughed at me. She told me she was already carrying Ethan's pup. She said I should not worry about the ceremony because she would take my place as Luna. They both mocked me, called me naive and foolish."
"That bastard," Nonna hissed, her wolf flashing in her eyes.
"I told Ethan the mating was over. He thanked me. Actually thanked me for making it easier for him." I wiped my tears roughly. "I was destroyed. My wolf was howling in agony. I could not breathe, could not think. I went to the Blood Moon tavern and drank until I could not feel anything anymore."
"And the male?"
"I do not even remember his face clearly. I was stumbling toward the washroom when I saw him. Something about him called to my wolf, even through the alcohol. I followed him. The rest is exactly what Ethan said it was. I gave myself to a stranger because the male I trusted, the male I was supposed to mate with, had already given himself to my best friend."
Nonna stood and pulled me into her arms. I sobbed against her shoulder, finally releasing years of pain and shame.
"That lying son of a bitch," Nonna growled. "He cheated on you with your best friend and then made you look like the villain. He paraded around as the wounded mate while you fled the kingdom in disgrace."
"Males think only with what is between their legs," I said bitterly. "As long as they get what they want, they do not care whose life they destroy."
Nonna pulled back, gripping my shoulders. "I am going to rip Daisy's throat out the next time I see her. And Ethan will pay for what he did. I will make sure the entire kingdom knows the truth."
"No." I shook my head. "I just want to be left alone. I have Cody now. He is all that matters."
"Do you know who the father is?" Nonna asked carefully. "Have you tried to find him?"
I thought of that night, the fragments of memory that remained. Strong hands, a deep voice, eyes that glowed with power. The scent of pine and winter storms. An Alpha, certainly. Perhaps even someone from the royal family, given the strength I had sensed.
"No," I lied. "And I do not want to know."
Nonna studied my face, and I knew she did not believe me. But she let it go.
"What about Cody?" she asked. "Does he ask about his father?"
"Sometimes. I tell him his father is a warrior who died protecting the kingdom." The lie tasted like ash in my mouth, but it was easier than the truth. Easier than admitting I did not even know the name of the male who gave me my son.
"Aurora." Nonna took my hands. "You cannot hide forever."
"Watch me."
But even as I said the words, I felt the pull of something darker. Somewhere in this kingdom, the male from that night existed. And someday, somehow, our paths would cross again.
I just prayed I would be ready when they did.