Meadow climbed the stairs slowly, her palms cold, her heartbeat still unsettled from the news she wasn’t sure she deserved. She kept replaying the moment again and again in her mind, the Luna choosing her. Her. Out of every unmated she-wolf in Whitewood.

Each step felt heavier, as though the wood beneath her feet whispered the same question:

Why you?

She had asked herself this a thousand times already. Why would Luna Amber, a woman known for her sharp gaze and colder smile, choose the mute girl? The invisible girl? The girl who could not command warriors or lead a room, who could not even reply through mind link?

Her throat tightened. She pressed her hand to her chest.

What if the pack rejected her? What if they mocked Joseph for being tied to someone like her? What if she made him look weak?

Her fingers trembled as she reached her bedroom door.

Before she could overthink herself into tears, she pulled out her phone. Her thumbs moved rapidly over the screen.

Please come. It’s urgent., M

Victoria would come. Victoria always came.

As she waited, Meadow sat on the edge of her bed, twisting the sheets between her fingers. She tried to envision her future with Alpha Joseph McCloud.

It didn’t work.

Joseph barely spoke to her. Barely looked at her. He carried himself like a man carved out of snow and discipline, hard, cold, controlled. Meadow had no experience with him beyond the polite nods he gave the pack, and even then, she doubted he’d ever consciously looked in her direction.

How could she possibly stand beside him as Luna?

How could they live together? Eat together? Share a home, a room, a life?

A mate bond was supposed to be sacred. Shared. Equal.

Would he feel anything for her? Would she be nothing but a silent shadow in his house too?

Her chest warmed, then cooled, then calmed. Slowly, she released a breath and accepted what she could not change.

Fate had chosen.

And Meadow had always been too obedient, too gentle, too resigned to question fate.

Her mother’s voice suddenly brushed her mind, soft, but firm enough to jolt her.

Come downstairs, Meadow.

Meadow leapt up immediately, smoothing her dress as she hurried back down the stairs.

Luna Amber stood near the doorway, ready to leave. Tall, elegant, beautiful in an icy sort of way. She wore a smile, one that didn’t reach her eyes. Something about that smile made Meadow’s wolf shift uneasily beneath her skin.

Still, Meadow bowed her head in respect.

Her mother’s voice nudged her again through the link:

Greet the Luna.

Meadow bowed lower.

Luna Amber barely glanced at her before stepping out of the house.

As soon as the door closed, Meadow looked between her parents hopefully. She wanted, needed, someone to explain this decision to her, to reassure her, to tell her there was no trick behind the Luna’s cold smile.

But her parents shared a look, a tired, relieved look, then Tamar broke into a warm smile and walked toward her. She cupped Meadow’s face as though she were a child again.

“Finally,” Tamar whispered, pressing a kiss to Meadow’s forehead. “I thought I would grow old with you still wandering around this house.”

Her tone was light, but joy glimmered in her eyes, real joy, something Meadow had not seen directed at her in years.

For a moment, Meadow soaked in the rare affection.

For a moment, she let her mother’s touch anchor her.

Meadow crossed her arms.

She wasn’t insulted, Victoria wasn’t wrong. But Meadow believed in the goddess. She believed fate wouldn’t mock her like this.

Victoria’s expression softened, but only for a moment before her eyes narrowed again.

“She’s using you,” she said firmly. “Think about it. If Joseph marries you, he gets a Luna who can’t take over leadership duties. No commanding the women. No addressing the pack. No hosting ceremonies. You can’t even mind-link orders. So guess who keeps the position?”

Meadow blinked.

Victoria answered for her.

“Luna Amber. She stays Luna until she dies. She gets to rule beside her son without stepping down.”

A cold, uneasy shiver crawled up Meadow’s spine.

Victoria sighed heavily. “I’m not trying to ruin your excitement. I’m just asking you to think. Really think. Why you? Why now? Luna Amber never does anything unless it benefits her.”

Meadow signed quickly:

Why are you such a killjoy?

Victoria rolled her eyes hard enough to rattle windows.

“Because someone has to protect you, Meadow. Someone has to say what no one else will. And if this wedding is a trap, I’m not letting you walk into it blind.”

Though Meadow wanted to argue, her stomach twisted with a quiet, uncomfortable truth:

Victoria might be right.

But fate had chosen.

And fate did not choose without reason.