His First Love Returned, So I Demanded a Rejection

In the Silvermoon Pack, a late-night forum post announces that Sarah has returned, and the pack floods the thread with memories of her and Alpha Ethan as the couple that should have been. No one seems to remember that Ethan already has a Luna: Emily, a human wife who has spent seven years beside a man who is polite, attentive and utterly cold.

When Sarah posts that some people are regretted for a lifetime, and then that she is back for good, Emily reads every reply calling her barely a Luna. That same night, a message lights up Ethan's phone: I'm back. He never hides his phone, because he knows she will never pry, and she knows that finding something would change nothing.

Before the annual pack gala, Emily finally asks Ethan for one small favor. His answer tells her everything about where she stands, and about the promise he once made to someone else.