Chapter 2: A Bargain Chip

Nephele's POV

Three days ago, my mother's words shattered my world.

"A Wolfless, given the chance to become Luna. How many would dream of such an opportunity?" Her purple eyes gleamed with calculation, not maternal concern. "Your brother is completing his Alpha training since your father's disappearance. His future position needs allies... Magnus needs pure bloodlines."

When I'd asked if I had any choice, her answer still burned in my mind: "Do you truly believe a Wolfless has the luxury of choice?"

Tonight, I stood in the sacred stone circle that glowed under the full moon's light, with both packs lining opposite sides. I could smell their disdain as whispers about the "Wolfless Luna" followed my every step.

I feel like I'm walking to my execution, not my ceremony.

The cold night air against my face made me shiver. Alpha Magnus stood waiting, taller and more imposing than in his photograph, his broad shoulders draped in ceremonial black furs. Chestnut hair swept back from a face carved with sharp angles and aristocratic features.

His jaw flexed with contained power, and his steel gray eyes assessed me coldly like a predator calculating a prey's worth.

He extended his hand with practiced ceremony, rings glinting on his fingers. "Welcome, future Luna."

The elder began the ritual, offering us the sacred moon dew cup. "Share this, symbolizing your souls' connection."

Legend says true mates feel their souls resonating when they drink the moon dew... but I felt nothing except the cold brush of Magnus's fingers against mine.

As we prepared for the marking, Magnus leaned close, his breath hot against my ear.

"Relax," he whispered. "This mark is merely symbolic for a Wolfless. Not like you could truly feel the bond anyway." The mockery in his tone was unmistakable.

The marking bite was excruciating, far more painful than necessary. Through tear-blurred eyes, I caught the flash of satisfaction in Magnus's gaze, as though he enjoyed my suffering.

Across the circle, I met my brother's guilty gaze. I thought he was away for his training, but he had come back just for this. For me.

The sight triggered another memory—him slipping into my preparation room earlier today, pressing a small wooden box into my palm.

"For emergencies," he'd whispered, voice thick with regret. "Three Alpha challenges this month alone. The Eastern alliance is closing in, and the Council of Elders..."

"I know. As Alpha, sometimes you have to make difficult decisions."

"Give me two years and I bring you home," he'd whispered fiercely.

Now, as the ceremony concluded, that wooden box felt heavy in the hidden pocket of my ceremonial robes.

The journey to Sovereign Pack was a blur of silent formality. When we finally arrived, the sight that greeted me was breathtaking—a sprawling compound nestled in Red Rock Canyon, gleaming with silver mine prosperity.

Our arrival was met with formal ceremony, pack members lining up to acknowledge their new Luna.

A tall, striking woman approached first, moving with grace. Her curvaceous figure was strategically revealed by a low-cut leather outfit, with intricate cutouts that seemed designed to draw every eye.

Each deliberate step emphasized her hips and long legs as she positioned herself almost territorially close to Magnus.

"Welcome, Luna. I am Cinder, the pack's Beta."

Her eyes evaluate me like merchandise, roaming over my body as if comparing her assets to mine. This feeling is all too familiar.

Magnus placed his hand possessively on my lower back. "Our Luna, from Northwind Pack. Though Wolfless, her mother, Luna Ophelia, has assured me of her... other values."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. My cheeks burned with mortification.

Did he really just announce I'm Wolfless to everyone?

Magnus gripped my hand with painful force. "Smile, Luna. You represent my choice."

By our third night, the cracks in his gentlemanly facade were already showing.

"These are your quarters," he announced, leading me to a suite far from the Alpha chambers. "I prefer my space."

His meaning was clear: this was a marriage in name only.

By the second month, any hope of respect had vanished. During my first council meeting, I suggested improvements to the pack's medical facilities.

"A Luna should only manage internal affairs," he declared, cutting me off mid-sentence. "Don't attempt to participate in Alpha decisions. Especially a Wolfless Luna."

The council members exchanged knowing glances while one woman smiled with satisfaction. "Perhaps our Luna would be better suited to organizing festivals? Something... simpler."

Cinder became my daily tormentor, delighting in setting me up to fail.

Once, hours before hosting a visiting Alpha, she reassigned the staff I'd scheduled for preparations.

I spent that afternoon scrubbing floors and changing linens myself—while wearing my formal Luna attire. When I arrived at the banquet breathless and disheveled, Magnus's mockery was swift.

"Our Luna seems to have difficulty managing her time. One would think that without a wolf's duties, she'd excel at simple human tasks."

After one year, the indignity became more public. During an important full moon celebration, I prepared to lead the traditional moonlight blessing as Luna. I'd spent weeks studying the ritual, determined to perform it perfectly.

As I began, Magnus suddenly rose, interrupting me mid-ceremony.

"Please forgive my Luna," he announced coldly. "She doesn't understand true ritual. The Wolfless cannot sense the Moon Goddess's will."

He took the blessing cup from my hands, publicly pushing me aside to complete the ceremony himself.

Around us, guests whispered while Cinder led the subtle laughter.

That night crystallized everything: I wasn't his Luna. I was his trophy, displayed only when useful and humiliated when he needed entertainment.

Two years of careful existence had taught me invisibility was my best defense. I found purpose in small ways—improving conditions for Omegas, maintaining the pack's historical records—tasks beneath an Alpha's notice.

When urgent trade documents required Magnus's signature, duty compelled me to his study. My soft knock met only muffled sounds. After a moment's hesitation, I pushed the half-open door.

The sight froze me in the doorway: Magnus and Cinder entwined on his desk, documents scattered on the floor, both naked and oblivious to my presence.

Magnus noticed me but didn't stop. Instead, he met my eyes with deliberate challenge. "Close the door on your way out, my Luna. Or perhaps you'd like to stay and learn how a real she-wolf pleases her Alpha?"

Cinder's mocking laughter cut through me, her eyes gleaming with triumph.

My stomach twisted instantly. Not from jealousy, but from complete humiliation—they didn't even bother to hide it.

Memories flooded back: the faint female scents that clung to him on the rare mornings our paths crossed and the knowing smirks from other she-wolves I passed in the hallways.

For two years, I told myself this was the price of a political marriage, but this... this crosses the final line of tolerance.

They continued, unashamed. A rage I'd never felt before rose within me. The star-shaped birthmark on my right shoulder began to warm, a strange heat spreading through my skin.

Two years of tolerance, two years of humiliation, two years of pretending. Enough.

"I reject our mating bond," my voice came out stronger than I expected.