Chapter 3

“This little saying means ‘Clear away the old to welcome the new,’” Riven told him gently. “Your mother is simply encouraging you to draw a fresh family portrait. After all, our little Kael has grown so much.”

Kael believed every word. He threw himself into Freya’s arms and chirped, “Mother, I’ll make lots and lots of new portraits for you!”

Well! Clear away the old to welcome the new, huh?

Freya’s eyes filled with quiet mockery—so this “old Luna and old mother” was meant to be cleared aside for young, radiant Sorenna.

A faint scent of food lingered in the den, catching Riven’s attention. His gaze fell on the pot of moon-beast stew still warm in the trash bin and surprise flickered across his features.

“Freya,” he murmured, “did you prepare dinner last night?”

“I haven’t cooked in a while,” she replied coolly. “It tasted terrible, so I threw it out.”

She could not fathom why he cared. Even Kael clinging to her leg felt suffocating.

She abruptly stood and brushed them off, claiming she felt unwell before heading upstairs.

The moment she closed her bedchamber door, her crystal comms buzzed relentlessly. Opening it, she saw three images from Sorenna.

The first one was Sorenna holding a bouquet of crimson fire-roses, posing beside Riven and Kael.

The second one showed the trio sharing a meal in the Moonfeast Restaurant—the one Freya had reserved weeks ago.

The last one was a close-up of an emerald moon-bracelet… on Sorenna’s wrist.

As Freya stared at the intimate warmth in those photos, the dull ache in her chest sharpened into something merciless—each beat of her heart felt like a claw raking her from within.

A memory surfaced through the haze.

Twenty years ago, when she was nine, her parents died in a glider crash. While her relatives fought viciously over her guardianship to steal the Hamilton Pack inheritance, only Riven—just fourteen at the time—took her hand and brought her into his home.

Back then he had promised, “Freya, I’ll protect you. You’ll never suffer again.”

That vow became the guiding moonlight of her life. No matter how many times she stumbled, she always followed him.

When she learned of his weak stomach, she studied foodcraft magic and perfected nourishing dishes just for him.

When he left to study overseas in the Northern Crescent, she forced herself to master the language and travel there just to enroll in the same academy.

Highborn circles gossiped that Freya was nothing but a little wolf raised to be Corvath’s future Luna. She didn’t care. She believed their love would endure all storms.

But in the world of powerful packs and shifting alliances, genuine affection faded faster than moon phases. Riven had a new lover—and still showered Freya with lies.

As Freya wiped her tears, another message from Sorenna arrived. [I assume you received your anniversary gift? The jade moon-bracelet was too large and outdated for me, but it should suit you just fine.]

Arrogance oozed through every word, thinly veiled insults about Freya’s age and fading beauty.

Freya turned off the crystal comms and drew in a long breath, trying to steady herself. She wanted desperately to pretend none of this mattered. But she couldn’t lie to her own heart.

The crimson fire-roses… the jade moon-bracelet… every “gift” from Riven and Kael—each of them had first been Sorenna’s cast-offs.

The realization crushed her. It made her question every present from the past—had they all been discarded by other women? Had she been foolish enough to believe she was treasured?

Just then, Riven entered with Kael, who wore his bear-print sleepwear. “Kael insists on sleeping with us tonight,” he said.