Chapter 4 Chapter 0004
•CASSANDRA•
“Luna, your dress is ready,” Kira said when she found me in the hallway, still thinking of what just happened when Mason left with Nadia.
For a moment, it felt like my entire world tipped over. All the fears I tried to bury were suddenly happening right in front of me.
Mason was slipping away. And the harder I tried to fix things between us, the more it felt like he was drifting even farther.
“Thank you, Kira,” I answered, smiling at her. “I’ll get ready.” I walked off quickly before she could ask why I looked like I was about to break.
When I finished getting dressed, I asked Kira to watch Rowan for me. I didn’t want to bring him along.
I needed to talk to Mason after the meeting, and I didn’t want Rowan to be caught in the middle of whatever this was turning into.
The gathering hall was already full when I arrived. Wolves of every rank were seated, waiting to hear the updates about our pack.
There was an empty chair at the front, right beside Mason. I took a small breath and started walking toward it, hoping that today would be a little different.
But before I reached it, Nadia slid into the seat like she belonged there.
My stomach twisted. I swallowed hard and forced myself to turn away. I found a seat in the far corner, pretending it didn’t hurt.
Mason didn’t even seem to notice Nadia sitting beside him. Or maybe he noticed but didn't care.
When the meeting started, I tried to ignore the twisting knot in my stomach and the whispers behind my back.
"My goodness, why is the Luna not sitting with the Alpha? Is Nadia replacing her?" Someone murmured behind me.
"That's a shame. She can't even say anything while her husband is clearly cheating right in front of her," another she-wolf commented.
Noah, Mason's beta, stepped up to the podium. “Let us thank our Alpha for ensuring the safety of our borders,” he announced proudly. “Under his leadership, we have survived countless attacks without losing a single life. Our gold mines are secure and have brought prosperity to every corner of this pack.”
People cheered at the speech, clapping their hands while Nadia leaned closer to Mason. She looked as if she had been there when Mason became the Alpha.
It was as if she knew the struggles of the pack before the mines were discovered. While I sat in the corner, silently dying because my husband didn't even realize that I wasn't by his side.
"A new medical school has been opened so we can train our own medics and lessen the number of people who travel to the human territories for their medical degrees," Noah continued as he looked at Mason, and quickly found me at the corner. "Our Luna has promised to be the one who will welcome the first batch of medical students this coming month. She will guide them as they take on a new journey in their lives."
People tilted their heads and looked at me, and I stood up from my chair and curtsied before I sat down again.
"Please, Luna, come forward and congratulate those who have been accepted to their first year at the school. All twenty learners will join our medics in four years."
I smiled as I got up and approached the podium. Nadia's eyes were glued sternly to me, while Mason was looking at his cellphone.
'Look forward and don't mind what's on the side,' Lyra whispered in my head. 'Don't give them the power to break you. You are a Luna.'
I welcomed the students and read the names. Their hopeful smiles warmed me, grounding me for a moment. These were the moments I lived for. The moments when I still felt needed and still felt worthy.
But as I turned to leave, Mason rose from his chair.
He took the microphone from me, and the room fell silent.
“Before the Luna sits,” Mason said, his tone measured and commanding. “I want to congratulate our new students and wish them a prosperous first year.”
I stopped mid-step, hands tightening at my sides.
“But,” he continued. A single word. One that made every hair on my skin stand up. "The Luna will no longer oversee your transition.”
The room shifted, and small gasps filled the room. My breath hitched.
Mason looked at me just for a moment before turning his gaze toward Nadia.
“Nadia has been our most dedicated medic for over ten years. Her experience and devotion to healing have been unmatched. For that reason, she will be the chancellor of the medical school and your official representative.”
My heart stopped, and a ringing sound filled my ears.
“Nadia will guide your orientation and your classes when school begins,” he added as he gestured for her to come forward.
Nadia rose from her seat and strode forward with a triumphant little smile. When she reached me, she smirked and pushed me aside with her shoulder and stood next to Mason.
While Mason was addressing the crowd about her new role and why he thought of 'lessening the load off my shoulders', Nadia tilted her head and looked at me.
'Oh, Luna,' she said through the mind link. 'You must admit I played my game well. The man you took from me is now mine once again.' She looked forward and cut the mind link before I could respond.
She beamed at the crowd, waving slightly, basking in the attention, the applause, and the admiration that should have never belonged to her.
I stood on the side of the stage, fighting every instinct in my body to gasp, to scream, and to collapse right there on the wooden floor.
My lungs tightened, and my pulse hammered. My hands trembled as I hid them behind my dress.
Lyra’s voice was faint and strained. ‘Hold on. Cassandra, hold on.’ But I could barely breathe without feeling as if there was a fire in my throat.
The humiliation, the betrayal, and the coldness on Mason’s face crushed me. Nadia's smug face tormented my memory.
I had never felt so small.