Chapter 36

Landen’s POV

"Alpha, I think it's time to stop this, I honestly do not know where my sister is,"

Bethel said sharply, his eyes hard as he turned away from the gifts I had brought. His voice, usually calm and steady, carried a weight of frustration that made me uneasy.

"You know very well Annabeth does not share her misery; she bears her pain alone," he continued, a subtle tremor of sadness coloring his words.

"I had no idea you had even divorced until I learned that the Alpha's wife had a son. I thought to come to congratulate my dear sister, only to hear she wasn't the Luna."

Those words—simple, direct, and honest—cut through me like a blade. The sting of it settled deep in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Bethel's tone wasn’t accusatory; it was resigned as if he had long accepted that life was cruel to his sister, and now, he had just learned how cruel it had been.

"I… I am…" The words caught in my throat. What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t justify my choices. Not to him. No