Chapter 21

Elena

The wedding ring landed with a metallic ping against the floor, rolling in a small circle before coming to a stop against the toe of Killian’s shoe. For a moment, neither of us moved. The silence between us suddenly pulled taut like a rubber band about to snap as he stared down at that small silver band with Natalie’s initials engraved inside.

The sight of it lying there, discarded on the cold marble floor, pulled me back to that awful day three years ago—five for me, I supposed, in my past life.

Our wedding day.

I stood in the small dressing room adjacent to the chapel, staring at my reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress hung loose on my frame, everywhere except for the bust, which was too small and squeezed my breasts so much it hurt.

The seamstress had done her best to make it fit, but there was only so much she could do in the three days between our mate bond snapping into place and the rushed ceremony. I felt frumpy in all the places where it was too big and on display in the bust, which just made the whole ordeal that much more humiliating.

“It’s beautiful,” Maeve had whispered behind me, trying to sound encouraging as she adjusted the veil—Natalie’s veil, of course.

But I saw the pity in her eyes. The same pity I would see reflected in every face that turned my way as I walked down that aisle.

I scoffed. “It doesn’t fit right.” I tugged at the bust and winced as the fabric dug into my flesh. “I feel like I’m about to pop out of it in the chest.”

Maeve sighed softly. “If it’s any consolation, it’s sort of sexy in that area.”

I should have been glad to hear it—after all, what bride wouldn’t want to be called sexy?—but I just felt embarrassed.

Truthfully, I’d begged to pick out my own gown, but my adoptive mother had insisted I wear Natalie’s dress. “Waste not, want not,” Alice had sneered when she’d thrown the garment bag at me. “Besides, it was meant for a real bride, not a replacement.”

Killian had backed her up, claiming that we needed to get married quickly and there was no time to pick out a new dress. He needed a Luna if he was going to become Alpha of Waning Moon. And after the rogue attack, we needed to move even more quickly to maintain security of the pack.

I had to admit that the dress itself was exquisite—layers of delicate lace over silk, with pearl beading along the bodice and a train that swept across the floor behind me. It would have been perfect on Natalie.

On me, it just looked like I was playing dress-up in someone else’s fairy tale.

Even the ring Killian would slip onto my finger that day had been meant for her. He hadn’t even bothered to have it resized or re-engraved. When he’d presented it to me the night before the wedding, he’d simply said, “This will have to do. There’s no time to get another.”

The worst part was walking down that aisle. Every girl dreams of that moment—the organ playing softly, all eyes on her as she makes her way toward her beloved, a bouquet of white lilies in her hands. But I felt nothing but humiliation as I took those steps, and the whispers didn’t help any.

“Poor thing, wearing her dead sister’s dress.”

“Look how it doesn’t even fit properly. I can’t decide if she’s a whore or a waif.”

“It doesn’t matter, anyway. He’s only marrying her because of the mate bond. Who cares about the dress?”

“She’s getting all of Natalie’s leftovers—the dress, the ring, even the man.”

My throat bobbed. That last whisper had come from one of Natalie’s old friends, loud enough that I knew she’d meant for me to hear it. “Leftover Luna,” they had started calling me that very day. The girl who only got what remained after her sister’s death.

Killian hadn’t even looked at me as I approached the altar. His black eyes had been fixed on some point over my shoulder, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might shatter. When it came time for the vows, he had recited them in a monotone voice and hadn’t added any of the emotional words he had written specifically for Natalie. The vows meant nothing to him other than duty.

The kiss had been even worse—a brief, cold press of the lips that lasted barely a second before he pulled away, already turning to face the crowd before I could even open my eyes.

No one had thrown rice or flower petals as we’d exited the chapel. The few guests who’d attended had simply watched in uncomfortable silence as we’d walked back down the aisle, now bound as mates but feeling more like strangers than ever.

The memory faded as Killian bent to pick up the ring, bringing me back to the present. He held it between his thumb and forefinger, examining it in the light.

“I’ll get you a new ring,” he said simply. “We can start fresh. Put all this behind us.”

I almost laughed at that. Start fresh? After years of being his afterthought, his unwanted mate, his “Leftover Luna”? After being killed by him in my past life?

“No,” I said firmly, folding my arms across my chest. “A new ring would be meaningless. Just another empty gesture to maintain appearances.”

His eyes flashed dangerously. “This is about Jaxon, isn’t it?” He took a step toward me, the ring now clenched tightly in his fist. “Has he gotten into your head? Or is there more going on between you two than you’re admitting?”

“Not everything is about your paranoid jealousy, Killian.”

“Paranoid?” He let out a harsh laugh. “My wife is having secret dinners with my political rival, accepting gifts from him, and giving those same gifts to me as if I wouldn’t find out. What else am I supposed to think?”

“Maybe you should think about why your wife would rather spend time with literally anyone else but you,” I shot back.

The muscle in his jaw ticked.

“You will stay away from Jaxon Adler,” he commanded. “That’s an order, Elena. As your Alpha and your mate.”

“I’ll do what I think is best,” I said defiantly, lifting my chin to meet his glare.

“You’ll obey me, or there will be consequences. If you think I’ll let you undermine my authority—”

“Then what?” I interrupted, stepping closer to him. “You’ll lock me in my room again like a misbehaving child?”

“If that’s what it takes.” His expression hardened into that cold mask I knew so well. “I’ve been too lenient with you lately, letting you run around doing whatever you please. That ends now.”

Before I could respond, he strode to the door and yanked it open. “Tiffany!” he barked.

My stomach sank as I heard the clicking of heels approaching. Of course she was still lingering nearby, probably hoping for exactly this moment.

Tiffany appeared in the doorway, her lips already curving into a satisfied smile when she saw me. “Yes, Alpha?”

“From now on, you’ll accompany Elena wherever she goes,” Killian ordered, not even glancing at me as he spoke. “She is not to go anywhere without you until I say otherwise. Consider it her…” He finally looked at me, and the coldness in his eyes made my heart stutter more than I expected it to.

“Additional Luna training,” he finished.

The humiliation burned through me like someone had just poured boiling acid down my throat. He was assigning me a babysitter, and not just any babysitter—it was the woman who had held my position for years, who had made it clear she thought I was unworthy of being Luna.

Tiffany’s smile widened with malicious glee. “Of course, Alpha. I’d be happy to help guide our… Luna.”