Arthur Steelheart was a broken man, betrayed by his own. Alpha Grey Steelheart, his fiancé, was now moon-bound to an Omega—and not just any Omega, but Elias Steelheart, Arthur's younger brother.

Arthur had always been a target of gossip within the Steelheart pack. He was a dominant Alpha, not an Omega, yet he'd been tossed aside. Everyone had seen Grey and Elias's bond strengthening, but no one had ever suspected Grey's Omega would be his own brother. The betrayal left Arthur hollowed out.

Grey and Elias's wedding had broken him even more. He'd thought he could endure, that he could let go, but seeing them together, exchanging vows, was a torment. He was standing near the edge of the crowd when the pain became unbearable. With a ragged gasp, Arthur startled shifted. His human clothes shredded as his wolf, the crimson-eyed beast of the Steelheart line, emerged and bolted from the ceremony.

He ran. He didn't look back, just put distance between himself and the pack, running until the sounds of their disappointment and his brother’s cries, muffled as Elias was comforted by Grey, were completely lost.

Finally, miles away in a desolate clearing, Arthur stopped. He threw his head back and howled—a primal, mournful cry directed at the indifferent moon. His knees gave out, and he collapsed, the effort of the run and the sheer despair forcing him to unshift. He lay there, naked and sobbing, until his tears finally ran dry.

His red eyes went hollow as he slowly rose, unsteady on his feet. He walked to the edge of a jagged cliff, looking down at the stretched river, the bay, and the trees far below. The height was dizzying, but he felt nothing.

He inhaled the crisp night air one last time and whispered the word that sealed his fate:

“Goodbye.”

Then, he leaned forward and let himself fall to his death.

Meanwhile, at the wedding dinner party, the celebration was in full swing. Grey and Elias were being toasted by the pack when Grey suddenly felt a sharp, inexplicable pain. His hand flew to his chest as his wolf whimpered deep inside him.

Elias immediately turned, his innocent eyes filled with worried concern. "Grey? Are you okay? You look pale. Do you want to rest early?"

Grey quickly shook his head, forcing a reassuring smile. "No, no. I'm fine, Eli. Just a sharp stitch, I think. This is our wedding. I wouldn't miss a minute of it." but he was still feeling unease at his chest.

The celebration continued. Everyone in the Steelheart pack had already forgotten about Arthur running out of the wedding in his wolf form, dismissing it as a childish tantrum.

But Arthur's father, Throne Steelheart, hadn't forgotten. He was furious and wasn't pleased to deal with him later. Yet, Throne Steelheart wouldn't know this would be the last time he ever saw his son.

​The border between the Steelheart and Rivers territories was marked by high cliffs and a narrow stretch of riverbed. Rangar Rivers, Pack Leader of the Rivers, patrolled this edge often. Tonight, the familiar scents of pine and water were violently cut by a thick, metallic aroma. ​Rangar shifted, his massive, snow-white wolf with striking blue eyes moving instantly down the embankment. The scent was blood, and a staggering amount of it. He rounded a cluster of water-worn stones and stopped. ​There, crumpled against the rocks where the cliff line met the river, lay a human form, partially shifted and barely alive. The pool of water around the body was stained a shocking, deep crimson. It was a powerful Alpha, soaked in his own life, having clearly fallen hard onto the jagged stone. ​Most would have dismissed this dying rival as a Steelheart problem. But Rangar saw something in the desperation of the shattered body—a stubborn, defiant will to cling to life. He saw an Alpha who had fought his own death to escape an even greater pain. ​Without hesitation, Rangar gripped the ruined Alpha, carefully pulling him clear of the rocks. He noted the massive wounds and, despite the agony, the stranger's powerful scent. Rangar hauled the body onto his back and began the arduous, blood-soaked trek toward his own territory. This Alpha was holding on. This one, Rangar knew, was worth saving. ​Rivers Pack Hospital ​Arthur Steelheart surfaced slowly, the medicinal scent of antiseptic mixing with a faint, grounding aroma of river water. His body was heavy, sluggish, and wrapped tightly in pain-dampening bandages. He blinked, his red eyes adjusting to the dim hospital room. ​Beside him, in a chair angled slightly away, a dark skin short man sat, arms crossed over a broad chest, head resting back. Arthur recognized the low, steady breathing of a powerful Alpha. ​A softer voice cut through the silence. ​“You decided to rejoin the living, Alpha?” ​Arthur turned his head. Standing in the doorway was a younger male, a Beta by his scent, with a kind but direct expression. This was Talon Rivers. ​“Where… where am I?” Arthur’s voice was a dry rasp. ​“Rivers Pack territory. Don’t strain yourself.” Talon moved to the bed. “That’s Rangar, our Pack Leader, beside you. He’s the one who found you, covered in a pool of blood down by the cliffs. He brought you here.” ​Arthur’s eyes drifted back to the massive, sleeping Alpha. He should have smelled a powerful, unfamiliar Alpha scent, distinct from his own. Instead, Arthur inhaled again, and his breath hitched. The dominant Alpha scent that saturated the room was fiercely familiar—it was his own. It was the overwhelming, pure scent of Arthur Steelheart, Alpha, magnified by the strength of the air in this foreign territory. ​Talon continued quietly, oblivious to Arthur’s internal shock. “Rangar was honestly impressed you were still clinging to life. You lost a lot of blood. The only reason you made it is because Rangar gave you a lot of his own—his Alpha essence is keeping you going right now.” ​Arthur stared at Rangar. The fact that he smelled his own Alpha essence meant Rangar’s powerful blood was integrating with his own, boosting his core nature. He was alive, but now his body was a furious monument to the strength he'd tried to destroy. ​Talon then gave him a hard, pointed look. “The Steelheart pack, by the way, assumes you just ran off throwing a tantrum again. They have no idea you survived your attempt. To them, you’re just a coward.” ​Arthur closed his eyes. The deep humiliation of the betrayal now mixed with the heavy, confusing weight of gratitude and the realization that he was an short man dark skin curly hair indebted to a rival Pack Leader—a man who had ironically forced Arthur to embrace the very Alpha he had just tried to kill.

​It had been three weeks since the wedding—three weeks of strained smiles, whispered rumors, and the suffocating silence left by a dominant Alpha who simply ran out and vanished.

​In the lavish Alpha quarters of the Steelheart packhouse, the air was thick with tension, not love. A perpetual chill seemed to cling to the polished wood and rich tapestries, refusing to be warmed by the huge stone fireplace. Throne Steelheart, the pack patriarch, was still simmering with a quiet, lethal fury over Arthur’s absence. The rage had nothing to do with paternal heartbreak and everything to do with social standing. He didn't care about the heartache; he cared that his dominant son had publicly disgraced the pack and avoided the punishment Throne had been planning. To Throne, Arthur was not a missing person, but an overdue problem—a stain on the Steelheart name that needed to be violently scrubbed away.

​Throne sat alone in his study, a glass of expensive amber liquid untouched on his desk. The papers detailing the pack’s recent business ventures blurred before his eyes. All he could see was the memory of Arthur, mid-shift, tearing across the courtyard, the howls of the abandoned wolf a mockery of the sacred moon-binding ceremony. Coward, he thought, grinding his teeth. The boy had always been too sensitive, too emotional for the Alpha blood in his veins. Throne was certain Arthur was simply hiding in some derelict shack, nursing his bruised ego before he was forced to crawl back. And when he did crawl back, Throne would teach him a lesson about responsibility and obedience the boy would never forget. The pack needed strength, not sentimentality. And in his anger, Throne gave no thought to the idea that Arthur might not be coming back at all.

​Downstairs, the forced gaiety of the wedding celebration had long ended, but the anxiety in Omega Elias Steelheart had only grown. The relief of being officially mated to Grey was overshadowed by the crippling weight of guilt. He sat nestled by the main hearth, picking relentlessly at the silver ring on his finger, its cold metal a constant reminder of the prize he had claimed.

​Alpha Grey Steelheart, now his moon-bound mate, sat beside him, gently pulling Elias close. Grey’s scent—a calming blend of cedar and smoke—should have soothed Elias, but the Omega was vibrating with unease.

​"You're doing that thing again, Eli," Grey murmured, his voice a low, husky rumble, resting his cheek on Elias's hair. "Worrying."

​Elias leaned into the comfort but couldn't truly relax. He could smell the lingering scent of Arthur's despair on the edges of the pack’s territory, an olfactory ghost that no amount of Grey’s presence could fully dispel. He twisted the ring again, staring into the flickering flames.

​"It's all my fault, Grey," Elias whispered, the words heavy and slow. "I know it is. He was your mate first. And I… I stole him." Elias’s voice broke on the last word, choked by a sudden surge of tears. "Arthur is out there because of me. We took his life. His future."

​A flash of impatience crossed Grey’s handsome features, but he immediately masked it with practiced control. He understood Elias’s sensitivity, but the constant remorse was exhausting. He tightened his hold, his voice firm and reassuring.

​"Don't say that. Don't you dare say that, Elias." He pulled back just enough to look his Omega in the eye, his gaze intense. "Look at me. You didn't steal anything. We had a bond before the wedding, didn't we? A quiet bond, yes, but it was there, and Arthur knew it. The only thing he can blame is his own wolf for not being dominant enough to hold my attention."

​Grey smoothed the silver ring on Elias's finger, his thumb tracing the Moon Goddess symbol. "It's not your fault. It never was. The Moon Goddess chose us. She moon-bound us. Do you know how rare that is? For an Alpha to reject one path and be so powerfully drawn to another? We can’t deny fate, my love. Arthur’s bond just wasn’t strong enough. Ours is."

​He took Elias's face in his hands, forcing their eyes to meet. "He ran because he was weak. He chose to abandon his pack, his father, and his duties. That is on him, Elias. Not on us. We simply followed the will of the Moon."

​Elias searched Grey’s eyes for any sign of doubt, any flicker of regret for the Alpha he had promised his life to years ago. He found none. Grey’s conviction was a lifeline.

​"But Throne is still so angry," Elias whispered, fear lending his voice a tremor. "He blames Arthur, yes, but he also blames me for the disruption. If Arthur comes back..."

​"He won't hurt you," Grey interrupted fiercely, pulling Elias into a chest-to-chest embrace. "I promised you. I am your mate now, and my promise is stronger than any Alpha's anger, even my father's. I am bonded to you for life."

​He pulled back, his eyes dark with solemnity. He smoothed the worry lines from Elias's brow with his thumb. "Look at me. No matter what happens—no matter what Throne says or what the pack whispers—I'll be with you. I'll protect you." He lifted Elias's hand, pressing a kiss to his knuckles with a solemnity that was meant to be a new, unbreakable vow. "And I love you for the rest of my life, my Luna."

​Elias finally let out a shuddering breath, a flicker of hope and relief finally breaking through the heavy shroud of guilt. He clung to his mate, drawing strength from the dominant Alpha scent, believing the promise with every fiber of his Omega heart. He needed to believe that their love was a decree from fate, not a cruel, selfish choice. He was completely unaware that the true, crimson-eyed consequence of their sacred bond was already beginning to heal miles away, being forged into something far more powerful, and far more dangerous, than the 'weak' Alpha they had both forgotten.

​The night air was cold, but Elias felt warm, safe in the embrace of his Luna—the title Grey used for him now, a constant reminder of their new status. For the first time in weeks, Elias allowed himself to relax, his anxieties temporarily soothed by Grey's passionate conviction. He closed his eyes, his peace purchased at a terrible cost.