Chapter 1: Wolfless Luna

Thea’s POV

My hands tremble as I stare at the divorce papers. I still can’t believe this is happening. The Ashworth Pack mansion looms, a prison I’m finally escaping. Seven years of mostly unhappy memories culminate in this moment.

I grip the steering wheel, trying to steady myself. One signature. That’s all it takes to make me the first divorced, ousted Luna in Pack history. A fitting legacy, indeed. My throat constricts at the thought of facing Sebastian. Even now, his name stings.

The security system beeps, a bitter reminder of my—temporary—belonging. The gardens, never truly mine, stretch before me as I walk towards the door. Each step weighs heavy with failure. Seven years of striving to belong, of loving a man who saw me as a mere placeholder.

I reach for the door handle, freezing as voices drift from the kitchen. I may lack supernatural hearing, but these walls are surprisingly thin.

“Daddy, why can’t you live with me and Mommy anymore?” Leo’s innocent question hits me hard.

I should leave. Just barge in and end this. But my feet are rooted. My body betrays me, forcing me to listen to my son’s heartbreak mirroring my own.

“The Pack needs a real Luna, Leo,” Sebastian’s deep voice still holds power over me. “Your mother… she doesn’t have a wolf. She can’t understand what we need.”

Same story, different day. I press my hand to my chest, fighting the familiar ache. How many times have I heard this? That I’m insufficient, always will be, simply because I lack a wolf? A cruel cosmic joke—a wolfless daughter in an alpha bloodline.

“But didn’t you say wolves can choose their mates?” My clever boy, always asking the difficult questions. “Doesn’t your wolf like Mommy?”

The silence is deafening. I see Sebastian’s face—that cold, dismissive expression. The same one he wore when he couldn’t mark me as his mate. He couldn’t, of course—I always knew his heart belonged elsewhere; I could never be his true mate. How could I be, without a wolf to answer his?

“Your mother gave me you,” he finally says, his voice distant. “That’s what matters.”

Right. Because that’s my sole purpose, isn’t it? To produce the next alpha heir. Never mind the love, loyalty, and life I gave him. It wasn’t enough. Not with her shadow looming between us.

I take a deep breath and open the door. The kitchen falls silent. Sebastian stands at the counter, still looking like every woman's dream in his impeccably tailored suit. His green eyes turn icy, his jaw clenching—a sure sign of his anger.

“Mommy!” Leo’s face brightens, my heart clenching. He’s so much like his father—the same striking features, captivating green eyes. My beautiful boy, the only good thing from this disastrous marriage.

“Leo, go upstairs.” Sebastian’s alpha command fills the room.

“But Dad—”

“Now.”

I watch my son leave, feeling as insignificant as I did on my first day here. The divorce papers crinkle in my grasp as I search for my voice.

“I brought the final papers,” I manage, hating my weakness.

“You really want to do this?” His voice could freeze hell. “To destroy our family?”

I rub my chest, easing the persistent ache. “Sebastian, please… we both know this marriage was never real. You never—” I can’t finish. Never loved me. Never wanted me. Never chose me.

“You could have sent these to my office,” he snaps, anger radiating. “Instead of interrupting my time with Leo.”

“I thought…” I stop, recognizing my pathetic hope. What did I think? That after seven years of rejection, something would change?

“You never think, do you?” Each word is a sharp cut. “Every time you’re here, you bring chaos. From the start, you’ve disrupted Pack harmony because you can’t accept what you are—what you aren’t.” He takes a breath, controlling his anger. “Just leave the papers. I’ll have someone drop Leo off later.”

I set down the papers, trembling, feeling suffocated. I want to defend myself, apologize for not being enough. But what’s the point? Seven years of explaining, begging him to see me as more than a wolfless burden…

My phone rings, cutting through my self-pity. My mother’s name chills me. In the Sterling family, contact with the wolfless disappointment only comes with bad news.

My hands shake as I answer. “Hello?”

“Thea!” My mother’s voice is panicked. “Your father… he was attacked by Rogues! He’s losing blood… Get to the hospital. Now!”

The phone slips from my numb fingers, clattering to the floor. The sound echoes in the suddenly silent kitchen.

“Thea?” Sebastian’s voice softens. “What’s wrong?”

I look at him, the world tilting.

“My father… Rogues attacked him. He’s in the hospital.”