Chapter 1

I cannot understand how, for the sake of what he calls a 'plaything’, he could hurt his own mate again and again, without any bottom line. My dignity, my body, and even my life—in his eyes, they were all completely worthless.

And now my breathing grew ragged and shallow, every syllable catching at the back of my throat.

This was the third time he had asked me that question.

The first time, he'd demanded to know where that "bitch" had gone. I didn't answer.

The second time, he had pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling window, his warm breath ghosting across my neck. "Estelle," he'd murmured, his voice a low rumble, "you shouldn't hide things from me. I hope you know better."

And now, he had chosen to use my parents' lives to force my hand.

I buried my face in my hands, tears welling in my eyes. "Kaelen… those are my parents. They're my own flesh and blood…"

"Oh?" A cruel smile touched his lips, his amber eyes glinting with an icy light. "And? Did you stop to think what she means to me before you got rid of her?"

I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails broke the skin of my palms, drawing blood. A wave of searing rage churned in my chest.

What she means to him?

He had sworn to me that the she-wolf was just a diversion, a toy he would discard when he grew bored.

He had sworn before the Moon Goddess that I was his fated mate, the one true light of his soul.

And now, for a so-called "diversion," he was going to let my parents die in the wilderness.

"Kaelen," my voice was raw, "please, don't hurt them. My parents… they're innocent."

He leaned forward, his powerful Alpha aura washing over me like a suffocating tide. "Then you'd better pray nothing's happened to her."

"No one is innocent. You have two choices: find her, or collect your parents' remains."

My body began to tremble uncontrollably. My inner wolf was howling in agony, and tears streamed down my face.

I didn't know when everything had gone so wrong.

Kaelen had once given me a love that set my world on fire.

When we first met, I was just an ordinary she-wolf from a small border pack. Kaelen was the heir to the Black Moon Pack, the most powerful in North America—a natural-born Alpha King, as proud as a god, who had never bowed to anyone.

But he had chosen to fall at my feet.

His courtship was the talk of the entire werewolf world—ninety-nine moonlit nights of heartfelt confessions, each more breathtaking than the last.

He filled the sky with silver Moonpetal flowers, bought out entire city blocks for giant confession billboards, and on my birthday, he had the entire city's lights extinguished and then relit, just for me.

I fell for him. It wasn't just his grand gestures; it was the fated mate bond, an irresistible pull I couldn't fight. I was certain Kaelen was my destiny.

But my father was uneasy. He knew the nature of Alphas—of male wolves. They were too easily lost in power, too quick to seek new thrills.

But when Kaelen shed every last scrap of his Alpha pride, begging for their blessing outside our pack house for an entire night, my father was finally moved.

After he marked me, he truly treasured me.

He would personally tend to the smallest scrapes I got during training. He would drive across half the city just to buy the dessert I loved. All the wolves said the Alpha was a deeply devoted mate.

But the moment the name "Cassandra" entered our lives, everything changed.

I didn't care at first. In both the wolf and human worlds, there were always countless others trying to latch onto a man like him.

When I overheard gossip about a low-born Omega frequenting the Alpha's office, I just laughed it off. I'd seen such pathetic ploys a hundred times before.

But the second time I heard her name was during our most intimate moment.

He was slightly drunk, pressing down on me, and in the heat of passion, he whispered her name. "Cassandra."

I shoved him off me instantly. But he held me close and said, "It's how it is with Alphas in our circle, Estelle. But you are my one true love. That will never change." Lost in his gentle embrace, I chose to forgive him.

I never imagined he would become even more brazen.

Jewels, mansions, private parties—he paraded Cassandra through high society, and the rumors flew. When I cried and argued, his old tenderness was gone. "I don't expect my Luna to be so difficult."

Unable to bear it any longer, I had Cassandra sent away from North America.

But I never, ever thought he would retaliate so viciously, placing a blood-vine curse on my parents and exiling them to their deaths, all to force her location out of me.

"She's in Switzerland," my voice was as fragile as shattered glass. "Zurich. In the mountain villa under my name."

Once he confirmed the details, he stood to leave, ready to go and retrieve her.

"Wait." I grabbed his arm. "Where are my parents?"

"The abandoned factory south of the pack lands," he said dismissively. "You want them? Fetch them yourself."

When I found them, there were only ten minutes left on the curse. My parents were bound tightly to crumbling stone pillars, their mouths gagged. The moment they saw me, their eyes widened, and they shook their heads desperately, silently pleading for me to stay back.

I rushed forward, my hands trembling as I clawed at the blood-red vines, but the sound of the countdown echoed through the cavernous mine like a death knell.

00:03:21

00:03:20

The vines were as tough as iron wire. I couldn't break them. Frantic, tears streamed down my face.

Suddenly, my father slammed his body against mine, sending me staggering backward. The next second, dozens of rogue wolves burst from the shadows.

"Dad—!!!"

In an instant, I shifted into my massive silver wolf form. Claws and fangs met the frenzied pack in a brutal clash. Blood splattered, staining the mine red and soaking my silver fur.