Chapter 19 Who Is The Recognized Luna
Gamma Levi, ever attuned to her moods as her bonded Gamma—the one meant to stand beside the Luna when her mate failed—could feel the weight of her sorrow.
He sensed how she was slowly retreating into herself again, the walls going up, the light dimming. And though fury burned inside him each time Beta Greg strutted into her office with his cruel smirk, he was powerless to act. Addison wouldn’t let him.
She always stopped him before things could escalate, especially when Beta Greg made it clear he was willing to strike. To protect her Gamma from harm, Addison bore every barb, every humiliation alone—silently choosing pain over risking someone else’s safety.
The emotional torment dragged on until, for reasons unknown, Beta Greg finally pulled back after a week. But by then, the damage had already been done. Addison was mentally drained, worn down to the point where all she wanted was to walk away—from the relationship, from the pack, from everything.
Yet just as she reached her breaking point, the entire pack plunged into a flurry of activity, preparing for the arrival of a group of important visitors.
Claire took center stage in the preparations, stepping confidently into the role of Luna—as though it were already hers by right. She oversaw arrangements with grace and ease, while Alpha Zion busied himself issuing commands, bolstering the border patrol, and tightening security to ensure no rogue or vampire dared approach during the visit.
With his attention consumed by duty and Claire, Zion had even less reason to look for Addison.
Meanwhile, Addison, who had been cast aside and stripped of responsibility, became the target of whispers and glares. The pack saw her idleness not as forced exile, but as proof of laziness and incompetence. Rumors spread that she had dumped her duties onto Claire, fueling further disdain from the very people she once led.
No matter what Addison did, she was always cast as the villain in everyone’s eyes, while Claire was painted as the graceful, kind, and selfless Luna. The comparison between them never ceased, and with every passing day that Addison remained idle—forced or not—the contempt and disapproval from the pack deepened.