Chapter 39

DEREK

The Moonstone estate’s main number rang four times before someone finally picked up.

“Moonstone Residence!” a small voice chirped. “Who is this?”

I blinked. “Who is this?”

“I asked first,” the kid replied, then paused dramatically. “And since it’s our house phone, I win.”

A grin tugged at my mouth before I could stop it. “That’s a dangerous game you’re playing, kid.” It had to be Aiden. I’d know that voice anywhere.

“Not dangerous at all if you’re not a rogue,” he said, and I could hear the smirk. “Are you a rogue?”

“No,” I said. “But that question wasn’t on the standard screening form last I checked.”

Aiden laughed—a bright, clear sound that cracked something wide open in my chest. It was disarming in a way I hadn’t expected.

“Alright, not-a-rogue. Who are you calling for?”

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand over my jaw. “I was actually trying to get through to the Alpha. Or Mason.”

“Oh,” Aiden said. “Grandpa is in a Council meeting, and Uncle Mason’s… I don’t know, being secretive and mysterious or whatever.”

That tracked.

“Why didn’t you call Grandpa’s office phone?” he asked.

I had to smile. “Because I was afraid I’d get hung up on,” I admitted. “Listen, is Elena around?” I asked before I could think better of it.

“She’s home,” he said. “But she’s, like, super busy. She’s trying to get ready for her friend’s wedding and she’s doing all these Alliance things now.”

“Who’s getting married?” I asked, my chair creaking as I leaned back in it.

“Her friend Dawn,” he said, and went on and on excitedly, telling me all about where it was going to be and when and how he had a major role in it—how the whole wedding would be ruined if he wasn’t perfect at his job.

“I was a ring bearer once,” I told him. “A long time ago.”

“You were?!” He seemed more than eager to hear all about it.

“See, the trick is all about the timing.”

“The timing?”

“Yeah,” said, settling into my chair, surprised with how much I was enjoying this conversation. “You can’t go down the aisle too fast. But you also can’t go too slow. You know what song will be playing for the processional?”

“The what?”

“The processional,” I laughed. “The song that will be playing as everyone walks down the aisle.”

“Ohhh,” he said. “No, I’m not sure what it is.”

“Find out,” I instructed him. “And then put it on. Practice your walk. Once you’ve got your timing down, all that’s left to do is to smile, walk with your head held high, and deliver the rings to the groom.”

“And…deliver…the rings…to the…groom,” he said with concentration, as though he were writing all of this down.

“Hey Aiden?”

“Yeah?” I could practically see him leaning forward, straining to hear what I was about to say next.

“Don’t drop the rings.”

At this he laughed outright.

“I’m serious,” I went on, laughing myself. “Write that down, too. It’s maybe the most important part of your job! What if they go rolling away and fall down a sewer grate?”

“Ew!”

We both laughed and an easy, comfortable silence stretched out for a moment.

“So,” I said. “Your mom is doing a bunch of Alliance Summit stuff, huh?”

“Yep!”

The corners of my mouth twitched again. “Is she good at it?”

“She’s the best,” he said proudly, then lowered his voice like we were co-conspirators. “But I think she’s a little overwhelmed. She was trained to be a Luna, not an Alpha. You know?”

I blinked at the phone.

I knew.

Goddess, I knew.

“I’ll bet she’s doing better than she thinks.”

“She always does,” Aiden said, softer now.

There was a brief pause before he asked, “Wait… who is this?”

I cleared my throat. “I’m Derek.”

Another pause. Then—

“Wait. Derek Derek?”

I bit back a groan. “Yeah.”

“Oh, man,” he said, laughing. “You’re the guy who sent that huge wolf plushie, right? It was like half my size.”

I chuckled. “That was… a peace offering.”

“It was awesome. Mom tried to throw it out, but I rescued it from the maid before it got to the dumpster. I’m hiding it in my closet.”

“Why’d she throw it out?”

He hesitated a moment, then said, “She knew it was from you.”

I rubbed a hand across my face. “Yeah, I seem to have that effect on her.”

We both sighed into the receiver at the same time and I could feel the conversation come to a close, as much as I didn’t want it to.

“Well, anyway, I should probably go find my mom. Nice talking to you, Derek-Derek,” he said.

I couldn’t help but smile. “You too. And hey—take care of her alright?”

“I always do.”

He hung up without waiting for a goodbye, and I found myself staring at the phone in my hand long after the line had gone dead.

It was too easy to picture him. Too easy to hear our bond in his laugh.

I pushed to my feet, swallowing hard, and finally put the phone back on the receiver. But I wasn’t fast enough.

Cassandra had already walked in.

CASSANDRA

Pressure. That was the only word for it lately. No—there were others. Suffocation. Ultimatums. Expectations dressed up as advice from a father who thought he knew best.

“Secure him,” my father had said the last time we spoke. “This can’t wait anymore, Cass. Eastern Ridge is barely hanging on. Our alliance with Silverclaw is the only thing keeping neighboring packs from tearing us apart. And if you lose Derek, we lose everything.”

I’d smiled then, the kind of smile that kept people comfortable. But inside, I had seethed. Because no one ever talked about what I wanted. What I needed. It was always Derek this, Derek that. Tie him down. Win him over. Breed strong heirs for the pack.

Goddess.

And now, to add insult to injury, that bitch was back.

Elena.

Oh, not publicly, not officially. Not in the way a returned-from-the-dead Luna might announce herself. No, she slithered back into Derek’s life as some war-scarred ghost from his past, all wide eyes and wounded pride. And he fell for it. Again.

I didn’t need to hear her name in conversation to know she was behind his moods. Behind his absence from my bed. Behind the hesitation I saw in his eyes when he looked at me now, like he was seeing a memory instead of the woman in front of him.

Elena had a pattern. She clung to powerful men like ivy on a crumbling wall—first Derek, now Logan. And yet, somehow, she’d managed to make both of them weak for her.

Derek had nearly crumbled when she “died.” And Logan? That engagement was dragging longer than any royal courtship I’d ever seen. No wedding date, no ring photos, no Luna announcements. Nothing.

Was that her game? Draw them in, let them plan a life together, then vanish right before the vows?

She wouldn’t get away with it twice.

I pulled my coat tighter around my shoulders as I walked into the Silverclaw packhouse, boots clicking across the stone-tiled foyer. The tension here had changed recently. The guards stood taller. The house ran quieter. Like everyone was holding their breath and waiting for something to snap.

Caroline greeted me with her usual clipped smile. “Cassandra.”

“Caroline,” I said warmly, though it took effort. “You look well.”

She didn’t. She looked tired and suspicious, but I didn’t say that. Joe passed by, giving me a nod but not stopping to talk. Interesting. Derek’s inner circle had become more guarded. Was it because of the rogue attacks? Or had my presence lost its charm?

I made my way down the hallway toward Derek’s office, heels soft against the worn rug. Just as I neared the door, I heard his voice through the partially open frame.

He was talking about being a ring bearer for some goddess-forsaken reason. Laughing. His voice as tender as I’d ever heard it.

My stomach clenched.

Whoever it was on the phone spoke to him for a little longer and I swallowed, trying to get a clue as to who it was he was talking to.

Another small laugh.

And then, softer, almost fond: “Take care of her, alright?”

He stood staring at the receiver for a long minute, a faraway look on his face and then finally hung up. I barely had time to school my face into something unreadable before he turned and noticed me standing there.

He raised an eyebrow. “Cassandra.”

I smiled. “Who were you talking to?”

He smiled to himself and shrugged, brushing past me. “Nobody.”

Nobody, my ass.

As soon as he was gone, I stepped into his office, stared down at the phone, and pressed redial.

The line rang once. Then a voice answered.

“Moonstone Packhouse.”

I slammed the receiver down, pulse pounding. Of course. Of course it was them. She was worming her way back in somehow—through Derek’s guilt, probably, through whatever ancient tragedy still tied them together.

Not again.

I pulled out my cell and scrolled down until I found the name I was looking for. Carlton. An old school friend of mine. Journalism degree. Hungry for gossip. Always answered my calls.

I hit dial.

“Carlton? It’s Cassandra Laurent,” I said, keeping my tone calm. Controlled.

“I’ve got a story I think you’re going to want to hear.”