Dust covered every surface. Cobwebs hung in the corners. The air smelled stale and forgotten.
“When you got accepted as a core member of Shadowmoon Pack, we were all so happy for you,” Mrs. Brown chatted as she swept. “The whole neighborhood was buzzing with pride. Our little Aria, making it to the big leagues.”
She paused her cleaning to study my face carefully.
“Looking at you now, you must have made it big in the pack’s core territory. Those fancy clothes, that expensive bag–your mother’s sacrifices for you weren’t in vain.”
Looking at Mrs. Brown’s loving face, I lowered my head in embarrassment.
How could I tell her the truth? That those “expensive” items were the only things I’d managed to salvage from seven years of misery?
I was the first werewolf from this small town to gain core member status in Shadowmoon Pack. This allowed me to enter the pack’s inner circle and enjoy high–ranking werewolf privileges.
The whole town had celebrated. There was a small parade. The mayor gave a speech.
Back then, everyone–including myself–believed I would have a brilliant future.
I would give my mother a good life. I would have a happy family.
I would make my parents proud and lift our family out of poverty.
But fate is unpredictable.
At life’s crossroads, I met Garrett and became his mate.
For that, I sacrificed seven years of my youth and the lives of my mother and child.
I chatted with Mrs. Brown for a while, carefully choosing my words as I explained what had happened,
I told her about the binding ceremony, about becoming Luna. I mentioned the pack responsibilities and the prestige.
But I left out the cheating. The humiliation. The endless nights of crying myself to sleep.
