weeks

ing the chaos in my mind. I sat in the corner booth, nursing a cup of herbal tea that ha

ed. No experie

ner. Must have ow

evious pack emplo

ployment. As what-disgraced former Luna? Publicly reje

y secret was safe for now, hidden beneath loose clothing and careful

gh d

eyes the color of warm honey and auburn hair that caught the diner's fluorescent lighting.

ing the newspaper pages, suddenly self

g her hand. "And you're Ella Montgomer

ar about my rejection, then my humiliation w

us. "No, but I know your story. My pack has been fol

ted flatly. "Is that wh

ct because I think you need someone to be honest with you right now. Your ex-husband mad

he booth, suddenly

's call us Crescent Moon's friendly rivals. We've been w

ce and independent. They'd been steadily gaining territory and inf

our Alpha wa

tory about it. "He wants to offer you a job. And

nge. After two weeks of rejection, abandonmen

liste

who understands their weaknesses, their secrets. You spent five years as Luna of o

bout corruption, deal-making, and the price of power. I'd kept my mouth shut out of loyalty t

n exch

d conspiratorially. "And the satisfaction of watching your ex-husb

usly so. But I had to think ab

time to

Montgo

pensive suit standing by our booth, his expression carefully neutral. Beta Harrison, Nathaniel's

the way my heart had started racing. "What

, then back to me. "The

How formal. And why, exactly, would I want to meet with the ma

ened. "There have be

?" Sage asked, her tone ca

on replied curtly. "Not

ed her hand with a smile that didn'

y by suspicion. Of course he'd know about the rival pack that

iends," he said to me, disa

e first time in my life," I repli

ng. "Please. Just come back with me.

started causing problems? Had the Council questioned his hasty rejection? O

to my stomach, praying my growi

ould subject myself to more of Na

clearly uncomfortable having this conversatio

for two weeks now felt hollow,

ge asked, her journalist's

arrison said quietly. "The engagement to Vivi

ttered. "Com

her to gather intelligence about our pack defenses, our ter

l grow distant, of feeling like I was losing him to someone better, smarter, more

n't ignore the obvious question: "

silence w

already rejected me. After he'd already humiliated me in front of the entire pac

ll

don't get to 'Ella' me. You don't get to act like this is some min

didn't care. Two weeks of pain and anger

bition over his mate." Each word was a dagger thrown with precision

ts to f

ngs can't

tching the entire exchange with fasc

g money on the table for her untou

rked across the street. Even from a distance, I could make o

aid urgently. "Don't let anger ma

m directly in the eye, "is wasting five years

tanding alone by our abandoned booth. But just as I

Ella. He's al

my resolve. But then I thought about the pregnancy test hidden in my purse, about the child gro

f that before he destroyed us,

m, washing away the last traces of the woman I used to be. Th

oman w

arder, someone angrier, some

to my new life, I felt something I hadn't experi