Luna left the pack

*********Dari's POV*********

"Dude, I cannot believe she actually rejected you in front of everyone." Silas paced the length of my office, his heavy boots thudding against the mahogany floorboards. He dragged a hand through his hair, panic etched across his features. "That was intense, Dari."

I leaned back in my leather chair, letting out a soft sigh. I kept my expression cool, refusing to let my beta's frantic energy affect me. "Relax, Silas. Vivian was just throwing a tantrum. You know how she gets."

Silas stopped pacing and planted his hands on my desk, leaning in close. His eyes searched mine, looking for a crack in my facade. "I don't know, man. It felt different this time. She seemed dead serious about ending things. Are you sure you aren't underestimating her?"

I offered a dismissive wave. "I know my mate better than anyone. She has always been dramatic, especially when she does not get her way. Sure, she might be a little ticked off because I lost my temper, grabbed her by the throat, and forced her to kneel and apologize to Milla. But trust me, this is just another phase. Once she cools off, she will come around."

Silas shook his head, pushing off the desk. He resumed his pacing, his brow furrowed in deep concern. "I really do not think so, Dari. The way she looked at you... this feels different."

A timid knock at the heavy oak door cut through the tension in the room. I smirked. That had to be Vivian. Like a lost puppy, she was already back to grovel and beg for my forgiveness.

"Come in," Silas called out.

The door clicked open, but it was not my mate standing on the threshold. A young maid stepped inside, her head bowed low, her hands trembling as she smoothed her apron.

"Greetings, Alpha Dari. Beta Silas," she murmured softly.

I frowned, sinking deeper into my chair. "Why are you here?"

She hesitated, her fingers twisting the fabric of her skirt. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

Silas picked up his crystal glass from the side table and took a long sip of his wine. "Are you here to take your clothes off?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow.

A chuckle threatened to escape my lips, but I swallowed it down, maintaining a stern Alpha presence.

"No, sir," the maid stammered, her cheeks flushing crimson. "I am here for something else."

"Which is?" I demanded, my patience wearing thin.

The maid took a shallow breath. "Alpha Dari... Luna Vivian has left the territory."

The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. I froze, my muscles locking up as the sheer weight of her statement crashed into me. I stared blankly at the maid, my mind taking a long, excruciating moment to process the information.

Vivian left the pack?

Silas turned toward me, a knowing, accusatory smile playing on his lips. His gaze felt like a physical weight against my skin. He set his wine glass down with a sharp clink, turning his attention back to the trembling maid.

"Thanks for the information," Silas said, waving her off. "Go back to the kitchen and do not return unless we call for you."

The maid nodded frantically and scurried out, pulling the door shut behind her.

The silence in the office was deafening. Silas crossed his arms over his chest, his smile widening into something mocking.

"Dari," he dragged out my name, his tone dripping with intention. "Vivian left the pack."

He repeated it just to provoke a reaction. My fingers twitched, a sudden urge to grab the heavy crystal decanter on my desk and hurl it at his head rising within me.

Instead, I masked my irritation behind a mask of cold indifference. "So?"

Silas’s jaw dropped. "So? I am telling you your mate packed up and left our territory, and all you can say is 'so'?"

I stared at him, my expression blank. What did he expect me to do? Sprint out the door, shift into my wolf, and track her down? I am the supreme Alpha of the Sanguinemoon Pack. I do not run after a wayward woman like some desperate, lovestruck dog.

"Vivian is a child," I sighed tiredly, reaching for a stack of pending territory reports I had ignored for weeks. I flipped the top folder open, scanning the text. "She is just throwing a tantrum to get my attention. When she realizes no one is chasing her, she will come crawling back."

"Dari, are you out of your mind?!" Silas exploded, his voice booming off the walls.

A low, rumbling growl echoed in my head as my wolf, Kael, stirred, agitated by Silas’s sudden outburst.

"Keep your voice down," I snapped at Silas.

"How can I keep it down when you aren't acting sane?" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air.

I rolled my eyes, dragging a pen across a document. "I am perfectly sane, Silas. You just do not understand how my mate operates."

"And what if she does not come back?" Silas challenged, stepping closer to my desk. "What if she is gone for good?"

A dark smirk curled my lips. I set the pen down and looked up at him, sneering at his pathetic panic. "A poor orphan, fatefully bound to me by the Moon Goddess. Does she truly believe abandoning the sanctuary of the Sanguinemoon Pack will offer her any kind of solace? She is deluding herself if she thinks the streets will be kind to her. She has grown accustomed to the luxury and safety within these walls. Out there, she is nothing."

Silas stared at me, his eyes wide with bewilderment, as if he did not even recognize the man sitting in front of him.

I pushed my chair back and stood up. I walked around the desk, clapping a hand on his shoulder in a condescending pat.

"Listen to me, Silas," I said smoothly. "In my eyes, Vivian is just a lowly gold digger who lucked into becoming my Luna. I am still shocked the Moon Goddess matched me with such a lowlife instead of someone worthy. Someone like Milla."

I dropped my hand from his shoulder. "Speaking of Milla, I need to go check on her. She should be awake by now."

I turned my back on Silas and strode toward the heavy office door.

"Dari, you are seriously not going to look for her?" Silas pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation.

I groaned, my patience finally snapping. I shot him an annoyed glare over my shoulder. "She will return on her own. End of discussion."

I yanked the door open, stepping out into the grand, dimly lit hallway. The heavy oak door clicked shut behind me, cutting off Silas’s frantic protests. I adjusted the cuffs of my suit jacket, letting the cool draft of the corridor wash over me. The packhouse was quiet, the usual bustling activity muted in the late hour. I walked down the long stretch of plush carpet, my footsteps muffled, my mind focused on reaching Milla's room.

Before I could take ten steps, my inner wolf slammed against the barriers of my mind.

*You really have to go look for Vivian,* Kael growled, his deep, resonant voice echoing painfully against my skull. *You treated her wrongly, Dari!*

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the sudden spike of a headache. "You too? Weren't you there when she humiliated us in front of the entire pack? She rejected our bond, Kael."

*She rejected us because of you!* Kael snarled, his canine instincts flaring with fierce protectiveness over our mate. *You asked her to kneel before that cunning woman and apologize. You wrapped your hands around her throat. You nearly killed her, Dari!*

I chuckled softly under my breath, shaking my head at my wolf's foolishness. He was driven purely by instinct, blind to the reality of the situation.

"Firstly, Kael, Vivian had to apologize for her actions. She attacked Milla. Secondly, she was being annoying, jealous, and disobedient. I got carried away by my righteous anger, yes, but my reaction was justified."

*Justified?* Kael roared, his frustration vibrating through my very bones. *You are driving away the other half of our soul!*

"Now be good and stay quiet," I ordered firmly, pushing down his presence with my Alpha dominance. "Vivian will come crawling back on her knees once she finishes wandering the dangerous city. She has no financial help. She has no protection. The moment she realizes how brutal the world is without me, she will beg for her place by my side."

Kael let out an immense, frustrated groan, fighting against my mental hold. He paced relentlessly in the back of my mind, snapping his jaws in defiance, but I refused to let his canine instincts override my human logic. Deep down, I knew he would eventually come to terms with it. Vivian made her own choice, and I was not about to chase a woman who threw such a pathetic tantrum.

I reached the end of the hallway and stopped outside Milla's bedroom door. The polished wood grain stood out under the warm glow of the wall sconces. I rested my hand on the brass doorknob, taking a slow breath.

A complex mix of frustration and profound disappointment washed over me as I thought about my so-called mate. Vivian was so cunning and manipulative, always plotting her next move. It wasn't enough for her to be jealous of Milla and try to end her life. Now, she was staging this grand, dramatic exit just to make herself look pitiful in front of my subjects.

She was acting pretentious, using any dramatic means necessary to seek cheap attention and sympathy. She wanted the pack to pity her. She wanted me to feel guilty.

But she was wrong.

As I stood there, staring at Milla's door, I confidently knew her foolish actions would backfire. Her desperate plea for sympathy would only lead to more severe complications and insurmountable challenges for herself in the unforgiving world. She would fail, she would suffer, and she would learn that crossing an Alpha came with a heavy price.