Raymond's grip on my wrist tightened as he pulled me into a secluded alcove near the back of the hall. Flickering candlelight cast harsh shadows across his face, accentuating the fury in his eyes.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded, finally releasing me.

I rubbed my wrist, certain it would bruise. "Dancing. It's generally expected at a Gala."

"With Kane?" Raymond's voice dripped with scorn. "My best friend?"

"Your best friend was simply filling the role you abandoned," I replied, keeping my voice level despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "Where were you, Raymond? The Alpha is supposed to open the couples' dance with his Luna."

Raymond ran a hand through his hair, a gesture I once found endearing but now recognized as a sign of his discomfort with being held accountable. "I had pack business to attend to."

"Pack business," I repeated flatly. "Was that business conveniently located wherever Giana happened to be?"

Before Raymond could respond, Kane appeared at the edge of our alcove.

"Everything alright here?" he asked, his casual tone belied by the tension in his shoulders.

Raymond turned on him instantly. "This doesn't concern you."

"When you publicly manhandle your Luna after abandoning her on the dance floor, it becomes everyone's concern," Kane replied coolly.

"I didn't abandon her," Raymond snapped.

"No?" Kane raised an eyebrow. "What would you call it then?"

The two men stood facing each other, years of friendship fracturing in the tense silence between them. I stepped between them, acutely aware of the watching eyes from the main hall.

"This isn't the place," I reminded them both. "We have guests."

As if on cue, Giana appeared, her expression masterfully crafted into one of innocent concern.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, placing a hand on Raymond's arm. "People are starting to notice."

"Everything's fine," I said before either man could escalate the situation further. "Just a small misunderstanding about the dance schedule."

I turned to Kane, my expression neutral despite the storm of emotions beneath. "Thank you for the dance, Alpha Kane. It was most considerate of you to step in."

Kane held my gaze for a moment before inclining his head slightly. "The pleasure was mine, Luna."

He walked away without another word, leaving me with Raymond and Giana in the suffocating confines of the alcove.

"Raymond, perhaps we should return to our guests," Giana suggested, her voice honeyed with false sweetness. "We wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong impression."

Raymond nodded, already turning toward her. "Go ahead. I'll join you in a moment."

Once Giana was out of earshot, Raymond rounded on me again. "We need to talk about this. Privately. Tonight."

"There's nothing to discuss," I said, straightening my shoulders. "I was fulfilling my duties as Luna while you were absent. Nothing more."

"It looked like considerably more than that," Raymond hissed. "The way you were looking at him—"

"The way I was looking at him?" I repeated incredulously. "What about the way you look at Giana? You parade her around like she's already your Luna while I'm expected to smile and fade into the background."

"That's different," Raymond insisted. "She's my fated mate."

"And I'm your wife," I countered. "Your Luna. The one who stands beside you at formal functions while you slip away to be with her. Did you think no one would notice? Did you think I wouldn't be humiliated standing alone during the traditional dance?"

Raymond had the grace to look momentarily ashamed. "I lost track of time. It wasn't intentional."

"Nothing ever is with you," I said, weariness suddenly replacing anger. "You never intend to hurt me, yet somehow you always manage to."

I turned to leave, but Raymond caught my arm. "Aurora, wait. You didn't answer my question. What's going on between you and Kane?"

"Nothing," I lied, the word bitter on my tongue. "Kane was being a gentleman, unlike my husband."

"He was making a point," Raymond argued. "Trying to humiliate me."

I laughed, the sound hollow. "Is that what you think this is about? Your ego? Your pride?"

"I think it's about Kane deliberately undermining me by dancing with my Luna in a way that was far from proper."

"Would you have preferred I acknowledged your absence more clearly?" I asked. "Perhaps announced to our guests that my husband was too busy with his lover to fulfill his ceremonial obligations?"

Raymond's face darkened. "Of course not, but you could have done anything than look so pleased to be dancing with Kane."

The accusation stung, perhaps because there was some truth to it. "I was playing my part, Raymond. Being the perfect Luna you demand I be while giving you freedom to do as you please."

His expression softened unexpectedly. "Aurora, I never wanted to hurt you."

"Yet you do," I said quietly. "Every day."

Without waiting for his response, I walked away, my Luna mask firmly back in place as I rejoined the celebration. I could feel Raymond's eyes on my back, but he didn't follow.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur of diplomacy and carefully measured smiles. I spoke with visiting Alphas, mediated a minor territory dispute between two allied packs, and pretended not to notice Raymond and Giana stealing moments together in darkened corners.

By the time I excused myself to visit the ladies' room, my face ached from maintaining my façade. I needed just a moment alone, away from watchful eyes and whispered judgments.

The hallway outside the main hall was mercifully quiet, the sounds of celebration muffled by thick stone walls. I took a deep breath, allowing my shoulders to slump just slightly.

"—couldn't believe she had the nerve."

A woman's voice, sharp with disdain, drifted from around the corner ahead. I froze, instinctively stepping back into the shadows.

"Dancing with Kane like that, when everyone knows she's just Raymond's discarded wife." Another female voice, equally scornful.

"Nothing but a decorative vase," the first woman agreed. "Kept around for appearances while Raymond moves on with Giana."

I recognized the voices now—two of Kane's admirers who had been hovering near him all evening. My cheeks burned with humiliation, but I remained rooted to the spot.

"Kane told me himself he's just using her to irritate Raymond," a third voice chimed in. "He said the Luna is convenient entertainment until something better comes along."

I pressed a hand to my mouth, stifling the sound that threatened to escape. Had Kane really said such things? After everything we'd shared?

"Speaking of something better coming along," a deep, familiar voice joined the conversation. Kane.

I held my breath, waiting for him to defend me, to challenge these cruel assessments.

Instead, he laughed—a low, throaty sound I'd heard so many times before. "Ladies, the night is young. Why waste it discussing the Luna when there are far more... pleasurable topics at hand?"

The women giggled, and I heard footsteps moving away down the hall.

I remained in the shadows, Kane's laughter echoing in my ears along with their venomous words. My heart felt as if it had been carved out of my chest with a dull blade.

I had thought—foolishly—that despite our complicated arrangement, Kane saw me as more than just Raymond's unwanted wife. That perhaps, in his own way, he respected me.

Another delusion to add to my growing collection.

Straightening my spine, I wiped away the single tear that had escaped and arranged my features into the serene mask expected of a Luna. There was a room full of diplomats waiting, alliances to be maintained, appearances to be kept.

The hollow ache in my chest would have to wait until I was alone.